Lao Mekong River Tour

When I did my cycle challenge to Singapore in 2019/20 was running ahead of schedule to finish so came up with the plan to elongate the routes by heading North when I hit Thailand at Mae Sot to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and on into Lao.

I will then follow the Mekong River down through Cambodia. Fortunately or Unfortunately whilst cycling through Nepal with friends we were able to watch the Rugby World Cup and England progress to reach the final against South Africa with a convincing win over the All Blacks.

So invoking the spirit of 2003 I thought this is in the bag and I can't miss another England victory which in India I would have somewhere between no hope and Bob Hope of watching so staid in Nepal another week. I went on safari a link to which is below to return to the lucky Everest Bar in Kathmandu for the final showdown.

England got quiched and the loss of a week meant that the Lao element of the loop was no longer feasible but I kept it in the back of my mind to come back and complete this at some point in the future.

It is now January 2025 I am jumping on a plane to Chiang Mai to set off and ride the Mekong what could possibly go wrong!

After snow showers on the Sunday and more forecast for the day I was taking no chances and made an early start with my £7 charity shop suitcase which I was planning to leave in Chiang Mail that I put on a pair of thermal bottoms and a disposable fleece that I headed off to catch the 7.09 buss and start me long journey across the world. My flight was not until 2.40 pm and I go and email this morning to say this had been pushed back to 2.55 so I had lots of time in hand and the train pulled into the airport at 9.28 only one minute late!

Better safe than sorry though and as this was the first full working day after the holidays I found a Coffee Nero and set about answering emails from people. One change to this expedition is that I am doing more day to day work so I need to factor that into my plans.

My flight to Amman was delayed by anther 30 minutes but the pilot must have put the after burners on as we arrived in time for my 4 hour layover until the connecting flight to Bangkok this was overnight but as ever I struggled to sleep so I'm not sure a glass of red wine with my breakfast was a good idea.

To be fair they were serving beef lasagne! Probably because it was 3 pm local time when we landed in Bangkok and 30 Degrees somewhat warmer than when I started.

Having fallen off the wagon for the day I breezed through customs got a sim card and pulled out some money so there was time for a cheeky Chang before my connecting Flight to Chiang Mai.

Up north at Chiang Mai was a cooler 20 degrees which felt like a much better temperature to cycle in.

I was tired after the travel and loss of sleep so had a lazy day with a long lie in and a lounge by the pool.

I even managed a disco nap before catching up on some work in the early evening when it was midday in the UK before venturing out for some food and a beer.

Day two in Chiang Mai was buy a bike day and I set to it heading to the nearest shop getting there 15 minutes after it's opening time according to Google to find it closed Bugger! I headed for another with not so good reviews and they only sold new bikes but had one that looked a bit cheap for around £130 but no rack for it and were as per their review a bit off with me. I carried on to shop No 3 who had a second hand Trek mountain bike he wanted £330 for which was twice my budget and went on that new bikes were rubbish and had cheap fake parts but I could not stretch that far an thought if those £130 Decathlon bikes got the boys to Kathmandu I should be fine!

With that I had done the bike shops in the city but had an out off town fall back I found online which didn't open until 5 pm and had a few second hand bike that looked suitable. So it was now mid-day and I headed back to shop No1 to see if that was now operational at least with all this walking I was able to do some sight seeing and bag a few temples along the way!

The shop was open and they had a good looking new bike for £150 and a rack to go with it so the deal was done and the owners wife set about fitting this on and they also changed my pedals over to the ones with toe straps I had brought with me so I could use just trainers.

I am running light on this trip compared with the year long ride. I will aim to stay at guest houses hostels and hotels whilst I am travelling but have brought a small lightweight tent with me as a back up just in case. No sleeping bag as it is hot over here but just a silk liner with an air bed and foam mat to sleep on. No stove or cooking equipment but some cutlery to eat with as I buy food on the road. Hopefully I can get bottled water as well but just in case have brought my filter which screws onto a standard pop bottle I can fill with tap or if need must the Mekong!

Clothes with I've brought two long sleeve wicking tops and cycling shorts to wear on the road with one cycling top out of the few that fit me. I've a T-shirt and short sleeved shirt for off the bike with convertible trousers. The thermal bottoms and a disposable fleece are still with me as might get cold on the Mekong boat but might not make it much further we will see.

I just have one pair of lightweight trainers which are 100% porous but made suitable for the UK leg with the addition of Sealskin waterproof socks then I have couple of pairs of trainer socks. I won't inflict photos of my underwear but two merino wool boxers, a pair of latex running shorts so overall there is a lot of hand-washing going to be done!

Well so much for the prep it's Saturday morning and time to get on the road and after an early night/start I was on the road just after 8 am.

I had around 180 miles to get to the ferry pier in Huayxay, Lao and the first 34 were mostly up to over 3,000 ft as luck would have it so I was going to get a baptism of fire! I had pencilled in a guest house 33 miles away as a reasonable target with a stretch that if I was making good time and felt okay I'd push over the topand aim for a natural springs resort 46 miles away.

I've planned the route based on a daily average of 40 miles which is conservative but I am way off the level of fitness I had in 2020 and am conscious not to push it too hard too soon. That said at that rate it will take 4.6 days to get to Huayxay which would become 5 as the boats leave in the morning so would have to wait until the next day to get going again. If I could bring that down to less than 4 days that would keep me on schedule.

The ride out of Chiang Mai woke me up and I remembered that the Thai drivers push the rules a bit in terms of close passes, setting off before the lights turn green and pushing out into traffic. I was on high alert as I fought my way out of town.

I passed a steady stream of supermarkets but these petered out as I got into the hills. After 17 miles my first stop was at a convenience store on MapsMe which was well placed and the climbing started to get tough.

It took some finding as tucked away off the road and not well stocked but I loaded up on crisps and pop.

I pushed on with another 12 miles to a cafe for lunch stopping a few times to adjust the stand which kept catching my left foot which was annoying however it did give me some welcome relief from the relentless climbing as the heat was rising.

Along the way I saw signs for a music festival which was starting today and looks like was featuring Bradley Wiggins mascaraing as DJ Fresh no doubt to earn some cash whilst avoiding the attention of the Official Receiver!

I did the conversion to miles and realised this was the same place I was heading for lunch and may not get in but being now in a National Park there seemed to be plenty of other options.

I need not have worried the fenced off event at the aptly named Rock n River excluded the cafe so lunch was saved and in a smart modern premise overlooking the river whilst listening to a band sound checking for the event starting later on. Also managed the first Magnum of the tour which was badly needed just the choice of the Classic but very welcome.

It was 1 pm when I hit the road again and 6 mile to the summit plenty of time I could walk I thought and pushed on to a coffee shop 5 miles on as the last stop off the climb but walk it I nearly did as twinged of camp in my legs and a developing headwind made it heavy going. I eventually removed and ditched my stand in a bus stop on route for someone to find and sell on eBay or whatever but didn't notice any appreciable change in the weight of the bike!

One last push and I was over! Then a high speed 7.5 mile descent and I at the hot springs resort and able to book into a motel style chalet for the night which was very Pontins but had an en-suite thermal spring which was just what the doctor ordered.

I thought lets go hot and fired up the thermal feed which had an interesting two tap outlet you can see in the picture which created a fountain of water cascading into the bath.

I left it running and sorted out other things but got a bit distracted and was soon facing a room full of steam and about a foot of water to wade through to try and shut it off. The fountain feature was like an exploding kettle that I couldn't reach through to turn it off and as my feet were now poaching I opened the cold and retreated back.

I returned later when the water had cooled a bit with a bottle of water which I managed to push through the fountain and get the bloody tap closed!

The place was a bustling market when I arrived but after I'd updated this blog I wandered around and all that was open was the 7Eleven so dinner was sandwiches and a pot noodle back in the chalet. Not even a comfy chair to sit on!

