Day 14 - The road to Saleuay Water Fall - Trial by fire: new bike, first tour, first time in Asia

November 8, 2024

Day 14 - The road to Saleuay Water Fall

Thirty-six kilometers doesn't seem such a distance, but for a novice such as myself, these hills can be brutal. After breakfast and changing some money, we got off to a later stop than Ian likes, but accommodations are spread far apart in this region, so we knew that it wouldn't likely be a long-distance day.

Grand seat of the provincial government.

Motorcycle parking at the Xan Neua high school.

The footpath outside suggested that most ride motorcycles to school.

Heavy cargo sidecar is an example of the Lao mechanical ingenuity.

It wasn't long before Sam Neua was far below. We had done only 5 km.

The top of a hill and a regional boundary

Sculptures, resembling a piped instrument, are common.

Those deluded hills appear to have a slope of 45 degrees.

Major highway bridge - trucks might want to cross one at a time.

Lao sports utility vehicle. Heavy duty model.

Beautiful traditional stilt houses - with satellite dishes.

People on this area were making these beautiful woven table tops. I can’t figure how to carry one of these on my bike.

The roads in Laos are not a patch on those in Vietnam.

Ian arrived in a village intent on finding calorific snacks. These are heavy. You buy them for the packaging!

The purveyor of the Vietnamese flower love gifts. She also sells honey.

There was a village after 33 km and the villagers indicated a homestay 2-3 km away. Saleuy Waterfalls turned out to be a tourist site without tourists. We had cycled a mere 36 km but climbed 1000 m. It appeared at the perfect time.

I met this fellow. He will never walk alone!

Our abode was a short push up a steep hill. We had it to ourselves.

Another welcome sight at the end of a hard ride.

Today's ride: 36 km (22 miles)
Total: 653 km (406 miles)

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