Laos

Jewel of the Mekong

What a transition! We thought Yunnan was a transition phase but as we pass the Lao border we know where transition is complete: exactly there! At the Chinese side people are industrious and modernising, in Laos people sleep in hammocks and simple bamboo huts. While China enforces a one-child policy, the Laotians seem to be in some kind of competition.

After non-stop cycling for 18 days we take a break at the River Ou, in a village only excessible by boat. We have a bungalow with hammocks next to the river and we enjoy fantastic views and three tourist meals a day. The evenings start with moonlight, bird- and frog sounds and end with fog and roosters yelling from all directions.

We bring our clothes to the laundry service, which we will enormously regret. The next morning the laundry lady thinks to see me hurrying to the boat and she wants to hand me the clean clothes quickly, afraid I would forget them. The tourist, who looks like me (!), thinks that someone who has left for the same boat has forgotten his clothes at the guesthouse and takes the bag. And off they go, all cycling shirts and pants...to find them never after. This seems to be a real disaster as finding these outfits in Laos is a near impossible mission.

We travel by boat on the River Ou and the Mekong to Luang Prabang, the complete city a World Heritage Site for obvious reasons. As we follow the mighty Mekong down from China to Cambodja we see the river broadening and increasingly powerful.

In Luang Prabang we find new T-shirts and we decide to try and cycle in somewhat tight referee shorts so at least our skin is less exposed. On our way south we tell the story of the lost clothes to three Austrian bikers. One of them offers me his old cycling pants...I hesitate. The other two assure me it shouldn't be a problem if I wash it two or three times and I take the offer.

The shortening days make us cycle the last kilometers in a dark forest on a few days. The forest lives as we cruise in the moonlight while the fire flies lighten our path and the frogs and birds encourage or warn us. Cycling in the dark is not something we would do on purpose but it is a remarkable experience.

On our way to Vientiane we break our climbing record that was still holding from day 1: an ascend of 2050meters. There is a good atmosphere in Vientiane, we enjoy Mekong BBQ-fish while watching a beautiful sunset. Here we find Janneke a fantastic Lao-style cycling outfit. After a day rest we go further south to the Cambodian border. We take a small detour to the caves of Kong Lo, which is more than worth the extra kilometers. It is a beautiful, few inhabited area with limestone mountains and thick forests. Somewhere down this road the bolt of my saddle breaks and I decide to cover the last 30km standing on the paddles to the next village. There we find a motorbike repair shop with a replacement.

In Southern Laos in the Mekong river are the Four Thousand Islands. On one of those islands we take a two day rest, refilling our energy reserves with good food and drinks and we relax in the hammocks under the palm trees. It has to be said that starting up the cycling after days like these is quite difficult.

After 600 flat kilometers we have almost arrived in Cambodia. In fact we are looking forward to entering a new country. Laos has a beautiful landscape and the life at the river is often very laid back. We find it a bit too lazy from time to time. Men are invisible on the land, they decide taking a shower anytime of the day, they play with their fighting roosters and relax in the hammocks in front of their houses. The women sit virtually jobless in their shops with a dozen products, they chat with the neighbors and take care of their many children, that is if they are not feeding them. But if anything can be called the Jewel of the Mekong, it is the children of Laos. They are always happily playing with the simplest toys, they do not seem to be bothered by poverty and are not in need of a PlayStation 3. If we pass by bike a wave of children's greetings travels through the village: sabaidee!!!!!!

We have altered our planned route slightly in order to visit the temples of Angkor in Cambodia. Also our final destination and returning date lie further ahead. On the 13th of February we will return to Amsterdam from Kuala Lumpur. Doing so will give us time to enjoy Southern Thailand like most travellers do.