Crappy rooms to crash in

In all my life, I’ve experienced many a crappy hotel, rather guest house rooms, whilst on the road with a bicycle.  What actually constitutes ‘crap’ depends really on one’s comfort levels, tolerance and expectations at the end of another day on the road or trail. Looking at many many photos over the years, I’d dare say that my ‘crap tolerance level’ or CTL is pretty high. I rate it 8.5 out of 10. 1 being total luxury and 10 being, ‘I can’t wait for sunrise to check out’. Thankfully my lovely wife, Coleen has not tolerated anything beyond a 6 or 7 and thus we are still married.

Now while some rooms and establishments approach a 8 to 10 crap rating, I must add that their locations on a mountain top or along a pristine lake or river might make up for a great stay or experience. Who knows, the person you’re tolerating all this with, might just make the stay more tolerable. I’m talking easy going good friends, with similar interests and a high CTL. (Conversely no amount of luxury and pampering will make a hotel stay bliss if your room mate is ‘intolerable’  Another plus for solo travel, as you can only blame yourself for stinging and getting a crappy room)

No doubt in time someone will build a nice resort with 5 star rooms/villas to elevate comfort levels, but then the crappy room wouldn’t cost $5 a night. This brings to mind the eternal question of,  ’How much is too much?’ for a certain level of comfort. Another subjective subject to ponder over till the cows come home.

These rooms are definitely one nighters, but I’ve been known to deviate where necessary.

I’ve also seen $300 rooms close to 2 metres away from the resort fence where when you add another 2 metres, you get a dusty major highway linking 2 towns in Laos. I’m sure the spa, the infinity pool and restaurants and even the rooms are nice but……so here goes some photos, toilets not spared, and comments from staying in rooms from $3 to $800 plus 21% taxes. The CTL 1 rooms / villas / resorts deserve their own post, somewhere down this blog.

$6 / Phay Boun GH, Nong Kiaw, North Laos

The minimalist Phay Boun really looks better than it is. My flash reveals a shiny linoleum floor, tight bed sheets and even a new waste basket, but my friend Paul and I didn’t stay here, we arrived late and got the back room with a cement floor, which makes this triple look like a suite. The bathroom was dark and infested with fruit flies, well better than real flies anyway. What the camera flash doesn’t show were the three noisy China men who just vacated this room, and the girl whom they ‘had company’ with that night. She then proceeded to ‘reset’ this room to it’s CTL level of hmmm, 7.  Same sheets, same blankets, same pillowcases, all fluffed up. I did not check the bathroom. I must say she did quite a good job, with a just a broom and bare hands.

$8 / Xieng Kok Resort, Xieng Kok Village, Laos

The balcony at XK resort was so nice I laid out my Thermarest and slept outside in 15 deg C temps. Paul was inside and snoring louder than the resort’s power generators.  The mighty Mekong River in the background leads to Yunnan in China, while the opposite bank is Burmese territory. Location, location, location, though the village at the end of a 70 km dirt road, is a few wooden shacks and not much else. We took a 3 hour speedboat ride back to Thailand from here.

$6 / Duangvichit GH, Kuikacham, Laos

This is even better CTL 9, as we had to deprive one of the staff here from ‘her’ bed ! Needless to say she was not happy and we had to do our own housekeeping ! Stuff like making the beds, checking for bugs and throwing someone else’s trash into the hall way. It was a long night in the mountains of Laos, but good company and my I Pod made up for it. Thanks Alvin

One of 2 bathrooms shared by you or 20 others, depending on occupancy and of course your luck

If you thought this was bad, this bathroom was pitch black and un tiled when they first opened. Not much water also in the holding tank till the village truck came and rubber hoses were forced the slots in the wall and fresh brown water flowed. At 1200 m, it was icy cold too, but the owners will get a kettle or two of boiling water and mix it with the cold, in a pail if you’re fussy.

