new horizons

Armed with another 100cc Honda automatic motorbike, I set off from Thakhek on my 4-5 day loop. I spent hours rumbling along, scouring out the villages and caves to bring you the pick of the litter. My journey recording life in and along the mighty Mekong continues north…….

These were Mahaxay village.

An overnight with the most gorgeous family and my two new friends from Reunion (Yann and MaeVa) at Phosy Thalang, to do the 6 hrs of the Nam Xoi river towards Vietnam, stopping at a couple of isolated villages upstream. The kids were all working hard at school and didn’t know what to make of me snapping away!

 Looking for a mystical waterfall with our non-English speaking ?guide? – Leeches and mosquitoes plagued us in what proved to be impenetrable bamboo forest. After an hour and thoroughly pissed off we turned back. The lovely daughter back at the ranch, led us on a locale motorbike tour, to her garden at the end of the day, fabulous, before our bbq and ash roasted white sweet potatoes, collected that afternoon. She joined us for a great evening of chat, laughter and boules (played all over the place here).

Then a long blast around back to Limestone Kast country and Kong Lor at the end of a blisteringly hot ride up the valley there. I bottled out for the day and went to cool off in a green lagoon, just a short swim up the Mekong from the guest house. A lovely setting sun made me venture back out on the trusty??? steed (more on that late)

Start of day three was the famous 15km long Kong Lor cave in a dugout, over small rapids (we only got stuck thrice!)

Then the 140km blasting back to Thakhek. My less than trusty steed blew up 70km from home and I then had the most amazingly lucky rescue. I young guy ‘pushed@ my bike – he used his foot to push me offside footrest the 5km to the next village, wobbling along together, he even managed to answer his phone, to tell the bike hire place where we were going. This he stuck up under his helmet for a while so he could use both hands again. Top Geezer award! No pics of this I’m afraid – I was hanging on!!!

I arrived back at 10pm – ate and fell into bed after a quick snack on the riverside looking over the Mekong to Thailand.

Early bus to the capital of Laos – Vientianne – the next day, to stock up, sort out my (new)crappy phone, mend my sandals, get mossie repellent, decent sunblock (one that actually blocks the sun!) etc and have a couple of chilled out photo-free days and several beers and a few glasses of Lau-lao ( the Mekong whisky, fermented and distilled rice wine) encouraged by two other new friends from Belgium, now living in London. See you in March Gijs and Marijs. Luang Prabang tomorrow to continue my journey of discoveries.

That way…..