Day 267
From Strueng Trung it’s north to the Lao border, about 60 km. The road is lovely to ride and there’s hardly any traffic. Just before the border I get a puncture (wire again, probably been in there since Vietnam) and get passed by another long-distance cyclist.
The border is quick to cross, with visa-on-arrival and the usual nonsense. I’m the only one heading north, there’s a huge queue of Europeans the other way, presumably some coach has dropped them all here. On my side I get to have a chat and share a beer with the border guards as my paperwork gets shunted from Window 1 to 2 to 3, for no particular reason other than a fee at each one.
Tonight’s digs are on Don Som, an island in the middle of the Mekong where the aptly-named Donne from the Netherlands runs a guest house. Getting there is not straightforward, people point me in various directions but eventually I find the correct bit of bank to stand at and the ferry arrives.
Arriving at the island, there’s a little illicit gambling going on, but Donne’s place is a calm oasis on the river front, with excellent company and good food.
Day 268
For some unknown reason I decide to ride up to the end of the island for the other ferry, which is sand roads all the way and virtually the same kind of ferry as before. The ride up to Pakse is long and hot, as expected, and mainly uneventful. I’m passed by a Dutch couple from Donne’s guest house (in a van) who offer me water. Then at the stop in Pakse there’s a French couple who were also at the guest house, a little bemused that I’m covering the same ground as they are but on a bike.
I get a message from Anbera, she’s a little surprised (as I was) at how remote the north part of Cambodia is, she’s following the same route as I did. Maybe we will catch up with each other on the ride down west Thailand to Malaysia, which will be nice.
Day 269
The south part of Laos is very different to the north. Not just that there are no mountains, here I’m less of a novelty, though no less warmly welcomed. I’ve passed a fair few cyclists on their way to Cambodia, including three Indians. Some of the kids run out to shout hello, but it’s not the excited crowds like we got in the north.
The road to the Thai border is almost deserted, which means a quick crossing, then the rest of the day is spent on very rural roads around the reservoir, some asphalt, some concrete and a lot of compacted sand.