Up early the next morning with the plan to try and cover over 50 miles today and the alarm went of at 6.30 accompanied by the monks hard at it chanting in the temple next door.

The Holy Alarm Clack Next Door

There was no mention of breakfast when I booked in and I forgot to mention it so had a couple of cups of Nescafe ready mixed and bananas. I then remembered that I had seen sealable bags of Frosties in the 7Eleven so went over and grabbed one of those.

I took a seat at a closed cafe pored the milk over them and tucked in which was harder than I thought it would be as I was finishing off the cafe owners arrived and started opening up around me which was a bit awkward.

There was a touching scene where a monk fresh from their chanting came over and blessed the staff before they started work.

I was a bit later setting off and set another 7Eleven 15 miles away as my first stop and made good progress towards it as I was still mainly still loosing altitude and I came down off yesterdays climb. Suddenly after 11 miles it was there and I realised I had put in another location first which is why it was showing at 15 miles not 11. I wasn't ready for a break so found a coffee shop 5 miles further and headed for that as I fancied a brew.

I passed lots of nice looking coffee shops as I cycled by this being a coffee growing area there were plenty of private roasters to choose from unfortunately when I got to the one I selected they were closed.

I rode on expecting to find more but the area became more industrial so ended up 18 miles covered in a Cafe Amazon which is the Thai version of Starbucks so all a bit same same.

Candidates in the forthcoming elections Mr Hawaii 5-O gets my vote

I was then heading for the Thai Buffet another 15 miles for some lunch and as I made my way there saw a restaurant called Cabbages and Condoms coming up on the right.

I thought that's got to have been lost in translation but as I ride past there was no misunderstanding! I stopped to take a photo but didn't see the menu. Still if it gets people talking about you.

Update I was advised this is a charity which raises money for sex health education riddle solved.

The Thai buffet was great as no menu to bother with you just went down the line and pointed and what looked good which turned out to be ginger chicken with mushrooms and spicy pork which were spooned onto a bed of rice.

Temple of the Day with a Golden Monk thrown in!

There were 23 miles to go and slim picking for the last stop of the day but King Koffee was 12 miles away and I thought I'd give a local brew another try. On the way I dropped into a 7Eleven to use the ATM as I was running low on cash but treated myself to a post lunch Magnum. Soon the road started to pass through some hills and I was climbing added to which I hit roadworks and had a very dusty end to my journey.

I was battling through the roadworks on narrow dusty contraflows and as I approached King Koffee it was on the opposite side of the road which was cordoned off but drawing level there was a cut through open. The place was set back from the road and there was no signs of life but was committed and pulled up to find a girl behind the counter and one customer me. I ordered and enjoyed a cold coffee and cake watching a snake swim across the carp pond in front.

Back into the dust bowl and I was heading for a resort just south of Chiang Rai which had good reviews but again had a struggle getting across the contraflow to make the turn. When I arrived it looked deserted but as I was turning the bike around to leave a woman shouted out and via Google Translate we arranged a chalet for £12.50 bargain but no food.

I was contemplating riding into town to get some but the need for a shower won I need to lose some weight anyway!

57 miles done today and it's now just 72 miles to the Lao board so If I can cover 50 ish miles tomorrow I'll be there by Tuesday lunchtime.

My legs felt strong today but my backside hurt as the cycling shorts I wore today I found in the bottom of my kit box are rubbish and a bad choice.

Going forwards I will try and use the good pair of bib shorts as much as possible.

It was bloody cold as the sun went down as I am now nearly 500 miles north of Bangkok so I had to dig out my body warmer.

Anyway two more days heading north then I can point the bike towards the sun.

I was in bed early to escape the cold I did put the air con onto heat but I was just blasting cold air around. The early night was a good job as I got the 5 am way up call from some nearby monks.

That was not a bad thing as I checked the spokes last night and some of them were loose which I thought I'd need to have a look at before I set off so the monks gave me plenty of time to sort this out.

I also got do a bit of route planning ahead of arriving in Laos tomorrow and bring this blog up to date.

55 miles to the target today which is a farm stay I found on Google Maps and better still they use Booking.com which I am signed up for so I was able to reserve and pay for a room so had that secured which was good as there didn't seem to be many other options nearby.

I got ready to go and made my way down to the central pavilion where when I asked about breakfast the lady pointed to and said "coffee" there was an urn plugged in and some mugs but no coffee so I headed back to the lake which was covered in mist and did my pre-ride stretches. I was about to go when the same lady arrived and made me a coffee with some biscuits which got me started.

Back into the road works and the first 7Eleven I had hoped to get some food at was across a building site so I rode past knowing there was another not far off. There was but again this was on the other carriageway with a ditch between them. I cycled on thinking I'm sure there will be another and 1 mile later there was. A cheese and ham toastie and a chocolate milkshake and I'm off.

I was soon approaching Chiang Rai and came across this wonderful temple which I was only able to get a side on photo from the car park as cycling shorts are frowned upon.

I had left my James Grisham by the hotel pool so was heading for a bookshop cafe to see if I could find a replacement. This was a bit tucked away down a back street and as I suspected looks like it had been entered wrong as nowhere to be seen.

I pushed on to my next saved option which was a food market where I got some chicken skewers (4 for 50p) and sticky rice 12p absolute bargain!

I didn't have another target but was getting onto a major road running east past Chiang Rai so picked the point on the map where I turned off which was 20 miles away and though well let's head for that and see how I get on!

The road was really boring effectively cycling down a motorway but did take a minor detour round the top of the lake to break things up.

I was beginning to run low on water as the temperature was rising and I was downing it fast. Being a new road there was not much in terms of shops, cafes etc. but a junction was coming up and as I hoped there was a big shed there with a coffee vendor at one end and a small kiosk at the other with a cool box.

I wondered what was in the cool box? I asked if there was coke but the girl said no but she could make me a soda.

What flavour I asked and she opened a box and started pulling bottles out and I got the impression this was the first day of operation.

I chose apple and it was so refreshing I drank it in about 10 seconds put the ice in by drinks bottle and ordered another.

As she was making that, what I assume was her father was putting up a vinyl banner I'm sure they will have lots of business! She asked me where I was going and I showed her my route she said I was mad and I didn't disagree!

With 7 miles to go to the turn off I pushed on passed and looked for a restaurant this being the operative word as I was in need of a proper toilet.

I kept passing basic roadside food vendors and was just 10 miles left to go to the finish when I found my coffee fix for the day and proper sit down loo!!

Standard paddy field photo box ticked!

I arrived at the farm stay and seemed to be standard accommodation for this leg of the trip a one room chalet and again a temple next door so I am expecting the holy alarm call.

No food available so I was up the road to grab some pork and rice, then also found 5 Star (Down market KFC) so had a couple of chicken wings and of course a 7Eleven (what am I going to do with out them tomorrow) for a new to me Magnum. It tasted okay but had some serious structural issues!

This seems to be turning into a food blog but the cycling was really not that eventful today 18 miles to the Lao border in the morning the usual sorting out of currency and sim card and then another 10 to go so if all goes well should be finished this first leg by mid afternoon.

Right new country today and was off to a good start, not by the monks but the hens providing a dawn chorus to get me up and going as I wanted to get into Lao as early as possible so I could sort thing out for the rest of the trip. The farm had an on-site coffee shop that the owner opened for me and we talked about my trip as we waited for the machine to warm up. No food so off to the good old 7Eleven up the road.....

On I when and straight into some roadworks which started with a huge camp for construction workers and lots of heavy machinery. Oh no I though, how long is this going to be last but thankfully it was over within a mile as the works veered off and left my road alone.

I chose the most direct cycle route there on MapsMe but it did have me taking some back road

detours which can be a bit unreliable. I have been caught out taking a back route to shave off a couple of mile only to end up in a field somewhere and have to back track!

The first looked a bit dodgy and didn't cut much of the perfectly good tarmac road so I took a pass on that.

