19/4/25
We reloaded the bikes with the panniers. Beforehand we tightened up the brakes and made sure everything was still secure after the bumpy road out of Cambodia. All screws get shaken loose eventually.
Before we left we met some Greeks who were having breakfast at the hotel. It was nice to speak to people who knew where we’d stayed in Crete, Kouremenos. They were surprised we’d been there in ‘winter’. We reminisced about what a nice restful week that had been. Mostly we thought about how nice it was for the outdoors not to be 35C+.
We had to cycle 5km or thereabouts to Don Det pier. We waited 15 minutes for the ferry to come back and take us across the river to Nakasong. It was the usual pallet wood that joined two punt-like boats together.The Mekong is a vast river. It was no more apparent than when we were taking a ferry across. Many of the locals were cruising past on their boats.
When we got off the ferry, we expected to pay the fare split between three people, plus the bikes. The sign had been clear and there had been someone else on the boat. Laotians didn’t count apparently. We had to pay for whole journey. It wasn’t the money that mattered and we couldn’t help but feel a little gypped.
We took some Kip out of a BCEL ATM. Letting the shops convert the dollars at 20k per dollar was costing us a little bit every time. The maximum withdrawal was 2 million Kip and it cost 30k. It’s only about $100. Both Cambodia and Laos are trying to encourage their own currencies. Apparently they don’t realise that withdrawal fees hinder their efforts.
Our first impressions of actually being in Laos, rather than a tourist hole, were starting to form. The roads were less well looked after than Cambodia. All the side roads remained unpaved. The types of houses and stalls looked very similar. We’d been addressed with less smiles so far. Children were extremely happy to see us. Mostly. One child pointed straight at Jonathan and shouted “Farang!” They don’t think it’s racist. It comes from the Thai word for France. It can be traced back to Farsi. What can’t be attributed to the Persians?
It was just as hot, probably hotter, as we’d ever been. There were more zebus roaming around. Many had no ropes in their noses. There were also lots of dogs. Fortunately, they couldn’t give a rat’s arse that we were there.
After we left Nakasong we rode 3km out east to National Road 13 and then started heading north. This highway would lead us all the way to Savannakhet. It was probably where we’d be spending most of our time. We didn’t have the setup or the appetite for unpaved roads.
We stopped for some drinks. A bottle of pepsi and a Thai brand of sweet cold tea. We took the opportunity to buy some more peanuts. The shops looked more stocked than in Cambodia. The road went up and down. It was a bit boring really. Not a very exciting place to be. The novelty of being in a new country wore off quickly. We were encased by dry land. Many of the trees had sad, brown leaves. It looked like this was the Laotian version of autumn.
Pick up trucks went past. The occasional old blue bus full of locals. Not like the swanky international coach that tourists used. In the distance we could see jungle covered hills rising up. In the foreground, bone dry rice paddies. The zebus were drinking out of muddy puddles. Most people were in hammocks underneath their houses. It was a perfectly straight road. Luckily it was flat too.
We stopped at the halfway point, 40km left to go. We bought a plastic bottle of water and a glass bottle of soya milk. We were glad Laotians enjoyed it as much as we did. It was a bit sweet but nice sustenance for vegans. A group of children hung around us. A couple of young boys had dyed their hair yellow. We enjoyed saying hello and high-fiving. It was very cute.
The landscape was a bit random. Charred trees and fields. Ploughed up open spaces. Yellow dusty roads. The hammer and sickle flag was often hanging. Lau was one of the only openly ‘communist’ countries in the world. We put the pedals down. We were really going for it. We stopped frequently for water and drank electrolytes. A few peanuts too. Desperately trying to stave off dehydration. It felt like it was 40C.
As we got further north people were smiling and saying hello a lot more. It was a relied. Tourist places make everyone grumpy it seems. After 70km of decent tarmac we were suddenly demoralised by a deteriorating surface. Occasionally it looked like it would recover but it was always an illusion.
There were two possible guesthouse options for accommodation. The first was a rundown petrol station with some rooms behind it. No chance of food here. The next was just after a village. We stopped to buy some food. Ready cooked rice noodles from a wicker basket. Also carrots, cucumber, coriander, lime and chilli. Frankie started heading up the road as Jonathan finished packing away. Then noticed he’d misplaced his sunglasses. Eventually he found them, across the road in the second shop we’d visited. Frankie had in this time felt it necessary to come back and locate him.
As we were leaving the village of Huay Keua a man shouted at us from what looked like a little restaurant. He insisted we join him for a celebratory New Year drink. Cold water was always good with us. He spoke fantastic English. He’d taught himself. There were two young girls and another man. We didn’t know what their relationship with each other was. They all seemed to be good friends.
‘Cece’ was sipping out of a big thermos which contained whisky and coke. The young girls were in high school and extremely shy. According to Cece they went to an English school. They spent the first 10 minutes filming us. Eventually they came to sit down but they didn’t speak any English. The conversation was only surface deep. But we ascertained that Cece worked in construction mostly. He’d previously spent ten years in Thailand as a bartender.
We soon left this odd situation. After stopping for some bananas, twice because the second ones looked more delicious, we found the Dokachan guesthouse. 120k Kip for the night. Less than $6. A big bed and air conditioning. The bikes came inside. We prepared our vegetable heavy dinner. The better looking bananas weren’t actually tastier. Everything tasted better with peanuts.
Surly They Won't Make It 