A Big Out Breath

Parts 1 to 3

Oh my Buddha. You've got no idea how good it feels to be back in Southeast Asia again.

My body's celebrating. It's suddenly being regularly nurtured by loads of fresh healthy food. The temperature's warm, or even hot, so I can finally stop freezing my butt off and get into some light clothes, instead of my puffer jacket and thermals. My hamstrings can finally stretch properly without killing me. There's not millions of people wherever I go.

As soon as I arrived in Bangkok I felt like I was home again. I found a really good little guesthouse with cheap fan rooms, and basically went out eating for two full days.

Being here is like having a very big and very long out breath.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaah.

It's chilled. You can walk down the street without having to dodge a million obstacles, hundreds of loudly beeping motorbikes, and swarms of people.

You wouldn't think Bangkok would be chilled, would you. But actually it is, in any of the back streets, and in many other places, at certain times of the day. And the people are chilled. They have what they need. Mainly. They're super super polite and unassuming.

It just feels so good ...

After we flew above the smog pall of Delhi, there was an amazing view of the Himalayas in the distance. We followed them for ages, heading southeast.

Sorry it's not clear. I saw all of the major mountains, including Everest (I think).

This, my friends, is Bangkok smog, from above.

But the watermelons and mangoes are so good down here I really don't care that I'm right inside this fat grey toxic plume right now. I am Pallish after all.

Bangkok's air quality index is around 22, averaged over the whole year. Generally, pollution readings of over 50 are deemed to be unsafe.

Delhi's annual average index is 146. Imagine living in that full time.

However Bangkok's air is worse than average at the moment, around 75, because of seasonal burning of crop remains by farmers in surrounding districts.

Khaosan Road pumping. There were loads more people than last time I was here, and the touts were way less hassley. Iain reckons it's because there's plenty more business to go around. Sounds logical.

I returned to the scene of the crime from a few months ago, where Iain and I had one joint too many (just one was too many after our beers), and then I smashed up my face and shoulder by crashing my bike.

Awww, makes me feel so nostalgic. Such good times. I look so happy.

Mmmmm, cha yen, cha yen!!! And in a comfy chair.

Another pic in my series on bad cannabis shop names.

Chinese New Year's coming up folks, the Year of the Dragon. They're everywhere.

Of course I went to Chinatown, I always do. I was really missing having hordes of people around me.

Dinner spot.

I ate so much that my hollow legs completely filled up, and I had lots of trouble getting home.

I watched this artist for ages.

Buddha inside his protective naga bubble

Awwww, Vishnu even made it to Bangkok, I already miss him.

My quiet street corner, where I sat and ate, and drank, and ate, and sat, and drank. The watermelons that woman was cutting up were so good I couldn't concentrate on anything except staring at them, and I nearly got run over when I walked towards her in a dribbling daze.

Sunset at the bus stop.

Man, cosplay is massive in Bangkok now. There were loads of young women dressed up in costume, just like you see in some parts of Tokyo. But I didn't take any pics, I didn't want to be rude. One of them got on my train, but all you can see are her fluffy ears.

Another cute eating place.

My delicious feast. Rice congee with eggs (they crack raw ones in there and they cook in the soup), slivers of ginger, springs onions, and the most delicious spicy flavours ever.

Back To Laos

Of course, I couldn't sit around forever, some of us have things to do you know, so after a couple of days I took the overnight train up to the northern border town of Nong Khai.

Don Meuang Railway Station in northern Bangkok was a shock. The trains were running on time. The information screens worked. There were staff everywhere to help passengers. I didn't know what had hit me, after India.

I mean, not judging India. Imagine trying to coordinate a train system so massively huge and complex, and with totally limited resources.

Overnight cattle class. There were no sleepers available, plus they're quite pricey in Thailand these days (relatively).

Dawn over the fields.

Chinese temple in Udon Thani. I went there a few months back when I rode through this area, on my Mekong loop trip.

I didn't think Thailand had an Emperor anymore, just a King.

Diamond in the rough

Awww, my dear sweet darling Mekong. This'll be my last time being near you for awhile, probably.

