Pakmong to Luang Prabang

Saturday October 21, 2017, 70 miles (113 km) - Total so far: 1,061 miles

(1,707 km)

I was not 100ure I had 70 miles in me after the previous day's exertions! Fortunately, it's not toooo hard a route....although the rolling hills feel a bit relentless towards the end. There's some spectacular scenery to take your mind off things. We also finally bumped into our German friends today....several times!!

The surface of this section is much less good that the bit between Oudomxay and Pakmong, but still not too bad. Just bear in mind that there might be a large pothole around the corner. Plenty of trucks, and a lot more Chinese influence including a pretty horrific hydro development on the Nam Ou. I guess it's good for the economy....if not the ecosystem and culture of river travel.....at least it's not a coal fired power station I suppose?!

The section into Luang Prabang felt a bit tedious. It's far from scenic, and starts getting dusty and busy. But I was quite grumpy and tired by this point!!

Luang Prabang is completely atypical compared with our other tiny taste of Laos, but does look very pleasant for whiling away a few days.
We are staying at Jaliya guesthouse which is at the very good end of basic. 70,000 for a nice fan room with a balcony. There are also nice rooms that open onto the garden. The lady is friendly and helpful, and insisted we brought the bikes into the garden. The location suits us too - out of the super-touristy part, but an easy walk in to the night market etc.
We ate out with a guy who met our friends (shesnotpedallingontheback.com) cycling across Tajikistan last year. Our adventure hardly seems to compare!! I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but it's the Indian one right on the Mekong. Good, and not too expensive.