78 km

Between Vang Vieng and Louang Prabang lies the hardest cycling of our trip. We knew from research and talking with other cyclists that we’d be climbing and descending a few thousand meters over these days and that the riding should be beautiful with green mountains, fresh air and quiet roads.

Now down to the last three days of cycling, I felt refocused and ready to enjoy every bit of it. The scenery was spectacular all day as we cycled up through limestone cliffs. We had some nice cloud cover to keep things slightly cooler.

We only had one moderate climb in the middle of the ride and then again at the end to get to Bor Nam Oom, little more than a guest house and restaurant built at a hot spring. We heard about this place from Damian and Judy, two cyclists we met in Krabi, Thailand, and this was a real gem to find out about (thanks, you guys!). It is 20 kilometers past Kasi, the usual first overnight stop on this route.

The view from our bungalow porch

The hot spring is not much more than a small stream to sit in, as the pool they built a couple of years ago does not hold much more than a few slimy inches of water, but we did sit and enjoy the warm stream after a chilling rain storm. Flowers filled the hillside garden around the bungalows and the mountains were jutting up all around, so we really enjoyed the view from our small porch. The restaurant offered plenty of vegetarian options and the women there were smiling and friendly. This was a real treat compared to the usual small-town guest house along the highway.

Vang Vieng is like a town plopped down in the middle of Laos from some other country. You don’t really feel like you’re in Laos. The small town itself is mostly made up of accommodation, restaurants, and tour companies for the pleasure of tourists. This is the place you may have heard of where most of the restaurants play DVDs of “Friends” all day and night, with pillowed wicker platforms where you can lie or sit watching TV all day while drinking and eating. This weirdness really is true. We didn’t participate, though when we did go out to eat (mostly Indian food) we could sometimes hear as many as four different episodes of the sitcom around us.

Another oddity of Vang Vieng is the popularity of inner-tubing down the river. You pay 40,000 Kip and get a big inner tube and a tuk-tuk ride up the river a few kilometers and dropped off. You can simply tube down the mostly tranquil river or there are several river-side bars set up along the way, with volleyball and different kinds of trapeze swings into the river.

We decided to give it a go, and it was hilariously fun even without getting drunk like most all of the “kids” out there (and safer). We didn’t bring the camera, of course, but I do regret not having a picture of Dave climbing up the bamboo platforms and swinging way out over the river and jumping in. He was great! We even played a bit of volleyball. But we soon left the party scene and drifted quietly down the river to town. It was a really great way to enjoy the beauty of the mountains and forest around us.

32 km

This morning we woke up early to the sound of a storm gathering. We sat on our balcony with our fruit and yogurt and Nalgene of Nescafe mixed up strong (it’s better than the sickeningly sweet Lao coffee and we’ve become quite used to it). It started to sprinkle rain, and as locals fished the river below it started raining harder. Soon the wind was whipping through the coconut trees and the rain became a total wall of water. We sat enthralled for a couple of hours, talking and watching the river rise and the clouds change.

After all these hot, dry months the rain has finally come and we are enjoying every drop. The temperature has fallen by maybe twenty degrees Fahrenheit and it’s almost chilly.

After the rains cleared up we headed out to ride 13 kilometers north of town to see a set of caves. Just after kilometer marker 169 there’s a big sign on the left for the caves. We followed the gravel road down to the river and parked our bikes (3,000 Kip each) and crossed the river on a bamboo footbridge (5,000 Kip each) and walked to the first cave, Tham Sang, or Elephant Cave. Inside is a stalactite shaped like an elephant, helped a bit by some concrete we think. It also featured a Buddha footprint (do they think that we think that Buddha actually stomped his foot here?) and a Buddha statue. It’s considered a holy cave, so you have to take off your shoes at the entrance.

Next came a short walk to Tham Hoi, a 3-kilometer long cave that leads to an underground lake. A local boy of about 16 pointed out the way and walked with us. He chatted with a couple of boys at the entrance who sold us our tickets (5,000 kip each) and then walked in with us. We had pretty good head lamps with us and he had a powerful flashlight, so we could see really well. After walking a few minutes, we had to wade through some water. The local kid said it was fun, we should keep going, so we did.

The cave stayed about the same width and height and remained pretty level as we walked through, but parts were filled with water so that soon we had to swim. The local was having great fun and we were glad to have someone to follow in. I personally wouldn’t have swam through if he hadn’t been there. I couldn’t believe how far into this cave we were going! After a while the local said he was turning around, indicating his flashlight battery wouldn’t last. So we went back with him. It was weird to emerge into the humid warmth of the jungle outside when we came out. I could imagine the locals spend a good amount of time in there during the hottest parts of the year.