About 10 miles north I came across the advanced party for that road clearing the vegetation and rolling the soil I lined up the direction with mine and it was heading due north to The Golden Triangle and China. I wonder who is paying for that I thought?

The second turn off the main road was a proper short cut and looked to be on surfaced roads and I had a great few miles going through back road villages and across paddy fields a great end to my time in Thailand.

I was soon deposited at the boarder and processed through passport control and changed my money at the coach office and was not able to ride over the bridge. The lady behind the counter was very amused as I waved around my 3 million kip!

Is that Chairman Lao on the notes? My bike was loaded onto a bus and I headed over to Laos

I was processed on arrival where I was given a 30 day visa which they wanted payment for in Thai baht not a good sign when even the Laos government don't want their own currency!

LAO

It was another 7 miles north to the Houayxay which I covered in no time and managed to get a room in the guesthouse I had scoped out the night before by 12.45 so not a bad result and time for a spot of laundry.

I then hit town and followed the signed to a roof terrace bar for lunch and a well earned beer!

After that some more jobs to get done sort out a new sim card for Laos.

Find a book to read on the slow boat for the next two days and stock up on provisions for the trip

Next leg starts tomorrow and is the two day slow boat to Luang Prabang with an overnight stop in Pak Beng.

I was up super early as I wanted to get a good start to the day and make sure I could get my bike on the slowboat before I suspected it would get too busy.

I over did it as I thought the cafe I asked at opened at 6 am but was closed I thought I'd load the bike up but that was locked away so was clicking my heels for half an hour before things started come to life.

I was then able to have some pancakes whilst the owner was giving the monks parcels of sticky rice for theirs.

Then back to the guesthouse which was all open load up and off to the boat ticket bought and first one there but over some time it gradually filled up and we pushed off just after 10 am an hour late!

Unfortunately most of my photos would not upload so tried make up for this today day 2 on the Mekong Slowboat. A different boat today and no allocated seating. I arrived later and there was some faffing about having to take my bags off the bike and putting on the roof so was more back of the bus.

It was more like a bus today as we made various stops to pick up/drop off people and goods along the way so whilst we got off at 9.30 and it didn't look as far to go we were later docking at Luang Prabang. As we progressed with our journey I began to question my state of ond when I bought the snack for the trip!

The boat docked about 5 miles south of the city with a torturous set of steps to get up twice to the river bank once with the bike and again my bags. Then I had a sunset ride to my hotel with the mountain pass I need to get over silhouetted in the distance.

Day off tomorrow so I have splashed out on a hotel with a pool which I think I might be able to reach if I take a run up from my room!

I was up for breakfast when it started at 7.30 am and talked to a Malaysian guy about my trip to his country then I was off for a walk around.

The first stop being Phu Si a holy hill with 329 steps to get up to a golden stupa on the top. The staircases were ornately decorated with lots of statues along the way which helped to break the climb.

At the Stupa there was a stall selling water snacks and caged birds. I assumed the birds were there to be released and not a snack or a sacrifice as there were no carcasses around whole or consumed.

A quick check of google now I am back confirms this. I wondered if they were homing birds and recycled which would be a good business plan.

There was also a great view from the top across the Mekong.

I also used the opportunity to do some route planning and I follow the tributary Nam Khan out of town and then up that valley to the left.

I took the alternative route down the hill that dropped me off in front of the former Royal Palace so headed in there to be met by a statue of the former King presented by the Russians in 1976 the year after the abdication and formation of the communist republic.  I guess it beats a carriage clock as a retirement present! You could not take photos in the buildings so just as few external shots below of the palace buildings and gardens.

Within the palace grounds is the Wat Ho Pha Bang according to Lonely Planet - The sacred Pha Bang image, from which the city takes its name, is stored in this highly ornate pavilion that wasn't completed until 2011. The 83cm-tall, gold-alloy Buddha arrived in 1512, spiritually legitimising the Lan Xang royal dynasty as Buddhist rulers. It was cast around the 1st century AD in Sri Lanka and gifted to Laos by the kings of Angkor. It was twice carried off to Thailand (in 1779 and 1827) by the Siamese, but was finally restored to Laos in 1867.

There was no photos allowed of the Buddha but I found one online. I overheard a tour guide explaining this to some Americans who asked "so is this kind of your constitution"

Next and final stop on my cultural tour was Wat Xieng Thong Luang Prabang's best-known monastery. The first gate I got to was exit only and I worked my way around the block the wrong way until I got to the one they take a quid off you to get in which was  identified by all the tat stalls you have to go through to get to it.

There was a wide selection of temples there and with my charger playing up and only 20% on my battery I shot round capturing as much as I could.  The large dragon carriage now retired was for transporting the king's ashes from cremation after 12 months lying in state I earwig-ed from another tour guide.

Walking round Luang PraBang it was quite a cool place and not the shithole the Thai people tell you it is. This I have found of every bordering country and when you get there you find it is better that their neighbours say except for Romanian.

There was a mix of colonial (French) architecture mixed with Asian and lots of nice bars restaurants cafes etc.

Someone should tell him they pulled out

I had a coffee after the Royal Palace and as I was leaving the lady in the spa next door asked if I wanted a massage which was £4.

Learning from my big ride experience where I strained my thigh 4-5 days in to a year on the bike!

The advice that the physio in Berlin gave me to get regular massages, I thought I bet she gives a hard massage and said I might be back later so called in on my way back and I was right.

She broke down all the knots from 4 days on the bike and hopefully set me up for the hills to come. I gave her 120,000 Kip which was about £5 and she was delighted jumping on her scooter and finishing for the day!

I could not resist a new Magnum type lolly on the way back after a hard day's sigh-seeing!

The next day I got off to a reasonably good start in the morning as my wake up call of other people who obviously had flights to catch getting up at 6 am and not much sound insulation.

I had to deal with a few work emails which slowed me down but was on the road just after 8 am and it was a sticky start as it looks like repair crews had been out filling pot holes and spraying tar which was still wet as I rolled over it.

I had just over 40 miles mostly up to do today which would get harder as they day progressed so set myself a junction with some shops 15 miles away as the first stop to get some miles in whilst conditions were good. There was mist over the hills but as I approached them that was burnt off and the temperature started to climb and so did I.

I had joined the main road into the hills and there was a lot of lorries passing me and the road deteriorated quickly with sections broken down into rough gravel with pot holes. I though I definitely made the right bike choice as I unlocked the front forks to absorb some of the impact from the terrain.

I also picked the right day to switch to a pair of reading glasses I had picked up in Thailand having learned from experience that constantly wiping dust and grime from very expensive extra thin varifocal lenses turns them opaque and quite useless.

I passed a railway station which was obviously a freight line as there were two lines running side by side and a high speed train had just gone past on the other. Imagine that two train lines maybe Laos is more economically developed than the UK!

I hoped that would be the end of the lorries but got caught behind a low loader with an digger on the back which was so slow over the rough stuff I was tempted to grab on and lorry surf but stopped and took a picture instead.

I caught up Mr Excavator in no time and at the next straight was able to pass him but kept an ear out for him catching me up like an Asian remake of Duel but he didn't. A couple of miles later I saw a construction site with one of the same diggers on and thought maybe that is where this one was going.

With half a mile to go I saw a shop with a Wall's cabinet of delights but stuck to the plan and carried on to the junction but unfortunately none of the shops these had a freezer of any description so it was crisps and pop. I settled down for my morning break when who went past but Mr Excavator!

The next point on the map was a waterfall 12 miles away that according to Google had some food outlets but I passed a few villages with cafes on they way and when I got there didn't fancy the half mile uphill unmade track so pressed on to the next village thinking I would find some lunch there. No hot food to be found so after the disappointment of the morning I grabbed a lolly, never had Taro before very nice.

I set up the charger as there was only one option for accommodation tonight which if not available I would be camping which was another reason to get there early and secure a room. Things got steeper as time went on but there were some great views of the paddy field below.