RM$50 / US$15 @ the Princess Hotel, Pontian, West Malaysia

A typical 4 decade old hotel in a small Malaysian town in all it’s 4 decade splendour. Non LCD TV, ancient but cold AC and hot water. I wait patiently as everything is wiped down with wet wipes. It’s like a SWAT team checking every room in the perp’s house before shouting “Clear! Clear!”

Tadapani hovel, Nepal

Keen eyes will note that this room was once a balcony, so I had a nice view of the snow capped mountains beyond the green curtain and of some other hiker through the window panes. She was blonde.

Italian Nepalese tonight !

Views making up for the dismal room

An average Nepalese village on the Annapurna trail. It would not exist without tourism, so maybe 6 lodges with say 2 dozen rooms each, meaning 144 rooms, sleeping 288 or more tourists plus Nepalese guides and porters who might sleep in the warmer kitchens, will populate a hill slope such as this one. Toilets and bathrooms? 2 of each max, per lodge. I went au natural in the forest, just before sunrise.

Tourist tent at Bhoti Koshi, Nepal

I cannot remember the price for this one but, the tent was cosy at 16 deg C. Close to the Nepal Tibet border. The Bhoti Khoshi area is a prime spot for river rafting and hosts Nepal’s highest bungee jumping site. Looking at the trails and dirt roads in the hills, a moutain bike here will be loads and days of fun.

Tourist food at Bhoti Koshi, Nepal, always get hungry looking at this

Wonokitri Wisma, East Java, Indonesia. Sure the colors look pleasing. Wait till it fills up at night with a rowdy crowd and nicotine.

We made a quick mistake of checking into this colourful rat hole and paying Indonesia Rp 100,000 / $10 upfront. A dirty room and dirtier bathroom. Of course the caretaker said that this was the better place to stay here, of course he was lying or loyal to his boss, of course he did not give us a receipt, and no of course no refunds whatsoever, even half a refund, (after we found this place below while walking around the village) And he got angry after we left. It took no effort to repack everything and move here. Out came another Rp 100,000, which the owner said that we could pay when checking out. He had to attend to a patient as he was the village doctor.

This is more like it, new sheets, new bed and what a view. Can you see Paul’s joy ?

Early morning views from the balcony @ Wonokitri. East Java, Indonesia

One of 3 rooms at Subandi's Homestay, Kerisik Tuo, Jambi Provinve, West Sumatra, Indonesia

In 1998 this room would be a 10+++ on the CTL, but as I age, I re rate it a 7 or 8 not because of it’s old but decently kept run down state, but as Indonesian homestays go, it’s sleep here or out in the open. A saving grace here is that behind that dark door the owners had just retiled the bathroom and squatting toilet, so that was in a better state than the room. Switch off the 25 watt light bulb and it’s so dark I can’t see my hand in front of me. Thankfully I had good company for 3 nights here, as the owners were so jovial and heartwarming, wondering why I did not want to go trekking, but ride my mountain bike all day in the endless tea plantations at the base of Mt Kerinchi, Sumatra’s highest volcano. This $3 per 24 hrs room takes the cake for the best views from the front porch of a crappy room / guesthouse.

Mt Kerinchi, 3805 m West Sumatra/Jambi Province

Sometimes the crappy room is a Godsent, especially when mountain biking in the mountains, all day without water or food, ie we were totally lost. Beggars can’t be choosers, so the Thai Border Patrol’s mountain resort will have to do. They were even kind enough to offer dinner and breakfast, and there was a late night party with the village girls, and I suspect some boys who were aspiring to be girls !

My friend Paul did not bring any bedding. I brought my trusty 15 year old blue Thermarest

Breakfast with the Border Patrol. True to form I slipped a Thb 500 note to the Captain in charge of the place

Crappy or not, after 90 kms of cycling in the mountains, the Piang Luang gulag guest house close to Burmese border with Thailand, seemed like paradise, at that time. The orange bulb lights up room and loo at the same time !

