Day 1099 24th July 2019
Vang Vieng.
:A day off the bike to recover.
I’ve had some tough days but that must rank as one of the hardest. Only 38 miles but through dusty tracks full of trucks, rutted sandy roads, three miles of pushing the bike up mountains, through jungle paths and constant rain. I realised at one point that I was totally alone with no communication to the outside world and with a descent through rocky terrain, but I made it and am now in Vang Vieng with hundreds of tourists looking for adventures. They need look no further, put them on a bike and see how they get on!!!
Lee Johnstone on Facebook said;
It gets a lot better now mate….next few days will be some of your best pal…..enjoy
Brian replied : I took the 4c. 3.1 miles up instead of 2, but it was well worth the challenge. I’m on the other side now after sleeping in a restaurant at the top last night. It’s a great road and only one stop for a landslide.
Today I got up for a good breakfast of scrambled eggs with bacon and coffee at 8 and then went for a walk trying to avoid the rain, it was too heavy and I didn’t make it to the caves.
Nam Song River Vang Vieng
The story of the life of Buddha in pictures
Then I went back to the hostel and onto Milan restaurant for tuna with rice for lunch. I met three guys on their gap year and chatted for a while before taking another long walk around the town, when I saw Stuart who I’d shared a dorm with in Vientiane. We had a few beers and I lost at pool to the owner of the bar.
An afternoon of pool
Never play against a bar guy as he plays pool all day long! Three games cost me three beers, but I got to meet Frankie the ladyboy and we had a good laugh before going to watch the sunset with Stuart. It was raining and cloudy with no tubers to be seen.
(Ermintrude: I found this blog about tubing in Vang Vieng, from July 2019, if you want to know more about it)
I went for steak back at Milan restaurant and met an Aussie working there before an early night.