February 20, 2006
February 20, 2006
Paksong: This morning I awoke with the feeling of dread, it has been something that has been gaining momentum for a couple of days. I suspect I am feeling a bit run down from all the traveling, mixed with some anxiety about leaving Asia for America. Regardless, I somehow loaded my bike and we set out but not before a tasty breakfast. A couple of days ago I suggested we get some sticky rice, sweetened condensed milk and some fruit and mix it together (an idea inspired by the yummy mango desserts we found in Thailand). We both thought it sounded good but for some reason we put it off until this morning. We bought a fresh, juicy mango and we both loved it. It also made a great ride breakfast since I covered the 72km without having to stop for food. It felt like I had swallowed a bowling ball.
The ride from Savannakhet to Paksong was slowed by a really stiff wind from the South. The whole way up route 9B out of Savannaket I kept thinking that when we arrived at the junction with highway 13 we would turn out of the wind but we didn’t. It appeared to be a westerly wind that helped us speed along when we headed to the west but for the most part it just slowed us considerably.
About 22km outside of Savannakhet we stopped to do a little roadside stretching. As we stretched 3 kids waited patiently about 200m up the road so they could say hello. They never took their eyes off us the entire time we were limbering up and when we mounted our bikes they started waving and saying "Sabadee." I was amazed at their patience.
38km South of Paksong we were flagged down by a German cyclist heading north. He wanted some beta about good places to stay between Paksong and Vientiane. We pulled out our map and showed him all the places we had stayed. He then pulled out his map and gave us some great beta about the Cambodian border crossing. He said that it is currently possible to catch a slow boat from the border to Strung Treng. He was unaware the road between Strung Treng and the border is in good shape with the exception of the 5km before and after the border. Then he gave us the best news that the road between Strung Treng and Kratie is improved and there is a guesthouse at the mid point. I was relieved to hear the news since I had been wondering about this stretch of road the night before. He also suggested a route change for us that would bring us through the beach town in South Cambodia and into Thailand.
Paksong is much larger than I expected with 3 guesthouses and some good looking restaurants. It also has a Lao Development Bank where I need to go exchange some money. I keep my amount of kip very slim since it is pretty much monopoly money and most places will take American Dollars but they sometimes have trouble making change for the larger bills. Rolling into town I saw a table decoration fabricated from unexploded ordinances. This area took some pretty heavy bombing during the Vietnam war.
The country side is much greener and the road is climbing ever so slightly. Also it isn’t as hot. I suspect we are making our way up the plateau where the best coffee in the world is grown.
Paksong: This morning I awoke with the feeling of dread, it has been something that has been gaining momentum for a couple of days. I suspect I am feeling a bit run down from all the traveling, mixed with some anxiety about leaving Asia for America. Regardless, I somehow loaded my bike and we set out but not before a tasty breakfast. A couple of days ago I suggested we get some sticky rice, sweetened condensed milk and some fruit and mix it together (an idea inspired by the yummy mango desserts we found in Thailand). We both thought it sounded good but for some reason we put it off until this morning. We bought a fresh, juicy mango and we both loved it. It also made a great ride breakfast since I covered the 72km without having to stop for food. It felt like I had swallowed a bowling ball.
The ride from Savannakhet to Paksong was slowed by a really stiff wind from the South. The whole way up route 9B out of Savannaket I kept thinking that when we arrived at the junction with highway 13 we would turn out of the wind but we didn’t. It appeared to be a westerly wind that helped us speed along when we headed to the west but for the most part it just slowed us considerably.
About 22km outside of Savannakhet we stopped to do a little roadside stretching. As we stretched 3 kids waited patiently about 200m up the road so they could say hello. They never took their eyes off us the entire time we were limbering up and when we mounted our bikes they started waving and saying "Sabadee." I was amazed at their patience.
38km South of Paksong we were flagged down by a German cyclist heading north. He wanted some beta about good places to stay between Paksong and Vientiane. We pulled out our map and showed him all the places we had stayed. He then pulled out his map and gave us some great beta about the Cambodian border crossing. He said that it is currently possible to catch a slow boat from the border to Strung Treng. He was unaware the road between Strung Treng and the border is in good shape with the exception of the 5km before and after the border. Then he gave us the best news that the road between Strung Treng and Kratie is improved and there is a guesthouse at the mid point. I was relieved to hear the news since I had been wondering about this stretch of road the night before. He also suggested a route change for us that would bring us through the beach town in South Cambodia and into Thailand.
Paksong is much larger than I expected with 3 guesthouses and some good looking restaurants. It also has a Lao Development Bank where I need to go exchange some money. I keep my amount of kip very slim since it is pretty much monopoly money and most places will take American Dollars but they sometimes have trouble making change for the larger bills. Rolling into town I saw a table decoration fabricated from unexploded ordinances. This area took some pretty heavy bombing during the Vietnam war.
The country side is much greener and the road is climbing ever so slightly. Also it isn’t as hot. I suspect we are making our way up the plateau where the best coffee in the world is grown.
posted by Kirk & Jodi Roberts at 1:14 AM
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