In oudom Xai we met 3 other bikers: David (42) from Britain and a biker with as very long experience. Mantou, 27, from the Bask country, who came with him and only had bought his bike a couple of days ago in Chang Rai (Thailand) and Unai, 36, also Bask, who had bought his bike app. a month before in Bangkok. We all stayed in the same gusthouse and spent the next days more or less together. Unai cycled with us all the time, the other two were faster and waited for us at the end, making sure we had a room and cold beer immediately at hand.

We did two stages. The first was 82 kms to Pak Mong and took us over 2 mountainpasses, altogether 1220 vertical meters. It took us the whole day, we came in just after dark, but it was a wonderful tour. Mountains, views, nature and people. We stayed in the same geusthouse at the junction as we did the last time. Good bed, a pan of water as a shower, good beers and food and of course good company and similar conversations. The next day to Luang Prabang was supposed to be flat. It appeared to be 113 kms, with lot ups and down in it; 695 vertical meters.

Luang Prabang is still a nice French town, but it seems to be a lot busier than nearly 3 years ago. Very many western tourists walking (and cycling on rented bikes) around. We regret 🙂 to have lost our special status: until now, wherever we came, we were special: foreigners, westerners and on bikes as well. In China it occured more than once that people stopped us and requested to allow them to make a picture of us. Now we are just some of many of the same kind.

We stay at Koun Savan guesthouse, a good room in a quiet street with a garden in front. Yesterday our small group held a bike-maintainance workshop on the premises, conducted by David. We took off the chains and cleaned them with petrol, quite an operation. (Still smelly hands). Now the machines are shining again and waiting for new adventures. So: to be continued.

It seems that we are not allowed to load up pictures here, " Ridiculous" (this is a quote). We’ll try somewhere else later.