Dee day

Today was the big day, I got up feeling pretty good even though the rain had keep me awake last night with its thunder and lightning. I had decided I would spend some money today and buy a water proof bag for my things, considering I am going into monsoon in Cambodia and well it is here in Thailand this could be a good investment.
Back on the number 47 off to Siam Square, from there it was the train towards the hospital and then a little walk, I tried to take my time in getting there but was still 1 hour early, slight apprehension about what was to come, as much as you try to not let it affect you it is still there that little bit of doubt at the back of your mind saying what if. Wish the mind would just shut up.
So had to wait around, wrote up yesterdays blog which because I am a two finger on each hand typist it takes a while. 12am appointment time came up to quick, time to get it over and done with, had to wait a whole 20 minutes for the doctor, had my blood pressure done and was outside his office, my heart started to beat a bit faster, nervous anticipation, the door open steven come on through, well here goes.
Into the office and straight on the chair, leg is bouncing up and down, doctor looks up, just have to finish this then we will have a look, Doc your killing me here. After he finishes the report for the last patient he turns to the computer and put in my number, this seems to be taking for ages, I think the adrenalin had kicked in. He flips down through my notes, you would not believe it, it was not there, yep that’s what I need at this moment. Hold on Steven I will just phone.
He does it all in Thai, I can’t even ease drop on the conversation, maybe it’s a good thing. Then he turns towards me again the slow motion kicks in, then those words I wanted to hear, all clear no problem. Thank the gods, relief washes over me, my heart that must have been doing a thousand beats a second slows down the world is back to normal, I really I was total cool throughout the whole thing. I knew I would be clear, time to go dance in the streets.
So my day had got better, it was all looking up, I can get back to exploring these crazy beautiful asia countries, with their mad roads and lots of Wats. The rest of the day was spent buying a dry bag to put all my stuff in the it was a trip back to Khaosan.
I will mention the trip back, first we all had to wait on the over bridge while they stopped the traffic for the presidents cars to go through. Then it was down to the pickup point for the 47 local bus. The bus was packed, which is not to bad unless you hit traffic, then it turns into an oven. So after a few blocks we hit traffic, the bus hardly moved for what seemed like ages. Sweet was starting to run off me, but it as good to see it was also running off the locals so I was not the only one.
After 30 minutes of not moving very far I jumped off the bus, and you know what happened all the traffic started moving again, O well I nice little walk will do you good, o did I mention I had no idea where I was. I had a compass bearing and a name of a road, I knew the bus turned somewhere down the road. Off I went, it ended up I was not really that far from where I needed to be so it was a good stretch for the legs and then back at Khaosan Road.
Back on the road tomorrow, wish me luck navigating the Bangkok roads how hard can it be. I’ll let you know soon..

Bangkok shopping

I have a day to waste, I decided that I would get a dry bag for my trailer, having 2 plastic bags to keep my things dry is a bit annoying, checked on Khaosan road the home of ripe offs and there are some for around 1800 baht, I think I can do better than that so it was off to the malls again. I had also decided to get my visa for Cambodia in Bangkok before the border. After finding the location in the lonely planet I was off on No 47 bus through the streets of Bangkok.
I would have a little walk passed the Horse racing club then, around a corner and there it should be, yes you noticed the should be didn’t you. So it was I got off the bus, probably a couple of stops to early but that did not mater I had time on my hands. When I looked on the map the turf club did not look that long but when you add in that the road I was going to cut through was closed due to construction it became an epic journey, had to walk down a whole other block. I ended up cutting through the medical school which may have taken a km off the journey.
By the time I had found my way through the Medical school my legs were a bit sore, now your all thinking but he should be fit by now, and don’t get me wrong if I was on my bike it would have been easy but walking 5 or so kms is a bit of a hike. Got to the place where the embassy should be and it had moved, so looks like Visa on the border. Still had to walk all the way back to the malls now as well. By the time the mall arrived I was ready for lunch and a sit down.
Food court 5th floor, the problem with these food courts is there are so many things to choose from, to start, do I want Thai, Loa, Cambodia or Chinese, do I want rice, noodles, it takes 10minutes just to walk passed all the stalls. I found lunch, Garlic seafood with thick noodle, as you can see it looks pretty good, and tasted so nice. I won’t go into the details but the flavors were scumsish. You know what I mean.
The body was filled with food, my legs had had a rest and I was prepared for some shopping, now girls reading this would have been in heaven, that’s if you like shopping, everything was for sale, you name it and they had it, so many floors it was easy to get lost. Up down every where I looked there were clothes, shoes designer watches. It was a nightmare. Headed to information and found the floor I needed and headed off. It only took 15 minutes to find the area and then another 5 minutes to find what I was looking for. My legs are feeling tired just writing about it.
It was cheaper in Khaosan road, which I knew it was going to be, just have to work on a better price when I get back there. I will be riding through Monsoon weather so a good dry bag I think will be important.
After about 5 hours I had had enough, yet I lasted that long, Walking the whole time, they should provide sidgways to ride around on. So it was off back to Khaosan and relaxing. The bus ride back was an exhaust fulled thing, they really need to do something about admission control here, would improve the city no end. After my big day I think I shocked the waiter at the restaurant I went to when I ordered 3 meals, just could not eat enough last night.
We had a massive thunder storm last night and my room was getting flooded by water coming in through the window so had to sort that out before bed, the storm raged for hours with colossal crashes of thunder and lightning which were pretty close on the counting scale.
I have decided I will ride to the border, so if all is clear with the docs I will be off, I think it will be a challenge to ride out of Bangkok and onto the open road, I feel the time is right for this challenge, it will also get me a bit ready for Ho Chi Min City, bring it on…

Bangkok hospital, all in a day

I had not got much planned for today, thought I might head out to one of the big shopping mall and have a look around, also had to phone the insurance and hope they had decided something. So headed out on the local bus no 17, the fumes of the car were terrible, the amount of smoke in the air is incredible, after only a few km’s it was getting to the back of my throat.
The ride was pretty quick as we raced through the traffic, thank god for the bus lanes it makes the ride nice and quick, we came across my stop in no time at all, I jumped out and wondered towards the big mall, 3 building 5 to 6 levels in each building and they sell everything, there were car show rooms with your lotus, Lamborghini etc all your top models.
I found a phone I could call the insurance from and gave them a call, Southern cross insurance how can I help, I have my claim number here, sir what is your name, steve do you want my number or what fella, the twat, good way to start now you have pissed me off, shit what a moody arse I am, anyway I have waited enough for this lot. I do realize that you have to claim back off them, it’s you think with the amount of claims they have to deal with they would be a bit more help full. I mean really is it that hard to say, sir currently we are still looking at your claim and we need more information, we can arrange appointment for you we recommend this hospital. Not with southern cross travel insurance, they don’t give you any help the useless #$@%$@#%$@.
Anyway have said my bit don’t have southern cross travel insurance and get sick they don’t help you at all. So what they want is more tests, so I took myself off to the hospital, this is where my day gets better and better. Got to the hospital, got sent to registration, 10 minutes later was taken by orderly to see a surgical doctor, Saw him and then sent to another doctor in ENT(ears nose and throat for those that don’t know). Got dropped off in the waiting room pulled my book out to read, Mr dunkin please come through.
Sat down in the next doc’s office, told him my story, getting good at telling stories. He got me to sit in the special chair that goes up and down, he had a feel of my throat and everything, then he says “it all feels fine, I think it was an infection from the sounds but just to be on the safe side we will do some needle point biopsies to be sure”. Ok so I am thinking maybe a couple of days then for that then a couple more for the results and then back on the road. Or right, sweet.
Doc “we can do that at 3pm this afternoon if you like, Ok sounds fine to me. So I was booked in for a needle point biopsy of my lymph nodes in my neck in two hours time, from arrival to this had taken 1 ½ hours. Now that is efficient. So off I went to look for food and to waste a couple of hours, in Bangkok that is easy to do.
At 3pm was back at the doc’s office and waiting, down stairs to the operating rooms, had to slip into one of those sexy robes they give you, o yes baby, everyone looks hot in them. Got taken through to pre admit after storing all my gear in a locker. The usual heart rate and blood pressure, have to say here my heart was pumping at about 70b/min, I think because I knew what was about to come.
So for those that don’t know a needle point biopsy is pretty much where they take a needle and stick it into you and extract some cells, in my case from two lymph node in my neck. Now because lymph nodes are fairly small they have to find them first, then there is a bit of local and then in the needle goes. They did my right side first so I did not get to see the monitor till the left side. I have to say it is a weird sensation looking at the monitor and watching the needle go in and out of my lymph node. Lucky for me the local was doing its job so it was not to sore.
After this it was back to recovery and clothes on and off to pay, my whole bill for the day was around 10000 baht about $500NZ and all finished in 5 hours, I have to go back on Saturday for the results then it is off to Cambodia, hopefully. Fingers crossed.
Wonder off back towards Khao san road, just walked, had to head in a north direction so headed that way, walked for about 1 hour then jumped in a Tuk tuk back, I knew I was fairly close, we started at 120 baht and settled for 50baht, it had only cost 7baht on the bus, but tuk tuks are fun. This guy was, we raced through the traffic, only had one close call and he snuck in front of a car at some lights.
Am now back at the hostel, after finding a good meal for 30 baht, it is so cheap to eat here, in fact I am heading off for some more food now, only because I can and have lost some more weight. Was only just above 63 kg, got to eat more…

