February 17, 2007
To Tha lat: leap frog with the Dutchmen
The breakfast included with the room has been good the past few days, so we decide to wait until it is served at 7am. The Dutchmen cycling also staying here, join us. We leave ahead of them, they will be faster than us.
There we sit after 20km eating baguettes with nutella, and here they come and stop for a break also. We start off, soon they pass us, we pass them when they stop for a picture on a bridge. They pass us as Patrick takes a picture and we don't see them again until the end of the day.
Route 10 travels through the Vientiane plain and then small hills. The first 10km is on a very busy road then the traffic diminishes. Route 10 rolls into near constant string of tiny roadside villages. Most rice fields are brown waiting for the return of the wet season or burned occasionally then there are green planted rice fields. The LP guidebook described this section as "easy." There are quite a few big hills and as the day progressed, the temperature increased to 36C...it is hot!!
And there's always one more hill before reaching our destination.
We decide to save 6km on tomorrow ride and go to Thalat rather than to the lake, it's about 2:15pm. As we come down a hill around a curve, we see the bridge to the river and town. Rachel hears her name called, the Dutchmen, Ari and William, are sitting at a restaurant. The guesthouse is just here, we check in, it's a new building right by the river and we can roll our loaded bikes directly into the room. We eat peanut butter sandwiches and Patrick had already picked up Beer Lao, we clean up and read a bit.
We go out for a walk about 5pm. The market in the town is supposed to be interesting. As we walk around, we see the Dutchmen and arrange to meet them for dinner at 6:30pm. The restaurant with the guesthouse isn't very friendly and we return to the restaurant where they had eaten lunch. It was a great meal, good conversation and at the end Ari announces it's his birthday and he would buy the dinner.
We call it a night and expect to see them on the road tomorrow.
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Today's ride: 91 km (57 miles)
Total: 5,528 km (3,433 miles)
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