It was also Saturday so the kids were out waving and shouting hello as I cycled past. I carried on for 9 miles and was struggling at the end pushing my bike up the last hill to a food market but no chicken kebabs on the barbecue. I pushed on another half a mile and got some noodles at a roadside kitchen which I ate with my own spoon and fork.

5 miles to go which was a roller coaster ride of ups and downs with some pushing required but I got to the guest house (more like the standard chalets) at 3.30 and the woman in the shop opened up the green suite for at the princely rate of £6.

The shop had a Wall's cabinet and I thought I had struck gold with on-suite Magnums but alas it left me short changed! Washed and changed I bought some provisions for morning not knowing if they are going to be open when I depart as early as possible as I have 4,600 ft to climb in 10 miles first thing!

A short walk up the road for a plate of pork veg and rice and watch the sun set on the way back.

I thought today was going to be hard and it didn't disappoint. I got on the road at 7 am and the sun was already close to cresting the ridge I was heading for.

It was 10 miles to the top of the first climb of about 4,000 ft starting now so wanted to get as much done before it got too hot.

So much for that plan by 8 am the sun was up I had covers 2.5 miles and was sweating profusely.

I stopped and took off my long sleeved top applied some sun cream to my arms and took out my No3 buff to act as an additional sweat towel.

Things got steeper and my progress slowed.

There was a grocery stall shown on my map about halfway up this first climb so I put that in as the first target and counted down the distance 100 yards at a time left to go.

I had to push once as the gradient was so steep it was impossible to cycle in a straight line and the image on MapMe was a tortoise which was very encouraging! However to get some energy back in me I took a piece of Kendal Mint Cake a friend had given me.

The grocers turned out to be some farmers market stall selling a variety of veg but no water which I was hoping for but made a b-line for some bananas and wolfed a couple of those down.

I continued to make slow progress up the climb stopping in the shade to rearrange or swap buffs as they became saturated with sweat and eventually got to the summit of climb one and dropped into the valley ready for climb two.

I hate losing altitude knowing that you are going to have to make that up and then some. Soon enough I could see the next climb approaching so stopped by a shelter to have a break take on fluids and snacks of biscuits and nuts with dried fruit before I got going again. With another 2,000 ft to climb in 3.7 miles about half as much as I had done already.

I was having to take lots of breaks and on one who should go by but Mr Excavator!

Thankfully the climb flatted out at the top and the summit which I took to be and viewpoint was 0.6 of a mile earlier so my final push was not so long and I was soon dropping down to the Mountain Cafe that I had visualised getting to all morning. I'd arrived at 1.30 pm that is six and a half hours to cover 10 miles. I had four pieces of Kendal Mint Cake missing.

I was looking forward to a fast decent after my lunch but the road on the other side was terrible in some areas just reduced to churned up sand with lorries charging up through which you just had to get the hell out of the way of!

Coming Through!

There was 18 miles to go to my stretch target of getting in 40 miles today and had forgotten there was another climb to come only 500 ft but I was done in and had to walk up again. I was accompanied walking up by a herd of cows but with that out of the way I rolled in at 4.15 pm and took a room at the first guest house I found.

The man there asked if I spoke French to which I said I didn't but had a go at "je suis très fatigué" I must have pronounced it wrong as he patted my stomach and laughed! I grabbed some food and celebrated a hard day in in the usual style!

Right! 36 miles to Vang Vieng today, which is a bit of a tourist hotspot and would be a good place for a half day mini break. So with that in mind, I got on the road for 7 am and had a crossroads with some shops and food outlets on for breakfast. It was misty first thing and my tops were still damp so was a cold start. The road was no better and was still churned up with some homes putting hosepipes on the roads to try and not live in a dust bowl. Thin pickings for breakfast so ended up with some BBQ coated peanuts.

There was next a climb to get over which as 700 ft over 7 miles so hopefully should not be as extreme as yesterday which proved to me the case and the mist got burned off as I climbed. My target was viewpoint on MapsMe which I had not reached when I took a shot back down the valley and carried on to the point on the road which turned out to be some fly tipping which I would give only a 2 star rating as viewpoints go.

Okay a bit more climbing to go and then I started down the other side it was 21 miles to Gary's Irish Bar in Vang Vieng which as was wearing my Guinness top seemed the ideal lunchtime stopping point. I was showing and ETA of 12.05 perfect! I started my descent and there were some great views on the way.

With 15 miles to go things flattened out and I started pedalling and thinking about a break my ETA was 11.50 and the sun would not be over the yard arm so at 9 miles to go pulled in at a shop for some crisps and pop. There was an English speaking guy there who said I should check out the caves and river down the road so I took a look.

I was charged to cross the river into the village and then there was an entry charge for each attraction which looked a bit underwhelming so I made my way back to the main road.

ETA was now 12.45 However I put the hammer down and managed to get that down to 12.30 but is was all in vain as the bar only opened at 5 pm! I did manage to find a small expat bar a couple of streets down where I could get a cool (and safe) one then grab some food before it was time to check into my hotel.

After I had booked in and sorted out my washing I took a walk around Vang Vieng and excited to see a 7 Eleven opposite my hotel first I've seen in Laos! The main street is a bit grubby but as you work down to the river it all gets more developed with old buildings being ripped down and new ones build up. Looks like there is lots to do watching people on a sunset paragliding over the city and loads of places to book activities but I am off in the morning.

I picked up some street food and a beer then off to bed 95 miles to Vientiane and it is pretty flat so I'm going to try and get more than half way there tomorrow.

Right time to get the hammer down after a disappointing breakfast of an inch thick plain pancake which was the only thing not entirely egg based on offer. With over 50 miles as the target today I picked a supermarket 13 miles down the track as my morning break and headed off leaving the adventure city behind, watching a hot air balloon rise in the air.

I was stood there for a couple of minutes thinking it would be a great shot if it rose above those hills but then realised it was tethered!

Temple of the Day another big Buddha

The road out was smooth wide tarmac and I wondered if this was going to be the quality going forwards but then remembered I was heading for a new highway where cycling was not permitted so had to turn off and resume crater watch!

Lao-China Expressway I wonder who paid for that?

The supermarket when I got there was a closed down fuel station which just had graveyard memorials for sale.

I pressed on a couple of miles to a shop where I had to settle again for crisps and pop resolving in future that when I see some bananas to buy them.

Slim pickings in the freezer as well but they were only 4p so I had a couple.

Next, the route took me round the top of an enormous reservoir which had shaped and transformed the landscape in the area and cycled past racks upon rack of fish drying in the sun.

I had picked a restaurant another 17 miles down the road which would be 32 miles done by lunch as always best to have more of the distance done by then. As I cycled along I was still getting lots of hellos from the children and like yesterday the schools were closed so maybe this was their holidays. I started to run parallel now with the expressway and arrived at the restaurant to find that closed as well! I bashed on to the next village and could only find a shop there so more pop and crisps.

Looking on the map there was a second climb coming then a petrol station 13 miles away with a coffee shop and restaurant so I thought lets head for that get the climb done and relax. As I progressed I went past a refugee camp which reminded me that UK government advice was not to go any further east of the reservoir due to intermittent attacks on infrastructure and armed clashes with anti-government groups. I wonder if this was due to them being displaced by the flood water.

I made it up the second climb and celebrated again with some of the remaining Kendal Mint cake.

Dropped down the hill and guess what the petrol station was open but nothing else!

It struck me that the expressway may have taken the trade away from these businesses and forced them to shut.

Fortunately there was another restaurant opposite which had no one in so was not sure if they were open but they were and rustled me up some noodles whilst I hung the washing out to dry.

Right 47 miles done and there are guest houses at 7 and 17 miles away there was one in between but that was on it's own so a bit of a Hail Mary. I plumped for the 7 mile option and thought that 54 miles would do for the day.

I pulled in and got the now standard chalet style room for £6 and headed off to do some shopping with another disappointing rummage in the freezer of dreams.

