Smokin' in Lao

Lao: Leg One is done!

I have spent the last 9 days of wonderful cycling across southern Lao. It was really quite wonderful for most part; not having to fight with traffic and being left alone to thump on the pedals do some serious riding, unlike Cambodia, where I’ve spent more time sitting around and doing nothing. Funny enough, in the last 10 days I have cycled more kilometers in more days as well then I did in Cambodia in almost a month. But that’s life I guess. In my defense Cambodia did have many bad roads… enough said.

The biggest problem so far (well other than the mountain passes ahead of me) has been the map. I thought it was a pretty good one showing quite a few towns and small roads but in reality is quite, well how should I put it… SHIT! Sorry for the bad language, but when you have cycled for 60KM and you are looking for a place to eat and the map tells you that, yes, there’s a town 10KM ahead. Then you say, ok I will pass on the mystery meal in this village and have something decent in the next town. But, when the town does not appear in the next 20KM and you are desperate to eat, because otherwise you will hit the wall, then the map in of no use. This has happened on several occasions where the “towns” turned out to be nothing but a couple of wooden houses on stilts and small villages turned out to be: yes, you guessed it, sizeable towns. As well the names of the towns on the map are something to be desired when compared to Laotian road signs.
Ok, I got that off my chest.

The biggest obstacles has been animals in the middle of the road. Imagine driving on the 401 or 400 and a bunch of cows, goats or chickens are running across the highway. Trying to dodge them is always fun, after my close call in Cambodia I promised myself that if I’ll crash my bike IT WILL NOT BE INTO SOME KIND OF CATTLE! Let me do it with dignity. It’s like being killed by a coconut for crying out loud. This, believe it or not has been the main problem in Lao.

I’m becoming an expert at drafting behind tractors or anything that can give me some kind of protection. Drafting is essentially using an object in from of you to protect yourself against the wind, therefore going faster and using less energy. My greatest thanks to a Laotian farmer and his son of whom I drafted for about 30KM on a very tough day. After we parted he blew me a good-bye kiss and I did give him one as well.
Very warm and interesting people who love to share their beer with you, hmmm, beer.

Ok, speaking of beer, I think I have to go.

Cheers.

To recap the first leg of Lao.

Vouen Kham (Cambodia) – Don Khlong (Lao) – 35 KM
Don Khlong – Pakse – 136KM
Pakse – Khong Sedan – 64 KM
Khong Sedan – Paksong – 107 KM
Paksong – Savanakhet – 73 KM
Savanakhet – Thakek – 137 KM
Thakek – Namthone – 105 KM
Namthone – Thabak – 147 KM
Thabak – Vietiane – 94 KM


Total including border day: 898 KM
Daily average excluding border day: 108 KM per day (not bad for a guy who drinks and smokes, yes I know I will get my ass kicked in the mountains because of smoking)

Cambodia left in the dust, welcome to Lao!

Yes I finally made it to Lao (I will spell Laos as Lao, not to piss off any French people but this is how the local people write Lao). After a fascinating border crossing from Cambodia into Lao on a boat, this was due to the fact that the road from Strung Treng to the border is supposed to be quite treacherous and some say dangerous. The border consists of a shack or some may call it Cambodia's immigration post where you have to climb out of the boat and up a steep river bank where you get your exit stamp. The funny thing is that you can bargain how much the exit stamp will cost, we got it down from $3USD to $1USD. The official did not object much. Then you hop on the boat cross the Mekong again and proceed to Lao immigration where you pay $1USD for the entry stamp (no bargaining).

So far I'm having a great time in Lao, well most of it is cycling and the roads are good. The people seem to leave you alone but are very curious and shy. You tend to strike a conversation most times (I've been working on my Lao, it is somewhat similar to Thai and it is a lot easier to pick up than Khmer). And of course you have Beer Lao, cheap and it has to be the best beer I have tasted so far in SEA. The food is similar to Thai, but not exactly Thai food; accommodations are cheap as well. If it wasn't for drinking beer you could get by on about $7USD a day but with beer consumption the budget goes up and up and up.
Yesterday I met a 51 year old Swiss cyclist, Joseph. It was such a nice experience to see a devoted cyclist making another solo journey in SEA. Joseph has been on 9 major trips including Asia, Africa and Europe. His next destination will be Central America. I wish Joseph all the best on his travels. We sat around eating dinner and as all cyclists pondering maps and different elevations. He's heading North-South and I'm going in the opposite direction so we had a lot to talk about.

