Nong Kiaw to Pak Mong
Distance - 32km
Average - 16.8km/h
After already having a dreary night in Pak Mong, a "junction town", we were pretty bummed to leave Nong Kiaw, which despite being cloaked in smoke and ash was very beautiful and relaxing. But there was riding to be done. A short ride along a river saw us back in Pak Mong in no time. It was a sunday so everyone was out in the small villages having big village lunches and getting together. We spotted a ice cream vendor in a small village and after queing behing all the kids in the village we managed to enjoy a refreshing, coconut ice cream. A cycling staple.
Day 2:
Pak Mong to Udom Xai
Distance - 85km
Average - 12.6km/h
Probably the most eventful day so far........We started off thinking we had a fairly easy ride but after hitting a 18km hill after 5mins things turned pretty ugly. We thought the mountain part of the riding was over but this was probably the hardest day we have had so far. The ride up the hill was scenic but went on for ever. Villages are usually located near the top of the hill so whenever we would see one we would get excited, but then we would reach the village and see the road winding up another hill, with more hills behind. Add the mental distress of that with ash and smoke gave us a rather sour mood for the day. But after all good climbs there was a great 15km descent. On one of the descents we rode down through a village and came across a Lao hazard, which usually consists of fallen trees on the road or no road altogther. On this case it was the later; Nat was leading and hit the gravel patch but her tyre slid and she came off her bike. She was luckily not going to fast. She had some grazes on her side but was shaken more than anything (and suprisingly more worried about her bike!!!). A few villagers stopped and stared, but suprisingly none came over to see if she was OK. That is one of the oddities, that the Lao are quick to greet you as you ride through but then very shy if you stop. But I learnt later that night this behavious was normal.
Today we also celebrated our 1000th kilometer while riding up one of the hills, elated we had a quick hug and handshake, reflected on the past 1000kms then pushed on.
We pulled into Udomxai after being in the saddle for 6:30hrs. Tired but glad to be there.
We met a italian/american couple who were motorbiking around and had dinner with them. While having dinner we heard a bang and had a look out on the road to see what it was. Two motorbikes had collided and judging by the mess at high speed. Two people were lying there grazed and shocked, and one guy was lying semi-concious with a serious bleeding head wound. A crowd soon formed around them - doing absolutely nothing - we decided even though we could help the situation seemed pretty volatile with a crowd of about 40 around after a few minutes. Both myself and the couple we were having dinner with have senior first aid, but decided it would be hard to help. But they ended up getting moved to the red cross. It was hard to not help though, but the best option in the end.
Day 3:
Udom Xai to Muong Huong
Distance - 99km
Average - 16.9km/h
While we were showering back at the guest house a few people tried to open our door, which we thought was pretty strange and gave us a bad feeling about the place. This was confirmed in the morning when I found my saddle bag (a small bag under my seat) was cut off my bike and we lost some gear, a tool kit and tubes. We usually take the bikes in our room, but we were up some steep stairs which would have been difficult, so we locked them under the stairs. But someone helped themselves during the night.
We were pretty pissed and complained to the owner who just shrugged it off and didnt fully comprehend. We tried to go to the tourism office - shut. We went to the police station to file a report for insurance - shut. So frustrated we rode off.
The days ride took us down a river valley on the way to Pak Beng. The ride was mostly flat and had some beautiful forest sections. We stayed in a guesthouse in Muong Huong with this group of 20 something Lao. Most guesthouses we stay at along the way are usually consist of few rooms out the back of a restaurant or a few extra rooms in a house, which the owners usually vacate for guests. We usually pay about 25-40,000 kip, about 3-5 NZ dollars. The places have a mix of private and shared bathrooms which have squat toilets and a pale and bucket to shower with (it took a while to get this method down).
After learning our lesson last night, we somehow managed to get our bikes in the smallest room we have had to date, there was no floor space left apart from a narrow strip leading to the bathroom. Cosy and secure. Most of these towns only have power from 6-10pm so things get quiet pretty early.
Day 4:
Muang Huong to Pak Beng
Distance - 54km
Average - 17.0km/h
On our sixth straight riding day we were glad to be on the road and looking forward to a few days off. The ride was along side a river and we were going downriver so it was a downhill day!! If anyone was thinking about cycling around Lao, a word of warning; dont do it in march/april!! We managed to time it with the end of the dry season when the farmers "slash and burn". This means they clear the land in the morning then light fires in the afternoon to clear off unwanted vegetation. Since Vang Vieng Lao has been a haze of smoke caused by the fires. Apart from spoiling our views it is not the most fun riding through ash that is falling like snow. We end up with ash all over us. It is so thick you cant even see the sun, which is nice sometimes as it makes it cooler, but thats beside the point. The burning is not a sustainable process as it ruins the soil after a few seasons. There are lots of educational posters around illustrating why not to burn but nobody seems to be paying much attention. We have heard it is the same in northern thailand and they are generating artificial rain to bring the smoke down.
After arriving in Pak Beng we checked into a guesthouse. Pak Beng is at the end of a road and lies on the banks of the Mekong. It is a overnight stop off for the slow boat between Luang Prabang and Chiang Khong in Thailand. The town has a collection of guesthouses and restaurants to house the 100 or so people that turn up at 6pm every night. Local kids line the banks off the river and jump on the boats and grab peoples bags then offer to take it up a very steep bank to the town. It is quite a spectacle to see everyone arrive then jostle for guesthouses. But since we arrived by bike we enjoyed this from the comfort off the restaurant we were in. For the whole afternoon we were the only foreigners in town. We even had to interupt a restaurnateur from TV watching to get some food. We managed to offload our leftover Lao Kip since no banks want it!! Inflation here is near 10% so the guide books are all out of date for pricing after a year.
After our last day riding in Lao we have clocked up over 1300km and 1000 of those in Lao!! It has flown by. Nat is worried about the weird muscles she is developing on her legs!!
Even the Lao grafitti is in good spirit:
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