Good bye Lao hello Bangkok

Left Vientiane with the clouds crying at my going, stopped in at the scandanvan Bakery for the last time to enjoy their Omelet and fresh fruit breakfast, I had been having it since my return to Vientiane, it will be a shame not having it any more. After a relaxing breakfast I mounted my bike for the 20km ride to the border and Thailand beyond. I knew I would get across well in advance of the train departure but I also did not feel like hanging around.
I took a slow ride to the border stopped off in the area Lashana was staying to see if I could see her before I left, after a fruitless search I was off on the open road again, the insurance has still not sorted me out and I can’t really carry on my travels till I know what is going to happen.
The border came up to quickly so I stopped and enjoyed the stares of amazement at me and my bike, then did the necessary paper work and headed for the friend ship bridge, it was a quite ride across with only a couple of trucks heading the other way. After this it was Thai border control and a questionnaire about my health, it seems there is some Virus around Thailand and Lao at the moment. One of the questions was about lymph nodes so I had to tick yes and the guy on the other side of the table quickly put his mask on.
I headed to the train station and brought the ticket for Bangkok and for some reason he would not sell me the ticket for my bike as well, had to show up later when the train arrived to get that. Not sure what was happening there.
I stopped outside and read my book while the local tuk tuk drives all came around to look at my bike and trailer, they were all looking how it connected up and everything with a few questions thrown my way. If you see tuk tuks in the future with trailers it was probably because of these guys.
After this I headed for the city of Nong Khai for a look around and to see if I could find my old friend the & eleven, I had to ride quite far into the city to find it but it gave me a look around. They do have a really cool fountain on the main street into Nong Khai and from the looks that’s about it. I did manage to find a internet café, with a lot of kids I am sure should have been at school.
As I was about to leave, something happen outside, I am not sure what but when I got out there there was a guy with blood all down one side of his face and no one else, although it did seem to me that he was yelling at some other people down the road. I left them to their yelling and headed back to the train station, had a quick dinner and by now there was only an hour or so to go till the train left.
I wondered back up to the ticket counter to get a ticket for my bike off the same guy who had sold me the ticket earlier, go figure. The bike was then loaded with not too much hassle, notice the not too much there. I wished my bike well and headed for my sleeper for the night.
The rest of the journey was not to bad besides the air-con had turned the carriage arctic in the middle of the night, luckily I had learnt from last time and had some other clothes to put on even then it was still pretty cold. I am not sure how the conductors and baggage guys put up with the swelter heat and then the freezing cold all the time.
So it is not the 27th have still not heard anything from My insurance will have another day waiting around, have found a place not far off Kho San road. Thought maybe have a look around a few shopping malls and find out where the hospital is, that’s the job for today. Once I have the OK I am not going to hang around. I want to get back out there.

Waiting

Well that sums it up really, I am sitting in Vientiane waiting, I could carry on down south or jump back into Thailand but what is the point, If I head south I well end up having to cross over the border further south, and have to say the next three days south there is not much to see, I could head to Bangkok but then I would just be waiting there, and really Vientiane is not to bad a place to hang out in.
Before I go on I have not just been sitting around, mostly I have been lying down or relaxing on these very nice deck chairs they have at the guest house, and I have been eating, there is not much else to do. The insurance are checking out my passed history, Medical that is, they would be worried if they checked out my passed history, mainly because they would come across all of your dodgy pasts to.
So I sit and I wait, minutes, hours days slip past and I wait. I have also been reading, and have finished a book called the stone circle, bit boring to start but it does get going in the end, and now I am reading Lords of the Bow, It’s about Genghis khan, have to say it is pretty good so far.
I have been shopping, you know how you walk the shops looking for something you don’t need but you have time so you have to do something, right. So I have been window shopping, the problem is all the shops are open front so it really invites you to just wonder in, then if you look at something for more than a milli second the shop owner is there giving you the highest price he can think of. So just for fun I have been giving to lowest price I can think of, a few times I have got the most evilest of looks with this technique. I really don’t need anything and the more I get the more I carry. I did manage to pick up a couple of t shirts cheap using this technique, saying that the shop owner still looked happy, but they were 70% cheaper than the tourist shops so thought I did well.
Had a massage the other day which was pretty good to, an hour of being slapped, poked and twisted, it was good, for something to do might have another one this afternoon. It’s only 46 c today so it’s a bit cooler then yesterday at 48 c.
Bumped into Lashana last night, she is having problems too with swollen feet, too much walking me thinks, there is only so much walking the feet can take in flip flops. Maybe I should write a book “the aliments of road touring”. What with me and my knees and her with her feet, and of cause my saddle sore, and my hands there are a few more things I am sure.
Anyway it was really good to catch up again and meet up with someone who has been going the same way and has interesting stories, Lashana is a very interesting young lady. Life is about experience and it seems on this trip she is having a lot of them. You go girl.
Just caught myself writing the same thing again, so it’s time to sign off for today, one more thing I did was wash and clean my bike today which I have not done since Malaysia, I have cleaned the chain a few time but not the whole bike, there are so many scratches on my bike now, the trailer looks like hell even though I did repaint some of it. Saying that everything on the bike is in good nick and all I really have to do is adjust the brakes a bit. So good on you specialized. The rock hopper keeps on hopping. I will stop now.bye.

Bit of a problem. Bugger.. Bangkok here I come

Was up early this morning and ready and waiting for my driver and car to turn up, it was a hospital run, bugger would have to get a new Lao Visa, the rain was pouring down, it is monsoon, my room was leaking water so moved my bed away from that area and headed down stairs to wait. Did not have to wait long before the car showed up, ford bugger hope we are going to make it. It was a fairly new one so probably not..
Jumped in and off we went into the pouring rain and the traffic, the driver was good but he did not really speak much but I did get out that he lived on the border between Lao and Vietnam throughout the war and after wards he moved into Vientiane, he was born just before the war started.
We arrived at the Lao Thai border in good time and he pretty much did everything with getting me out of Lao and into Thailand, did not take long at all, then we were on the Thai highway, duel lane easy ride, 50km to travel and it took no time at all, we made such good time we stopped for breakfast, which was really good, I think the food is better in Thailand then Lao, it was street food but had so much flavor.
Breakfast over (it’s an important meal people) we headed to the hospital, It’s a weird setup but had to go to ED for a doctor to do a 30 second poke around and then say we need a chest x-ray and ultra-sound, dude it’s not my chest. Ok let’s just go along with this, so Chest x-ray, zap zap, then had to wait maybe 30 minutes for the ultra sound, Pregnant women had to go first. I though foreigners got preference, NO just kidding, read my book so was not bothered. Pregnant women you have nine months. (sorry Cherie) Pregnant women first alright. Gepers
Got called into the office, lay on the table, the doc asked a few questions about past surgeries etc etc, we all know how this works, then started scanning my neck making notes etc etc, marked out lymph nodes and a few more questions, ok thank you, you can wait outside.
Read my book for a bit, went out told my driver I still had to see the doctor he was waiting patiently for me in reception. Back into the book, then got called into the doctors, “it’s going to be alright”. Sat down, Doc “your lymph nodes are swollen”, Me “yes", Doc “and there is a small mass, left side”, Me “O fuck, tell me something I don’t know”, Doc “we are not sure what it is but you will have to go to Bangkok for more tests as we cannot do them here”, O Bugger well that will screw with the travel plans a bit.
I am on Holiday people I don’t need this, I can tell you now I know what they think it is, but I’m not convinced it’s always worse case scenario. After this headed off to pay and then got the driver, back to border and sent everything off to insurance, hhhmmmm wonder what they will say. O bollocks.
The ride back to the border was like a bit of a dream, I’m thinking all sorts, my mind starts jumping to conclusions that it just can’t handle. Worst case scenario type of things, now I should point out that I have had lumps come up before and after biopsy they have been negative, but every time you find something new your mind always thinks the worst well for a start anyway.
We got back through the borders no problem and I am now back in Vientiane, have put myself on a dose of antibiotics as have a ulcer at the back of my mouth and I think this has caused an infection, and hence the swollen lymph nodes. So I am trying not to get worked up, once they have done a needle biopsy or something like that and tell me what is going on then I can started thinking again.
I have now sent off all the paper work to the insurance and have called my parents and let them know what’s happening, could be home for winter, have to wait until Monday to hear from insurance and see what they want to do. This is what I think will happen, one: the antibiotics I am now taking will sort the infection out and the pain and lump will go away, two: the insurance will hopefully send me to Bangkok for more tests which will be cheaper for them instead of flying me home for test that will come back negative anyway, and third is: the Lao part of my trip will be over, I may stop in at the south to do a trip on the Mekong as I really want to do one, also the south sound’s really nice and not sure if I will ride there but probably will.
I think after this I will need a holiday, maybe some diving off Ko Chang Island, bugger will have to sort out Thailand Visa, might do that tomorrow O bugger it’s the weekend well Monday is not too far away. For now it’s just a waiting game, sitting around reading and trying not to cook in the 41 degree heat outside.