There appears to be quite a few cyclists in Laos. I met 4 already, Cambodia had it's share as well. It appears that cycling in SEA has really taken off and it is very nice to see people around 40-50 years old getting into the sport-travel aspect of touring.
To recap Cambodia:
Poitpet - Sisaphon: 54km
Sisaphon - Siem Reap: 106km
Siem Reap - Stoung: 98km
Stoung - Kh. Thmar: 86km
Kh. Thmar - Phnom Phen: 130km
Phnom Phen - Kampong Cham: 106 km
Kampong Cham - Chlong: 98km
Chlong - Kracheh: 33km
Total: 711km

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Best day on the road: 130 km Kh. Thmar - Phnom Phen, good riding formation between the four of us.
Best Moutain Ride: NONE
Toughest Day: Kampong Cham - Chlong ... Can you say eat my dust?
Rain Days: 0
Punctures: 0 (yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Dog bites: 0 Dog chases: a couple
Number of navigational screw ups: 0
Number of 'Hellos': too many to count
Ratio of party days to cycling days: very very bad, my Mom would not be proud...
Funniest day: when Tim broke a plastic chair and had to pay $3USD for it, then claiming the chair was his, he placed it on the bike of his bike which caused the bike to topple over, ha ha!
Saddest day: Saying goodbye to Allan, hang in there Allan!
Overall cycling satisfaction rate scale: 8 out of 10!

Into the thick dust...

After a substantial absence from our bicycles for about 2 weeks we managed to get off our sorry asses and ride out of Phnom Penh. Not that the last two weeks have been boring by any means, let’s just say that the nightlife in Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville is something to be experienced.

We rode for the last two and half days about 238 km mostly in thick dust sometimes in quite unforgiving conditions. The thick red dusty roads along the Mekong river and within the interior of Cambodia sometimes give an impression of being on a different planet. The scorching heat and the dust sticking to your skin create a thick layer of protection making sunscreen essentially useless. There were some spectacular views along the Mekong as we rode for about 100 km along the river. Old Khmer bridges and spectacular countryside filled with children screaming ‘Hello’ made it for a hard but very rewarding day. Arriving at Kampong Cham we crossed a spectacular bridge crossing the Mekong built by the Japanese government. Actually most new bridges are built either by the Japs, Aussies or French. Regional development and reconstruction projects within this region seemed to be run by the Germans. Anyways, we crossed the river twice and we lucky to see the sunset over the Mekong while riding a bicycle, quite a sight especially after a hard day on the road.

The next day greeted us with a dusty road for about 60 km and we did not manage to make it to our final destination. We stayed at the Heng Heng guesthouse for $2 USD a night and for that price you get some “pets” in the room. We survived and are on our way to Laos tomorrow. We’re taking a boat as the road is supposed to be really bad

Gotta go for now.

Cheers,
Rob leaving Cambodia.

A day at the beach...

I have arrived to Sihanoukville in the south of Cambodia yesterday and today was officially the first day at the beach. Needless to say it was not your usual day on the beach. Yes the scenery is beautiful and the atmosphere very relaxing until you get ambushed. Well ambushed by the Fruit Shake Gang!
Yes after many years I have received my first death threat:
"YOU BUY FRUITSHAKE OR I KILL YOU" - said a 12 year old girl after I refused buying a good old fruit shake from her. Well, what do you say to that? We laughed enormously at the threats until her friend came by and after not being able to sell me more fruit (I bought some from another girl before), she also yelled out:
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU IF YOU DON'T BUY MY FRUIT". Two girls were walking around with sticks in their hand as to suggest a beating if you do not purchase their fruit. We decided to nickname them The Fruit Shake Gang. I think I received another death threat later on when somebody else was trying to sell me five products which I didn't need.

There are also many amputees on the beach as well, it is really a very disturbing sight at times and I try to give them some money once a while. Along with them there are virtually dozens of merchant women selling anything from grilled crab, lobster, squid and of course fruit. Other services include a massage, manicure or pedicure.

But all in all it is quite an amazing place and the hassles that come with it have little impact on your day. One thing for sure, in Sihanoukville the poverty is quite visible and sometimes not being accustomed to these sights one steps back a little and tries to see the greater picture. As anywhere in SEA as well other parts of the world, people will do anything to get by. It is here that I realized how many things we take for granted in NA and how simple things as food and maybe shelter are an everyday struggle for many people. The gap between rich and poor seems to be quite vast and yes labour exploitation by foreigners exists in many places. For example: a Cambodian boy working in a bar from 6 am to 2 am gets paid about $1USD a day.

We're gearing up to start riding again and head north east into Laos. We still have to arrange our visa but both of us are anxious to get back on bicycles. Cambodia surely is a blast and sometimes things that unfold before your eyes seem unreal.

Funny story from Thailand courtesy of Mark from Ottawa:
In Ko Samui Mark was out one day taking a stroll. Along the way he saw a heart inspiring site, a monkey was cleaning ticks or lice from a dog. It was all fine and dandy as people gathered around to see this unusual act of caring between two different species, but what happened later was a shock. The monkey got on top of the dog and it started shagging it! A monkey screwing a dog! Please say it isn't so, Mark had a camera in his hands but since he was laughing hysterically down to his tears he was unable to take a photo.