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Lao People's Democratic Republic/Don Không Round the world trip 2008
3/14
A short day: 30 km through a meandering river valley, heavily influenced by agriculture. The denuded forests make way for teak plantations, valleys host rice fields currently sprouting corn, cabbage and watermelons in this the dry season. The guide book stated this was possibly the most dramatic scenery in Indochina. We began to wonder what influenced the writer when we came over a rise and in the last 5km began to see anamite mountains rising steeply from the Nam Ou river. We had been riding through traditional villages, waving at the adorable children and the stooped old women some in traditional garb, wondering what this little town we were heading toward held for tourists. Well – loads of falangs are here! Bungalows, western-like food served in restaurants all over-looking the river and the kids splashing during the hot afternoon.
As we rode along we wondered where the restaurants last night had acquired the animals apparently trapped and killed. What were they? Wild dogs with fox-like tails and small ears. A couple of the mammals looked like muskrats. The forests are so denuded, we wondered where these things had lived.
We were joined at dinner by two Austrians who also biked up from Luang Prabang and were staying in the same guest house. They had a three month journey planned and were on their way into China, leaving Pak Mang in the opposite direction as we were – we, heading toward the Nam Ou and a boat north to Muang Noi and then onto Muang Khoua which will put us onto the road into Vietnam and Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam.
At our little tourist destination, Nong Khiaw, we walked down the dusty, dirt main street to find a new I pod charger. Seeing a gentleman surrounded by circuit boards and electronics sitting in the front shop area of his wooden house, Art gave him our broken charger. The man went about fixing it, using a resistor from an old board. Art thanked him and asked the cost – FREE! With a smile! A gift from someone with so little and he repaired something that in America would just have been thrown away and replaced.
March 17 Lao People's Democratic Republic/Muang >
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March 13 Lao People's Democratic Republic
A short day: 30 km through a meandering river valley, heavily influenced by agriculture. The denuded forests make way for teak plantations, valleys host rice fields currently sprouting corn, cabbage and watermelons in this the dry season. The guide book stated this was possibly the most dramatic scenery in Indochina. We began to wonder what influenced the writer when we came over a rise and in the last 5km began to see anamite mountains rising steeply from the Nam Ou river. We had been riding through traditional villages, waving at the adorable children and the stooped old women some in traditional garb, wondering what this little town we were heading toward held for tourists. Well – loads of falangs are here! Bungalows, western-like food served in restaurants all over-looking the river and the kids splashing during the hot afternoon.
As we rode along we wondered where the restaurants last night had acquired the animals apparently trapped and killed. What were they? Wild dogs with fox-like tails and small ears. A couple of the mammals looked like muskrats. The forests are so denuded, we wondered where these things had lived.
We were joined at dinner by two Austrians who also biked up from Luang Prabang and were staying in the same guest house. They had a three month journey planned and were on their way into China, leaving Pak Mang in the opposite direction as we were – we, heading toward the Nam Ou and a boat north to Muang Noi and then onto Muang Khoua which will put us onto the road into Vietnam and Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam.
At our little tourist destination, Nong Khiaw, we walked down the dusty, dirt main street to find a new I pod charger. Seeing a gentleman surrounded by circuit boards and electronics sitting in the front shop area of his wooden house, Art gave him our broken charger. The man went about fixing it, using a resistor from an old board. Art thanked him and asked the cost – FREE! With a smile! A gift from someone with so little and he repaired something that in America would just have been thrown away and replaced.