The reason, the doctor

So I had headed south one: because things were not working with what I wanted to do, yes I could have just done them anyway but sometimes you just have to listen to the world around you and go with your gut feeling, and two: and the major reason is have a sore lump in my neck which I would like a doctor to have a look at, I have had it for about 5 days and it has not really improved, it has not got bigger or smaller and still hurts the same so I think it’s best to get it checked out.
Back to the day, on the bike heading for the 6:30am bus, went passed a load of locals standing around a European guy passed out on the side of the road, he moved as I went passed so he was still alive but from the state of him he won’t be up to much for the rest of the day. Just got to the main road and here comes the 6:30am bus ¼ of an hour early, lucky I was early.
On the bus, bike and trailer on the roof and horn blarring we headed down the road, picked up a few locals along the way, then it was off out of town and gone, it took 4 hours to drive what I had ridden in 10, the only real exciting bit was when we stopped for breakfast. This is not a stop were you get out of the bus, it’s a they come to the window, you throw money at them and they throw hopefully what you want back.
So in a minute of frantic buying and selling, and yes it was about a minute, I got boiled peanuts, and two lots of sweet fried bread sort of things which turned out to be pretty good. I normally would have picked something up before a bus ride but the bus had beaten me to it. Have to take the good with the bad.
Arrived in Vientiane and headed for the Aussie Embassy which I had seen on the way into Veintiane on my first day in Lao, Managed to get through security with a lot of effort, ended up having to leave half my things with them, as I have knifes, Mountain bike tools and tubes in my bag O yes and the dreaded camera. My bike got locked to a street post outside under their security cameras, with my bag chained to the trailer. Good luck if they want to steal that heavy thing, in fact here’s the keys.
Once in, I saw kangaroos and koalas and blond surf babes in bikini’s, no not really mostly just Lao people, Saw the doctor (who was a Aussie)(and just to put something else in here he thought I was Aussie to)(Aussie aussie aussie aue aue aue) and now I have to head into Thailand tomorrow for a scan of my neck, to see if they can see anything. And for all of you out there my blood pressure is perfect and my resting heart rate is 46beats/minute and I have lost a kilo in weight so will have to eat even more. O that is going to be hard work. Eat more, so it’s two banana pancakes and not one from now on.. The things I have to do.
I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to sort out my insurance, I put all my previous history on my policy so they have it all there, hopefully they don’t try and not pay it as it is rather expensive all in US dollars. Lucky I have a tent for the rest of my trip.

Bus run, sick locals and a downhill run

I was up early to catch the bus, I just was not up to riding back over those hills, my neck was still sore and it hurts to turn it so bus it was, well half of the way anyway. I arrived to find the bus did not leave for an hour so had time to kick back, I would have rather been in bed, but I had been told the wrong time never mind I was there and so was the bus.
They put my bike on the roof and my trailer in the cargo hold below, I jumped on the bus and got a set towards the front as at the back can be very bumpy. The bus headed away with a mix of farrangs and locals, there was a mother and daughter sitting across from me, after what would have had to have been maybe 5km the mum started throwing up and it was like this for the next 120km yeppy, later the kid started as well, I think more because the mum throwing up all the time than anything, as towards the end after listening to her for a few hours I was feeling sick as well.
I had decided I would go half way back to Vang Vieng and then ride the rest, I wanted to ride that downhill section. So I was very thankful when my stop came up. This time the sun was shining and it was a good day to be on the bike. I had a little uphill then it was down. Yeppy.. so exciting.
As I approach the top of the downhill section the sun was out it was completely different to the rainy peak I had ridden over a few days before. I stopped and did some photos of the now clear panoramic view and the surrounding area, then it was time for the downhill run. I passed a Minivan and a couple of trucks on the ways down, speeding through the villages the kids did not even have chance to say sawadee, I was tucked in low to reduce the wind resistance and the now more rigid trailer was following like a dream, I think even better than before.
I was pumped up for this one so I was even peddling when I started to slow, It was not long before I hit the bottom in a rush of speed that was soon wiped out by the new ascent before me. After climbing for so long on the way up I had forgotten there were a few downhill parts as well. After this it was a lot of cruising down hill, it was a pain to climb up but it was a nice easy ride down. Top gear sort of thing, slow peddling and cruising.
The rest of the day was a few up hills and more down hills, I managed to do the 103km that had taken 11 hours to ride up in 5 hours to ride down. I was feeling a little tired about 40km out and was looking for that local bus to jump on, I know it was mostly downhill but it was hellishly hot. Luckily the rains came at 20km out and cooled things down a little bit, it was heavy enough to cool me down but not heavy enough to sock me through.
I had also stopped to pick up some snacks to eat on the way back, I had grabbed some dried marinated meat, most of it was nice, can you see were this is going, I had one bit that tasted off, you know the smell of rotting flesh, well it tasted like that, so it was swallowed fast and another bit put in to remove the taste, now you’re saying to yourself why not spit it out, I knew by now my stomach juices would devour everything, the good the bad and the bloody awful. I have eaten that much crap now I think my gut is as tough as the locals, they’re the ones I eat with mostly anyway. Drink there water, yep it’s probably just a matter of time. Touch wood it won’t happen.
Vang Vieng was the same as when I left, lots of bars and boozy people, I got a room at the same place as last time it was just for one night then I was back on the bus the next day and heading to Vientiane. Dinner consisted of BBQ pork and Chicken well I think it was chicken but can’t be sure.

The English story, and monk feeding

My day was a quiet one, Got up early to feed and photograph the monks on the street, I thought because I was turning them into a show piece I should at least feed them to. Feeding the monks. So I got some banana’s and biscuits off one of the multitude of local women also taking advantage of the monk and waited by the side of the road. It’s nice to see but I felt like I was taking photos of something that I shouldn’t be. It’s like going to a zoo, you take photos of caged animals and there is not much they can do about it.
The monks all line up and walk down the road for arms, it’s pretty, all the bright monks in there orange robes wondering down the road, I had enough to feed about 15 out of the 60 or so monks that would go past, this gave me time to do some photo’s too. The lady who I had brought the monk food off came over and tried to make me force feed them so she could sell more food to me but I was not having it. So once I had feed a few it was time for photo’s.
Now I was one of maybe 40-50 foreigners snapping away, flashes firing in the early morning light. The monks seem to take it all in their stride, and on they go into another day of monking. After the photo shoot I was off back to bed for more sleep.
Later on after some breakfast at mid day I headed out to my last hope for a boat trip down the Mekong, the local barges sometimes run the river if there are things to move so there was a opportunity there. I talked to a couple of boat owners and they did say they were going but not all the way to Vientiane, so I would be on the boat for 2 days and then have a two day bike ride out. So I have given up on that idea and will do a boat trip down south.
I also ran into the English girl, Now she deserves to be named, Lashana, I have bumped into her a few times now on my rides, and she has had a really interesting time. We had bumped into each other during the day so we meet up later on.
Now I had meet up with Lashana early on the second day of the ride between Vang Vieng and Luang Phrabang, I headed away and had my big day, She had carried on up and down the hills as well, on the first of the big down hills she had got a blow out in her front tire, so for Lashana the rest of the day would be walking up the big climb. This carried on until dark when Lashana decided it was time to stop at one of the farmers little huts, from the sounds she was tired and wet from the rain earlier.
Just as she was getting ready for a night on a farmers shack the farmer came along and said there was a village a little further on, so off she went still walking up the hill, by the time she made it to the village it was well passed dark and she was really tired. Lashana stop at the first home to see if she could stay, now from the sounds of it she was by now suffering from hyperthermia. Lashana passed out, the next thing she knew she was by the fire in the middle of the house with blankets on her and the father feeding her sticky rice.
Needless to say Lashana stayed there the night, the next morning the father fixed her tire and by the time she got up the whole village had heard the story of the forrag who had passed out at their place. She was feed and watered by one of the local ladies and then after many thank yous she was off again towards Luang Phrabang, I cannot remember which but she had another blow out on the next downhill. The father from the night before came to see how she was doing and ended up carrying her bags down the hill while Lashana rode her bike with the now fixed tire down. Please correct me if I am wrong on this account Lashana. She finally made it to Luang Phrabang that afternoon.
It sounded a lot more exciting when she was telling it with all the little details. The next day I had decided to head back to Vientiane as my next which had been sore for a few days was not improving so I wanted to stop in and see a doctor.