Early starts again and had to respond to a few work emails that had dropped late in the day given I am 7 hours ahead. At 7.15 I went up the road to where I saw bananas and broke three off a bunch which did not go down well as the lady was clearly selling them by the bunch. I gesticulated that I can't eat 15 bananas in one day which see seemed to take in good grace and I was off on the road.

Looking at what was down the track there was a market 10 miles away which would be good to get to before breakfast with an aim to have a cold beer overlooking the Mekong by midday.

The road I was now on was of the concrete section type that I first came across in Kazakhstan presumably now that I have moved south and to a lower altitude the temperature must get so hot to melt tarmac and I was glad I was doing this ride in the middle of their winter.

The road was a bit of a roller coaster but the climbs we fine and I made by breakfast stop at about 8.30 nothing suitable there so I pressed on a couple of miles until I found a mini-mart with a bench outside and bought more stuff to go with my banana including a kit kat the first I'd seen in Laos.

I saw Pilot lolly that looked like a Magnum substitute but had to settle for a Coco Crush which was like Coco Pops in a lolly very fitting. A slight man in a military style uniform that looked two sizes too big spoke to me and asked where I had come from going too etc. He came out of the shop and gave me a bottle of water which was very kind of him.

There was another market 15 miles away which I popped into my phone and was soon munching the miles to get there and debating whether I could make Vientiane with just two stops or three.

The road flattened out and the appearance of water towers was a sure sign that I had now left the hills behind.

Nice Temple of the Day with seven Buddhas thrown in plus a striking gate.

Again when I got to the next stop there was nothing suitable and I pressed on through smog of burning plastic as people burned their rubbish from the day before chuck a few lumps of firewood on and get a brew going. I then had a stretch over about 2 miles across fields and some fresh air before I found again a shop with a table and seat to stop for some Pepsi and crisps.

13 miles left and an ETA of 12.08 for a beer on the Mekong so two stops it was, with a back road route suggested into the city which I chose to take.

Big mistake! The first section was okay but then became a rough track that was eventually cut off with a solid wall and whilst MapsMe was doing cartwheels as it was lost. I picked my way out and eventually was back on the main road which I stayed on to the Mekong waterfront.

The Vientiane waterfront was a bit of a disappointment to be honest as there was no water as the river was so low the inlet that runs in front of the city had dried out. The bars were all closed as this must be the off season. I tried a couple of bars shown on the map but they seemed to have closed down so headed back into the city and ended up having a beer with some street food.

The hotel was a bit of a dump with building works ongoing. I fell for the trick of choosing a hotel with no internal common area pictures. I was debating whether to try and cancel but was tired and in need of a shower! On the positive side, they did have no problem bringing my bike inside and the room was not too bad.

I sorted myself out and went out later to The Night Market which sold a whole host of goods and services you can even have your tarro cards read or head off to the fun fair.

The next day I went off sight seeing around Vientiane with the first stop a centre for rehabilitation of those injured by munitions left over from the Vietnam War that also impacted Laos being per capita the most bombed country ever which was a fun fact of the day. It was good to see a school group in learning about their past and the support the USA and other countries are providing.

It was further than I expected to the centre and luckily there was a tuk tuk parked at the entrance. There was a lady on crutches heading towards it but I managed to put a sprint on on and get there first! No I didn't I held back but she didn't get on.

Then did a tour of the sights including the presidential palace and saw their version of the Arc de Triumph which looked walk-able but found out in the words of Fr Ted that it was very big and very far away! Another tuk tuk was then required to get back from that.

Temple of the day

With a late night work call I escaped the afternoon sun and headed back to my hotel. I put the do not disturb sign on the door and thought I'd get my head down for a couple of hours but 45 minutes later housekeeping were banging on the door so that sign was no use.

I then rummaged around the building site that was the hotel reception. I found a bucket and cloth so gave my bike a good clean and oiled the chain and mechanism so I am ready for the off in the morning.

Next stop was a food market down the road that sold all manner of things edible but I plumped for some sushi and pork skewers.

An early start this morning as I wanted to make progress out of Vientiane and down the Mekong with about 400 miles left to go to the end point at Pakse. The first phase was to Pakxan which was 98 miles away and I hoped to cover this in 2 days.

I wanted to make an early start to:

1. Get out of the city before rush hour

2. Allow some time to visit the Buddha Park which was on route

3. Do some preparation for the Teams call later in the day

   
   

Things got going well as despite the late finish (another Teams call) last night I was wide awake at 5.30 and at the door of the coffee shop opposite at 7 am as they opened the doors.

I left them the Vegas murder mystery I had bought yesterday as I took The Associate from their book exchange yesterday that looked like a better read.

A swift coffee and a pastry, love the cup! And I was on my way….or not….

Suddenly as I tried to cross the road the bike became very hard to pedal and I was thinking how can giving it a clean and lubricating the chain have broken it! I tipped it upside down and tried to work out the problem.

The wheels were turning okay so not the brakes but as soon as I tried to pedal the problems started. The pedals were spinning fine so it had to be the crank or the rear hub/cassette..

I released the back wheel and the problem got better and then I noticed the plastic disc covering the end of the cassette had disintegrated and it was this that was getting trapped between the cassette and the frame. That removed I was off but had lost 15 minutes in the process.

I managed to fight my way out of town and I think that is the right word there doesn't seem to be many rules of the road. You just push and see who gives way. I usually look for the nearest Toyota Hilux going my way and use them for cover!

I came to one set of traffic lights and there was a left turn (eg our right) yellow flashing arrow. Well it’s not red is it but the traffic was piling through so even the traffic lights seem to be saying ye just do your own thing.

As I got further out of the city I was able to pick up speed but then another problem occurred that in the lower gears the chain was slipping and losing drive. I thought there could be two reasons an oiled chain is more slippery and as I lubbed the derailers they maybe more play in that. I if as they do the cable has stretched they may not be aligned so would have to do some adjustments when I stopped.

I cycled round the end of a railway line and wondered why it had stopped but then saw as sign saying customs yard and realised I had hit the Mekong and therefore the Thai border and before long was on the bank side.

It was a short ride to the Buddha Park and 15 miles done and quite a place.

Eccentric Xieng Khuan, aka Buddha Park, thrills with other-worldly Buddhist and Hindu sculptures, and was designed and built in 1958 by Luang Pu, a yogi-priest-shaman who merged Hindu and Buddhist philosophy, mythology and iconography into a cryptic whole. It's a bizarre, delightfully dilapidated compound that's great for a wander around and stop for a cheeky Magnum!

I carried on along the Mekong and the road was great, wide, flat and quiet, I had a point 20 miles away for lunch as the crow flies to where I planned to stay tonight but there was an option to stay on the river and add another 7-8 miles.

I made a note where the turn off was and thought I’d make a decision then. Just before the turn I stopped for a quick bottle of pop and crisps then was on my way but oh no I could see dust in the distance. The nice road abrupt turned into dirt and even worse sand with my front wheel getting bogged down a couple of times. A pair of Hilux type pickups drove past at speed in Pari-Dakar fashion creating clouds of dust and I changed to bandit dress which also helped to cover my sunburn nose.

I got to the turn and the short route was tarmac so I took it and then had chance to stop and try and get some zip ties to prevent my hand grips from slipping. This first shop had white ones.

I indicated I was looking for black but he gave me a “are you taking the piss” look and white it was.

Time for a leisurely lunch and another zip tie enquiry which were in black which was great but twice the price of 16p for four.

Rolled in just past 2 pm and sorted out my hand grips and adjusted my gears another good day on the road.

Right 54 miles to do today so thought an early start would be good and managed to get off by 7 am I was feeling good so decided to go for 18 miles to a bakery for breakfast.

The road was a narrow single track with some damage to the nearside which meant I had to head towards the middle of the road so was always looking over my shoulder to check if it was safe.

Fortunately about 5 miles in the road widened and a hard shoulder/bike lane appeared which was great and I was speeding along seeing the first distance marker to Pakse and the end of my ride.

