Simply cycling around
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 :-)
Easy day today but a bit the same all along the way. I did not take much pictures. The sky stayed covered all day but I didn’t get much rain, that was good. I just kept cycling and cycling. Nothing special happened from what I remember. Only two pictures for today.
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!
Today is the last day on my first 30 days VOA (Visa On Arrival). I could go to the Laos embassy and ask for an extension but it costs $2USD per day. Because I want to stay another month, it’s better to go out of the country and then come back to get a second VOA. That’s why, this morning I’m cycling to Thailand where I can get a 28 days VOA for free. The simple idea is to go to Thailand, have breakfast and then turn back to Laos. Here we go, I’ve just passed the Laos immigration and I’m on my way to Thailand across the friendly bridge :-)
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Except one or two big hills, that third part got easier. In fact, closer I got to the capital, flatter the road became. The thing is, I was pretty tired from what I’ve done previously. One day off with Stephane was clearly not enough to rest completely. I did not have too much choice except keep on going because my visa would end in a week. On the way, I met Bright from China, another touring cyclist. We arrived in Vientiane together and spent some time around. I stayed in Vientiane for nearly 3 weeks finally.
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.
That’s quite a long trip today but that’s normal because the road is not that hard anymore. And Today, I met Bright, a Chinese guy who is cycling from Chengdu (China) to somewhere :-) He doesn’t really know. He has a simple mountain bike and a backpack, that’s it. Late this morning, as I was going very slowly up hill, Bright arrived next to me. Both of us are going to Vientiane so if I can follow him or if he as the patience to wait for me, we will make it together towards the capital city. Let’s see :-)