Crossing over from Vietnam into Laos, the changes were abrupt. The weather got warmer and sunnier, the people friendlier and fewer and further between, the air cleaner, the roads in worse condition. We made it to Attapeu, the first sizeable city we came to in Laos, on December 23rd, and sat down to discuss how we should spend Christmas. This is what we decided to do:
Heading out of Attapeu, the landscape was mostly arid farmland, with a lot of pastures and corn fields. No rice padis.
We exited Attapeu via this dirt road, which quickly deteriorated once we left the city.
Mike crosses a rickety wooden plank bridge, inches from death.
This kid got a couple early Christmas presents.
A domicile.
Tractor is the main form of transportation in these parts.
As we rode out of town, it was clear that the locals were not quite as wealthy as the city-dwellers.
Brief rest stop.
Minseong practices blue steel.
Street vendor keepin' cool under her parasol.
Cow farmer.
No restaurants around, so we stop to make lunch on this elevated platform.
Then it's time for a quick nap. What a view.
The locals were super friendly.
And I broke 3000km (1800miles)!
On Christmas Eve, we rode into a small village, and this temple was the only place to camp. There were a lot of monk-children living here, so we spent the evening and some of the next morning talking to them, trying to learn a bit of Laos and teach them a bit of English.
Group photo.
Mark entertains a youngster with his picture book, which is basically just a book with pictures of almost everything in existence. It's great for finding the post office, asking for beer, or entertaining children for hours on end.
This lady is so happy she just got her baby blessed as signified by the pink bracelet.
Small pagodas, possibly containing artifacts or remains of monks passed away.
On Christmas Day morning, after a breakfast of sticky rice and soy sauce, we take off again. The road just keeps getting worse and worse (or more and more awesome).
First it's just super bumpy.
Then it's all rutted and muddy.
Then the real fun begins. By this point there is no vehicular traffic except for us and tractors.
Interrupting a fisherman...Sorry!
I lost track of how many streams and watering holes we had to cross. we rode (mostly walked) from dawn till dusk, and only made it 46km (25 miles)! So hard, but so incredible to be somewhere so off the beaten path. It just kept going like this...
A family of farmers hulling rice in the road (above). Not a single other person came by for more than an hour.
Sometimes the road just disappeared altogther.
Last river crossing.
We spent Christmas Day night camping in another tiny village at their community center.
Upon arrival we were greeted by this:
What to do but break out the frisbee, and then sing "Head Shoulders Knees and Toes"? After a couple hours, the kids were satisfied, parents were happy, and everybody went to bed. Even though I didn't get any presents on Christmas, and I'm sure these children didn't know it was Christmas, it felt good to make some children happy by playing games and singing songs with them. I think they liked us, because they came back the next morning and built a fire for us:
They don't even need the Boy Scouts! Already got their fire-building merit badge!
(Me washing my dishes). The Laotians have a peculiar way of bathing. Whether they have running water or not, everyone changes into a sarong in their house, before going outside and bathing with their neighbors in public. The sarong never comes off, they just wear it while bathing, and walk back to their house dripping wet, where they change into clothes again. I was told I could go down to the river to bathe, and upon arrival, I was greeted by several beautiful Laotian ladies, who motioned for me to bathe with them! Too bad for me, because I was still wearing all my clothes, so I had to go hide in the woods to change into my sarong, and by the time I was finished, the sirens were gone. Frown :(
We did finally get to drink the mango wine I've been fermenting in my pannier for the past week.
The next morning, Boxing Day, it was only a 20km ride over decent roads before we hit asphalt again! The funny thing is, the road we took shows up as "Highway 18A" on the map. Right now I'm reading Around the World on a Bicycle, by Thomas Stevens, a narrative account of Stevens' circumnavigation of the globe by penny farthing in the 1870s. In most places, Stevens is only able to ride his bike for short periods before hitting mud, streams, railroad tracks, or having to bushwack. The 100km or so we did over 2 days was hard enough...I can't even imagine doing that every day all the way around the world...Anyway, if you're interested in travel literature, Stevens' book comes highly recommended by me.
