Day 29 - south to ...... 40 km gained and 35 lost! - Trial by fire: new bike, first tour, first time in Asia

November 23, 2024

Day 29 - south to ...... 40 km gained and 35 lost!

It looks like another clear day outside. It will be a warm one but the hills will be few.

The last thing that I did before we left was to tackle my pomello and get it into a form suitable for a pannier.

Still life - towel underlaying peeled pomello on dirty black socks with peel.

We were on our way as monks and their dog collected alms.

I've no idea from what they make these crackers. Also, I don't know why they're drying outside a barber's shop.

We've remarked on the paucity of birds on our travels but this morning I saw a fine bird over the paddy below. It was definitely a harrier - a bird of prey, but I have no idea which one of three. There's also a pied harrier which it wasn't.

Eucalyptus stare down on young rice in the early morning.

Pull up in your tractor for a packet of fags.

It's a roadside pizza place; possibly scary.

This is in a place that's relatively dust-free.

Women fishing. Every couple of minutes they pull up nets attached to bamboo poles.

I had cycled 20 km when I came upon a banh my stall. I ate two and put a bag of rolls in a pannier for banana dogs.

A banh my stall the best leaning spot for any bike without a stand.

After about 40 km, we crossed the Nam Ngon at Tha Ngon. On one side of the bridge a fellow fished with a net. On the other side lay SS Carlsberg.

A boat-shaped floating resort littered with Carlsberg placards.

I photographed a dead snake in the middle of town, across the road from a poster of military pride. I then had a coffee.

I was rather surprised to see a group of cyclists come in to use the toilet in the café and not spend a kip. Then again, they didn't give me the steam off ......... not that I deserved or wanted it.

As I got going Winston turned up and announced that we had missed a turn a long way back. The 40 km we gained in bypassing Vientiane had evaporated. The 70 km to Naxay became 105!

The ultimate field of dreams in Laos. Clearly, we are near Vientiane. There were some players with excellent skills practicing.

Another indicator of our proximity to the capital were buildings that looked as though they belonged elsewhere.

They're still working on the concept of handicap parking

The rest of the day was fairly mundane but there's always the occasional sight that sparks the imagination.

One thing that I saw but failed to photograph was a roadside stall selling motorcycle helmets. They were stacked in two price ranges - 90, 000 and 160,000 kip. That's $6 or $10 Australian. You won't get much change from $1000 for a helmet in Australia.

The Suzuki Smash; Cora and I rented one to explore the Bolaven Plateau in 2011.

Foundation for Assisting Poor People of Lao PDR. I like it!

Prosperity Footwear. All of the workers are very well off!

People often wonder about bicycles mixing with semi-trailers. Do they ever ask how a scooter with a hundred balloons mixes with a semi-trailer when there's a slight wind blowing? The photo below is poor but I worried somewhat when the balloon lady moved to the gravel. It's all very tight.

She sells sticky coconut rice roasted in joints of bamboo

The road surface was mostly good, but Hwy 13 won't be a strong contender for the Lao Scenic Byways competition.

But there were points of interest.

One's never far from an eye-catching temple.

Maybe they picked these up in a white elephant sale

Dorkphet Guesthouse - our abode for the night. It's 100 m from the main road and most pleasant.

We walked to the main street for dinner. As we left, some children on a scooter found joy in a toy vendor.

And, finally, my cyclist of the day was a woman doing it tough on a bicycle fitted with an umbrella. I found it hard enough cycling and making a photograph.

Today's ride: 103 km (64 miles)
Total: 1,341 km (833 miles)

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