Day 1087 12th July 2019
32 miles (Vieng kham To pakkading ) Average speed 11.2 mph
A good day that became a very bad day when looking for a place to sleep.
I was awake at 3 am but managed to get some sleep, before taking omelette and coffee for breakfast. The staff did not seem very interested in serving food in this restaurant. Then I showered and packed only to get a knock on my door at 11.59 to vacate. I gave them the key and left ASAP as they didn’t seem to like people using their aircon for the duration of their stay!!
One of the rules of the guesthouse was also not to wash your clothes in the room but I’m not sure they offered any other option!! As you can tell from my demeanour I am not a happy bunny today!!!
I decided not to venture into the tourist trap of the loop and headed north. My first stop was at a shop to buy lemon and honey tea for 7000, I’m finding Laos expensive for the things I require frequently. I sat by a temple to cool down and then continued along the good AH11, the shoulder is of poor quality but the drivers don’t seem to mind me riding on the worn down side of the road, except the buses!!!
Sharing the road
Then I had lunch at the chill Cafe which was excellent and the staff were very accommodating. The road was good and with only a few climbs it was a pleasant ride. As I came down to the river it was beautiful scenery.
Beautiful river
I arrived at this small town, having crossed a lovely bridge and went in search of accommodation, the first asked for 100000, but all others were closed so I had no choice.
As I cycled back up the hill to buy some water and a beer disaster struck. I changed into top gear and the chain got stuck in the wheel with a big clanging noise. I didn’t realise the extent of the damage until I checked in to the first hotel. Disaster, two spokes broken and one damaged.
Two spokes damaged
I didn’t have time to shower, I went to the moto mechanic opposite hotel only for him to send me to another 400 metres away.
Phetparhoum Guesthouse. 100000 kip ( a disgraceful price). No hot water, no WiFi until I protested and the biggest gekho I’ve ever seen, probably six inches plus the tail. I hope he’s sleeping when I get back to the room having had his fill of all the mosquitoes in there. The only saving grace is that the old air conditioning seems to work. Apart from that this place is a dump. If they spent more time cleaning the room instead of their four wheel drive maybe it could be better.