Day 17: Nakam – Vang Vieng (80km) Distance travelled so far 860km “Up on the downside”
So what happened last night in Nakam?….Well we cooked rice with our brand spanking new Laos rice steamer. Our campfire lasted about an hour but we chatted for another few hours…learning some unusual new skills…For instance, we can now cry phonetically….Why not try it yourself….It easy!!!!!…..Ok just repeat the following phrasings in a whimpering, squekey, falsetto fashion….1,2,3…….
Be e e ee eee!!!
Ge e e ee eee!!!
Oo Oo Oo Oooooo!!!
Neeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
Niff…Hiff….Mmmmm!!!!!!
Kuy kuy Huh huh….heee!!!!
We decided to call it a night after our bouts of phonetic crying and crazy laughter. The night was cold and our tent pretty tight but we huddled in together like sardines in tomato sauce. Myself and Brian’s new air-matresses worked a treat…They are very comfortable but I must admitt it was hard to watch Michael bedding down on his 1/4 inch floor matt…We still have to find a shop that sells proper air-beds….Very soon Michael…very soon!!!
The morning (6:30am) came quickly for us and boy was it cold…..My sleeping bag, a Dueter “comfortline” had demonstrated that its capacity to shield against cold weather was pretty minimal. Likewise with Mike’s sleeping bag…..It has become apparent to us that we need further protection from the cold. Brian on the other hand thought his Northface sub-zero kept him too warm…He complained, saying that he sweated too much during the night!!!! (he proceeded to rub this in our faces all morning). Check out our mornings pictures!!!
Snug as a bug!!
Miserable!!!!
Day 17: Nakam – Vang Vieng (80km) Distance travelled so far 860km “Up on the downside”
After morning breakie, we hit the road for about 8am. We cannot over emphasise enough how beautiful Laos is….It is so tropical and picturesque..Simply breathtaking. However when you try to cycle here….It is very very challenging. We found this approx 5km into our morning… The climbs are relentlessly steep but fall in our favour every once in a while. The spectacular scenery is all around us…There are jungles and mountains everywhere…
It is hard to believe that mountain climbs of this nature are ahead of us all the way to China……It is not a prospect which we relish, but we feel pretty good on the bikes….we are injury free and the spirits are still very high…which is the main thing. After a soup lunch in a very strange “deliveranceesque” mountaineous location, we hit the roads to complete a very lethargic last 24km…..and again the mountains were very unsymapathetic to us…..Huffing and puffing and of course stopping for pictures/rests we finally reach Vang Vieng for about 3:30pm….
Vang Vieng is very classy….surrounded by hills and seems filled with trekers…We cycle on an old air-stip which runs through the middle of the town when a boy named Sue (I swear!!!) gives us a flyer for guesthouse in the town. He is about 10 years old and speaks good English…He guides us driving his motorbike right to the door of the guesthouse…..It costs us 80,000 Kip for the night (about 7 euro)….The room is class…Very clean and with a great hot shower….and after Vientiane and our nights camp in Nakam…We chat with some locals over some beers. Vang Vieng is a bit of a party spot so we are in a catch 22 whether to go to bed after our heavy day’s cycle or throw on our trademark Fogerty shirts and swagger down Vang Vieng’s busy steets…..Ohhhh what ever shall we do?????……3 Beerlao’s please…….hhahhahhahahha……..Absolutley great place here and with a great vibe!!!!……Stay tuned and keep spreading the good word about us and the charity…….Over and out for today folks!!!
Vang Vieng, Made it!