I arrived at the bakery and was looking at a table of confectionery items and leaning towards a pack of four iced donuts when I was saved by the girl who produced a sandwich. This seemed to be anaemic spam with carpet shavings on top but with some chilli sauce on tasted okay.

Not much down the track but a fast food outlet in 25 miles which I thought sounded interesting.

Probably not a MacDonalds and had visions of chasing a rapid chicken but thought I would take a look.

It is Saturday so weddings are being prepared which usually means extending a roadside food stall with large canopies.

Not my idea of a great venue with traffic whizzing past but needs must I guess.

Temple of the Day

9 Miles to go to the mysterious fast food and there was a Mekong River View cafe. I stopped for a quick Pepsi and then progressed passed stalls selling dried fish which had must have come from the river.

As I approached the the site of the fast food there was no golden M and actually not much at all just a shuttered up building.

So on I went to a petrol station which was even worse as there was a mini-mart which was padlocked shut and look what was inside!

Onward with just 7 miles to go but was running low on water so needed to stop somewhere.

I eventually found a shop where I could get refilled and stretch my legs on some age appropriate seating.

I rolled into Pakxan at 1.25 pm and thought I'd have a beer as it was Saturday but the bar I arrived at was closed but they were having a Chinese New Year Party so they pulled up a chair for me. We ate barbecued beef, pork and fish whilst drinking beer and I left them with an Elvis karaoke song and some Wonderwall!

Right, a big day today as it is 118 miles to the next city of Thakhek so if I could do this in 2 days I would have gained a day on the schedule. This, day I could take off on route, hold onto in case of emergencies or cash in when I got to Pakse.

I woke up before my alarm at 5.45 feeling good that I did not follow up on the offer once I had showered and changed to re-join the New Years party or who knows what state I would have been in! The problem was they were all drinking lager with ice which is a travesty in my mind so I was not. This meant that I was drinking more and every time someone took a sip it was cheers all round so there was no slacking!

I pottered around getting ready for a 7 am off and at five too I went round to collect my bike to find I had a flat back tyre. I remembered that it was soft when I put it away yesterday and was annoyed that I had not remembered. Otherwise I would have got a move on the get ready to allow time to fix it.

Anyway, a quick inner-tube change and I found a thin wire in the tyre at the location of the puncture which I was able to remove and was on the road by 7.30. One bonus was turning the bike upside down, the last of the Kendal Mint Cake fell out so I had that to get me up and going.

I had 64 miles as the target today so picked a point 13 miles down the track to stop for some breakfast and put a couple of starfruit that the guest house owner picked. There was nothing shown on MapsMe but a catholic church so a plumped for that thinking well there must be something else nearby.

The wind was up today which might be a feature of riding down the Mekong and was against me as I passed another distance marker for the finish line. I progressed well and soon came to a church backing on to the Mekong which I assumed was the one but no I had 2 more miles to go so wondered if I had chosen another point but no 2 miles later another catholic church was there how strange to find such a small christian enclave out here.

Not far passed was a shop where I was able to buy some yogurt to supplement my breakfast. A guy at the fridge looked amazed at the starfruit so I gave him a slice of each. The green was a bit sharper than the yellow.

Looking at where to stop again I saw a coffee shop 20 miles away and thought that sounds perfect and will put me over half distance so off I went.

The wind was really getting up and I was down to around 10 mph not the 14-15 I was doing yesterday.

That does not sound a lot but is a third slower so the miles were not ticking down so fast.

I rode over the Nam Kading river, another tributary of the Mekong.

At this point there was a dirt road route continuing down the river that I had researched but as I expected I had decided to stay out of the dust and sand and take the tarmac road that headed inland behind a range of hills which once I had climbed a bit gave some shelter from the wind.

I left the shelter of the hills and was back exposed to the wind again and was ready for a break when I made to to the coffee place which was also a restaurant and mini-mart so ordered some spring rolls and a frozen treat. First of the day and badly needed!

The road looked to be a recent addition to the network and was punctuated by long featureless straights where I push on into the wind but as I progressed it worked around to be more side on sometimes against and sometimes with you so my speed was up and down accordingly.

As I rode along I came across this big muddy pool with people fishing in it looks like an immersive leisure activity as some were having barbecues on the banks and there were a lot of new Hilux pickups parked up which I doubt were financed by doing this commercially.

I had 28 miles left and put in a village 13 miles away to get nearly half way there.

I had been drinking tepid orange/water mix from my bottle but it was not taking the edge off my thirst.

So when I got there I picked up a 1.5 litre bottle of Fanta put a third of it in my bottle and chugged the rest.

15 miles were showing to go and I thought well it's 2.30 pm let's go for it but if there is somewhere to stop there is time in hand.

5 miles later I found an Amazon cafe so stopped from my second coffee what a treat.

I wasn’t really that hungry so got a big bottle of water to take to the guest house and pushed on.

Temple of the day, I said a quick prayer to Buddha for a room at the guest house as it seemed the only option for miles around.

My prayer was answered and at about 4 pm I was in the standard Lao chalet at the standard £6 price.

I was done for the day and got my puncture repaired. There were some food optioned I had passed in the village but it was back down a hill to get there and I didn't fancy the climb back up so will have to survive tonight on my fat reserves again!

With 65 miles done yesterday I had 55 left to get to Thakhek which is a reasonably sized city and looking at hotel options I splashed out and booked a river view room for $20.

I managed to get away at 7 am with no dramas and it was nice to be on the road in the chill morning air. I set a cafe 15 miles up to get a good distance in before breakfast as I had a plan hatched to have a beer and late lunch on the banks of Mekong.

Clocking down the distance

As I got underway, I thought I saw someone hitchhiking ahead but as I drew closer realised it was a lady walking down the road and was not holding her thumb out but a can of Lao beer. I thought blimey she is starting early! A few miles on I came across a couple of New Year house parties which were still going which must have been where the woman was coming from. Laos pop music and poor karaoke seems to have a paper thin boundary. I hear some and think that must be someone singing but can’t seem to see a mic in use!

It was certainly Monday and back to school today with lots of children waving and shouting Hello and I rode past or as they rode past me on their electric scooters.

With no dinner last night I needed to get something down me this morning and I went to look what they had which were some cold meat skewers which I combined with some sticky rice or so I thought as they then brought out the sticky rice so had no idea what was in the palm leaves. This turned out to be cooked onions so I set about making sort of sushi with these three ingredients under watchful eye of the owners dog. These were okay but the meat was as tough as old boots.

Pretty uneventful day in all I picked up some crisps and pop after another 20 miles and then had 19 to go there was shown a coffee shop at a petrol station 5 miles away so fancied a brew there but as I am finding is common when I got there the station had closed down and was fenced off.

Temple of the day another big Buddha

Pressed on from another 5 miles then had a quick splash and dash to refill my bottle as I was by then slurping down fluids and was soon dropping down to the Mekong with three miles to go.

These were hard work due to headwinds and also I just felt done in so there was a lot of "Come On!" going on internally but suddenly I made it and was on the waterfront. After a bit of messing about getting something to lean my bike against was having that beer on the river bank as planned.

I got booked into my room and updated my blog, as there was no internet yesterday. Then I set off to find an ATM as I was down to my last half a million so needed a top up!

That turned into an expedition as of the three close by on MapsMe the first didn’t exist, the second didn’t accept Mastercard and the third didn’t exist either! I looked on Google and it showed three more 22 minutes walk away so I went back and got my bike. The first was out of order and the second spat out 2 million in 50,000 notes which is like taking £75 out in £2 notes.

One hour gone and I parked the bike back and headed for a massage with a girl who must have worked in an abattoir or a vineyard or both as she was either trying to rip the flesh off my bones or trampling me to death! She had me in a half lotus position and was standing on my thigh at which point I had to call a medical time-out with cramps. An hour later I staggered out £4 the lighter and hoped that might aid my riding tomorrow.

I finished my blog and then headed out to watch the sunset and get some food in the nearby night market.