Waterfalls, kiwis and a missed reunion

Was going to get up and see the monks doing there morning Tak bath which is when they walk the streets and people place food into their tubs, this is their meals for the day, I have seen this before in Thailand many years ago and was pretty tired again and my neck has now joined my list of other ailments it’s a bit different from normal, so just went back to sleep, tomorrows another day.
Waterfalls today, the sun was out in the morning so that was sweet, was meeting up with the guy from Israel at 11am for the Tuk tuk ride out there, as I was heading to breakfast I engaged in conversation with a tuk tuk driver about cost just to get an idea on price and what they would drop to. I said I was meeting someone so I MIGHT come back later and use him, notice the big MIGHT there.
Sat down for breakfast and this guy just sat across the road watching me the freak, I mean come on there are other people around, I did explain MIGHT come back to him. After breakfast as I was leaving there he was again, I do good price we go now, BUGGER OFF. I told him I MIGHT be back again, by this time I was thinking your way to pushy for me so I will go with someone else anyway.
Down the road to wait, 11am Israel shows up, can’t go he is sick, good, the tuk tuk driver who was next to me said he had a couple of people coming back and could take me for 50000 kips, Everyone I had talked to said around 20000 to 30000kips was the going price. I talked him into taking me for 30000 and them for 50000, so we waited, and waited, and yes waited, I was starting to get a little bit displeased by this stage.
So he said jump in and we will see if we can pick anyone up on main street, Ok you have this then I am off and I’ll find someone else to go with. Down the road and who do you think spotted me the other tuk tuk driver, which he gave me a real dirty look, as though I had just murdered his family, and slapped his mother in the face. Yep now I have to see him when I walk down the road as well.
The tuk tuk guy I was with stopped on the main street and I managed to find some more people, yes you noticed the I, well it was more me sitting in the tuk tuk and people asking if I was going to the falls, but this is my glory so I will take the credit. After a few minutes the tuk tuk guy came back, so it was that we were paying 30000kips each, which I thought was a bit high, but it was a 37km ride and then he waits for 2 hours while we play in the water, so I’ll let him off.
After we were loaded there were 5 in all, Two more Kiwis a Irish guy and another guy who I did not find out where he was from. Off we went out of town then swinging our way into the hills. Now the thing about these waterfalls is its very blue water full of minerals that make pools as the minerals build up on the rocks, well I think that is what happens.
We made it to the pools and headed off up, on the way you go past a bear sanctuary, which at the moment has about 15 bears, some of which they are getting ready for release back into the wild, the problem with Lao is they are turning a lot of the bears habitat into farm land and destroying hectares of forest. For the bears this means more contact with humans and the inevitable run ins. Poor bears. Humans have a lot to answer for.
After the bears it was up to the waterfalls, Israeli guy said take to left track so I did and it just leads all the way to the top then you have to cross back to the right to get to any of the pools, so back down the right, I took lots of photo’s as they are pretty astounding, the pools are a turquoise, really beautiful.
I bumped into the others that had come in tuk tuk with me and me and the other Kiwi’s headed down for the pools at the bottom, and a swim. Have to say the water was cold, we are in the mountains here I know, but I did go in and have a swim around. If the weather was nicer I would have stayed in longer.
At one of the swimming holes we meet a guy who is working with the bears and has been for about 4 years, they have another sanctuary down in Cambodia as well with over 150 bears in it, these places all have international funding, from the way he was talking it is the governments of these countries that cause the problems.
It was time to head back to the big city lights of Luang Phrabang and I was going to meet up with the English girl who is also cycling. We had arranged to meet at 7pm at a place called Here and Now, which I thought would have been in the lonely planet. On arrival back I stopped in for a massage, which I am heading back for another one today. There good, very good.
Later on could not find Here and Now in Lonely planet so wondered up and down the night market streets hoping to come across her but alas not to be, so brought food from the stalls and things, then after an hour and a half headed off for dinner, it’s just eat eat eat at the moment.

Welding, grinding and painting and meeting people

Right today was going to be all about getting the trailer fixed, if you have seen the picture, the trailer had broken. Up and out for breakfast, have to feed the beast first then down the road, stopped in at a couple of places but no arch welders, so on ward I rode. Before I carry on this is all Aarons fault, he changed the front connections for me before I left, so now anything that happens to the trailer is his fault. By the way Aaron the Connections work perfectly, might offer this to the guy who makes these.
Back to the story, finally found a guy in a little shack by the road, he was welding up a wheel barrow when I dropped in, so he stopped that and I showed him what I needed. Now this guy crutched down and started weld the bar back together, he was using a pair of sun glasses as protection, with flip flops on, well this is asia.
Once we had got the bar welded I got him to weld another bar across the whole thing for support so hopefully it wont happen again. I then asked him if he had a grinder, which he did and he started to grind away, now forgot to mention earlier the guy’s who’s wheel barrow it was, was still waiting. I ended up saying that I will grind and he can finish the wheel barrow.
Away I went, not his welding was probably better than I could do but was still not really the best, it should hold though. I grinded the big chunks off and just gave it a run over to get anything off that would catch and rip my bag. After this was done I had a look at what may have caused it. I wont go into detail, but I think I have solved the problem, lets hope so.
Right time for some sanding and painting, cant have it rusting, Rode around a few places but no black paint, then as I was thinking about lunch I came across a little shop on a corner with everything I needed. So I found a place to sand and paint my trailer. Sweet. As I started sanding two young girls came up selling trinkets and wanted to help, so I gave them some sand paper and away they went. They keep checking with me to make sure it was right, once this was done I did the first coat of paint, and this is when the negotiation started.
You want bracelet, you want this you want that, I negotiated them down a bit but not really that hard, they had just spent ½ an hour sanding my trailer for me. So with the negotiation finished and they were happy because they got a good deal one of the girls asked to ride my bike. These girls were around maybe 10, yep no problem, drop the seat down which was still way to high and off one of them went, down the road up the road, she stopped and the other girl had a ride, both had big smiles on their faces by the end. After this it was time for them to head away and find some other suckers.
I had done a couple of coats of paint on the trailer and will do one or two more tomorrow, I headed off for lunch and to do a blog update and bumped into the Argentinean couple from Vang Vieng so am meeting them later on, also bumped into the Aussie guy I talked to at the top of the hill so now have a contact in Phnom Penh which is great.
Chilled out for most of the afternoon then checked out the Night market in town, Ran into a German guy and French girl who I had meet in Vang Vieng, they have some photo’s of me trying to salsa which hopefully I will get to see. Meet up with a few people yesterday, heading out to the waterfall tomorrow with a guy from Israel who I had talked to with the Aussie guy up on the hill.
Last night I went out for dinner a there was a guy there who had a AJ Hackett bungy jump t shirt on, we started chatting and I said I was riding around asia, and then he goes “ Your that guy, I have heard about you”, so it seems my fame is spreading, have to not get to big a head about this.. Of cause he did say a bit later he thought I must be crazy. Meet a couple of kiwi’s last night when having some Crepes and then the french and German couple came along as well so another reunion..