I captured the moment our bus ran over a young cow.

Or it could be that that didn't happen and I was too lazy to straighten my photo.

I stayed in my friends Michael and Jenni's house. They were actually away, which was a bummer, but it also wasn't a bummer at all, because I got to have a whole house to myself for a couple of days. What a treat! I honestly can't remember the last time I had that.

Oh yeah, my other Michael friend shouted me a beautiful hut in Nong Khiaw about 4 months ago. That was almost a house. But besides that I actually don't know.

The temple architecture in Laos is beautiful. But you don't see it everywhere. The most standout temples are in Luang Prabang and Vientiane.

Happy Chinese New Year of The Dragon The Planet To Ruin With Rampant Consumerism.

Wow, a drug free school! We should get some of those in Australia.

Reuniting with my trusty bike, Black Bewdy, was a little traumatic. She'd really let herself go when I was gone. Sad to see. Even one of her tubes was so deflated I had to fully replace it, and had to work hard to pump her up again.

But I coaxed her into a bit of a clean up, and, although she was a bit stiff and creaky to start with, she eventually loosened up.

Michael and Jenni live about 3 clicks from the centre of town. Every night I'd ride in and get some amazing food at places like this.

Another road victim.

I discovered a really good locals night market in town

Before

After

I had a cull. Frankie had kindly brought my down sleeping bag and fuel cooker to India, as I need it for China and Central Asia. Plus I have a new puffer jacket. And I bought some clothes in India. So certain things had to go, including this old fave, which I bought in Bangkok some years ago. I left it for Michael.

Gooey coconut pattie with a chewy outer edge. It was tasty.

It was great to have a couple of days alone to get myself organised - sort out my gear for riding, finance stuff, phone, getting on top of other things I had to do.

Headin' Fer The Hills

I could've stayed in Vientiane for ages longer, but decided to get moving, as I'm hatching a few plans, and they might involve fixed dates.

So I loaded up Bewdy, I've got even more gear to carry now than ever. My panniers are full, and I guess I'll just have to let things go on the way if those steep hills all become too much.

The dusty bumpy exit north out of the capital.

A beautiful wat in the middle of nowhere

I passed under the Lao-China railway line a number of times over the next couple of days, it's a massive infrastructure project. There's also a Lao-China Expressway, which eventually will connect Vientiane with southern China. So far they've completed the section from Vientiane to Vang Vieng.

Lunchtime feast. The daughter of the cook could speak a little English, and was very keen to practice it. I ordered som tham (green papaya salad), she asked me if I wanted it spicy, I said yes, because I'd just come from the city, where people in the tourist zones are used to foreigners, and if you ask for spicy it's never too spicy. They water it down for the falangs.

But I wasn't in the city was I, and so eating the som tham instantly caused my mouth to explode with fire, hair to suddenly sprout on my chest, and my butt cheeks to involuntarily wiggle dangerously.

But I survived.

Mama and the English speaker. The girl gave me the khao niaw (sticky rice) for free, she said she was giving me a discount, I must've looked poor. She was so nice.

I turned off the road up a dirt track looking for a nice shady spot to have a snack. See the guy at the back?

He had an old woven bag on a long pole, and I went over to look at what he was doing. It turns out he was getting some bush tucker.

He was collecting ants, and I made a signal to indicate eating, and he said yes. I didn't think that was too unusual, as you can eat some species of ants, I've tried them in Central Australia, they taste a little citrusy. They're quite good before a meal, sorta like a little anty-pasto.

Notice the white bits in there?

I went to my bike to get some food to share with my new friend, I gave him an orange, and he offered me some of these ...

It wasn't actually the ants he wanted to eat at all, but their eggs. He had so many of them, and showed me the tall tree he'd climbed to get them. Not wanting to be anty-social, I had a few handfuls. They were quite strange. They popped when you bit them, and were liquidy inside, but actually quite tasty. For ant eggs.

Eventually I left him to his antics and rode off, thinking about potential ant puns.

I'm such a deviant.

