Dec 4th – Chiang Khong, Thailand

Kind of a frustrating day in that I had to use like 3 and a half pills of lorazepam to get through the bus ride; it wasn’t as comfortable as I imagined it would be. The roads are fast and the bus whips through towns. Add to that three antihistamine and a big bottle of beer. Hmmm…I need to start working the Tylenol PM instead of the antihistamine so I can sleep through these bus rides. Maybe it was the hot chocolate that kept me awake all day. Either way, way too much medication needed! I got to the bus station this morning at 8:15. I walked, which felt great, but a mistake because I had to get a number and wait in line to get a bus ticket, by which time I had missed the 8:30. The 9:30 was full so I had to take the 2:30. Not a big deal since I am still on schedule. I’ll start the two-day journey down the Mekong River tomorrow.

Such cozy and inviting accommodation on the Thai side of the river this evening. A cool rain has been falling. As soon as I got off the bus, a lady directed me to her guest house, a quick two minute ride. It was the easiest thing to do since it was raining and dark. This place is so quaint. I love the sound of the rain and the frogs. Members of the family include a rescued cat and two young beagles.

Dec 5th, 2015 – Pak Beng, Laos

I felt good on the boat today, and only one milligram of lorazepam, but assuredly I was still feeling the remnants of yesterdays gluttonous pill-taking, which also explains why I had no trouble on the truck taxi ride to the bridge, the bus ride across the bridge, the bus to the boat, and the truck ride to the hotel this evening. We were told it was going to be seven hours on the boat today but it was more like five. The Mekong River is pretty, nothing out of this world, but it’s been a pleasant ride.

It was chilly. I wore my fleece and my jacket most of the day and was regretting a little leaving my long johns in Chang Mai. I am surprised at the drastic change in temperature.

I had a few small mishaps – forgot a zero in the Kip-Dollar exchange rate and didn’t get out enough money which means an extra transaction fee, and also left three beers in the store that I had bought before getting on the boat. One dollar is equal to over 8100 Kip, the Lao currency, which to me seems just a bit absurd.

On to Luang Prabang tomorrow. They tell us it is an eight hour boat ride. Lots of young travelers. Kind of a party boat atmosphere. I feel a bit out of place. Can’t wait to start biking.

Dec 7th – Luang Prabang, Laos

Hung out by the engine again on day two of the ride where I could lie down. It was a little hot, but every once in a while I would catch a cool wind from outside. It was cloudy. The ride down the river was uneventful. I read a lot.

We got off the boat and found out that it was 10km into town so you have to take a tuk tuk. What a scam. My guidebook mentions a landing area right in Luang Prabang, but obviously the boat misses this to help out the local tuk tuk drivers. I ended up walking. I got into town in an hour and a half. I had to cross a harrowing wooden bridge above the river that was something out of an India Jones movie, complete with wooden planks. I later saw that a footbridge farther up the river had been washed away.

The city of Luang Prabang is addictively attractive. I kind of feel like I am somewhere along the Mississippi River in Louisiana or Mississippi because of the lovely French colonial architecture. There’s lots of good food here – restaurants, street food. I haven’t really explored too many of the sights. I’ve walked by a bunch of temples but haven’t gone in, I am just so caught up on the food. I have to get out of this town before I either devour all of it, or it devours my bank account.

I celebrated the purchase of a new bike! I was lucky enough to finally find a place that actually sold bikes, but it was not a proper bike shop and I have no other amenities – no helmet, no lock, not even a rack in the back to put my stuff, I guess I’ll be carrying it on my back for now – awkward!

Dec 9th – Luang Prabang

Yesterday I discovered my bank card was missing. Bummer of a day. I am pretty sure I left it in the ATM. I went back and discovered that there was a bank right there, but they didn’t have it. Fortunately I was able to expand my credit card limit and I will be able to get to Australia with it. I’ll have a new card debit sent to Australia. Unfortunately, this means I lost a day. It’s hard getting out of town and leaving the comforts of food and hotel. Stayed up late last night watching Friends highlights. It’s 10:00 AM and I am just sitting down for breakfast. Got to get motivated. Got to get out of town.