Big hills, big climbs and a broken trailer

Bit tired this morning and the banging from the market woke me at 5am, tried to stay asleep but that just made it worse when I did try and get up, through everything in my bag and headed down stairs for Omelet and sticky rice, felt the need to feed before another day of cranking up the hills, had a look at the map and the days plan was for some small up and down to start with then drop down to 1000m and back up to 1400m then the big drop of 1000m down to 400m and then the climb of 800m and the final drop back to around 300m. What a day at the office.
So started with a bit of a downhill which was good but then the climbing started again, at this point I ran into the English girl again, she had made it up the hill and stayed in a place just at the top, which I thought was pretty good considering she was walking up the hills. So after a quick chat I was off again and away, cranking up the hill again, it went down 100m and up 100m a lot to start off with. That is vertical meters not distance covered, some of these hills climbed for quite some time.
So my speed was around 5-10km/h on the up hills and pretty quick on the down hills, I finally did the first big drop around 10:30, 500 vertical meters equated to a 5 minute downhill ride over, swing my way through the bends along the sides of some pretty steep hill country. Stopped at the bottom and had a drink and got some fried meat strips which were pretty good I must say. They dry and marinade the meat then fry it to warm it through, I think this must have been marinaded in a fish sauce.
The only problem with going down is not I had a 500 meter vertical climb back up to 1400m, so the slow hall begins, on the way up the hills I came across an old guy walking down carrying a large amount of leaves, for a start I thought he was doing the finger at me, but it was the thumbs up, he must have arthritis in his hands because his index finger was sticking out. Well he still could have been giving me the finger but I like to think otherwise, he was smiling too.
So the ride goes on and on the never ending up hills, I arrived at Kiu Kacham at around 1ish and had some lunch at an overpriced restaurant, well for what it was anyway, sticky rice and boiled chicken, my favorite, It seemed like I had been eating lots of sticky rice lately. As I finished my lunch a Minivan full of tourists pulled in so I got one of the guys to do some photo’s of me riding by and we had a bit of a chat, then it was time for off, a bit of climbing the a big down hill run.
The downhill, 15km with a vertical drop of 1000m, it was magnificent, I passed motorbikes, trucks I only had one car pass me and that was at the top, I swung down through the never ending corners, brakes on for the sharp ones, cutting through other corner to keep a straight fast line, came into one corner a bit fast, came out a bit wide to see a truck crawling up the hill, manage to get back on my side of the road before I flew passed the truck. I would say around the 15-18km mark my arms got a bit tired from braking and holding the bike straight, but I managed to battle on and keep the same momentum going.
After what seemed like an age I made it to the bottom, now it was time for the last big climb of the day, because I had lost so much altitude the temperature had climbed as well, so not only was it going to be a 600m vertical climb over 15km it was also going to be hot, I cranked on the paddles and started my ascent. About 10minutes into the ascent the guys I was talking to at the top passed me by with yells of encouragement and then they were gone in a cloud of diesel smoke.
For the next 3 hours I climbed, sweet dripping, legs cranking, slowly winding my way up the hill, trucks past bellowing there smoke, cans and motor bikes raced passed and I crawled up the hill, always moving forward just very slowly. As I crawled, you’re getting the theme here I hope, slow going, a big black scorpion crawled across the road passed me, it was about 3 inches long , sent a shiver up me spine.
As I approached the summit I took some photo’s of the road I had just travelled, off in the distance you could see part of the road I had come down as well, at the photo stop I noticed that a bar on my trailer had broken, thanks Phillips trailers you could have made it a bit stronger, so I tried it up so hopefully it would not stress other parts of the trailer and cause a major break down. First problem in 2500km or there abouts.
As I finally got to the top the clouds had come in and were turning black over bill mothers, or for Lao Viengs mothers. The thunder started to crackle in the distance and I could see rain moving down the valley where I was heading, I’m going to get wet again. Down the hill again, another good run and then racing passed small villages and on towards my goal of Luang Phrabang, I thought from the map it was mostly downhill and lucky for me it was, by now my legs were shattered and did not have much left in them. I had to walk up a few hills as I could no longer ride, lucky with this town the last 10km was down hill so I rode into town.
My right knee had swollen up and my left knee was complaining by the time I arrived in town but I was here at last, the rain I had mentioned earlier had court up and I was soaked by the time I found my guest house, but I was there and that is all that mattered. Food and sleep is what I needed anything else could wait till tomorrow.

One bloody big hill

So it was a 5:30 wake up, I had not slept very well at all, in fact my sleeps were not the best in Vang Vieng at all. So I was a little tired, was on the bike at 6am and off down the road, I thought I would get breakfast before I left so stopped by the local bus station and had a omelet and sticky rice. As I was eating my breakfast an Aussie guy walked in. We started chatting and he has been mapping the Mekong river and putting in marker buoys so ships can navigate it easily. Hhhmmm an idea was forming in my head.
He also gave me some rehydration salts as he was heading back to Aussie as his job was finished. So my idea is as I don’t really like having to go back on myself is I get a boat down the Mekong from Luang Phrabang back to Veintiane and the carry on south, well have to check if this is possible.
After I left the Aussie guy I started what would be the longest up hill in my life, You start climbing straight away, just a slow hill but it goes from 250m altitude in Vang Vieng to 650m over the first pass, well you go from one valley in to another, so I have been riding up and over 3 valleys and passes.
The first one was not to bad and I had done 60km it the usual 3 hours so stopped for second breakfast, I thought it was only going to get worse from here on out and I was so right. After I had cleared the next valley which was not really that bad at all I had the final ascent to do, this was from 600m to 1400m over 38 km. Now you know how I have been going on about road signs, well Lao what they have done is put all different places on the signs so you never know when your sign will be coming up.
The start of the climb was not too bad the road is in pretty good condition so I was cruising away and making what I thought was good time, moving up the hill doing photo’s on the way, absolutely marvelous country side, the road winds its way up the edge of the valley, massive limestone mountains on the other side of the valley, cloud covered peaks looming way above me. It was very imposing.
To get you in the feel of things, most of the road was a bend after bend, like the bruce road at Whakapapa, (NZ), for the English like the roads through the Lake District. So after the first climb I was feeling like I had got places when a sign pops it little head up and I had only done 3km, it was going to be a long day. The only thing to do was carry on, and keep going up and up and up, you get the picture. After about an hour of uphill the road flattened out for a bit and then started to go down a bit, this was not good I was losing Altitude, it’s the worst thing.
At least the downhill did not last very long before the climbing started again. I had been going some two hours now climbing when the road crossed into the next valley, now we have all had this happen to us were you get to what you think is the top and no it’s not still more to go. By the third hour of climbing I was starting to wonder when it was going to end, I could see a bit more down the valley and it was still going up, there was a village further on so I thought that would be a good place to stop and have a break.
I came across the coolest thing in this village, a guy was playing a flute type instrument, it was really wicked, the sound was incredible, the perfect music for the scenery, I think he was using it to put the baby he had strapped to his back to sleep. After some photo’s I was off again, the village had not restaurant or shop so I just carried on.
It was now coming up to 3 ½ hours of climbing, I had been using my granny gear a bit but on the stuff that was not really steep I used higher gears. I had just come through yet another village clinging to the side of the road an thought after this village I would stop and eat my Mangos that I had got earlier, saw the perfect place to stop on a corner up the road, it looked right back down the valley that I was climbing. As I got to the corner I saw the English girl again. I yelled out and asked if she wanted a mango.
We both sat on this corner looking down the valley with the limestone cliffs on both sides and the little village just below us clinging to the road side. And the mangos were beautiful too. We stopped and had a chat for 20minutes which was a great break, then carried on up the hill, I left her behind as she was walking and carried on up, after another 30minutes I came to where we crossed over the spine of the ridge into the valley next door, and that’s when I saw it, I could see right up the valley, it was what looked to be the top. I still had a lot to go but it was a point of focus, I had my goal to make it to the shed at the top.
Now the road at this point got steep, it was granny gear all the way, at a crawl, at some point I even had to stand up on the peddles to keep going. My legs were starting to ache, my body was not feeling the best, this was way worse than 160km on the flat, this was hell on a bike. I had my goal so I kept on going, at one point I had to push my bike just to use some different muscles. I kept moving up winding my way up the valley, the big trucks were not going much faster than me.
I came out of one set of turns and the top seemed not so far away, but then you dip back into the little valleys that the road follows and it soon takes a lot longer. I must have been close to 500m from the top when the clouds came in and the rain started, I was hoping to get my photo looking down the valley but it was not meant to be. The clouds around me got thicker and it became like riding through Pea soup, my legs were still screaming for rest and the rain started to come down thick and fast. I could not hide anywhere so just kept on going.
At 5pm after starting the big climb around 11:30 I came to my point that I had focused on, I was now soaked from rain and sweet, the sweet was running off my head into my eyes and the hill carried on, my focus point was not the top, I was not sure I could carry on, I was already on my 12th or 13th wind and was running out of the go juice. I am not sure from where it came but I just knew I had to push on.
So it was that at 5:15pm after climbing all day, and a steep climb for the last 6 hour straight I reached the top and finally started my decent, it was still poring with rain, I was wet and cold but I was going down, then I saw the sign 8km to go, 8 bloody 8km what the F#&K. I had thought maybe the village would be at the top, No such luck. I was just about beaten, the road flatten off, climbed up and down a bit more but was relatively easy to ride compared with what I had been riding.
The next sign which came up pretty quick said 2km to go and the rain was slowing up, around a few more corner and at 5:30pm I had made it to Phou Khoun, my goal for the day, so I have found a room in this little village at the top of the hill, tomorrow I have 127km to go, most downhill thank the gods, do have one 600m vertical climb but that’s it. One thing the ride down the hill I just came up would be a hell of a ride, probably need new brake pads at the bottom though..

