The longest day

What was supposed to be the end of a short 25km ride, Tha Hua - Pic CW

Lonely Planet map check - another 80km to go! Bummer...

It was supposed to be an easy ride of 25km to the fishing village of Ban Thahua. There, we were planning to take a leisurely 2 hr boat ride to our destination, Na Num at the other end of the man made lake.

Being thoroughly rested, we punched to Thahua in a lightning pace and just took just over an hour in the cool morning air. The roads were broken no thanks to last month's monsoons and heavy traffic. Once again, the menu was gravel and dust and the first casualty was KG's rear tire that went flat.

This was a golden opportunity to demonstrate Puncture Repair 101 to Meerten who had plans to ride to Vietnam and had not done this before. It helped that we stopped in a shady wooden hut overlooking the beautiful Ang Nam Ngum lake.

We were absolutely delighted to find a boatman willing to take us to Na Num for 200000 kips but our joy turned to disappointment when the big boat he promised looked only slightly bigger than a dug out canoe.

Would you allow your Surly to board this? Pic CW

There was no way all 5 of us plus bikes could fit and going into that was like jumping straight into a watery grave. Reluctantly, we looked at the map once again and saw the 90km detour by road we had to make. Though everyone put up brave faces and a gung ho attitude, I could see the disappointment written all over our faces. What was supposed to be 25km was now going to be 4-5 times longer!

It was not encouraging too that this route meant more dust storms, rolling hills, gravel, traffic and more merciless blazing sun. When we arrived at Phon Hong, we were powder coated with fine brown dust.

Our destination Na Num was another 27km and the back roads to get there was far more pleasant. By the time we arrived at Thalat, the sun was nearly down and it did not help that we lost one of our riders. A frantic search proved fruitless and with our energy levels on overdraft, I could not help feeling extremely frustrated. The Belgians decided to head for Na Num but we decided to turn back to Thalat as there was a rather promising hotel, The Khamphong Guesthouse and the possibility of good food. Doing so, we saw a lone light in the darkness and the lost cyclist was finally found much to everyone's relief.

For such a one cow town like Thalat, we must have checked into the Ritz with cold aircon, firm mattresses and crisp bed sheets and covers that looked exactly like Dr Mahatir's (Malaysian's controversial ex PM) blue bush jacket. We felt really bad messing up the spotless room with our dirty laundry!

The "Ritz" of Thalat - Khamphong Guesthouse. Highly recommended!


And that dirt is only from one sock! Yucks...

I never felt so happy checking into a guesthouse after such a tiring day. 114km was recorded on the Cateye and this proved way too much when the original plan was 25km. You could say it was our longest day in every sense of the word. Phew!

Friending @ Vien Vang

It was wonderful to wake up a bit later with no agenda except for dirty laundry. We discovered a great breakfast place doing Kao Tum (congee), chinese donuts and first class coffee not far from we were. You can always tell a good place when there is a large crowd. While enjoying congee, 3 touring bikes ridden by Aussies pulled up and that got us all excited. They were heading for Luang Prabang from Vientiane and we of course, sat down to exchange notes. There is a certain natural camaraderie among touring bikers. Somehow, I felt a tinge sorry for them with the gruesome climbs that lay ahead...

VV is truly a backpacker paradise, with lots of cheap guesthouses, bars, and many opportunities to get stone. The key attraction is to tube down the river in your skimpies and watch DVD re-runs all day long. At least 3 restaurants with mattresses were showing "Friends", the 1990s sit com and being a Friend's fan, I was tempted to lounge with the rest of the crowd. Somehow watching Joey, Racheal, Phoebe, Russ, Monica and Chandler on so many TVs in a country that hardly speaks english was bizzare.

It was common to see many young farang kids just out of uni or high school walking barefooted on the streets in their "next to nothing" swim wear, loud tatoos, beer in hand, shouting and laughing their heads off. Great that they are having fun, not so great for others who prefer some quiet.

We crossed the 6000 kip bridge to the other side of the river and cycled through some dusty villages.

This was the non-touristy section of Vien Vang with cows, rice fields, stray dogs and mountains. As we were taking sunset pics, lo and behold our Belgian friends, Meerteen and Katerin, cycled pass. Their familiar bamboo racks gave them away from a far distance and we made plans to cycle down to Vientiane the next morning. So it looked like another mystery adventure for the Famous Five again.

We enjoyed a fantastic Cambodian hot plate dinner called Ko Lam Phnom (Cow on a Hill) that was absolutely delicious and finished that off with a creamy Latte and a massage. Friending at Vien Vang had been pretty relaxing and fun, mostly.

