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Lao People's Democratic Republic/Don Không Round the world trip 2008
3/13/2008
Riding north of Luang Prabang up the Nam Ou river, the land undulates without huge climbs. It took us two days to reach Pak Mong, since we stopped at Vico Resort only 30 kms out of Luang Prabang the first night. Meeting two English girls who had bought bikes in China, we dined together, shared stories and much laughter about the conditions in these small villages. Actually, the Vico was rather amazing, although local in its design (a shower washes everything in the bathroom; cement floors and walls) it sported hot water, even in the sink and a foam pad on an otherwise rock hard mattress. The only disappointment was the food at the otherwise smart looking restaurant across the river. Thanks goodness the beers were cold!
Tonight our guest house owners provided us with two buckets of boiling hot water, when mixed with the cool water from the barrel made a lovely bath. Art washed our riding clothes and we settled under the fan for an afternoon read. (Good books are a must for travel).
Even in the villages along the road we see older women in traditional dress. There are huge looms under the stilt houses and fresh skeins of dyed silk hanging to dry on bamboo racks. Rice fields are terraced down the hillsides, no longer hosting any jungle growth. Large tracts of teak and bamboo intersperse other vegetable crops of watermelons, greens and herbs. Most of the villages are oriented to the water, where young boys paddle race their boats, so comfortable in the water, their second home. The laughter and giggling; the waving; the school boys on their one-speed Chinese bikes race us through the village streets. When we stop for a Pepsi and snacks, we are entertained by the little children who are being taught to wave “sabadee” or bye-bye, or to blow kisses to foreigners. These are for the most part, fairly healthy, bright and beautiful children, with Madonna-like mothers. All we can do is chuckle and smile in their presence. It is hard when one reads and realizes that 80 percent of these rural children have worms, bronchial infections and worse. Clean water and proper sewage handling are not available.
Several of the villages we passed today make a material from tree bark that is used in grass roof construction. All the trees are cut, striped of the bark which is then painstakingly cleaned and shaved with sharp knives and hung to dry. Every other truck was loaded with bales of the stuff going to market. As tin roofs are used more and more often, what will these people do? But, on the other hand, they might run out of trees before the demand diminishes.
March 14 Lao People's Democratic Republic/Nong >
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March 11 Lao People's Democratic Republic/Luang
Riding north of Luang Prabang up the Nam Ou river, the land undulates without huge climbs. It took us two days to reach Pak Mong, since we stopped at Vico Resort only 30 kms out of Luang Prabang the first night. Meeting two English girls who had bought bikes in China, we dined together, shared stories and much laughter about the conditions in these small villages. Actually, the Vico was rather amazing, although local in its design (a shower washes everything in the bathroom; cement floors and walls) it sported hot water, even in the sink and a foam pad on an otherwise rock hard mattress. The only disappointment was the food at the otherwise smart looking restaurant across the river. Thanks goodness the beers were cold!
Tonight our guest house owners provided us with two buckets of boiling hot water, when mixed with the cool water from the barrel made a lovely bath. Art washed our riding clothes and we settled under the fan for an afternoon read. (Good books are a must for travel).
Even in the villages along the road we see older women in traditional dress. There are huge looms under the stilt houses and fresh skeins of dyed silk hanging to dry on bamboo racks. Rice fields are terraced down the hillsides, no longer hosting any jungle growth. Large tracts of teak and bamboo intersperse other vegetable crops of watermelons, greens and herbs. Most of the villages are oriented to the water, where young boys paddle race their boats, so comfortable in the water, their second home. The laughter and giggling; the waving; the school boys on their one-speed Chinese bikes race us through the village streets. When we stop for a Pepsi and snacks, we are entertained by the little children who are being taught to wave “sabadee” or bye-bye, or to blow kisses to foreigners. These are for the most part, fairly healthy, bright and beautiful children, with Madonna-like mothers. All we can do is chuckle and smile in their presence. It is hard when one reads and realizes that 80 percent of these rural children have worms, bronchial infections and worse. Clean water and proper sewage handling are not available.
Several of the villages we passed today make a material from tree bark that is used in grass roof construction. All the trees are cut, striped of the bark which is then painstakingly cleaned and shaved with sharp knives and hung to dry. Every other truck was loaded with bales of the stuff going to market. As tin roofs are used more and more often, what will these people do? But, on the other hand, they might run out of trees before the demand diminishes.