On the Nam Ou: Back to Luang Prabang

Tuesday November 11, 2008, 10 km (6 miles) – Total so far: 221 km (137 miles)

It was hard to leave Nong Kiau this morning, but the promise of a slow boat ride that had been put off for 3 years made me hop out of bed in a jiffy, only to hop on the bike for a chilly ride 10 kms to nowhere. I managed to find some solitude by the river a few kms before the town proper. That peace was shattered by mamy, many school kids on bicycles, some pillion riding as they plodded on to school. I wonder what they made of their tiny village being on the bluelist of the backpackers of the world.

2 words, learn English. That’s the Sheriff of Nong Kiau’s forte. He’s the one with the fancy hat and  can’t fault his dedication to serve the backpacking world.

Introducing the sheriff of NK

Conversing with the rest of the world in halting English, while cursing and joking with the rest of his Lao counterparts at the boat landing. He must get tired of the same old questions thrown at him, day in and day out. As Lance would say, racing the Tour de France, SSDD (same sh*t, different day)

Goes like this, “When’s the next boat?’”

Rhetorical answer, “Ten or eleven, maybe”

So in reality, it’s anytime a boat fills up. Your guess is as good as mine. I deduce it to be ten and eleven, 2 boats. The ten leaves from Nong Kiau, the eleven arrives from upriver Muang Ngoi. If heaven is smiling upon you, you get to Luang Prabang in 5 hours or so. If the boat from Muang Ngoi is full, tough.

“Maybe” is for engine failures, bad weather, drunk boatmen with bad hangovers, and Sheriff having heated exchanges with boatman on who gets paid what, etc etc.

To make matters worse, some backpackers get on the wrong boats going in the opposite direction, screwing up the Sheriff’s manifest.

Then we have to haggle with the price, or plice to the Sheriff. Officially it’s 130,000 kip each on a boat of 10 or 11, maybe. Naomi’s my witness.

Enterprising boatman says his boat is special, taking up to 15. Find 14 friends and you are good to go at only 100,000 kip each. We forgo this offer, as the boat will be overloaded and our bikes are pricey and precious. Sheriff is not happy with this blatant behind his back overloading, as boat rules are being broken, and just maybe, his cut will be less. Boatman is keeping the dosh from the extra 5 passengers. More shouting in Lao.

Sheriff gets me to write down our names on his list of 11 people. Nearby grannies chuckle at something. That’ll be the extra 30000 kip for each LHT. What? There’s a charge for motorcycles. says Sheriff. Maybe they’re just bicycles, see no bloody engines on the downtube. “OK, 20000, is OK”. No more maybes.

Flushed with almost a half million kip, Sheriff smiles, thanking me and says, “Have good trip, Bob” During the mayhem, I’ve signed off as ‘Bob Magee’

5 hours of gorgeous river scenery

Our captain manages a lot even without a left hand

We docked at Luang Prabang at 4 pm and headed for our reserved rooms at the Oudom Souk, again. A couple of wise Belgians followed us, seeing that the whole street of guesthouses where we stayed at did not exist in their ‘latest’ edition of LP Laos.

 

To Nong Khiaw: or maybe Nong Kiau

Monday November 10, 2008, 20 km (12 miles) – Total so far: 211 km (131 miles)

Nong Kiau used to be just a dusty staging post for the hour long boat ride upriver to an even more remote village Muang Ngoi or Noi. Seemingly inaccessible by other means. Slouching in a hammock all day was the thing to do there, apart from fishing, exploring some caves and trekking the countryside and bathing with the locals in the river, if bathing was a priority.

These days Nong Kiau itself is a destination and if you like limestone cliffs and the sounds of a flowing river while you sleep, search no more. 3 years ago the overnight choices here ranged from grim to grimmer. And like most far flung places in Laos it was literally lights out at 9 pm when local power generators are switched off. At last count there are about a dozen guest houses here, which quickly fill up in the high season when a boat or bus pulls in.

12 degrees C !!

The classiest place in town must be the Riverside. It’s partly owned an operated by Naomi from Japan. At $35 a night, it’s an astronomical sum in these parts, but with all things you get what you pay for. It’s a great honeymoon spot, but not today, not with two other guys and their mud splattered LHTs.

