To Menglun: a new country to figure out

March 5, 2007

Our routine has shifted about an hour because of the time change. We get up at 730am and are ready to go at about 8am. Through town, then on the outskirts we meet up again with the new road under construction. For most of the way though, the new road follows it's own course. Often straight and gradually climbing or descending as if it totally ignores the terrain.

No expense is spared, mountain sides are cut away, huge concrete structures with channels to divert the rain water into ditches are built to protect the hillsides and road below from erosion and landslides. Long sections of the new road are elevated on concrete columns, we see at least half a dozen bridges. All this for a two land road that goes into Northern Laos....

Traffic is busier than in Laos, but not too bad, most drivers share the road with us. We start with a long climb in which we gain about 400 meters, then a short downhill and another 300 meter climb. Then a downhill to Menguyan where we fill our water bottles again.

It's already past noon and we've only just done 45km... Another long climb to gain about 400 meters, then a nice viewpoint and a long downhill to Mengaing, a grimy junction town. Twenty kilometers to go, first along a river through a nice canyon with rainforest then a climb, downhill, cross the river and we are in Menglun. It was a very long and hard ride with a lot of altitude gains.

We find a nice hotel room with a Pergo floor for 50 yuan, but no English station on the TV. We eat next door but make the mistake of ordering chicken and getting a steaming pot with a chopped-up bird, including a foot that came up out of the middle of a pot like an alien, and with very little meat on it. Mostly bones, skin and chunks for 40 yuan!

......We need a better way of ordering food in restaurants with no English menu.

Back in our room we string up a line across the room and hang our mosquito net. There're mozzies out there!