It was a long day's ride, and, although it was relatively flat, I was surprised at how good I felt, after not having ridden a loaded bike for nearly four months. After 70 clicks I found a room in Phonhong.

Downtown. People there were so friendly.

I actually had a couch in my room, it looked so good, but when I sat on it the middle of it just dropped away, it felt more like sitting on a commode. Well, what I imagine sitting on a commode would be like. Not there yet.

To Vang Vieng

The next day I left bright and late, heading north again. I planned to reach Vang Vieng, even though I knew it was 85 clicks up the road, and hilly most of the way. I wanted to test myself, because the hills I'm planning to ride through further up are gonna be tough - the toughest I've climbed for the whole trip so far.

It's so good to be back in the sticks. It's hot and dry at the moment. But not as hot as it was in summer.

Drying bark chips

The low hills

The beautiful river crossing at Hinheup

Riding through bamboo forests

There wasn't much to eat. Sharing my chips with some local lads

Beautiful locally made baskets

These containers are for sticky rice, they soak the rice in water for up to 24 hours, then put it in these baskets and steam it up. It's the most delicious rice ever.

The hills are getting taller

I passed by one end of the Nam Ngun Reservoir, a massive lake created by the damming of the Nan Ngun River, a large tributary of the Mekong, to make hydro power. It was the first dam in Laos, and was completed in 1984, and the hydro power generated serves all of Vientiane, and most of the rest of the country.

On top of that, 70-80% of the power generated there is exported to Thailand, and the revenue they get from it represents about a quarter of Laos' total foreign revenue.

That's a big deal.

Christian graveyard

Aaah, the hills have reappeared. I'm gonna be right in the thick of them soon. Yay.

Well ... yay, and ouch.

Roadside stalls on the cruise in to Vang Vieng.

They sold mainly dried freshwater fish from the massive lake nearby.

Vang Vieng's stunning backdrop

Vang Vieng

This place used to be a mecca for backpackers, who would go there to party, go 'tipsy tubing' (tubing down the river stopping at bars along the way), go zip lining, and party hard on cheap beer and spirits.

Well, surprise surprise, there were a few accidents in the river as a result of all that, unfortunately. In 2011 alone, 27 tourists were killed, either drowned in the river from being drunk whilst tubing, or from diving into rivers or lakes and hitting rocks or submerged logs.

So the government stepped in, many bars on the river were forced to shut down, and Vang Vieng became more of a family friendly place.

These days it's pretty much a place for everyone, albeit more regulated than it used to be. By the number of backpackers I saw coming back in pickups from their tubing trips, and strolling around the nightmarkets, it appears to be well and truly back on the traveller's circuit.

There were loads of Chinese tourists around, as it's Chinese New Year, and every year millions of Chinese go on holidays for a couple of weeks over that period. Also, The Lao-China railway project has changed the face of every town in Laos where it stops, in terms of Chinese tourism - Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang, Oudomxai and the border town of Boten.

Of course being new year the night was filled with an infinite array of fireworks, the most common being deafeningly loud bombs. I think that's just an Asia thing. Traditionally in China, loud fireworks are used to ward off evil spirits, so they don't settle in a place.

But, besides the bombing campaign, there weren't any organised celebrations around town, it was pretty ad hoc.

Go figure

The best Thai green curry I've had in ages. In fact, the only one I've had in ages.

Beautiful fabrics with Lao designs

Tham Chang (or Tham Jung)

One day, as I was riding my bike on a back road to this beautiful cave, I met Paul, a German cyclist who's riding down to Singapore. He's ridden from Leipzig in Germany across to Istanbul, and then flew to Hanoi, and has ridden down here.

He's a sports teacher, a raving Bayern Munich football fan, and a lovely guy. We spent the day together.

The cliffs that house the cave.

The view from way up the stairs, at the entrance.

Like many large caves in Laos, Tham Chang was used as a refuge during the Lao Civil War, and the whole village of Meuang Xong (just south of Vang Vieng) moved in there for the duration of the war. It's large, has a water supply, and affords good views of the plains below, so the inhabitants could stay safe in there.

