Tuk tuk recovery

After Pii Mai, with some trepidation, we got the bus/songtaew back to Ban Na Hin to recover the tuk tuk.

We found out where it was at the police station and went for a quick squiz - thank goodness, only superficial damage. We turned up first thing next morning. An officer had to go to work elsewhere but said to come back at 2pm when a senior officer would be there.

While he was away a scruffy person with no id or uniform and bare feet suggested we pay 725,000 kip to 'clear' the tuktuk, but he had no paperwork, just the keys. When we came back in the afternoon the officials and the paperwork were there and the price went down to 575,000 kip. We had the tuk tuk back by 4pm but it had a flat battery. We had it on charge all morning but it still wouldn't start. So I found someone with a car to jump start it but it still wouldn't start. Eventually the people outside helped us bump start it, which it did really easily, we went to a garage for a safety check and left by 5pm.

The way back over the mountains is one of the most stunning routes we've seen and so much more so by tuk tuk, though we did ride down it on bikes on the way in. It was good to be tukking again.