Boats, bars and booze

I booked my kayaking for the 13th, a days trip down the river Nam Song, we started the day waiting for people in the Mini van, when I was picked up there were going to be 4 people on the trip then we merged with another group to be 11 + 3 guides, so we had 1 Aussie girl, an Argentinean couple, French guy, American couple, Canada guy with his Thai girlfriend, English guy, a Norwegian Girl and 3 Lao Guides and Me, so we had a good covering of Nations.
After everyone had arrived we all piled into the back of the Minivan and headed off, the journey up the road took about 15 minutes and then we arrived at our first stop, Elephant cave and cave tubing. There were a couple of groups ahead of us doing the tubing so we went to the elephant cave first. Not really much of a cave, but our guide did tell us the never ending story. It went on for quite some time, everyone was doing the old leg shuffle by the end. You know where you move from leg to leg, try and stretch a bit, but you don’t want to walk around as that would be rude.
The story was about a bird, and why you should not lie, I could tell you it but the you’d just stop reading so I wont, count your selves lucky. After this it was off to the cave and tubes, the cave is about 200 meters long, it’s fairly open and easy to navigate, we were given these head lamps attached to a motorbike battery for light, they worked well enough but it was a drag with the big battery hanging around my neck.
We boarded our tubes, and headed into the cave, ropes have been slug up for the first 20m then it was paddle power. Have to say the water was pretty cold, There were stalagmites (well which ever hang from the roof, Mites, tities) and some smaller cave off to the side. As we paddled our way deeper into the cave our guide started singing a Lao song, it sounded very beautiful as it echoed through the cave. Quite a horn ting melody. I found out later it was a Lao pop song. Still it added an extra aspect to journey.
It was a there and back again cave, and it was nice when we got back out into the sun, our lunch had been prepared for us while we were in the cave, so we filled ourselves on Fried rice, Kebabs and Bananas. After this it was back to the minivan and down the road a bit for the Kayaking side of the day. After our river briefing it was in the boats and off. This time of year the river is running fairly low so we had to negotiate a few small rapids, I was on a boat with one of the guides so we had no problems. On the first rapid, which really was not much at all, in fact rapid is a overstatement for what it was, still a few of the boats got stuck and one boat flipped over. Had to happen.
With everyone back on their boats and off the rocks we headed off down the scenery is spectacular, and because I was with one of the guides I could relax a bit with my paddling and enjoy the view. We made our way down the river with people having problems at most rapids, I really, come on people it was not that bad. All you had to do was follow the course of the water.
After 30 minutes we began to hear the sound of music off in the distance and after a few more bends we came across it’s source, bars lined the river bank with all types of swings and flying foxes, we paddled passed a few and then pulled in were our guides get commission. We all had a jump of our bars swing. With the swings you climb up a dodgy wooden frame swing out over the river and of cause let go. At full swing height I would say you were maybe 6 meters above the water. It was good fun.
Now have to tell you about the bar, you can get anything you want, from bars and whiskey to all sorts of drugs, I am really amazed more people don’t die here, saying that they have a couple of tourists die each year. Now at this stage I was still planning on riding the next day, so just sat on 1 beer. Soft I know but you really would not want to ride hung over, well I wouldn’t anyway.
A few from our group decided to partake in the Mushroom and Banana Shake, those are the magic mushrooms, so it was going to be a interesting afternoon for them. After a few hours of drinking and chatting we were ushered back onto our kayaks for the final leg of the trip. The youngest of our group who had drunk the most mushroom shake was well gone and the others who had partaken were pretty jovial to.
It took our guides ½ an hour to round everyone up and get the boats back in the water and get us underway, once on the water our progress was fairly slow, we passed lots of people on tubes floating down the river in different states of disorder. It was a pretty funny trip home with conversation talking on whole new dimensions .
Our guide was telling me it takes about 2 hours to float down the river from the last bar to the town of Veng Vieng, it was about 6:30pm by the time we paddled back into town so not sure what time the rest of the people at the bars got back. After the group photo’s we decided to meet up at one of the bars, and because I had not been drinking I had to take change. It became a dictatorship.
We meet up at a bar it town, and I had a beer there and that progressed to another one under pair pressure, and after my third the ride the next day was off. We had a pretty good night with the Argentinean couple teaching me how to salsa. Good night but was feeling a little under the weather this morning. Not up to much so it does not really matter.
On another note I have a sore tooth, will have to see how it goes if it gets worse may have to do a run to Bangkok and a dentist, time will tell.

O my god what a country

Ok so as usual I had only planned to do about 70km, this was mostly small hills with little ups and downs, easy day, late start about 6:30 am and off I went, really have to go to bed early again, have got some bad habits from Ko Tao. Picked up some breakfast from a little old lady selling begets as I headed out of town, and some mangos and banana’s, thought I would just eat on the run sort of thing.
Two lane road to the edge of Vientiane then single lane but very busy, lots of dust, car smoke and all sorts, not the most pleasant situation, bandana around the face helped out and it was not long till I was passed the worst of it. The roads are pretty bad two, for a main road there were pot holes bigger then my bike, dirt comes over most of the road, most of the time. You had to keep your mind on the job otherwise it could be all over.
The traffic started to ease up and the road started to go up and down in small rolling hills, I did the first 70km in four hours and was at my night stop, it really did not look that good so 23 km up the road was another potential stop. Off I went, 10 km off in the distance I could see hills, real hills, big hills, the ride was looking up. As I rode my way towards the hills I passed a lot of schools, there were lots of hello’s etc and high 5’s all the way. For some reasons kids love the high 5’s, so the ride was looking up and I was feeling pretty good, the kids are really cool. I had had my breakfast of 10 banana’s, one mango and a beget earlier and grabbed a noodle soup lunch.
So I started my first big hill climb off the plains and into ranges of central Lao, Took photo’s looking back over the plain, it was a pretty remarkable view, after crawling up the hill I had a bit of a downhill, I swept down the hill in a rush, it was exceptional the trailer and bike clung to the warmed tar like a superbike, through the sweeping S bends and then a climb up the next hill with anticipation of the next downhill spurring me on.
The hills progressively got bigger, I was on a climb up, I never seemed to drop as much as I climbed, I arrived at my next possible nights stay, riding across a dodgy one lane bridge, with children swimming in the river bellow, the waters were clear and looked very inviting, I looked out for a guest house or something as I pasted through but non popped out.
I stopped and had a drink then climbed back aboard the bike and headed off, decision had been made I would make a run for Vein Veng this was going to be my stop spot any way on what would have been my second days ride. So looked like I was in for another 160 km ride over hills, am I insane, don’t answer that.
It was still only 11:30am so plenty of day light hours left, this is where the ride got really cool, I was heading up into an area of small villages clinging to the sides of massive hills. So I am going to try and get you to picture this. You’re on your bike climbing up these big hills to the left wild forested areas to your right wild forested areas, out in front are more hills, but these have colossal lime stone cliffs rearing up out of the ground, and that’s the goal to reach those hills.
The villages that cling to the sides of these hills are the traditional raised flax and bamboo houses, old ladies are out feeding chickens, children and their mothers are asleep in the shade below, some are awake and yelling hello, or sawadee (hello in Lao), as you crest the top of the hill you have just been climbing, your MP3 player starts to crank one of your favorite songs, the world is a good place, the wind starts to rush past you, you can fell the tires gripping the road as you swing the bike into that first corner, more corners await the rush is on. The music becomes a background noise to the rushing wind, flying into the next few turns, truck driver wave out as you go rushing by, then you hit that last corner another hill awaits but so do more downhills, with a smile on your face you approach the next accent.
I probably have not really done it justice, the villages were really cool, and so were the people, waving saying hello, it was extraordinary, that’s all I can say. On one of the hill climbs I court up with a English girl on her bike, now she is hard core, she got the bike in Cambodia, so it’s not the best of bikes, her gear was strapped to the back and she had a bag on the front as well. Her front brake was non excitant, she was stopping any where she felt like it, old houses things like that, I meet her about 2pm and we were at the 50km to go mark. To tell the truth I think she is probably camped out somewhere now till tomorrow.
I had a look at her brake and we are going to meet up when she gets here which I think will be some time tomorrow, I think I can fix it for her, might help with the downhill parts. She decided in Cambodia to ride to the Chinese boarder in Lao.
I left the English lass on the next uphill it was fairly obvious that she was taking her time which in those hills I don’t really blame her. I’ll see her when she gets here and get some more of her story sound really fascinating.
The rest of the ride was pretty good until that last 20km, 10 of it was a slow uphill climb and 10 of flat riding but I got here in about 11 hours with breaks, so will just relax tomorrow and then do some tubing or kayaking down the river which is the thing to do here. O yes they have bars on the river if you need a drink, sweet.
For those of you reading who have riden the 42nd traverse in New Zealand it was like doing that twice, there and back again, a hobbits tale. My next ride is 101km of climbing, starting at 200m altitude and climbing to 1400m so have to get some energy up for that, should be fun. Will let you know how the Kayaking goes.

