RIDE DAY: Lak Xao, Laos to Pho Chau, Vietnam

2/1/09
Day: 80.07 km
Cume: 1636.2 km
Avg: 16.8 kph
Max: 56.5 kph
Time: 4h45m
Highs: Unbelieveably, there was no massive uphill leading to the border as I had dreaded the day before after seeing the hill between Nahin and Lak Xao, it's nearly flat except for a short 3-5 km grade up to the border, remote country, hugged the river almost all the way to the border (simply gorgeous countryside), arriving at the Lao border, arriving at the Vietnamese border and passing WITHOUT having to empty all my panniers or even have them inspected (thank you to the border agents!), rode through dense jungle fog and drizzle, very very friendly Vietnamese people in small villages, HIT 1000 MILE MARK!!!
Lows: Strong uphill headwind while riding up river in Laos, buses traveling at breakneck speeds, more horns, the Lao border check point and then the Vietnamese border check point, my Vietnam map absolutely sucks


This was one very very exciting day of cycling for me. First, having inadvertently skipped the worst section of climbing by taking the bus from Nahin to Lak Xao, I was so thankful to not have to climb a 15% grade up into the mountains on the border. It was a very gradual climb to the border and then one sensational downhill on the Vietnamese side. Contrary to what many people told me, it was not a breakneck downhill, it was 8% which meant that I was traveling a constant 30 kph and rarely rarely touched my breaks, which was way way mellow. It was COLD on the downhill. I put on all the winter gear to get through the drizzle and fog. Apparently, it's like that frequently, if you intend to ride the route.

Second, I finally made it to Vietnam, which has been a long long time dream of mine and crossing the border by bike was such a rush! Third, on that incredible downhill, I hit 1609km, which by my accounting is 1000 miles!!! That's a big accomplishment for me and I was pretty stoked! I took photos and everything, so expect to see exactly the location where it happened (note: cows, sparse houses, mountains, jungle).

I had no route information about the other side of the border. All I knew is I was traveling through a national park and literally the most dense jungle I had seen yet! It was IMPRESSIVE! I believe that this forest had been hit with agent orange, but some of it not, so some of it was pretty massive, thick and big! My maps had none of the villages I rode through and I had no idea when I would actually reach a town with a hotel or guest house. Fortunately, at the 80km mark, a really nice stopping point for me, there was a big town with guest houses and hotels. I wanted to push on because I still had a lot of daylight and energy and am so thankful I didn't because the next town with a hotel was almost 60km away.