To Laos

Reaching the Mekong

Have finally arrived in Laos after a fun 100km ride in the blistering heat and full of climbs.

Out of Chiag Rai Hawk and I rode at a wonderfully steady pace, covering a little under 60km in 2.5hours. The peddals were turning smoothly, all was flat and we had a nice little tailwind. When we hit the Mekong we stopped to find food, there was little English spoken, but eventually we managed some soup and noodles. So we recharged for a while and decided to push on for the Laos border.

Drifting Back

Hawk maitained a steady pace for the next 25+ km amd I managed to find a nice rhythm, just dropping back ever so slowly, which was fine by me as I was still not confident in my knee. Then the wind was no longer a tailwind and the flat became decidedly uphill. I felt like I must have been drifting futher back as someone had filled my bike panniers will concrete. My speed was dropping quickly from 30km down to 10-11km. Then I was faced with a big climb and my speed dropped again. Physically there was not alot left and I wasn't looking forward to the push up the hill, when I heard a voice from the trees where Hawk was perched in the shade. We stopped and recharged before commiting to the climb.

The Climb

As I watched Hawk pull away up the hill my commitment died, so I hailed a passing van with a lovely husband and wife in it. We threw my bike in the back and headed up the hill, stopping to pick up Hawk just 100m from the summit.

We contemplated continuing ourselves, only 24km from the border and facing a fabulous downhill ride, but we stayed in the truck thankfully as ahead there were two more big climbs, neither of which looked easy following our energy depletion from the heat. Once over the hills we jumped out of the van, gave the couple a little money and said our thank-yous. We could see Laos.

The rest of the day was the formalities of a border crossing, immigration and customs as well as finding a guesthouse in which to stay. No of these things are easy to achieve when tired, exhusted, dripping sweat and not understanding a word of Thai or Lao.

Sorry that there are no photos, but the internet here is slow. Later I will writeabout our trip om the Mekong where I have a few nice photos.

Cpp

Rest Day 1

Chiang Rai

Today is our first rest day and we're spending it in Chiang Rai where we are also enjoying a little respite from the heat. The first days we have been peddling out in the heat and direct sunshine, but today it's raining and cooler.

We have been out of Singapore for 5 days now, clocked up a few Km's [see The Narrow Shoulder for actual numbers] and seen some amazing sights already. I ticked off one of my 'Lifetime Must Do's' yesterday when I traveled downriver in a longtail boat. Just sat back and enjoyed the view.

Just laying back after a few days of riding, pointing the camera and seeing river life represented so much of what I'd wanted from this trip.

I wanted this to be a mix of a physical challenge along with a visual stimulus, something for the eyes and camera.

The Logistics

One of our biggest concerns had been getting the bikes safely on and off the plane. But big cardboard boxes, panniers and masking tape solved that the night before we left.

However, the next morning I had to open the box to check I had my helmet, so I opened it up then 're-maskingtaped' it.

At the airport I realised I'd forgotten to let the air pressure out of the tyres, so I opened it up again then 're-maskingtaped' it, again.

Finally at the ticketing desk I found I was well overweight, and so was my bike box. 2 Months riding around South East Asia should take care of my weight problem and $120.00 sing dollars should take care of the bike's weight problem.

Building the Bike

This was not as hard as I first thought it may be. The bikes were in good condition when we unpacked them so all we needed was an Allen Key and a Swiss Army Knife.

The Allen Key helped to tighten all the nuts on the bike, while the Swiss Army Knife undid the top of the Chang Beer bottle enough to loosen up the two nuts riding the bikes.

See ya

Cpp

On the Road

Today I am in a little town in Northern Thailand called Chang Dao about 80 km north of Chang Mai. It's a sleepy town with a nice hotel and a couple of small street restaurants with good food. A great place to recharge the batteries.

The day before yesterday was spent in planes and airports, chasing our bikes, which despite their size were difficult to locate in Bangkok's new Suvarnabhumi Airport. But when we finally got to Chang Mai we were greeted by a driver from the hotel who loaded on the bikes and drove us the 3kms to the hotel. Hawk and I were both keen to get the bikes unpacked and built so we could check if anything needed fixing before our journey could properly begin. Thankfully the bikes came together well and nothing needed any work.

Yesterday we did a little sightseeing on the bikes, testing them out and testing ourselves out. I felt good on the bike, but the traffic was difficult as all the drivers here seem to have broken turn indicators. We did a small mountain climb on the bikes in the afternoon to push the legs, I didn't mind the climb which I took easy, but I loved the descent where the bike wound out to 63km/h - not possible in Singapore where there are no hills.

Today's ride was just about clearing the town and finding a nice rhythm. We managed to average a nice speed for the first 40km which was all highway. Then we hit a nice section of forest and windy road which I really enjoyed as it represented the start of what I was really imagining our journey to be like. Towards the end of the ride I had a few difficulties with my right knee, so this afternoon has been spent stretching and walking with fingers crossed that it is nothing sinister and will pass.
Cpp

Haven't really had any photographic opportunities yet, but will start posting a few picture when the chance arises.

The Night Before

Wrapped up work today and headed off to get the final few things ready. First thing was to change my bicycle seat to the one off my racing bike. My thinking is that I've already done several thousand kilometres on it, and while it may feel a little hard at the moment, it may be a better option long-term. Or possibly the first and worst decision and you'll be hearing about it the entire trip.

Went down to 'Bike Uncle' to pick up a box to pack my bike in for the flight. Some of you may already be familiar with 'Bike Uncle', the no-nonsense guy from the bike shop who sold me my first bike when I got to Singapore. I felt a little sheepish about going to get the box from him as I rode there on the bike I'm taking on the trip, a bike he didn't sell me, a bike he has told me each time I've ridden past - 'I would have got you better one'. [This is the same 'Bike Uncle' who, when I got a previous bike stolen and was walking home straight after said - 'You need new bike. I have. Just arrived. Second hand. Sell you cheap' - Went to the back of the shop expecting to find my bike sitting there, but it wasn't. So I said 'How'd you know I needed a new bike? To which he replied 'Bikes here always stolen, I knew you need new bike one day.]

'Bike Uncle' provided the box with a smile and refused any money and I head off down the middle of Joo Chait Road on my bike with a great box under one arm. I felt reassured by the number of horns blaring that all the drivers could see me and there was little chance one wouldn't and would accidently knock me over.

Now the bike is packed, the bags are packed, the house is packed and I have just a short sleep until everything is airborne and the real story can begin.
Don't forget to look over at 'The Narrow Shoulder' for a few of the facts.
Cpp

Cycling Thailand/Laos/Cambodia

It's a little over 24 hours until our journey begins. Hawk and I have been living in the region for awhile and made a few trips together. A while back we started exploring the idea of having a trip that mixed a few tourist highlights, some off the beaten track exploring and the opportunity to take some wonderful photographs.



After tossing around a few ideas we eventually hit upon riding bicycles up through Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. It's close to home and we can explore more of the interesting places in the neighbourhood. We checked the web, found a couple of interesting websites, then bought a few maps and set about planning our trip.



Hawk and I bought a couple of suitable bikes and started decking them out ready for the trip. And now the time is upon us to make a start. I will be using this trip as an opportunity to get back writing and to develop as a photographer. While Hawk is looking at creating a guide for anyone interested in doing something similar. Hopefully between the two of us we can create something interesting. Check out the gear and the outline for the trip, plus updates on hawks site as well at http://www.thenarrowshoulder.blogspot.com/



For me this trip is a big change from the last two major trips which have been to India - Solo.
Cpp