Ban Phongpheng > Kusuman (Thailand) (71km + 3km by bus)

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After nearly 2 months spent in Laos (my idea was to stay there only one month at the beginning) I’m back in Thailand for 28 days max, the length of the free VOA (Visa On Arrival). Most of the day, the road was flat and easy but I know some hills are coming soon. That’s a pretty easy day. I feel I came back to civilisation today. Laos was good, and Thailand is different.

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Step, Vientiane > Lao Friendship bridge 3 (349km, 4 days)

The fourth and last step of my trip in Laos. This time the road was barely flat and I enjoyed it! The weather tended to turn to rain but I managed to stay dry every night as there was no wind like in the mountains. Contrary of what I heard from Stéphane, the people on this area were very friendly with me. The kids, as always, said “hello”, “good morning” or even “thank you” when I passed them. At the beginning I thought about cycling until Savannakhet to apply for a “2 month Thai visa” but I realised I did not need 2 months. A VOA (Visa On Arrival) of 28 days for free will be enough. On the way, I came across the friendly bridge number 3 and decided to shorten slightly my stay in Laos.

Namsang > Ban Phongpheng (95km)

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I think I should change my disc pads very soon :-) I tried today but I don’t have enough tools with me. I will have to go to a shop. Technically, when I push the piston back to where it should be, the second one goes out. So I don’t have enough space to fit the two pads AND the disc. That’s a problem. Fortunately, I don’t break a lot these days so I should be fine until Bangkok.

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Phonsa-at > Namsang (82km)

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As you can see, the weather today is a bit, just a bit, covered :-) but lucky me, I didn’t as much rain as I thought. The road was pretty easy today so I did not struggled very much. Sometimes, I get closer to the Mekong and can see Thailand, sometimes the road turns more west and I loose the river for a while. All I’ve done, is cycling, taking pictures and enjoyed this fresh day :-)

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Vientiane > Ban Hai (80km)

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Finally, I’ve spent much more time in Vientiane than I thought I would. I didn’t visit at all. The few times I’ve been around the city was to get some cash, find a cheap place where to eat or just look for some specific shops. Everything in this city was a bit expensive compared to the country side. Once, I found THE nice and cheap restaurant, I came back their minimum once a day. They had local, Thai and western food so I could change everyday. That was nice :-) After each lunch, I came back to the guesthouse and worked on my laptop until very late at night. I thought many times about going out to take some pictures but I did not see any particular places. Everything was “okay”. It was a break on cycling AND a break for not taking pictures. I was very late on my blog too (like I am now) so I needed to catch up on that. Anyway, I’m leaving this morning, after nearly 3 weeks spent in a windowless small square room or on this terrace. I’m back on the road! The next step is Bangkok (again) where I will pick up my fixed GPS and apply for my Cambodian Visa. Let’s go!

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Taothane > Vientiane (50km)

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Another big step in Laos! Few, I’ve made it! We had only 50km to do and arrived in the capital around 1pm. When cycling I covered myself completely because at this time, the sun was hits very hard. Few days ago, I’ve found a mask along the road. I cleaned it of course, even several times. It became very useful against the sunlight and the traffic pollution. I just wanted to arrive here and rest, really rest. That’s why we cycled until 1pm which I don’t do usually. Now, no more cycling for a while :-) At least without the 35kg I’m carrying all day long.

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