Saturday, 30 November 2013
Up, up, up then down, down, down. That's essentially a summary of our day. Before leaving Nong Khiaw this morning, we wanted to climb up to the viewing point which many of the locals we spoke to considered to be a must-see. It was a 2km climb along a dirt track to the top, much of which was under the cover of the trees around us. As we approached the final 100m to the peak, it began to rain and while there was still a lot of morning mist around, it was still a great view from the look out. Our descent was a slippery one, some of which Nicky accidentally slid down on her bum. Once back in the town, we had a big breakfast before setting off for Viang Kham.
Up, up, up then down, down, down. That's essentially a summary of our day. Before leaving Nong Khiaw this morning, we wanted to climb up to the viewing point which many of the locals we spoke to considered to be a must-see. It was a 2km climb along a dirt track to the top, much of which was under the cover of the trees around us. As we approached the final 100m to the peak, it began to rain and while there was still a lot of morning mist around, it was still a great view from the look out. Our descent was a slippery one, some of which Nicky accidentally slid down on her bum. Once back in the town, we had a big breakfast before setting off for Viang Kham.
(Looking out to one of the peaks in Nong Khiaw from the top of the view point)
(Looking down into Nong Khiaw)
We expected it to be a 50km ride to Viang Kham and after an undulating start, we began a long climb which ended with us at 1200m above sea level. Again, we were shrouded in a heavy mist for most of the journey which meant we weren't able to see much around us. We did pass through some villages where the children gave us plenty of smiles and waves and many of the adults also seemed very friendly or at least amused by us. I'm sorry not to have more photos of the villages as there were so many lovely moments to capture but it somehow felt like an invasion of their privacy. As we climbed, the temperature dropped significantly and it was 13 degrees at the top which made for some numb fingers and toes once we began rolling down the other side of the mountain.
(Approaching one village and spotted by the children)
(Looking back towards Nong Khiaw)
We reached Viang Kham about 5 hours after we had set off. We found a nice little guesthouse on the edge of the town, run by a friendly young woman who spoke good English. As she showed Nicky the available rooms, she explained that the electricity in the town was currently out which meant candles for light and a big bucket of cold water instead of a shower. She offered us some dinner but only on the condition that the electricity would come back on so that she could cook. Not having eaten since breakfast, we decided to go out in search of food straight away and found a place a couple of houses away where another lovely young woman cooked us 4 big bowls of noodle soup over a fire, which we ate by candlelight. We returned to the hotel, braced for a cold wash and by the time Paul had finished cleaning himself, the electricity had come back on in time for Nicky's hot shower!
Tomorrow we plan to ride to Vieng Thong, which we expect is about 100km away. There is only one road to follow, unlike Thailand where we had a few routes to choose from on most days. The map seems to indicate some more hills to come but it also promises some hot springs at Vieng Thong which will be a real treat.
No comments:
Post a Comment