An excellent last few days cycling Laos cross country remote, got to Luang Prabang last night, a luxury stop for the next 2 nights - laid back place, lots of temples, hanging out, some trekkers - treated ourselves to an expensive top rate hotel - arrived caked in mud, beer in the fridge - doorman washing bikes - really nice place. Yeehhhhooo, saw Wycombe Wanderers on CNN - beat Leicester to earn a place in the FA semi cup final - really good for a small team! Today overcast, hopefully, will clear tomorrow.
So from my last email onwards:-
Spent all day on the river heading southwards to Pakbeng, where we disembarked with our bikes. A few beers and a nights refreshing kip later, set of at 6am into the backwaters of Laos, where roads are poor. Mile after mile of broken tarmac and rocks, the locals in the villages are fantastic - not used to Europeans cycling through - lots of kids shouting, point and greetings - every stop we do for food - locals come out to see us, word spreads and pretty soon we're swamped - the children are fantastic - the women in Lao are very shy and giggly. Reached out guest house - no running water - walked to the river to shower/bathe with the locals. Excellent food - sticky rice is the staple - soups - stir fried veg
Next day the weather turned into an unseasonal downpour (this is the dry season) and the hard packed red clay gave way to mud, as slippery as ice in places and sometimes deep - never experienced mud like this. Local buses and trucks were having a bad time - entertainment for the villagers watching the trucks sliding around bends avoiding ditches, etc... every time someone came a cropper the whole village burst into hysterics. Eventually it became too hard to drag our bikes and we spent several hours as honourable guests in a village - very basic - and wow they were hospitable - bowl of water to wash- offers of overnight accommodation - being stared at - a few giggles - women very shy again - playing connect 4 - eventually we got the only bus truck that seemed to be moving, shame it would have been grand to have stayed the night. So onto the bus, 1 minute later, and off the bus to push it round the muddy bends - skillful driver - wheel spins and burning rubber - spent a nice fews hours hanging of the back of the bus, admiring the scenery and got into town late (Muang Beng). We stopped by the river where everyone washed, in the local stream and shared food with locals. OK hotel, warmish water - good food
Long mountain ride next morning, roads getting better - had a chat with a student on a motorbike whilst cycling uphill - good pace maker. Invited to say hello to his family further on- then a long slog to the end - covered in dirt - stayed in a bamboo house by the river - then taking the boat southwards the next morning.
Slow boat southwards - someone pulled on the accelerator cable - which was string running along the side of the boat - driver got the message - a wonderful leaky boat - wife in the back periodically bailing out water, got within 30kms of Luang Prubang and got off to ride in.
So, lots of temples, luxuries to consume, in this wonderful cultural town