It looks like the pace will be more relaxed going forwards as I am ahead of schedule and the distances don’t encourage me to push. It’s 70 miles to the next city of Savannakhet which is going to take two days and then 150 miles to the end in Paske which I’ll be able to do in three so no more 60+ mile days lay ahead.

With that in mind, looking at the accommodation options there was a guest house 43 miles away which would leave me with a short run in to Savannakhet tomorrow.

So I started with a leisurely coffee and a ham sandwich for breakfast which is one of the benefits of stopping in the cities. I had a soft back tyre which I pumped up whilst waiting for my order and hoped for the best.

I got going about 8.30 but within a couple of miles my back tyre was flat so I had to pull over to change the tube. That's the second puncture in two days. The cause was again fine wire which comes off worn out tyres and find their way into mine. The wire was lodged in the tube which made the puncture easy to find and when I checked the tyre I found two more wires that also had to be extracted.

My first stop was 13 miles done and was just taking on fluids, I was now on a minor road that ran down the side of the Mekong and whilst it was single lane with some potholes and gravel patches to work around there were no big lorries which would be down to the weak narrow bridges I had to cross.

The next stop was supposed to be food but there was no sign of anything when I got there so I pushed on and found a shop.

I picked up a couple of bags of crisps and a really nice chocolate milkshake which was so good I had another of.

It had just gone midday and it was only 7 miles to the next town where there seemed to be 2-3 food options so I decided head to there for some lunch.

Temple of the day and Jabba The Buddha

Unfortunately whilst waiting at another Bailey Bridge I received a call of nature that needed attending to, must have been the seafood stir fry last night.

I thought what are the chances of any of these places having a decent toilet but as I rode by they were just your basic roadside food shacks.

There was a fuel station ahead so I cycled up to that.

Toilets were shown on the totem but when I got there they were all locked up so eventually I had to ride out of town into the woods and do what bears do.

I wondered if I should eat after that but thought I needed some energy and not sure if I will get a meal tonight so headed back into town and grabbed a bowl of noodles.

I only had 7 miles to go and was amazed at the progress and wondered if it was the Greco Roman wrestling message or the relaxed pace that was the reason?

As I ate I realise there was a significant tailwind that had blown up so that is probably the reason,

With 2 miles to go I stopped and picked up drinks for the guest house as it seemed to be a bit isolated and out of town. That was the case when I rounded the corner and saw the traditional yellow sign and was able to get a smaller than average chalet with no Wi-Fi but it was at a discount price of about £3.50 with some fierce guard dogs to protect the bike! Again there was no food available so hopefully I will survive the night.

I survived the night without food and got ready for the off chatting to a French couple who were in the chalet next door and had a pair of Koga touring bikes like mine. They thought I was mad not bringing mine and that I had bought a cheap Chinese bike instead. They headed off at 8 am and I was about 15 minutes behind them.

MapsMe was saying the shortest route was 21 miles to Savannakhet which was a surprise as I thought it would be more like 25 but set off and followed the route to a food stop 5 miles away where I thought I’d be able to grab some breakfast.

I got to the next village about a mile down the road and then was directed right which was onto an unmade road. I looked on the map and this did connect to a highway further south so though well if there is any day for an adventure this is it the shortest cycling day of the trip.

I got to the food place but it was shut so as normal carried on and eventually found a shop where I picked up a few bananas and some orange juice. The girl spoke good English and she charged me 10,000 KIP and the bananas were free. We spoke for a bit then I got moving again and back into the world of off road which culminated in a drop down to a dried out river bed then a slow push up to where I met the main road. Deliverance! It was 10 am and I’d covered 10 miles.

Getting my wheels on tarmac doubled my pace but it felt like I was constantly pedalling uphill due to my friend, the headwind. I battled on and was on schedule to finish at about 11.30 when I spotted a barber with no one waiting just by the bridge across to Thailand to the north of the city so popped in for a quick buzz cut.

He did a good job but when it came to payment there was a menu on the wall in Laos which went from 15 to 30,000 he made a phone call presumably to the owner to check his moral compass as I heard the word Farang (foreigner) mentioned. The call ended and my dry buzz cut was unsurprisingly the top treatment they do and £30k it was. To be fair that's about £1.50 so not worth getting upset over.

That done I noticed my rear tyre was soft again and pumped it up knowing I had another puncture but with just 2 miles to go wanted to get it done and will sort it out later.

I arrived in Savannakhet but had time to kill before I was able to book into my guesthouse so I went looking for a cloth so I could clean my chain.

I came away empty handed at the first shop. Well not entirely.

I know some people started at the weekend but it was finally the Chinese New Year and lots of the shops were shut or had family meals being held in them with people all dressed up.

I also spotted some dragons bringing luck to

people as they made their way around.

After I freshen up I got a massage at the Laos Blind Association which was really good and more forgiving than Abattoir Alice the other day with the guy spending a lot of time working on knots in my neck. Then I picked up some food and took a stroll down the night market.

Right, start of the last phase with 150 miles left to go from Savannakhet to the end at Pakse and the first thing I had to sort out was another bloody (quite literally) puncture.

Back tyre off and wire found with my finger Ouch! Whilst I was at it I decided to swap the tyres around and there was less wear on the front and I thought maybe more tread on the back might stop the pesky wires coming through…..we will see.  I had cleaned the chain yesterday also gave this an oil as well and the derailleurs and at 8.15 was ready to go.

The plan was to cover 56 miles today to a guest house I had located and hopefully about the same tomorrow so I was then left with less than 40 miles on Saturday. With an early start, I could hopefully get into Pakse by midday to have some time to sort out what to do next.

I had planned a coffee shop breakfast but had a couple of cups in my room and was anxious to get on the road so punched in an Amazon Cafe 21 miles away for my first stop and got going.

There were a lot of roadside food stalls as I made my way out of the city and I stopped at one which looked like it was selling donuts but they turned out to be fried chicken legs! Oh well I thought it’s protein so I got three with some chilli sauce thrown in and found a table and chairs outside a closed shop to munch them down and was off again.

The road I was on was taking me inland and climbing.

It was also very straight and had me looking at the same radio mast for an hour thinking at every crest I was there only to see another incline in front of me. 

Eventually I got to the mast and wanted to kneel down and kiss the base but it was fenced off! 

It was a quick turn right onto the main road and Amazon Cafe.  There is not much food available there, just neon cakes and various snacks which are more packaging than substance.

I’d kill for a cheese and ham toastie! As usual this was at a fuel station and there were other offers and I picked up some melon sliced up and a couple of skewers of no name meat that was nice (probably chicken).

It also had a Jiffy supermarket on site where I was able to buy another jar of vaseline as I was starting to suffer from chamois cream anxiety as my tube was running out.

I was looking at the options for lunch and there was a restaurant shown 19 miles away which looked feasible as the road conditions were good and although the wind had got up it was again vacillating between friend and foe but mostly seemed to be on my side and the miles clocked by to lunch in no time although it had hot to 1.30pm by then. I managed to get some stir fried pork and rice which was great especially as again the guest house looked a bit isolated so dinner might be hit or miss.

Temple of the Day that boy Buddha again with mini me and mini me two.

16 miles to go which again rolled past and at 5 miles to go I had a splash and dash picking up some fluids for the evening whilst chugging a bottle of Fanta.  No red Freezer of Dreams though and I was scanning the shops as I passed but at 1.5 miles left spotted a drinks stall and thought I’d give that a go.

I ordered a strawberry smoothie and I think the Magnum has met its match it was absolutely gorgeous! I had to take another couple of medical time outs as I was getting a brain freeze.

Rolled into the guesthouse at 4 pm but here was no one to be seen the front and back door of the house were wide open which I shouted “Hello” through as were the chalets. A couple looked prepared and I debated moving in but would be just me luck that would backfire.

However as the next one was less than a mile down the road I carried on to there where I was able to secure the standard accommodation/price and a bonus mile 57 down job done.