Road rider, wats and more

Had a good sleep last night even though my bed mattress is paper thin with a massive roll together, I hear you all saying lucky it’s just you then, well it is. In this case. Lets work case by case. Ha breakfast at the Scandinavian bakery, which was lovely, now I realize were all my money is going, started chatting to a guy who rolled up on his road bike. We chatted about the roads etc and I got a good bit of info out of him.
He also showed me where the local bike shop was, which was closed, but looking through the window I did notice he had specialized bikes and giants, older models but if I need spares I can at least find some. He dropped me off at a monument and headed off, I spent the rest of the day cycling around looking at mooks, wats and more. There are so many wats and they all look the same, wat here wat there wat everywhere.
My next few days might be a ride up and then back down the same road, I had an idea of coming back a different way but my plans maybe washed out by the monsoon. The course I was going to take runs some small back roads, which I have been told are not that good in the wet and can sometimes be closed. The monsoon has also just started to hit the north. O yes it would have been 144 km on the back roads. Will have to see.
So it will be up early tomorrow with a 70km ride along the flat, I don’t really hit the hills till after Vang Vieng then I climb up to about 1400m, Up the hill, down the hill then back up the same hill and down. At least I will know what I am in for.

Friendship bridge, Wrong side and red dust

Had a good sleep last night probably due to the concussion, the train trip was pretty good, I think I must have been pretty tired as slept right through the night. So woke up fresh and ready to go. The train arrived at Nong Khai 30minutes late so not to bad at all, I got my bike back from the luggage compartment and was ready for the border. Now at borders there are always local people ready to tell you the best way to do things. This tok tok driver wanted to show me the place to do it. The only problem was they charge you. No thanks but I did get dragged down the road behind the tok tok. The easy life.
Thai border was pretty easy as I was leaving, so stamp stamp and away I went. There is a train that runs across the border these days and I had timed it perfect to be just behind the train. Now the train runs over the middle of the bridge so they close it to all traffic except me and the train. Having got the bridge mostly to myself I took the opportunity to take a few photos right in the middle. No mans land.
The Loas border was a bit crazy with all the forangs trying to get there visa’s and get back to their bus for the trip to Vientiane. I took my time and and just breezed through. Jumped on my bike looked lost for a few seconds got pointed in the right direction and off I went. So much for customs I could have had forty kilo’s of opium in my bag.
Off to Vientiane, O bugger they drive on the other side how inconvenient, signs looking for signs, no signs, how the hell am I supposed to find my way. Ok the buses are going right so right it is, this could get real fun out in the wilds of Loa. I’m on the road again. 20 km easy ride into town, chatted to a American Girl who was riding down the road, found guest house, got room, jumped in shower, I was covered in red dust, from head to toe. The cars and trucks kick up the dust and it just sticks to you. So for the rest of Loa I could be doing a lot of washing.
Vientiane is a nice enough city, the tourist area is overpriced for what it really is. At the moment it is on par with Thailand, or maybe more. Not that I am worried about money, it always gets cheaper on the road. I had to face a wind storm last night to head out for dinner and then took the wrong street to back to the guesthouse and got a bit confused, luckily my guest house is by a tennis court so just did the Charades sign for tennis and got sent in the right direction, it ended out I was only two blocks away.

Trains, bikes and rickshaw

I had a 13km ride to the station and stopped at the 7 eleven for breakfast and water refill. The train station was just down the road, excellent, arrived there and was told there was a train just about to arrive that was heading to Bangkok, so it was perfect timing. Headed around to the ticket office, no train to Bangkok only Than buri, so how far from Bangkok, he kept going on about a night train to Bangkok no day train.
Bugger, headed off talked to the guy who said there was a train to Bangkok coming, now this is where it get interesting, Than Buri is a suburb of Bangkok, it’s right in the middle and it is the end of the Southern line, so after my friendly Taxi man explained this I headed back around for round two. Yes Train now to Than Buri I want to take, No Bangkok to night, No I take this train, which had just pulled up.
This could have gone on all day but someone else came up and said I wanted this train and so with a bit of rush because the train wanted to leave, the bike was lifted through a window with the trailer and I jumped on. Round three, I’m on the train now, heading to my bike, ticket man comes up to me were are you going Thon Buri, see I’m learning, OK 90 baht for you, 100 baht for bike. Ok. Money please, money with bike, ok money please. Right out the way money with bike. Paid. You sit here, great so I paid for the cheap wooden bench seat. 9 hours on a arse breaker.
But I was on the train, my goal was to get to Bangkok and jump straight on the northern line and up to the border then it would be back on the bike. So the train rattled it’s way out of the station, I relaxed back it seems it was just me and ticket men in this car. Drop the window open and enjoyed the view as we headed off. Flat rice paddy fields and limestone hills, I was just about to call them mountains, not that big.
With all the windows down it the car, it was a pretty dusty place at times. I worked out we were doing about 60 km hour with stops so that was a 7-8 hour trip. I had got some breakfast snacks at 7 eleven so had a bit of a supply of food. By lunch time I had cleaned through my supply and was looking for more, I think it was boredom I just wanted to eat all the time.
I had seen a food lady earlier so headed off in search of her. I went up through 6 packed cars ahead of mine before I caught up to her. I got a couple of meals of luke warm pork and stick rice, it was lovely, probably kill me but it was good. But from walking through the cars I could see even though I had a wood bench to sit on I had the better deal.
The rest of the trip was moving to a different part of my arse till it went numb and move again. I seem to be talking a lot about my arse don’t I, I have to say it’s pretty toned now. Jealous much.. The arrival it Thon Buri was a bit of a anti climax then a rush to get everything off the train to head to the next station.
I got directions off a tok tok driver and headed off, as I turned onto one of the main roads a tok tok driver pulled alongside and indicated to hold on, so I grabbed the side of the Tok Tok much to the amusement of his paying customers and he dragged me up the road and over the bridge, at the next intersection he went one way I went the other.
I got lost and had to ask for directions a couple of times and in the ended paid someone to take me there, he got a good deal as I was only two blocks away in the end, an’t that the way of it. So I got to the next train station and got my ticket for the 8pm night train to Nong Khai, got some food then smashed my head into a metal bar, splitting my head open, and had blood running down my face, but I was at the station.
So after stopping the leakage from my head, I realized how dirty I was, with all the dust from the day I was disgusting. I got the bike on the train and found my booth for the night, Wet one of my bandanas and had a quick clean up before other people started to arrive. My heads got a good lump and I think I have blood in my hair, but I am on the train and we are moving so have to sort the rest of it out tomorrow.

Boats and girls in bungalows

The day started clear blue sky and a soft sea breeze, the air was fresh and clean. I only had a couple of things to do today, 1 was to get boat ticket for Chumphorn, 2 was get a book to read as I had just finished another one. It is amazing how much time you get to read when travelling, you have to have something to do while lying on a beach.
Booked ticket, with bike, I have to put here that I get stung every time yet there are people with more luggage then me. Anyway it was booked and so just a book to read. Being in a travelers stop it was easy to find a book store and books. It’s the right book that is the key. I just going to shoot off here on a tangent, skim read for a bit if you like. My choosing a book goes like this, first I try and recognize author which is normally a waste of time because I can never remember any. Same with names, sorry you people out there.
Second it just what jumps out at me and this normally takes a bit, then I have a quick look at the back and have a read of a few pages, if I get hooked I read if not carry on looking. So I found one anyway and headed to the beach had a whole day to waste, could have done a couple of dives.
So lets jump on ahead to the boat, the rest is all just lying on a beach and a bit of swimming and some half naked women, but most of you don’t want to hear about that. So now this has been fun so far so it was not likely to change, I wait till everyone else has got on, it’s just easier that way, now I have to pay 200 baht so hopefully because I am last and they want to get underway someone usually helps me. Praise the lord someone did.
So once bikes on boat and it’s underway I can relax and enjoy the trip. There was nothing really to mention about this boat trip, it was a bit choppy but nothing really that bad, if fact the trip was just a nice cruise with the island disappearing off behind us. As we got closer to the main land we cruised through a mine field of small islands and fishing boats. The harbor was going to be another thing all together.
We arrive just before dusk, the sun was sinking toward the western horizon and we chugged into the harbor, the amount of boats that were there was astounding three side by side on each side, we had maybe 15 feet between our boat and the armada parked up in the harbor. They came in all sizes and shape, it was pretty cool.
We approached the wharf and I approached one of the staff to see if there was any local hotels. Now these girls said there was one which they were staying at and if I wanted I could come with them and find a room. Sounded good. So I followed along with them, there was 5 of us in all, Four women and the son of one of the ladies.
When we got to the hotel, they only had one large room left, it had two queen beds in it. They asked if I was happy to stay with them, which I saw no problem, they offered for me to have one bed to myself but I said it was fine if someone else sleep in it as well. Stop think that way Norm. After this was all sorted we headed out for dinner, there just happened to be a fair on down the road.
On our way to the fair we walked up a hill to a Buddhist shrine and did our pray’s before Buddha. We only walked up 201 stairs and the girls were complaining. Heading back down we wondered through the fair and brought some food as we when, had some fried cricket and some fried other stuff which I am not sure what it was. It was good whatever it was, the cricket was not bad but not that great either. We walked through to the beach and had dinner sitting in a circle sharing all the food. I don’t think many westerns stay here as I had a few kids touch me as I walked past.
After some shopping we headed back to the hotel and sleep, we were all up at 5- 5:30 in the morning. So after a few good nights it was off to sleep. The beds were not great but I managed to get a few hours sleep. The morning came and we were all up pretty quick and heading off in our different directions, them to work and the full moon party, me to the train and Bangkok.

