Crossed the border at the Friendship Bridge which lies some 22 kms east of the capital Vientiane. No worries whatsoever, a seamless transfer from Thailand into Laos, the visa and all checks took around 30 minutes, could not have been easier.
But first the cycle through north Thailand. Having taken a somewhat circuitous route out of Bangkok, I came back onto the main road known as highway 2 which leads to the Friendship Bridge. This is a busy route mainly 2 and 3 carriageways with a Frontage Street which you can access at every decent size town and city, meaning you can stop and shop safely and rejoin the main road a little further on. Also, there is a full width shoulder lane for cyclists and motor cycles which is great, so a doddle of a route. Never seen a nation of such spontaneous smilers, they are all at it; its impossible not to smile back. Whenever I stopped for something to eat at a roadside cook up, they kindly invited me in, indeed a pleasant change from previous places where the crowds surround you with the thought of 'A tourist, how many rupees can we rip him off for!!!" Street food was pretty good, stuck to the hot stuff, bbq duck was a favourite, at least I think it was duck. The birds are smaller than in the UK and they have this quaint ritual of battering them until they resemble a pancake. So plenty of dislocated bones to navigate around, but ok nonetheless. Immediately beyond Bangkok, the topography is flat, wetland areas, saw numerous snakes, light yellow in colour and a huge lizard, must have been three to four feet, black with bright green striations down its back. The further north you went, the landscape turned agricultural/semi tropical. Monkeys swung around the telegraph poles and wires. From a cyclists perspective ideal cycling since there were no hills at all. The down side was the high humidity which was tough to deal with. Within 5 minutes of setting off, you were soaked in sweat, literally rivers of the stuff falling down the side of my head, down my trunk and legs and into my feet, Had to stop every half an hour to replenish liquid, fortunately, there were plenty of opportunities in the numerous towns and villages along the way to fill up. The dehydration and exercise didn't exactly compliment the malaria tabs I was taking, but with a bit of judicious shifting as to when to take the tablet, I felt much better.
The route through Thailand, well the route I took was probably not the most scenic, however, the people made up for it, and it was always a pleasure to stop and spend a few minutes with them at roadside. I tried to do this most of the time, however, the need for a few minutes air conditioning proved too much of a need on some occasions so I stopped off at a 7 /11 or, would you believe a Tesco Lotus. (Must have taken the marketing boys at Tesco a few sleepless nights to come up with that one!!). I stayed in hotels of various quality although all were ok. In the smaller towns, there were rarely any hotels advertised, but went under the name Resorts, which could mean a few chalet style units tucked away behind the town or on the periphery. They charge around 6 pounds a night for double room with air con and ensuite. For an extra 500 baht (about 10 pounds) you can order a young lady to keep you warm. Now I know why Tesco came up with Lotus!
So into Laos, from Friendship Bridge I had to cycle 22 kms into the city. I had downloaded the lonely Planet onto my kindle (incidently; apart from my brick of a phone, the kindle is the best thing I put in the pannier.) so headed for the guest house in question. Unfortunately, they were full for that day so booked up for 3 days and found a billet close by. Vientiane has a population of some 700,000 and is a quiet city. Very attractive and full of character displaying the legacy of French colonialism. The architecture, and street signs have the French imprint which is very stylish. Of course there are the historic temples and monuments such as That Dam and of course nowhere would be the same without a statue of the former king; King Fa Ngoum who stands in commanding posture overlooking the Mekong River. The centre piece of the city is the Avenue Lane Xang which extends from the Presidential Palace (which itself overlooks the Mekong) and extends north to the Victory Monument built in 1957 although looks older. The Avenue itself is broadly the equivalent of Pall Mall/Whitehall with many of the Ministeries and major financial institutions either side.
Last evening, as is my habit, to celebrate the arrival in a new country I always celebrate with a few beers, sort of good luck charm. Well found a 4th floor bar overlooking the Mekong and watched the sun go down, just beautiful. There is something about the light which distinguishes south east Asia, just as the light in Dubai and Abu Dhabi reflect the Middle East. I count myself as probably one of the most fortunate human beings on the planet, being able to see these sights and take in such incredible places, good and bad. The sunset was a superb introduction to Laos. The French of course were all over Indo China like a rash and who could blame them. Given the choice between IndoChina and India (incorporating Pakistan as was) I know which I would have preferred and which would get my vote; the French were not daft. Strangely, I watched BBC World News last night. I'm not a fan of the BBC, much prefer CNN, but they interviewed the Indian housing minister about the problems facing Delhi. With the increased wealth, people are pouring into the city looking for work, plus they reckon 1,000 cars a day are being added. The minister believes high rise is the answer, with opposition saying no keep the city low rise and green. Well 4 million people are living in slums according to the report, and having come off the land, I cannot see them settling in a box on the 20th floor somewhere! That I think would take some persuasion. Well it didn't work in the West Minister, certainly not in the UK in the 60's at any rate. Try cleaning the place first and getting some decent infrastructure in place.
Cuisine in Laos is sensational, just about everything you could ask for is here. Beer is excellent too, which is far more important. Traditional French, asian just everything. Oh and they have a place called Jomo Bakery which does all day American Breakfasts. Unbelievable, waffles with maple syrup and cream, just the most sublime way to start the day.
Memo for Ed Wilkes GM Manor House Hotel, Studland Bay
Ed, think the need to introduce waffles and griddle cakes is a must for the hotel. Guests would love them. Its a winner. Get Pat onto it, he would do a good job. Definately not Alain, he's French and has no concept of good food whatsoever!
Plan on exploring the city for the next couple of days, then heading for Luang Prabang which I have heard is sensational. I shall leave Cynth at the hotel and take a bus, a 10 hour trip all mountainous. So for now xok dee and la korm (thats good luck and goodbye).
