3 February 2012 – Dien Bien Phu to Muong Mai – 67 km
Started in the dark as I woke up early and thought I might as well get to the ride as I knew there was going to be 25 km of climbing. The first 20 kms were pretty flat but it started to rain shortly into the ride so I stopped and put on my rain cape. Needless to say the rain didn't stay so I had to take the cape back off. This would happen again before I realized it wasn't going to pour and just road the while that it was raining.
The climb was long and of course foggy. Slowly upwards I trudged. Finally I got to the Vietnam border and got stamped out and then started on the way to the Laos border. I believed there was shops halfway there (3 km) so I skipped the cafe at this side. That was a mistake as the shops were closed in between and when I got to the Laos side there cafe was also closed.
Luckily the border was open so I filled out my forms gave them my money and got back on the bike. The first 3 km were terrifying as the fog was thick, there was no guard rail, and the road was slick and greasy. Luckily that didn't last long and coming out of the fog there was a couple of rough km but then got to the section where the class 5 has been put down. After this it was 15 km of downhill, still fairly heavy on the brake but mostly smooth. I was glad it hadn't rained here.
Another 12 km and I found myself in a town which I believe to be Muong Mai. Though at the time I didn't care as I was starving. I hadn't had a proper breakfast because I left so early nothing was open and then the last food stall came sooner then expected. It was great to get to the restaurant and have the owner mime “You want food?” and then just bring out a bunch of food. So much so that I actually didn't finish all of it.
Then trekked up the hill to follow the sign for the guesthouse. It was worth it as the guesthouse is very cute. Later I found 3 more and a hotel but I'm glad I chose mine. I was surprised to see it had a shower (cold), had expected a bowl shower.
Coming into Laos is not as dramatic as Cambodia to Vietnam but it is different. Now back to the basics of finding out how to get myself fed and housed. So far other than the distance between restaurants it's been pretty straight forward.
Wandered through the village and looked at the thatched buildings and dirt roads. It has a very different feel from Vietnam and the hustle. No horns honked, few cars, really delightful.
We'll see what tomorrow brings.
04 February 2012 – Muang Khoua – 40 km
Today started muddy. I had to grip the railing of the suspension bridge to push Mabel and I off the ramp and onto the bridge. Thankfully a guy came and gave me a little push at the end to get me up. Then cycled some rough roads for the next 20 km or so. Once again climbed for the morning while enjoying beautiful views of the valley below.
Then as I got to the downhill section I was delighted to find that the class 5 had been poured and as I went was finishing being compacted. A smooth ride for the next 5 km prior to an even more surprising brand new asphalt! 5 more km of that and on to a gentle downhill with a decent roadway.
Got to ford a stream today. First of the trip. Then shortly after I came upon the river that needed a ferry and as such Muang Khoua. This was a surprise because I thought I had another 15 km to go. As I was looking for a guesthouse I saw some white people and asked them if they knew about the ferry.
Then as I went to the second guesthouse I heard my name. There was John. I had thought he would be long gone by now but turns out he did a few day trek and decided to have a rest day. Sounds like he has been putting in quite the km which makes me very glad that I decided to take my own lumbering way!
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