KG loved the top notch mattress so much, he slept in most of the day, surfacing only to eat. I don’t blame him, what with the cool temperatures and as promised on the NK website, Darling Brand comforters and matresses, suppliers to the top hotels in Bangkok. Naomi was surprised that I did my research and of course guaranteed a good night’s sleep. Our 85 kms yesterday did too.

Views from our balcony

Route 1 continues on to Vieng Kham, Vieng Thong and eventually to Xam Nua and the Vietnamese border on Route 6 over some wild and remote mountains, worth another trip in it’s own right.

Alvin and I had a field day with our cameras and even rode down Route 1 for 20 hilly kms before turning back. The other 400 kms or so to Vietnam will just have to wait.

Tonight all 15 rooms are full and we will see familiar faces on the slow boat ride back to Luang Prabang the next morning. And I have a date with Mr Maybe, aka the Sheriff of Nong Kiau.

On their way to school

Luang Prabang – Pak Mong – Nong Khiaw: North to find the Nam Ou

 

Sunday November 9, 2008, 140 km (87 miles) – Total so far: 191 km (119 miles)

140 kms on the first day. Hmm. Not quite. It was nice to cycle out of town and into the countryside. Traffic was heavy, for Laos, meaning peace and quiet once we passed the northern bus station 3 kms north out on Route 13.

An ambitious 1st day and my 2nd time in 4 years at this marker !

Our destination for lunch is Pak Mong, a T junction truck stop village connecting Route 1 with Route 13. Westwards for 120 mountainous kms lies Oudomxai, another crossroads town. Heading east 35 kms on a rolling country road will bring you to idyllic Nong Khiaw, right on the Nam Ou with towering limestone cliffs on both sides of the river.

Amazing views at the Hatgna bridge

After a long climb out of Hatgna, Route 1 follows the Nam Ou north east for a long, lonely 75 kms. I spot more small riverside ‘restaurants’ mostly doing only beer and snacks, nothing major and some guest houses will soon follow. Another 30 kms and we decide to find some wheels. We pull into a nice house with a shady garden, talking loudly.

Soon enough a ‘boss lady’ appears with pen and paper in hand writing down her preferred price to send us to Pak Mong. Wow. We’re dealing with a pro here. We slash off $10 of her $30 offer and she screams in to her cell phone calling her husband. She pulls out 3 chairs for us and we get to use her toilet too, till her sleepy eyed husband shows up on a motorcycle. Boss Lady, baby and husband sit in front. Husband reverses over baby’s toy truck (yellow toy in the photo) and crushes it. More screaming.

We get to Pak Mong, sweat free in about 50 minutes.

The road to Nong Khiaw rolls slightly downhill, passing by Nam Bak village along the way. There are a few muddy and washed out sections, remnants of a late ending rainy season. We’re expecting more broken roads on Route 13 south to Vientiane next week.

Contrary to the roadside markers promising 24 kms it’s more like 32 kms on our speedometers. While we could always ride faster, extra kms in fading evening light is something to be aware of. That, and the herd of water buffaloes waiting for you around a blind corner as you’re doing 40 kmp/h downhill.

On that note please don’t take my milage readings as the Gospel truth. A 3 to 5 per cent variation either way is a safe bet. I do make U turns to take pictures behind me, or ride off the asphalt into an interesting village, picking up some vicious Laotian mud along the way. The discrepancies get worse during the mountain stages. The only way to get accurate distances, verify whatever you read online and still be happy, is to come ride Laos, yourself !

I  am heartily congratulated by my 2 trucker buddies for today’s cycle / truck / cycle combo ride. We road about 90 out of the 140 kms today. I’m also thankful for our long and lazy lunch at Pak Mong, watching the goings on, mostly a stalled bus, at this strategic road junction. Next, Naomi’s place.

Tailwind !

end of a along day

 

 

Nong Khiaw: Riding the mountain roads to Oudomxai

15 kms on the bike, 117kms or thereabouts on the songtheaw, or ‘two rows’ a converted pick-up/bus with two rows of wooden benches on the flat bed.

