March 3, 2007
Nateuy: Last full day in Laos
Today is the last full day in Laos.
As we leave the guesthouse around 7am, the weather is foggy and cool. Patrick's odometer isn't working and he finally figures out it's the battery and he fixes with a replacement battery. Right out of town is the start of about a 20km climb and we don't keep our jackets on for very long. After our first food break at 15km and another 12km, we get a nice long downhill. We are again passing through many villages but not many people outside. Maybe it's a weekend rest day for them too.
The children though see us coming from afar and they turn and shout "Falang, falang" to their friends, (in Thai Farang, a neutral term meaning Caucasian, similar to how we use the term Muzungu) then gather near the road to shout "Sabadee" and wave frantically. A few have also learned the "bye bye" and today a new one is "good morning". The youngest ones are a bit scared of us. As soon as Patrick stops their gaze burns cautious and the time it takes him to get out the camera is sometimes enough for one to lose his nerve and belt. As soon as the first one goes, the rest follows. Patrick surprises one little boy wearing only a sweater coming down a steep embankment and doesn't see or hear Patrick until he is right near him. Patrick says "Sabadee", the boys eyes flash with alarm, turns and runs back up the hill crying. Halfway up, he notices Rachel approaching and probably figures it better to keep going home.
It is getting hot, we stop frequently for food, make a stop at a shop to drink sweet fruit juice. Patrick buys some cans of mackerel in tomato sauce. People are friendly and gives Patrick a plate to open the can on and brings a pitcher of water that we don't dare to drink. A little further, halfway up a hard climb we stop again for two cans of electrolyte drink and we wolf down most of a roll of Oreo cookies.
Rachel says, "Guess we won't meet any cyclists today". It's true most cyclists ride the same stages from town to town, so the last chance of meeting others is about halfway in the day. Not two hundred meters down the road, huddled in the shade of some tall bamboo are two cyclists! They are from Holland (of course) and they backpacked across Asia, decided to buy bikes in Kunming and continue on their own wheels. We talk for awhile, then ride the last 20km to Nateuy where the road junctions, one to the Chinese border at Boten, the other road headed west into a "dead end" section of Northern Laos with good parks for trekking.
We find a guesthouse for 40,000kip ($4), clean and a cold shower down the hall. We have a beer and bag of potato chips Patrick carried today. At dinner we talk with another cycling backpacker who has his pack strapped to the back of a cheap Chinese MTB. He is convinced we will like China, the Dutch though warned us that traffic is heavier and people honk in China.
We'll see tomorrow.
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Today's ride: 80 km (50 miles)
Total: 6,083 km (3,778 miles)
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