8:00 came around and I woke up still feeling battered and bruised, I crept out of the room to get some coffee but the others woke up too. I went outside to tinker with my sweet sweet ride, drink coffee and smoke when the “girls” emerged. Toby had felt proper rough the night before and could have probably done with another week in bed and Georgie was seriously hating the sight of the bikes.

So, all rearing to go we started packing up and strapping our shit onto the bikes, Georgie was seriously considering getting the bus home because the bikes aren’t really made for two people and it was pretty fucking uncomfortable on the back. We got some breakfast and I squeezed a plan out of them – IF we could find a big pillow for Georgie and IF we broke the journey in half then she would come, it would mean an early start to have the bikes back in Vang vieng for their 9 am deadline but at least we would all be together.

We went back to our guest house and finished off packing and strap on Georgie’s cushion, it was another scorching day and we were all sweating buckets so Georgie got down to her pants and sat in front of the fridge for a while until we were ready to go. It seemed a shame not to see any of Luang Probang before we left but unfortunately it just didn’t work out that way, to keep Georgie sweet we dropped her off at Laos Red Cross for a massage while Toby and I fueled up (80000 kip to fill a tank – about £6) and got more oil for my bike and of course a good helping of coffee for our own tanks.

We got back on the road by 1:30 pm and not a second too soon, the heat was melting everyone. We had seen on our map that just out of town there was a waterfall, it would mean a detour and extra miles but on a hot day like that it was the only choice. The sign pointing to the waterfall said it was only 11 km so we turned off the main road and set off up a dirt road lined with small wooden shacks and huts, kids waved and people stopped to watch us pass, the bikes ate the rough track up and it was easy to keep the speed up at around 70 km/h… Fun too!

Turns out the waterfall was more like 20 km off the road but nonetheless the ride was fun and the water was cool, Georgie seemed to be feeling a little better about things with her new comfort modifications and after the track we all needed a wash down. Back on the road and we had to get as many miles behind us as possible.

About 50 km in Georgie leaned forward and said she wished she had taken the bus and was having no fun so the next chance we got we pulled over, I need to check the oil again and we all needed some snacks. Everyone in the village came out to see us, the men squatted by the bikes having a good look, the women stood in a big group nearby chatting and laughing and the children all crowded around Georgie transfixed on the camera and every time she took a pic and showed them they burst out laughing. The small friendly village seemed to lift everyones spirits especially Georgie’s and as we set off again I kept the ride as smooth as possible. We had about another 40 km to get through before the only place with a guest house so we pushed on only stopping to take in another amazing sunset behind  the distant hills. The roads slowly started to wind upwards and things started to get chilly, just as dusk was giving way to dark we pulled into Phou Khoun, a sleepy town on the fork of the road… The only place for miles with a guest house.

We’d made it, 150 km in about four hours although we were all battered still we were all happy and the ride had been just as good as the day before. We got our bikes stashed in the guest house and got stuck into some top class noodle soup, we were the only tourists in town and when we popped out for pain killers and a look around we raised a few eyebrows but everyone was friendly and welcoming as has been the case at every stop along the way. 

We were high up in the hills so at night it got pretty cold… I had to wear a woolly hat! Our rooms were at best “simple” so we sat downstairs watching Laos soap operas and drinking beers until about 9 pm when we were all feeling suitably destroyed to crash out in our “simple” rooms…

The long way Laos… Part two, Luang Probang to Phou Khoun was originally published by HappytimeBlog - Backpacking around the world - Backpacking travel blog