But first the cycle through north Thailand. Having taken a somewhat circuitous route out of Bangkok, I came back onto the main road known as highway 2 which leads to the Friendship Bridge. This is a busy route mainly 2 and 3 carriageways with a Frontage Street which you can access at every decent size town and city, meaning you can stop and shop safely and rejoin the main road a little further on. Also, there is a full width shoulder lane for cyclists and motor cycles which is great, so a doddle of a route. Never seen a nation of such spontaneous smilers, they are all at it; its impossible not to smile back. Whenever I stopped for something to eat at a roadside cook up, they kindly invited me in, indeed a pleasant change from previous places where the crowds surround you with the thought of 'A tourist, how many rupees can we rip him off for!!!" Street food was pretty good, stuck to the hot stuff, bbq duck was a favourite, at least I think it was duck. The birds are smaller than in the UK and they have this quaint ritual of battering them until they resemble a pancake. So plenty of dislocated bones to navigate around, but ok nonetheless. Immediately beyond Bangkok, the topography is flat, wetland areas, saw numerous snakes, light yellow in colour and a huge lizard, must have been three to four feet, black with bright green striations down its back. The further north you went, the landscape turned agricultural/semi tropical. Monkeys swung around the telegraph poles and wires. From a cyclists perspective ideal cycling since there were no hills at all. The down side was the high humidity which was tough to deal with. Within 5 minutes of setting off, you were soaked in sweat, literally rivers of the stuff falling down the side of my head, down my trunk and legs and into my feet, Had to stop every half an hour to replenish liquid, fortunately, there were plenty of opportunities in the numerous towns and villages along the way to fill up. The dehydration and exercise didn't exactly compliment the malaria tabs I was taking, but with a bit of judicious shifting as to when to take the tablet, I felt much better.
The route through Thailand, well the route I took was probably not the most scenic, however, the people made up for it, and it was always a pleasure to stop and spend a few minutes with them at roadside. I tried to do this most of the time, however, the need for a few minutes air conditioning proved too much of a need on some occasions so I stopped off at a 7 /11 or, would you believe a Tesco Lotus. (Must have taken the marketing boys at Tesco a few sleepless nights to come up with that one!!). I stayed in hotels of various quality although all were ok. In the smaller towns, there were rarely any hotels advertised, but went under the name Resorts, which could mean a few chalet style units tucked away behind the town or on the periphery. They charge around 6 pounds a night for double room with air con and ensuite. For an extra 500 baht (about 10 pounds) you can order a young lady to keep you warm. Now I know why Tesco came up with Lotus!
So into Laos, from Friendship Bridge I had to cycle 22 kms into the city. I had downloaded the lonely Planet onto my kindle (incidently; apart from my brick of a phone, the kindle is the best thing I put in the pannier.) so headed for the guest house in question. Unfortunately, they were full for that day so booked up for 3 days and found a billet close by. Vientiane has a population of some 700,000 and is a quiet city. Very attractive and full of character displaying the legacy of French colonialism. The architecture, and street signs have the French imprint which is very stylish. Of course there are the historic temples and monuments such as That Dam and of course nowhere would be the same without a statue of the former king; King Fa Ngoum who stands in commanding posture overlooking the Mekong River. The centre piece of the city is the Avenue Lane Xang which extends from the Presidential Palace (which itself overlooks the Mekong) and extends north to the Victory Monument built in 1957 although looks older. The Avenue itself is broadly the equivalent of Pall Mall/Whitehall with many of the Ministeries and major financial institutions either side.
Last evening, as is my habit, to celebrate the arrival in a new country I always celebrate with a few beers, sort of good luck charm. Well found a 4th floor bar overlooking the Mekong and watched the sun go down, just beautiful. There is something about the light which distinguishes south east Asia, just as the light in Dubai and Abu Dhabi reflect the Middle East. I count myself as probably one of the most fortunate human beings on the planet, being able to see these sights and take in such incredible places, good and bad. The sunset was a superb introduction to Laos. The French of course were all over Indo China like a rash and who could blame them. Given the choice between IndoChina and India (incorporating Pakistan as was) I know which I would have preferred and which would get my vote; the French were not daft. Strangely, I watched BBC World News last night. I'm not a fan of the BBC, much prefer CNN, but they interviewed the Indian housing minister about the problems facing Delhi. With the increased wealth, people are pouring into the city looking for work, plus they reckon 1,000 cars a day are being added. The minister believes high rise is the answer, with opposition saying no keep the city low rise and green. Well 4 million people are living in slums according to the report, and having come off the land, I cannot see them settling in a box on the 20th floor somewhere! That I think would take some persuasion. Well it didn't work in the West Minister, certainly not in the UK in the 60's at any rate. Try cleaning the place first and getting some decent infrastructure in place.
Cuisine in Laos is sensational, just about everything you could ask for is here. Beer is excellent too, which is far more important. Traditional French, asian just everything. Oh and they have a place called Jomo Bakery which does all day American Breakfasts. Unbelievable, waffles with maple syrup and cream, just the most sublime way to start the day.
Memo for Ed Wilkes GM Manor House Hotel, Studland Bay
Ed, think the need to introduce waffles and griddle cakes is a must for the hotel. Guests would love them. Its a winner. Get Pat onto it, he would do a good job. Definately not Alain, he's French and has no concept of good food whatsoever!
Plan on exploring the city for the next couple of days, then heading for Luang Prabang which I have heard is sensational. I shall leave Cynth at the hotel and take a bus, a 10 hour trip all mountainous. So for now xok dee and la korm (thats good luck and goodbye).
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