Barrel rolls, mask removal and a lot of trigger fish

Did not get a camera, the cost for a throw away was not worth it. Sorry. You will just have to put up with my descriptions. Usual morning is a 10 o clock start, today we were on the big boat, there was a few divers today so it might be busy out there. No not really, even with all the boats you still don’t see to many other divers.
The big boat is a pretty nice boat fitted out just for diving. There is lots of room, two levels, it’s the perfect dive boat. Will it should that’s what it was built for. We did the usual boat talk etc, you can go here you cant go there, no poking the captain with sticks he is not there for amusement, then the pre dive talk, we will be doing this and that and for the first dive just having a swim around.
Cool, gear up in the water, signal the boat to say you are ok, no one is watching anyway. First thing was a 5 meter emergency ascent, if I did not make it to the surface I would have to do it again. For those not in the know, you drop down 5 meters and then have to slowly come up to the surface without air. Just made it, let the air out in my lungs a bit too fast. But did it so don’t have to do that one again.
Dive time we slowly made our way down to ten meters, and then off for a swim around and drop down to 16-20 meters, I have to say I have been having problems equalizing to 10 meters after that it’s sweet. We headed off in search of a Nemo fish that lives in a rock circle all by himself. The rock circle is there to keep divers away from him. It’s more to save the plant (not sure of the name for it) that he lives in. If it dies so does he.
On the way there we swam though a hole between some rocks, it was pretty cool and managed to make it through no problems. So were swimming in around 16 meters of water. As we came upon where the Nemo fish was we could not get close because there was a trigger fish there, these fish are pretty territorial and will charge at you and try and bite you. Alas we had to keep our distance and just swim on by.
We had been swimming away from the boat and into the slight current, so we got chance to just drift back towards the boat. This was pretty cool because I just played around, I find it really cool just floating upside down. Maybe you not supposed to do this but I had some fun, Just have to watch out for the big rocks.
So dive one for the day over, my second to last dive, bugger, I could just stay here and get my Dive masters. Dive two was a going to be a few skills that PADI require, Taking off your mask at 15 meters, floating, blowing bubbles with the regulator off and some directional train with a compass and then forward and backward rolls. We get to play around. You can see I took it all very seriously. You gotta have fun.
So off the boat again this time it was much easier to equalize, my body must be getting used to it. We dropped down to about 10 meters then headed out slowly dropping down to 13-15 meters were we did our skills tests. Mask on mask off mask on, sweet. Regulator out blow circle bubbles mine were crap, just could not do it. I think it is more to make sure you are happy without you regulator in. I have to point out I got my heart going a bit as could not get my regulator back in straight after the bubble blowing. I remained calm even though I was screaming on the inside and after a few seconds managed to get it back in.
Had problems with the floating, it was not because I could not float it’s because it seems my arse is lighter then water and wanted to go up while my head went down, I can float just upside down. The next one was forward roll, which was no problem and had no problems with the backward roll either. TJ my instructor confessed after the dive he had got a bit disorientated after his backward roll.
The last skill of the day was using a compass underwater which was really easy. O yes I am a pro now. At one stage in our dive we went passed one of the instructors who had lost his students and ended up having to go to the surface to find them. They were on the advanced course. They did make it back to the boat in the end.
We went for a swim round after this and just chilled, I was feeling pretty relaxed about the whole diving and things, it’s been pretty cool, we got to see a really big trigger fish but he was more interested in eating then us at the time, even TJ said it was a big one.
TJ was a really good instructor and it was great just having a one on one, made it really good, I did not have to worry that I was slowing people up or anything, it was all about the diving. Ko Tao summer time when there are not many people around, good place to learn.
So Tomorrow will be my last day here then it’s back to the mainland and a train journey up to Lao and then back on the bike, hope my legs remember what to do, will just have to plan short rides for a start.

The piranhas were back, Passing exam, and now open water diver

What a day at the office, kids. The sky was overcast but the sea today was flat calm, you have to wonder which sea god I upset set to have a ruff day yesterday and then flat calm today. So two dives today, one dive between 6 to 10 meters and one from 10 to 15 meters. We wait each morning for the incoming ferry from Ko Pha Ngan which arrives at 10 and drops off the rest of the divers for our boat.
O yes must stop here and do a name change, Stew is really TJ, Stew was the Irish guy and TJ is my instructor now, I won’t even try and spell his full name because I can’t even say it. Kate is really Sara, Not sure how I thought she was Kate. She does look like a Kate if Kate’s had a look. I am just bad with names. Anyway I hope we are all on the same boat now.
So divers today were me, of cause, 4 Malaysian’s and a English guy and there guides, and besides my name I have no ideas on any of theirs. So again it was just Me and TJ heading out and about for the morning dive. The rest of them had their own guides. First dive was just a fun dive, get used to getting myself neutrally buoyant in the water. The day before we had worked out that I should only need 3 weights on the dive belt, so as we descended towards the bottom, letting all the air out of my BCD, that’s right know the lingo and we started to swim I had to keep my head down and legs up to stay down, luckily TJ had brought along a spare weight so finally I could sink. Well have better buoyancy anyway.
Had a swim round looked at the fish, got attacked again by those little fishes, my ears got attacked and my legs, the little buggers are ruthless. Anyway back to the diving, did a few barrel rolls and things, I have to say it’s pretty cool looking up when boats goes over the top. Just remember to stop kicking as you could run into a big rock when looking up. They are pretty keen to keep the corral around here so luckily TJ did not see me crash. Eyes on the ball lad.
After what I thought was only 30 minutes, TJ signaled for us to head back towards the boat, which to tell you the truth I had no idea where it was at all, as it was we had swam around in one big circle so we did not have far to go. A slow rise to the surface and out. We had been down there for just over 45 minutes time flies when you’re having fun.
Now just have to go off on a slight tangent here, one of the Malaysian guys on the boat with us was just snorkeling, well he did not bother with a snorkel, and the guy could stay under water for quite some time. It did turn out that he was a fisherman so that explains that, but still very impressive staying down there as long as he did. After the second dive he swam down maybe a couple of meters and chased one of his mates around who was diving for a minute or two.
Lunch was the usual Chicken, Pork, rice sort of meal. Now the Malaysians were Muslim and one of them asked Sara the Dive Master if any were pork, and she told them they were all chicken, to tell the truth I could not tell if they were pork or chicken tasted nice though. No one said anything when we realized so no problem. Hopefully Alla will not be to upset with her later on.
Right so second dive briefing while the boat moved to the new spot, TJ went over what we were going to do, he did also mention about not getting too close to the other diver, not only had I crashed into the rock, and it was a big rock, I had also been fairly close and crashed in to TJ a few times. It was only my 3 dive. That’s what buddies are for an’t they.
In the water and off we go, this time deeper dive and a few exercises just to make sure I could do them at depth. Had a real hard time equalizing on the second dive, lucky for me it is just me and TJ so I was not really holding anyone up, but it seemed to take forever. Stop, Ascend a bit, equalize, descend equalize, equalize descend, stop back up a bit equalize you get the message anyway, it took a long time. TJ keep looking at his watch, but I’m the customer.
Finally after what seemed like An eternity we got to the bottom, thank the sea gods, time for a look around then a few exercises. The fish were pretty cool and got to see lots of Nemo fish, no sharks or stingrays but lots of the piranha fish(well I’ll call them Piranha fish) that kept on attacking me. Do I look like food… There is no meat on me what were they thinking.
Did the exercises no problems, I had had a problem with my mask all day were it kept fogging up all the time so had to keep flushing it out. So no problems with taking it off and on etc. We saw a couple of Morray eels, and lots of fish fighting each other. Overall a pretty good dive. Another 45 minutes under. Once on the boat we packed everything up and waited for the others, then back to shore and exam time. Alright. What am I doing again.
Have to say got 3 questions wrong in the exam, so would not dive with me if I was you 94% bugger, just silly mistakes too, like not reading the question properly. But it’s done over with, after the two dives tomorrow I will have joined the PADI dive fraternity and be able to dive around the world, probably like the rest of you. I’m just a bit slow. So get the boat dive ready Dad for when I get back. You fish, I’ll pull on your line…
So looking forward to tomorrows dives and just being able to enjoy the underwater world and not having to worry about exam questions etc. Just diving… Hopefully the sun is out tomorrow, the light is really flat down there. Might also buy a underwater camera for some photo’s. See if I can capture a photo of the Piranha fish.