day 43 - Sam Neua to Vieng Xai

Friday, 6 December 2013

We woke up this morning and our first conversation was about fruit-laden porridge, breakfast burritos and the various delights of Melbourne breakfasts that we would enjoy at that moment. We settled for an omelette and rice at a nearby hotel which was tasty and then set off from Sam Neua for Vieng Xai, 30km away. Vieng Xai is known as the birth place of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. We had read about some caves in Vieng Xai that were used as hiding places during the Secret War and had been told by the French tandem-riding couple that the town had plenty of food and accommodation options.

The 30km ride went by without any issues. The roads were mostly flat with the exception of a long descent into the Vieng Xai district. We passed lots of school age children who we assumed were heading home for lunch around midday. The younger children were enthusiastic as usual, some trying to practice their English, while the teenagers seemed a bit more shy and self-conscious in front of their friends.

(The temple in Sam Neua)

(Goodbye to Sam Neua)

(Limestone karsts springing out from flat rice paddies)

(Young girls cycling home from school near Vieng Xai)

We arrived into Vieng Xai town, passing a large Communist monument on the way in. Using a simple, hand drawn map we had picked up at the tourist information office in Sam Neua, we found our way to the main street and pulled into the first guesthouse that we saw. The building was large and imposing with long dark corridors, high ceilings and a wide staircase. The room appeared clean and comfortable and within our budget so we booked in for the night. After lunch, we walked around the town and having looked at some other guesthouses, we decided we had the pick of the bunch and paid the owner for two additional nights.

(A small lake in Sam Neua overshadowed by a limestone karst)

(A local football game drew a big crowd)

In the afternoon, two other cyclists arrived at the guesthouse. From a second floor window, we were amused to see them surveying our bikes, testing the brakes and the padding on the saddles. Paul went down for a chat and discovered they were also German and had also just arrived from Sam Neua. They told him about a French tandem-riding couple and a French family that they had met and asked if we were the crazy pair who sometimes ride up to 100km per day. Paul arranged to meet them for dinner at a local restaurant.

Later, at dinner, we found out that Tim and Tina are friends from university. They decided to take four months out to travel before returning to Germany to begin their PhDs. It turns out that they arrived in Bangkok 3 days before us and that we have done an almost identical trip so far to each other. They even set off on the Gibbon Experience the day after we arrived back from it. It was great to discuss our experiences and to hear that they too are planning to cycle through Vietnam and Cambodia before flying out of Bangkok. We had a great evening with them and agreed to meet in the morning to do a tour of the caves together. It was lovely to meet more great people along the way.