3/3/08
We rode our first 40 mile day in well over a month, making it to Buan Kuen, the wonderful river town we stopped in while motorcycle riding several days ago. We revisited the delightful restaurant above the fish weirs and settled into the Vansara Resort to swim in the pool and read (our daily routine for the past several weeks).
The Laos PDR (please don’t rush) gentle, quiet life-style is soothing. The broad river rushes by but the silken surface reflects the opposite shore like an inverted photograph; river markers leave traces of silver threading downstream; all is calm and still. The small ferry traverses between the shores; long dugout canoes carry one or two people per boat as they haul up their fish lines or harvest greens from river bottom. On the wide and spacious river banks farmers tend prosperous vegetable plots. Below us a fisherman splashes about with homemade spear and a work crew is shoring up the bank below our crow’s nest deck. The workmen giggle as they play with water hoses and three watch as one digs and probes the earth. We observe feeding of the fish raised in the weirs; the water writhes as hungry, leaping, swirling multitudes froth the water’s surface. It is hard to explain how all this activity equates calm, but like a steady heart beat or breath slowly inhaled, then exhaled – observing, being here is like meditation.
3/4/08
We were greeted by a mist over the river and a nice breakfast on the deck Following instructions given to us by a non-cyclist we headed north; took a ferry to the other side of the river; and continued to Phonghong. We were told to look for the Nam Lik Eco Resort sign before the bridge. Only too soon did we find it (33kms)! The signs led us down a side road that became dirt that became a rutted track. Where is this place? Eight kilometers plus. Now we’re here – what is this place? Twelve bungalows, perched on a hillside, owned by a Laos Frenchman and run by a Frenchman; a “lodge” exhibiting nature: collections of mountain butterflies and bugs, aquariums with snakes, frogs, turtles and fish, wild orchids strapped to every exterior facing balustrade and beam, all viewed from comfy chairs and surrounded by books and well placed tables. The staff cooks up tolerable meals, washes linens and make up the wonderful beds. These bungalows are Spartan and small but meet most needs complete with outdoor bathrooms and porches furnished with tables, chairs and hammocks. After last night’s gorgeous accommodation and lovely pool for $25, this seems awfully expensive at $30 p/n. I guess someone has to pay for all the advertising we saw in Vientiane and it is “out in the boonies.” After walking down to survey the swimming options riverside, we opted for “hammock time” instead. We had hoped this stop would shorten our long 90km ride tomorrow, but alas, it will add 8k’s of dirt road at the start. Oh well. One can never trust a non-cyclist for cycling directions.
On the road again!
1. Roadside market
2. Our eco cabin
3. Fish to go! |
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3/6
Kasi, a small wayside town where the busses stop for lunch is where we found ourselves at the end of 37m/67k out of Vang Vieng. The road slowly climbed up a river valley, karst mountains showing long stains of white streaks, jagged, craggy, looking like huge skyscrapers scrolled by on each side as we twisted the cranks. Twisting and turning through Hmong villages with their happy children calling out ‘sabadee’. Smiles and greeting from the cluster of women crowded around a vendor with new bright clothes just brought up from the market.
This stretch of road is the first back into mountain climbs and high passes. We have not really done much biking in the last month and a half so the mountains will take some time to get used to. Today’s 7k climb with 10% grade pitches was strenuous for me and moderate for Judee. The long down hills were exciting. Coasting! We have not done that for months in the flat rice fields of southern southeast Asia. But, as usual head winds were par for the course. Zooming around hair pin turns at speeds nearing 40k one always needs to keep an eye on the road for herds of cows and water buffalo using the highway to graze. The mountainsides here have been clear cut in many places (looks like slash and burn or swidden agricultural practices) with large road signs proclaiming This is a Forest Conservation and Afforestation Area. To us it looks like the clear cutting in the US northwest with little or no effort to replant the cut over. Not nearly as pleasant as the deep lush rain forest we rode through earlier in the day.
Yesterday in Van Vieng we tucked in around 2pm, found a guest house for $8 with fan and hot water. Quickly showered, we handed over our clothes to be laundered ($1 per kilo). Clean, we took off to explore what we had heard was a back packer town on the river. We did find the kick back area up stream on the bank over-looking the karst peaks to the west. Bars, bars and more bars line the bank with blaring music and right at riverside covered lounging platforms so you can watch from your hammock the ‘tubers’ and kayaks float by. We found a quiet place for a beer over-looking the river activity, then continued our walk ending on the island and zigzagging across drift wood bridges leading out to more bar/restaurants. Later we dined on a raised deck in a resort to watch the sunset behind the peaks and down the valley. Scattered clouds slowly turned pink. Horses came down to the river to drink and exercise. Children played in the river water. And the table next to us was occupied by four twenty-something’s all discussing the ills of America….yada, yada, yada. We dined on a veggie pizza followed up by candy bars from a street vendor. When we arrived back at the guest house it was alive with sound, both from inside and out and continued until around 12pm. The roosters started up at around 5am. Sleep was fleeting on the whole. Nights are quite cool, blankets feel cozy all snugged up. Hopefully, it will be much quieter tonight in Kasi.