The underground water is freezing cold, so some locals call it Tham Jung, which means "cave where you're unable to move," because their legs freeze when they take a dip. Tham Chang means elephant cave.

There's an extensive network of tracks and caverns heading all over the place inside. Some are blocked off.

A view of Vang Vieng from another opening

The river there's crystal clear and deliciously beautiful, although I didn't jump in, it was too cold (both the water and the weather), and neither Paul nor I had our swimmers.

More rickety bridges to ride over

Reminds me of home

Getting Higher

The next day I really hit the hills, and had a long day of cycling. My legs are doing really well, I gotta say, given that I haven't cycled for so long. Way better than I expected.

Beautiful hills are appearing everywhere now.

Riverside village

I stopped for riceflour cupcakes

And to admire the view

Three different flavours, all yummy.

Cabbage patch

The view from my lunch stop

And the view inside

Basket for birds to use as a nest

They're getting taller

Roadside stalls

They were selling home made whisky, which is made from an endemic tuber. And the other bottles are full of local honey.

King Kong. So wrong.

As I rode further north, the roads got worse and worse. That's actually the hardest part about riding here, the road quality. It's one thing to have steep hills, but steep hills with long sections of loose rocks and gravel is really tough.

This bekery looks pratty bere. Notice the beguettes, e Franch colonial lagecy.

Bumping in to Kasi.

My standard fare around here. When I can get it.

Kasi to Phou Khoun

The next two days were tough riding, with long long steep uphill sections on sometimes really bad roads, and nothing much in the way of fresh vegetarian cooked tucker.

Rolling out of Kasi

Drying grass for brooms and dusters

Mud bath pamper

The scenery became more and more stunning as I headed up

Typical small village scene

Don't push me cos I'm close to tha, edge

This is steeper than it looks. It's impossible to ride my loaded road bike up sections like this, it's way too heavy and the tyres are too skinny to get any real grip. So I had to push it up. I've been doing that a bit lately.

I was pretty exhausted as sundown approached, and there was nowhere to stay. I asked about sleeping in a little village called Ban Hin Ngon, and an old lady kindly said I could camp next to their house, which was right on the super dusty dirt road. I stopped to get some food there anyway, and cooked up some two minute noodles and eggs, and then eventually found a much better camping spot up the hill.

My kitchen and dining room

Kiddies playing with some puppies.

I sat around for ages, loads of people from the village came to have a gawk, and not one person could speak any English whatsoever. So I just sat around and played guitar to the kids and anyone else who sat for awhile.

The kids are so great. They were so fascinated with me they just stared at my every move, watching me setting up my camping stove, pitching my tent, unpacking my stuff. I got them to help, of course.

The dusty road outside their house

My much better spot up the hill

A killer sunset with hammock moon

The next day up I went, further. The road just keeps getting higher and higher, it peaked at over 1400m, which is not all that high really, except for the gradient and the poor road quality.

Up and up

Witches hats, Lao style

When the road's not rocky it's covered in grey bulldust. You can imagine how filthy Blackie and I got. We looked even more elderly.

Am I in Lilliput? The giantest road marker I've ever seen.

Sometimes there was old bitumen, but it was often broken

Cruising into Phou Khoun

Downtown

Guesthouse foyer. The sculpture is made of Lao (worthless) banknotes

Wedding snap, and snapper

The view from my very (relatively) swish eating place

I can't describe how good it feels to eat food like this after a hard day's ride.

The Long Cut

So I've got a lot more hills to climb, and villages to visit, before I get to the Viet border.

I need to eventually make it to Hanoi, the best place in the region to get me a Chinese visa, because I plan to cycle through that great ancient kingdom sometime soon.

But, as usual, I'm taking the long cut. I plan to ride further north in Laos first, further up into these magnificent leg-killing hills, before eventually cutting across to Vietnam again.

Yay! Vietnam! Banh mi op la! Real cakes and coffee in some ex-French café in Hanoi! Rice paper rolls!

Aaaaah, it's neverending.

Life's bounty is truly boundless❤️

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