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.