Out of the mountains, into the valleys

Bor Nam Oon is certainly worth another night just to enjoy the serenity and beauty. Therefore it was with great reluctance that we had to set off, a little later. Breakfast of bacon, eggs and baguette was just too good to rush through and we took our time to enjoy it.

The last 18km downhill ride continued much to my delight and some 10' degree slopes saw the Surly hit 55.5kmh. Its ultra long wheelbase made it absolutely stable.

However, that rhythm was broken many times with compulsory stops for photos. The green ricefields, sweeping valleys, blues skies, limestone mountains, flowing streams and signature ridges bathe in perfect morning light beckoned us to just take it all in.

Kasi, 20km away signalled the end of the mountainous part. We regrouped and had refreshments, and waited too long for Chris who was captivated with the landscape. His camera truly had an early morning full on aerobics workout. Typical of Lao hospitality, the friendly shopkeeper bantered with us and proudly showed off his gorgeous 2 yo grand-daughter.

The 60km ride to Vien Vang was flattish and a bit boring compared to what we have rode through. Down to only 300m above sea level, we were getting fried by the blazing sun. Many parts of the road here in Route 13 were broken and spoilt.

Gravel, sand and dust were the order of the day. All the rough and hard riding took its toil on rider and machine. Any fillings in our teeth were well and truly shaken out and my bike panniers came loose through a screw that fell off no thanks to all the poundings. Our Belgians friends unfortunately lost their handlebar mounted camera in this stage too. 3 weeks of photos all gone and it was most tragic. But I will always remember the kindness of a little girl selling fruit at one rest point. I must have looked pretty pathetic, and she came over shyly to give me a refreshing Mandarin Orange. I was touched!

Reaching Vien Vang was a relief and we felt like dusty cowboys on horses at the end of a long trail. We checked into Mekong View Guesthouse (our friend Michelle Dodd stayed here 6 months ago) tired and dirty.


The magnificient view of the mountain ridges and Nam Ou River from the 2nd floor balcony, spacious and clean rooms and location away from the noisy centre of town, made this a most suitable abode for our next two days in the valley.

More climbs, more descents, more beauty

At 1500m, even with the first rays of sunlight, KKC was chilly. We exhaled "smoke" while having breakfast and managed an early start at 0830 - with our 2 new friends joining us. It was misty and cold as we started our descent.

Slicing through the mountain fresh air in complete silence, save for the sound of the rumble of fast spinning tires, was pure bike heaven. The steep mountains and valleys made for the most spectacular scenery ever and I was in holy awe. One of the great joys in riding Laos must be the ever friendly children who will run out to the road screaming "Sabai-di" with outstretched hands. Their warm smiles never fail to melt my heart.

The 20km descent ended too soon into a lush valley with a quiet small village by a bubbling stream. We stopped for some refreshments and recharging for the 8km climb ahead. It felt so unfair to be crawling when I was flying a moment ago but that is the brutal honesty of cycling. There is no free ride!
It was back to granny crawling until we reached Muang Phu Khon and we reached there with wobbling legs. A hot bowl of Pho noodle soup never tasted so good and we simply sat down speechless for a while in the restaurant, catching our breath. MPK is a junction town where 2 highways meet (to the famous Jars of Clay) and it was bustling with traffic and numerous stores filled with made in China products. Some people stay here for the night but we knew better...

Another 27km of largely downhill would bring us to a lovely simple resort by a hot spring. Thanks to the helpful sharing of previous cyclists online, that was our destination for the day. The scenery now switched to limestone mountains and with the setting sun, throwing beautiful shadows and lighting, it was a field day for the camera.


Flying down the mountains is one thing, but one's eye must be peeled on the road. There was a stretch where half of the road collapsed due to soil erosion, and it would be treacherous to be encountering that at night!


Arriving at Bor Nam Oon, I jumped straight into the hot spring only to discover it was a warm spring. But that was still very nice especially for aching muscles and I just sat there soaking in the surroundings until a Lao mom and her 2 young naked children joined me. With laundry and toothbrush in hand, they decided to carry on their daily routine and this was when I decided to leave. The Belgians rolled in about an hour later and we were glad they made it. Dinner was surprisingly delicious too. My only complain about this stop is that many truckers decide to make this their stop too and somehow, their heavy engines and the serene surroundings did not gel.

However, my rustic, wooden chalet provided the perfect toasty place to just lay down for the cool evening. With the quiet sound of a nearby gurgling stream, I was at absolute peace. I have seen God's creation today in all its finest splendor and I have been richly blessed.