February 21, 2006
February 21, 2006
Today we rode 110km to Muang Khongsedone. When we awoke at 4:00am I had no desire to get up and that feeling carried over to the first 50km of the ride. We bickered a bit about how tired we were and how we did not think we would make the route described by the German we met yesterday because we needed to rest (we are a bit cranky in the morning). In Muang Lakompheng about 50km we stopped for foe, a basket of sticky rice and some coffee with sweet milk. The women running the stand were helpful in trying to get us what we wanted but it seems all we can find is foe in the morning. In the house behind the restaurant some crazy old man was talking loudly in Lao. I think his cheese had slid off his cracker. The food lightened our spirits and the reminder of the ride went fast and smooth.
Like so many days on the road there are always things happening, some good some bad. For the first time in Laos we had two dogs chase us on separate occasions. One dog a black and white mut was really fast, I sped up to over 30km/hr and she was still catching me. I kicked it a little harder and dropped her but I wondered what might have happened if she had been able to get a jump on me. The kids all said hello but they seemed to yell "falang" more than anything. Jodi and I laughed when we thought more about what they were saying and how it was the American equivalent of our riding through an ethnic neighborhood and having the kids yell "crackers".
We stopped at a guesthouse just north of Khongsedone and like so many guesthouses they were nice except they do a terrible job of keeping them clean. It seems all they do is change the sheets from one guest to the next. The bathrooms gross me out. We thought about staying but there were no restaurants nearby so I suggested we ride another 5km and if we didn’t see anything then we will grab some food and return. Fortunately we found another that was more clean (not saying much) and it was in town where we could find food.
The town even though it was shown as a larger one on our map it isn’t. The people here are very poor and the secondary streets in the town are trails. The fruit venders do not have much inventory and what they do have is of really poor quality. We tried to buy some apples and they were so mealy that most markets would not have sold them. The rice fields are brown and dried up and it is really hot. From 2:00 to 5:00 each day it is really hot so we try to be in for a nap during the "hot hours." It looks like New Mexico, with red dirt, limited vegetation and foot hills in the distance. We both ride along thinking that the scenery looks like home.
Somehow I lost my watch. I found it at Pole early last winter and it has been a trusted companion ever since. The velcro strap wasn’t holding well and I suspect it fell off and is now on the wrist of some Lao. He will be surprised when its’ alarm sounds tomorrow morning at 4:00am. I will especially miss its dual time zone setting where I could see what time it was in Colorado.
Tomorrow we ride to Pakxe the last major settlement before riding into Cambodia. We estimate we have three remaining rides in Laos.
Today we rode 110km to Muang Khongsedone. When we awoke at 4:00am I had no desire to get up and that feeling carried over to the first 50km of the ride. We bickered a bit about how tired we were and how we did not think we would make the route described by the German we met yesterday because we needed to rest (we are a bit cranky in the morning). In Muang Lakompheng about 50km we stopped for foe, a basket of sticky rice and some coffee with sweet milk. The women running the stand were helpful in trying to get us what we wanted but it seems all we can find is foe in the morning. In the house behind the restaurant some crazy old man was talking loudly in Lao. I think his cheese had slid off his cracker. The food lightened our spirits and the reminder of the ride went fast and smooth.
Like so many days on the road there are always things happening, some good some bad. For the first time in Laos we had two dogs chase us on separate occasions. One dog a black and white mut was really fast, I sped up to over 30km/hr and she was still catching me. I kicked it a little harder and dropped her but I wondered what might have happened if she had been able to get a jump on me. The kids all said hello but they seemed to yell "falang" more than anything. Jodi and I laughed when we thought more about what they were saying and how it was the American equivalent of our riding through an ethnic neighborhood and having the kids yell "crackers".
We stopped at a guesthouse just north of Khongsedone and like so many guesthouses they were nice except they do a terrible job of keeping them clean. It seems all they do is change the sheets from one guest to the next. The bathrooms gross me out. We thought about staying but there were no restaurants nearby so I suggested we ride another 5km and if we didn’t see anything then we will grab some food and return. Fortunately we found another that was more clean (not saying much) and it was in town where we could find food.
The town even though it was shown as a larger one on our map it isn’t. The people here are very poor and the secondary streets in the town are trails. The fruit venders do not have much inventory and what they do have is of really poor quality. We tried to buy some apples and they were so mealy that most markets would not have sold them. The rice fields are brown and dried up and it is really hot. From 2:00 to 5:00 each day it is really hot so we try to be in for a nap during the "hot hours." It looks like New Mexico, with red dirt, limited vegetation and foot hills in the distance. We both ride along thinking that the scenery looks like home.
Somehow I lost my watch. I found it at Pole early last winter and it has been a trusted companion ever since. The velcro strap wasn’t holding well and I suspect it fell off and is now on the wrist of some Lao. He will be surprised when its’ alarm sounds tomorrow morning at 4:00am. I will especially miss its dual time zone setting where I could see what time it was in Colorado.
Tomorrow we ride to Pakxe the last major settlement before riding into Cambodia. We estimate we have three remaining rides in Laos.
posted by Kirk & Jodi Roberts at 1:16 AM
1 Comments:
Interesting to read about your trip in Laos, and khongsedone. I'm going there next year..:-)
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