Heading out of Attapeu, the landscape was mostly arid farmland, with a lot of pastures and corn fields. No rice padis.
We exited Attapeu via this dirt road, which quickly deteriorated once we left the city.
Mike crosses a rickety wooden plank bridge, inches from death.
This kid got a couple early Christmas presents.
A domicile.
Tractor is the main form of transportation in these parts.
As we rode out of town, it was clear that the locals were not quite as wealthy as the city-dwellers.
Brief rest stop.
Minseong practices blue steel.
Street vendor keepin' cool under her parasol.
Cow farmer.
No restaurants around, so we stop to make lunch on this elevated platform.
Then it's time for a quick nap. What a view.
The locals were super friendly.
And I broke 3000km (1800miles)!
On Christmas Eve, we rode into a small village, and this temple was the only place to camp. There were a lot of monk-children living here, so we spent the evening and some of the next morning talking to them, trying to learn a bit of Laos and teach them a bit of English.
Group photo.
Mark entertains a youngster with his picture book, which is basically just a book with pictures of almost everything in existence. It's great for finding the post office, asking for beer, or entertaining children for hours on end. 
This lady is so happy she just got her baby blessed as signified by the pink bracelet.
Small pagodas, possibly containing artifacts or remains of monks passed away.
On Christmas Day morning, after a breakfast of sticky rice and soy sauce, we take off again. The road just keeps getting worse and worse (or more and more awesome).
First it's just super bumpy.
Then it's all rutted and muddy.
Then the real fun begins. By this point there is no vehicular traffic except for us and tractors.
Interrupting a fisherman...Sorry!
I lost track of how many streams and watering holes we had to cross. we rode (mostly walked) from dawn till dusk, and only made it 46km (25 miles)! So hard, but so incredible to be somewhere so off the beaten path. It just kept going like this...
A family of farmers hulling rice in the road (above). Not a single other person came by for more than an hour.
Sometimes the road just disappeared altogther.
Last river crossing.
We spent Christmas Day night camping in another tiny village at their community center.
Upon arrival we were greeted by this:
What to do but break out the frisbee, and then sing "Head Shoulders Knees and Toes"? After a couple hours, the kids were satisfied, parents were happy, and everybody went to bed. Even though I didn't get any presents on Christmas, and I'm sure these children didn't know it was Christmas, it felt good to make some children happy by playing games and singing songs with them. I think they liked us, because they came back the next morning and built a fire for us:
They don't even need the Boy Scouts! Already got their fire-building merit badge!
(Me washing my dishes). The Laotians have a peculiar way of bathing. Whether they have running water or not, everyone changes into a sarong in their house, before going outside and bathing with their neighbors in public. The sarong never comes off, they just wear it while bathing, and walk back to their house dripping wet, where they change into clothes again. I was told I could go down to the river to bathe, and upon arrival, I was greeted by several beautiful Laotian ladies, who motioned for me to bathe with them! Too bad for me, because I was still wearing all my clothes, so I had to go hide in the woods to change into my sarong, and by the time I was finished, the sirens were gone. Frown :(
We did finally get to drink the mango wine I've been fermenting in my pannier for the past week.
The next morning, Boxing Day, it was only a 20km ride over decent roads before we hit asphalt again! The funny thing is, the road we took shows up as "Highway 18A" on the map. Right now I'm reading Around the World on a Bicycle, by Thomas Stevens, a narrative account of Stevens' circumnavigation of the globe by penny farthing in the 1870s. In most places, Stevens is only able to ride his bike for short periods before hitting mud, streams, railroad tracks, or having to bushwack. The 100km or so we did over 2 days was hard enough...I can't even imagine doing that every day all the way around the world...Anyway, if you're interested in travel literature, Stevens' book comes highly recommended by me.