We then walked up the hill a bit to the large cavern of Tham Loup, which was not very deep. After that we walked around to Tham Nam, a cave through which a tributary of the Nam Song flows. To go into it you pay your entrance fee (10,000 Kip) which includes a tractor inner tube. You get on the tube and pull yourself on a rope into the cave. Shortly after the water deepens and you use your arms to paddle up the stream. When you reach the end, you simply float or paddle back down. It was a fun way to see the cave and a really unique experience.

All along the local boy is guiding us. We reviewed our guidebook and it said an admission fee “is collected by a guide at the entrance to each cave,” so we assume he’s included as part of the fees we’re paying at each cave. He’s been fun and helpful, so we get out some money for a tip before we walk back, thinking we’ll give it to him as we part ways at the village where we crossed the foot bridge. But before we get back to the village he stops, turns, and says something like, “OK, you pay me money now for the guiding,” with a completely serious face. I had the tip in my hand at that point and sort of held it out, shocked at the abrupt change from his fun manner. He looked at the Lao money and shook his head, saying, “Five dollars. Each.”

Dave said, “No, that’s not the way it works. If you wanted a set amount you should have said in the beginning.” He then took the money and tried to hand it to the boy, asking him to please take it. The boy refused. So we started walking back. The boy then said, “OK, five dollars!” We kept walking. Then, finally, he asked for the Kip and we gave it to him.

We walked back feeling bad about the whole thing, thinking about how we could have handled it differently in the beginning. To give in to the boy would only encourage him to do the same thing to others, and we felt it was wrong.

91 km

We had a flat, speedy start to the day today. The weather is definitely starting to cool as we enter the rainy season, and it makes a huge difference in how we enjoy the cycling and the stops we make along the way. Instead of sweating before we even got going in the morning, we actually started the first few kilometers feeling refreshed, with high clouds filtering the sun’s rays. At 4, 6, and 24 kilometers into the ride today we saw additional guest houses that might interest other riders on this route.

The last 20 km or so were hilly as we approached green-coated limestone cliffs jutting up out of the Nam Song river valley ahead of us. We found a beautiful room at the Mountain Riverview Guest House right on the river, sold by the view from the second-storey balcony. The air is hazy from the smoke of so much slash-and-burning the local farmers have been doing, but the mountains still look amazing.

We went straight out to eat, finding we had three Indian food options, as well as many others appealing to Westerners (falang is the local term for foreigners used by locals). We feel OK with eating like typical backpackers when in touristy towns because in between all we eat is local food.

74 km

Since we now have less than a week of riding left on this bike tour, I find I’m thinking and planning beyond this trip as I ride. I don’t want to miss the beauty of each kilometer, but I must say I’m definitely feeling ready to move on.

This section between Vientiane and Louang Prabang is a classic cycling route that several cyclists we’ve met have told us was their favorite in Southeast Asia. I find I’m struggling to keep my mind focused on the present. This is always something I find difficult, but it is silly to be thinking of future moments when I’m here right now. I just need to re-fucus now after spending a couple of days in Vientiane, a city where you can easily insulate yourself from some of the daily frustrations of being a tourist, a mini-vacation from your vacation in a sense.

The ride today was easy but interesting, with a few rolling hills here and there near the end of the day. As we approached Phon Hong there were a couple of decent-looking guest houses on the left, but we rode a few km farther and stayed at the junction with the road that leads to the Plain of Jars. There was only one guest house here and we took it, though it could have been cleaner. I’d probably recommend one of the places on the southern outskirts instead.

12 km

We rode around and were regular tourists this morning. First we saw Wat Si Muang, the site of the city’s lak, or pillar, so it’s well-used by locals and has an active monastery. There’s also a crumbling stupa that is probably of Khmer origin, atop which a nice old stork was hanging out. It looked like he had a damaged wing, so the monks must feed and take care of him. The monks this morning were busy carving wood panels, probably for a renovation project. Behind the monks quarters there was an aviary with two huge birds, as well as a cage with two monkeys swinging and howling. I noticed a lot of the statues were of female Buddhas and other female characters, more so than at any other temple we’ve seen.

Then we rode to the Arch we saw when riding into the city yesterday. It’s called Patuxai, and was built in the 1960s with cement bought by the United States that was supposed to have been used for a new airport. Thus, some people call it the Vertical Runway.