Dec 9th – Pong Dong, Laos

Well I did get out of town and started biking at 11. I was fortunate to run into another biker a half hour in who helped direct me in the right direction. I was going the right way for a change, but I just wasn’t sure, so talking to him gave me some peace of mind. He told me to take route 4 instead of route 13 because he said it was faster. That might be true but there are less towns. In fact, I am at a highway junction that takes me back East and there will be no town tomorrow for 35 or 40 miles. At this junction, there are no hotels, and I was able somehow coax my way to be able to stay the night at the place where I had dinner.

Dinner was just a basic bowl of soup with noodles and meat. They speak no English and no French here and it was very hard to communicate. Their girl of about seven befriended me. I showed her my pictures, taught her some English, and we are friends forever now. She has just started learning English in school. She can count to ten and say thank you, and that’s about it. I think she actually talked her mother into letting me sleep inside instead of out, but I can’t be sure.

My bedding is no better than theirs, a mattress on the floor. They are watching a Thai soap opera about 20 feet from me as three of them crowd onto one mattress. Correction, the two young ones and the mother are asleep.

I worry about the long stretch tomorrow with no towns. The other way might have been tougher, but I think it would have been more comforting with a town every few kilometers.

My back really got tired on the bike today and I had to take frequent breaks. I am carrying my backpack on my back and that doesn’t help. I only covered 38 miles (61km) in over six hours. My bike is not very good. The brakes are already causing me concern and it makes funny noises peddling uphill. I have no spare tires and no pump. I hope there is a bike shop in Vang Vieng, but the town is half the size of Luang Prabang so I’m not counting on it.

December 10th – Kasi, Laos

Today was a rough one. Maybe tougher than any single day of trekking in Nepal. I covered only 30 km (18 miles) in the first six and half hours. that’s 3mph (5kmp)! It was almost all uphill. I couldn’t believe it! I honestly thought I would not be able to cover the 66km (41 miles) to Kasi and the junction with route 13. What’s worse, I was going through all my water and there weren’t any villages marked on my map.

Luckily, after km 30 it was almost all downhill! The downhill would have been more enjoyable if my brakes weren’t scaring the heck out of me. The front brake sort of undulates – it works on part of the wheel but not all of it which sort of makes the bike rock in a pulsating back and forth motion. The back brake now squeals bloody murder and has seemed to get much softer and I have to push down on it much more than I did yesterday. Looks like I bought a Walmart Special.

I must have walked a least half the uphill, my legs were so tired from yesterday. I can’t say how high exactly the climb was but the views back down into the valley suggested that it must have been something over 3000 feet or 1000 meters, maybe more. The grade was so steep much of the time that I just couldn’t ride it. I thought I would have to jump on the back of a Japanese made pick up truck before the end of the day to get into Kasi.

There were a few villages and road side stands along the way, the most notable one, a drink stand just after I started going downhill. Man, the two juices I bought, and the water were worth all 28,000 kips ( 1 U.S. Dollar = 8100 Laotian Kip). The man at the hotel tonight speaks French, which helped me to get dinner and figure out how much I had to pay.

On to Vang Vieng tomorrow. 61 km (38 miles). I can’t imagine anything being anymore difficult than today. Clearly taking route 4 and cutting over was a mistake.

December 11th -Vang Vieng, Laos

The bike ride was mostly flat and downhill today. Still, it took me almost six hours to go the 60km (37 miles). I was mostly slowed by the constant breaks I had to take to rest my back. I am carrying my backpack on my back and I think it is just a bit too much for me. My back might be sore anyways, but perhaps not this much.

Two bikers passed me this morning – a man and a woman, perhaps from France, at least the man, and we talked a little. The man complimented me on my legs which would have been weird if it had not been in the context of him telling me that once I got a rack to put my bag on instead of carrying it on my back that I would go a lot faster. They speeded ahead of me and most certainly arrived in Vang Vieng hours before me. The landscape was striking, with many pillars of tree covered buttes that can only be identified with this area of the world. I plan to be in Vang Vieng for three nights.