After a good night’s rest and having more oxygen in the brain, a decision was made to give the bikes a rest (rrright) and hitch a ride on the 11 am bus/truck to Oudomxai. With a combined age of 91, the both of us could do with some pre bus ride sightseeing across the bridge in the village of Ban Sop Houn and some Vietnam era caves/hideouts a few kms down the road. The one that the bike whisperer took. Sometimes, a later start will mean better photo opportunities. Brighter colours and light as this scene looked positively drab and dull under an early morning cloud. A leisurely breakfast and extra dose of cafe Lao helps a lot too. We also got to send off the party of 5 China men who were also staying at the Phayboun guest house. 5 men who couldnt decide between 2 rooms equals a lot of door slamming till past midnight. We said good riddance before they drove off in a new Land Cruiser and they replied ‘Goodbye’ We felt bad, for about 5 seconds.

Nong Khiaw by the Nam Tha river

We got to the bus stop right on time, an open dusty parking lot by the bridge with a wooden shack where tickets were pre sold, and there was a price list to boot. I guess no Lao would do this, buy a hand written ticket from a guy in a booth. Much easier and definitely cheaper to pay the smiling driver directly, especially when he has a full load of 12 falangs or tourists and another 2 who are paying a ‘tip’ of $1.50 for two bicycles on the roof rack.

As I had expected nothing stirred till 40 minutes later as the driver waited for some more slow boats to pull in, disgorging more fresh meat, backpackers from up river Muang Ngoi. It was futile trying to get a seat in the cab next to the driver who retorted with a resounding, No! As it turns out those are reserved for local women and we stop just 15 minutes after leaving the dirt lot, for Mrs Truck Driver and some family members to board. 33 kms on we’re at Pak Mong for a longer stop. It’s close to one o’clock and our teenage looking driver gestures and indicates that it’s his lunch break for about 30 minutes.

A German couple we spoke to were at their wits end with the frequent stops and decided to question the driver. They were already unhappy with the late start and wanted to get to Luang Namtha before dark, to the extent of saying that everyone did not need lunch. Our not so smart driver then told every one that their ETA in Luang Namtha, another 220 kms away, was 4 pm. In reality they would get there around 9 or 10 pm, if there were no more delays. It could get ugly later in the day.

After lunch, the driver made a U turn in the direction of Nong Khiaw! What now? Oh, the nearby gas station to fill up presumably or check the radiator or tyres, which he did. Including some swear words, I heard the German version of ‘Why didnt he fill up before the start or during lunch?’ I was going to be witty and say that the P.D.R. (Peoples Democratic Republic) in Laos stood for Please Dont Rush but on second thought, I was out numbered.

Our 100 km ride to Oudomxai cost $4 each. Great scenery from every bend in the road and a couple of 10% uphill climbs totalling 35 kms made much easier by sitting on a wooden bench, until I realised that I had to deal with ‘the Squasher’

The Squasher (sounds like a WWF contender) sat for 117 kms, eyes glued to Henri Charriere’s Papillon, all 560 pages of it. She didnt get out at any of the stops, even for the long lunch break. The Squasher is in her element each time our truck grinds uphill squashing me against the rails, and thankfully backs off on the downhills, allowing me to breathe. Stares and tsks tsks dont work. Finally the Swedish hunk inside, all of 19 years old and I Pod ready decides to move outside, standing on the narrow back platform. Much cooler where we are.