We paid 3,000 kip each to climb to the top and had a great view of the city.

After being tourists for a while we got down to the business of shopping–grocery shopping. We have one week left of riding in Laos and we must not leave this town without peanut butter and whole-grain bread! And more, much more.

75 km

We have arrived in Vientiane, the capital of Laos! Never have we been so happy to see a city. Laos is extraordinarily beautiful and the people have been sweet and welcoming, but we needed a bit of a respite from traveling in the wee villages.

Before coming to Laos, we’d heard from other travelers that you don’t go to Laos for the food. It’s not that it’s so bad, but it’s not great either. The Lao people have been conquered, colonized, broken up and put back together by others so many times that they lack a unifying food culture. There are a handful of Lao dishes, but nothing like in other Asian countries. And more than any other country we’ve ridden so far, it is challenging to find vegetarian options. We have mostly been eating sticky rice, omelettes, fried vegetables, or vegetable fried rice.

Right away we found the vegetarian buffet listed in the Lonely Planet Laos and it was awesome. For dinner, we went straight for Indian food. We are finally feeling better and so happy to be able to eat!

88 km

We had yet another cool morning to ease us into our ride before it became hot. The rainy season must be getting started. We sure hope so. Before heading out of town we rode along the Mekong and saw a form of fishing we hadn’t seen before.

We both were going back and forth between feeling OK and not-so-great all day. Last night’s rain really cleared up a lot of the smoke we’ve been seeing in the air. Villagers use slash-and-burn on a small scale as a way to clear new fields for farming here, but we’ve also been hearing talk of how the Chinese are logging and burning huge plots in northern Laos, making money from the timber and then encouraging farmers to grow certain crops that the Chinese want to buy. We don’t know how true that is, but as we ride north we are seeing more and more smoke in the air and it’s really sad. This should be some of the cleanest air in Southeast Asia.

94 km

We felt mildly better starting out today, and we were lucky to have cooler temperatures with cloudy skies. We were still unable to eat much, but somehow we still managed to ride a solid day and make good time. I guess it’s the 4,500+ kilometers we’ve ridden so far that kept us going. Our bodies are just used to riding.

After about 30 kilometers we reached Phonsi, a small village on the Nam Kading, one of the most pristine rivers in Laos. There’s a sign announcing 1-hour boat rides to the Tat Wang Fong waterfall. Our Lonely Planet Laos book said to follow the small gravel road for a few hundred meters to the river and ask around about a boat. We got to the water’s edge and walked around for a few minutes until we saw a longboat coming down river. When a couple of fishermen got out, the driver pointed up river and said, “Waterfall?” We said yes, then found out the price was 120,000 kip, or about US$15. It sounded like a good way to take a morning break from riding and get into the wilderness a bit more, so we agreed.

It was another cool day with some good cloud cover, so the boat ride was really pleasant. We were often amazed at how shallow the water was, yet we skimmed right along in the longboat. The water level during the rainy season would be rushing well above our heads.

As we headed up river, we saw a huge strip mine on our right, an anomaly that was hard to reconcile with the pristinely forested bank of the other side of the river. Soon after, we passed the mine and were in the most wild area we’ve seen so far.

At one point, Dave and I had to get out so the boatman could run the boat up through a narrow little rapid. He got stuck the first time, but on the second try he slid right through.

After that we were at the small but rushing waterfall. We swam and snacked upstream before enjoying a smooth and scenic ride back to Phonsi.

Our destination was Pakxan, a large and industrious town on the Mekong. We found the BK Guest House mentioned in our guidebook (off the highway on the road closest to the river), and it was so cute with beautiful gardens and a lovely host that I had to mention it for those riding the same route. This was a little oasis we really appreciated. We had a fan room with a screened window by our heads, through which we enjoyed a cool breeze all night after the evening rain. For dinner, we walked about 50 meters down the street to the BK Restaurant (the sign just says “restaurant” as far as I can remember) where we had our first real meal since being sick. The food was good and clean and fresh, and the cook was very helpful with our requests for vegetarian options of the dishes. The Lao phrases we’ve learned are well understood when the cooks are this engaged in figuring it out with us.

My poor Love got sick last night and spent today sleeping. He’s exactly two days behind me in getting whatever this sickness is, but at least he doesn’t have it quite as bad. I’m still not feeling well enough to eat anything but bananas and a few crackers. We started taking antibiotics and are anxious for them to kick in.