Scenes from Vangvieng
1. Stick bridges
2. evening comes...
3. tubers
4. children bowling
5. slash and burn
6. ridge village
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3/7
Forty five kilometers took six hours. Obviously, there was a lot of climbing. It has been a long time since we have had to ride mountains/steep grades of 10% +, and after our extended holidays off the bike, today was exertion. The beginning of the ride out of Kasi we wheeled through pretty farming areas with bits and pieces of remaining forest sprouting up along with karst formations. As we continued to climb into the mountains, the forests were gone! Left instead were burned areas (some still smoldering) and mountainsides covered with pampas grass – everywhere! Hmong villages proudly displayed signs announcing their relocation partners: Australia, UNICEF, Italy, the Laos People’s Party, etc. How these villagers lived without their forests and on these steep slopes without rice fields, without vegetable gardens? All that seems left for them is the grasses to make brooms. Signs of rubber businesses infiltrating were around although planting of trees was yet to be seen. In twenty years, the Laos villagers can score the rubber trees. In Malaysia they were ripping the trees out to plant oil palms since rubber was no longer lucrative in the world markets. Go figure!
We stopped in Phoukhoun, a village located at a crossroads leading to the Plain of Jars. Many tourists heading south out of Luang Prabang are stopping here with their guides, investigating the markets offerings. Judee gladly paid $5 for a cement cell with a double bed because they had a hot water shower and the other guest house didn’t even have running water. We met a German fellow riding a bike he bought in China with his heavy backpack strapped high on the back. Off for a beer. Perhaps he will join us.
1. man playing triditional flute
2. woman weaving thatch
3. long road up
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Art’s comments on the ride: Oh God, not another 10% grade sign. Seems they have Xeroxed them for every twist and turn of this day’s route. The sun is hot and we are dripping as we creep up, up the twisty curvy road. More traffic busses, trucks and vans full of farangs creep by us usually with a friendly wave and thumbs up or toot. One bus load of farangs cheered and clapped from their observation point looking over the mountain tops and down the valley we had just climbed out of. These good wishes go a long way to push us over the top. The Hmong villagers here do not use traditional dress as everyday clothing, instead preferring lots of western garb mixed with sarongs for the women. The men wear a mix of army fatigues, camouflage pants and Levis jacket or sweat shirts. In town we sat in a shop doorway and observed the street activity as the sun dropped behind the mountain tops. This town exists on a ridge top, a ‘y’ intersection with both sides of the road lined with vendors and shops mostly one story wood shacks with tin roofs with merchandise spilling out into the street. Bicycles, motorbikes mix with the constant foot traffic.
3-8
Kiewkacham, 31m/50k mountain riding – long ups and fast downs. We love “Betty” our drag brake! Better scenery today with more villages, forests and less clear cut. This mountain village has two guest houses. Neither ensuite, so we bathed by porting buckets of cold water over us, then doing our laundry in the bright afternoon sun. Momma hen and chicks wandered through to check on our progress. I could not have conceived that I would feel comfortable wandering through the kitchen, butcher area to our room before we left our condo in Southern California. Today, dust, dirt and a level of sanitation well beyond my previous sensibilities is easy to accept and in fact appreciate! How simple life has once again become traveling on the road to adventure and discovery.
3-11
We’ve been luxuriating in the many comforts of Luang Prabang for a couple of days now. This little city is tourist heaven with western food, top accommodations, and 5 star shopping for local handicrafts, book exchanges, internets, cooking classes and even banks. The city is colonial French mixed with lovely traditional Laos architecture all connected by brick walkways lit at night by ceramic lanterns. Mekong river and Nam Ou riverside restaurants dance with festive lights. The thumb of land between these two rivers makes up the old town and the major tourist attractions: wats, museums, and shops. Projects to aid local hill tribe people are set up to introduce their endeavors and seek additional aid from tourists. Two good examples are the Lao reading room/library where young Laos are loaned cameras to document their environment, as they learn many skills. An exhibit of these photos demonstrated the success of the program. One young man we met was published in a San Francisco newspaper and paid for his efforts. The main focus of the library is reading and language development: English, Thai, Chinese, plus learning to read and write their own language. The second project is Brother Mouse, a small book publishing project creating delightful Laos language books for native hill people. The staff suggest tourists buy the books to give to children as they travel into tribal areas. Most of these children have never seen books before. A donation of $250 will provide a library to a village, plus one book to each child. Many of these books are written and illustrated by local youngsters.
1. boats plying the Mekong
2. our guesthouse
3. brick alleyway
around Luang Prabang
4. de-licing the cat
5. beautiful wat/temple
6. big smile - traditional headdress
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The road here from Vientiane has been documented, altitudes graphed in profile maps, stopping spots identified in great detail. At no other time during our around the world journey have we had such information. Part was good: knowing where we could stop and expect over-night accommodations, but sometimes the knowledge of a 16 kilometer climb and then another and then another was not necessarily appreciated. Art never wanted to know and I, in my navigator’s roll, announced every gradient: strenuous, humongous, etc. It might be good to lose the commentary. We leave in another day. I need to shop and mail stuff home, first!
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