He takes off his T shirt, to the delight of some women on board and drops the shirt over the chicken. Squasher takes her eyes off the book for 2.5 seconds to look at some Swedish abs, who by now is relishing in the cool and slight drizzle and mountain scenery. After 20 minutes and heavier rain, the young blond lad climbs back in, shivering and dripping rain water on most of us while searching for his T shirt. I hand it to him. It’s picked up a few footprints and some chicken sh*t and goes back to adorn its rightful owner. Everyone adjusts their bums and the squashing continues.

a view from the back

The best place to be on a songtheaw is right behind. Fresher air, clearer views and a quick exit if the 18 year old driving it losses control. On a brighter note, a nice young lady, OK she was hot, from Sydney wanted some time standing on the rear platform to soak in the scenery and take some pictures. I almost forgot about all that squashing as I now had to deal with a skimpy pair of denim shorts blocking my view of one of the poorest countries on earth. Paul sitting right across me puts on a wry smile and seems to have suddenly developed fast twitching eyebrows.

Lucky us, we got to Oudomxai at 4 pm brought our bikes down and had 2 hours of daylight left to see all that urban sprawl we drove by. Expectedly some others got off thinking that this was Luang Namtha. I looked to find the most level headed guy, I think he was French, who had his sunglasses on since the start of the trip. He had done his research and knew the not so good news. Their destination was another 4 to 5 hours away, which the Germans refused to believe. In the ensuing confusion the driver wanted to offload everyone onto another passing vehicle.

The French couple decided to abandon ship also, saying that they didnt want to ‘see’ Laos at night. Good move. We met them again in Luang Namtha the next evening cycling on rented bikes. Oh and there was another stop at Song Cha, a Hmong village on a steep hill side as Mrs Driver got out to buy some fruit.   Overland travel in Laos can be tiring and trying at the same time, which makes cycling where you’re in control, all the more alluring. On days like this, I’m just glad to arrive in one piece, squashed or otherwise. And the bikes held up OK too with a quick wash and dry to boot.

the giddy night life in Oudomxai

Oudomxai lies at a major crossroads in north Laos. All points on a compass lead to other major towns. Northwest to Luang Namtha or Boten on the Chinese border. Eastwards to Nong Khiaw and Luang Prabang where we had come from. Southwest to Pak Beng and the Mekhong where river travels lead upstream to Chiang Khong in Thailand and downstream to Luang Prabang. We checked into this huge hotel which looked out of place among some ramshackle huts and green rice fields. $13 for a really nice air conditioned room, grainy CNN and BBC channels and a really weird toilet flushing system. The dry but loud and hissing kind found on planes. Thanks Paul, whose hotel spotting skills from a fast moving truck are down to, “Easy lah, look out for AC compressors and lots of windows”

Leaving Luang Prabang: Let’s see how far the road takes us

Lak 600,000 or Lao Kip or all of US$60. is just nough for 3 whole days spending for the both of us. The largest denomination in 05 was LAK 50000 note. I would be seeing another money changer in Luang Namtha to see how much more to change for Muang Sing and Xieng Kok.

Trying to break or get change for the LAK 50,000 outside of Luang Prabang or Vientiane is going to be a minor miracle, unless you’re paying for a very nice hotel room or dont expect any change. Before leaving Laos, change any remaining LAK into Thai Baht, Chinese Yuan or if you really still have a lot of LAK, USD. The LAK is non convertible outside Laos. To add to the confusion, if you spend any of the above foreign currency in Laos, you’ll always be given change in LAK or worse, a combination of all of the above. It’s almost impossible to get change in Thai Baht if you’ve just spent in Baht.

Dealing with such mental arithmetics on a daily basis does keep the mind sharp though and I’ve even had a granny or two out calculate me. You can also aggravate any situation further by not accepting any change, say 50 cents or a dollar equivalent (if you know that’s exactly what’s due to you) by grabbing a bottle of water, can of Coke or some snacks, assuming again that you know the average price of those items!

The better restaurants and most guesthouses and hotels in town will usually hand you a hand written bill in all the 3 widely accepted currencies in Laos. For eg, $5 or LAK 50,000 or Thai Baht 200. (May 05 rates)

The good thing about having price lists and fares spelt out in Laos, is that if you’re going to be overcharged for a service, every foreigner will be overcharged equally. I feel almost better already.

Hong’s Place an old French Lao house that moonlights as a Rasta Pub/Bar out in the suburbs. We rode there to try their khao thom or minced pork and rice porridge breakfast and were not disappointed.