Okay looking at the locations for a bed tonight there was a hotel 54 miles away with a guesthouse close by so I thought that would be a good distance today which would leave just under 40 miles for the final run into Pakse.

I had seen on the map a restaurant built over a lake 5 miles down the road and thought that would be a good place to have breakfast so aimed to set off about 7.30 to arrive at 8 am which if they did breakfast they should be open by.  

My start was delayed when I saw the innertube I had mended last night had inflated to check had gone down which mend another puncture to repair which I sorted out but no time to inflate and wait so off at 7.45 which didn’t really matter as when I got there the place was shut.

Bananas was the fall back and I found a stall selling them she would not split the bunch so the bunch it was which was loaded up and off to find some coffee and orange juice and then somewhere to sit down which took a few attempts but eventually ended up at a disused car wash.

It was 9.00 am and I’d only covered 7.5 miles so put in a food place 16 miles away and got going to make some progress.

Slim picking at the food stop was another disappointing Wall’s experience with not even a dodgy Cornetto so had to make do with this and some equally dodgy crisps.

Another 16 uneventful miles to a lunch of chicken and rice and then just 10 to go where I was able to bag the temple of the day.

I then got caught up in a wedding parade which was great fun with some of the women getting selfies with me.

I rode past the guest house chalets which looked a bit basic and found a room at the hotel which bust the bank and £8 but it’s my last night on the road!

Right the last day and MapsMe was saying I had 40 miles to cover when I calculated it was just 39 but with over 800 miles on the trip I guess it doesn’t make any difference.

I was thinking Pakse for midday would be good to aim for and a leisurely lunch before trying the hotel I had picked out as favourite but wasn’t able to book online with the app I have.

There was a convenience store 18 miles away and I thought well that nearly half way I’m not starving despite having no dinner again so that would be a good first leg.

I got on the road but only made it about half a mile until I came across a nice coffee house so I pulled in for a brew

A nice cappuccino and a couple of creamy green cakes coconut I think and I was back to Plan A. 

I did pass one of those smoothie stalls soon after but managed to resist and pinned my ears back and got going as the sun started to climb over the paddy fields.

There was no wind head tail or otherwise and pretty soon I was getting hot and could feel the sweat running down my arms, cheeks and back.

so I found an empty wooden shack but a bridge and nipped in there to take my long sleeve top off which helped my temperature control.

I was heading towards some hills but my route thankfully was to pass to the south of them and rendezvous with the Mekong which was on the other side.  

Might have been the strong coffee or last day madness but I was flying strapped into the toe clips and giving it the beans.

I had a close call with Mr Rotorvator when he pulled out in front of me and I had to swerve to miss him.

I think to be fair people see a bicycle and don't appreciate how fast I am going they think they have time and then in the blink of an eye I am upon them.

Mr Rotervator overtook me as I took this photo but it was not long before I was breathing down his neck or in his fumes so when the coast was clear I put the hammer down and rode past and round the corner where the road started to climb.

I thought now he is Mr Motivator and we are going to see who has the bigger engine and the answer was him as I could hear him getting louder as we climbed but thankfully I crested the hill still in the lead and that was the end of him.

Lot going on today, I also had a laugh down the road when a lad on a push bike with a mate in the back pulled out of a side road. I whizzed past and shouted push! push! push! as I did knowing he was not going to catch me.  However, seconds later he went flying by with a big grin on his face. I was thinking what the…when I realised he was not pedaling and a friend on a moped behind had his foot on the back of the bike pushing it along!

First stop was pop and crisps so 22 miles left of the ride, I split in two with another store my target in 12 miles which would leave a nice 10 mile run in to finish off with.

The road got a bit more undulating which was to be expected as I cut across the end of the hills but nothing to break into much of a sweat over unlike the dilemma when I arrived at the break.  

Another disappointment in the freezer with the choice of a sketchy Cornetto or a local Magnum substitute.  On the basis of market research I took the latter but threw in a strawberry one as compensation!  Thin on the chocolate and the ice cream was a bit watery

This passed quickly and with 5 miles to go the highway expanded to create a cycle lane however this was mainly full of sand cows and parked cars so not much use so I had to do battle with the traffic again until I reached the bridge over the Xe Don River and entered Pakse turning right to head to the river which again was a bit underwhelming with a large flood defence cutting off the view so I had to ride up it for the finishing shot.

No bars open on the waterfront so I made my way inland to celebrate!

Pakse was a bit of a strange place as it was full of backpackers but there was no real night life like there was in the other tourist cities. I guess it is because it is a bit of a transit point where people head off from, rather than having activities and attractions locally.  With that in mind I looked at options for some trips. 

My first choice was to go down to the 4,000 islands which is 90 miles south near Cambodian where the Mekong pushes through some amazing rapids and it falls over the border. The options were expensive or were a minimum of 2 people so I had to ditch that and decided to hire a scooter so I could get around the places I wanted to which would not be feasible in the time by bicycle.

First trip was down the Mekong to Vat Phou which is an ancient Hindu temple which is a major archaeological site which, like its cousin Angkor Wat in Cambodia was subsequently taken over by Buddhist so became a fusion of the two religions.

The site is carved into terraces climbing up the side of a sacred mountain which culminates in a hard pilgrimage to the main shire which I shared with some monks and nuns in white robes  (I assume that is what they were).  We all celebrated together at the top.

Next stop was out of the city taking the bridge over the Mekong and up a winding alpine road up the hill. I was feeling slightly guilty riding petrol powered passed lots of runners doing their evening exercises as the heat dissipated to reach a giant Buddha looking out over the Mekong with a growing army of mini-me’s and a temple behind.

I was looking at doing the Pakse loop into the Bolaven Plateau but reading up on it realised it would be too much ground to cover in the last day to be able to stop and take in the sights so I decided to just take in the major waterfalls on the southern leg of the loop.

Moving day I packed my stuff into a new Louis Vuitton bag I bought down the market for a couple of quid and lent my bike on a lamppost  with a Free Bike Enjoy not on and got ready to go.

I could fly from Pakse but it would involve an internal flight back north to the capital Vientiane then south again back to Bangkok at a cost of around £120.  Then to get a long-haul flight via a variety of transfer points the cheapest with a Chinese carrier would be east to Shanghai followed by a 12 hour flight back east to Manchester.

Instead I decided to go overland/overnight to Bangkok for the princely sum of about £36 which given I am also saving a night’s hotel is an absolute bargain and then further reduce my carbon footprint (and travel time)  by taking a more direct route via Dubai.

I also added a Saturday night in Bangkok to hopefully pick up England v France rugby match.

The trip went well with a real Race Across The World experience completed minibus to minibus to Thai border tuk tuk to bus station bus to Ubon then overnight train to Bangkok tuk tuk to hotel am too early to check in but they let me have access to the pool!  

I had to have a disco nap in the afternoon as didn’t get a great night’s sleep on the train and the kick off was 11.45 pm but found an irish bar where the game was on which was great. 

Unfortunately they sat a couple of young gobbey scottish lads and an irish man on my table.  The scots clearly had no interest in the game as they talked over the commentary and I suspect were just there to feed off and enjoy any misery heaped on England. 

After about 15 minutes they went for a fag and I took sanctuary on the table in front where a retired teacher called Martin let me join him. I enjoyed the rest of the match regaling him of my time chauffeuring for Wade Dolley’s parents.

My flight the next day was not until the evening so I was able to have a lie-in after only getting to bed at 2.30 am.  I could  then take my time re-packing everything and have a leisurely lunch before I grabbed a bike to the train station and took the high line out to the airport.

No Temple of the Day but did find this amazing statue in departures 

The flights home when without a hitch and my good quality Louis Vuitton bag has made it to Preston Bus station. I did have a look at the airport and couldn’t see one in there so have my doubts if it’s genuine having shelled out £2 for it. Next thing you know my £40 Rolex will turn out to be a wrong’un as well!!