It's going to be al oooong day

How far can the road take us? Well, heading south on Route 13 to the Lao capital at Vientiane is roughly 400 kms of which some 300 kms are mountainous. Heading north, through less steeper terrain will lead to China, about 300 kms away. We headed north, still on Route 13 which after 100 kms links up with the old Route 1 at Pak Mong, a small crossroads village.

After the last three days of sweltering heat, guess what, it rained for two hours on the dawn of our departure. No complaints here, so thank heaven our ride was cool and cloudy till about 11 am or after 70 kms on Rte 13. At this point the road which was rolling alongside a very scenic Nam Ou river veered westwards and started to climb gently for the next 20 kms, flattening out 10 kms before Pak Mong.

On the road in Laos, you’ll be greeted by children of all ages, from the hillsides and down by the rivers and streams. My quick guess is this boy has found that he’s getting a larger catch and more protein by using a mask. My apologies Paul for having to stop…again.

We came across some ‘eco park’ along Rte 13 for those not keen on Kenya. Lots of fake life sized animals. My 5 year old nephew still thinks I went to Africa.

The oven like conditions was a good excuse for lunch. Unfortunately, the menu did not match the size and splendour of this riverside restaurant. The kitchen was closed and all they could muster up was some instant noodles from their dusty shelves. Even tossing some eggs into the pot seemed too major an accomplishment. To quote Paul, “I’m feeling slimmer by the minute” and that was good.

We were ready to pack it in after reaching Pak Mong. Somehow sleeping at a truck stop (unless one is a trucker) didnt seem that appealing, so we decided to push on to Nong Khiaw where the scenery was better and sleeping choices were a bit better than grim. Thankfully the 33 kms were slightly downhill, there was a slight tailwind and we made this ‘I’ll go for it, if you go for it’ deal that always works and 90 minutes later Nong Khiaw was in sight.

This quiet back road is actually Rte 1 and has many thatched roofed homes and villages similar to those in the far flung provinces closer to China. Given it’s proximity to Luang Prabang, they wont stay the same for long.

On the 1975 China built bridge at Nong Khiaw

Paul headed straight to the Phayboun GH while I found some last ounces of energy to take a few rapid fire pictures of myself on the 1975 Chinese sponsored concrete bridge across the Nam Ou. Time check was 5.17 pm. 2007 update : A new swanky (for Laos) place, the Nong Khiaw Riverside Resort has six chalets with luxurious teak? rooms and balconies that open out over the Nam Ou. $15 a night. They should be perched high up on the jungle clad limestone hill ‘behind my helmet’

After one of the best cold water baths ever, we took a stroll around ‘town’ a very loose term, to check things out, dinner being on the top of the list. This one bridge village is surrounded by vertical limestone mountains on both river banks and has become one of the must sees in Laos. One hour up river on a slow boat brings you to Muang Ngoi, another one street village with about a dozen or more guest houses backed up against towering limestone hills.

I suppose there’s some some great trekking, caving and swimming spots up river, but the general consensus among some of the backpackers who’ve ‘done’ Muang Ngoi can be summed in one word. ‘Rats’ or maybe field mice. Lots of them, especially at night, in the rafters, rooms and backpacks .

Our last surprise of today was this guy on a hybrid with an improvised bike packing system. While I suppose everything works for him, the weird part (another loose term) was the he was setting off at sunset into 200 kms of mountain roads of Rte 1 towards Vieng Thong in the east. Seeing us and anyone that stopped to say hello, he just glared angrily and started muttering, to his bike or some imaginary friend. At one point he shouted at his map and bike, saying he did not want to ‘walk up’ any more ‘f***ing steep roads’ or shiver at night in a ‘crap room’ When a female tourist or two stopped by he waited for his grand finale, took of his long pants, mooned everyone, it was a skinny moon, and proceeded to wear a very loose pair of cycling tights. Cycle touring can be addictive, but I think fellow was on another high or a severe case of solo bike touring burnout.

Homeless guy on a bike