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July 27, 2006
Taking the High Road - Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang
LOCATION: Luang Prabang, Laos
SEE WHERE WE ARE!
Longitude: N: 19.88496°
Latitude: E: 102.13612°
Miles from Singapore: 2200
When we left Vang Vieng we knew we'd be encountering some grades, but neither of us had any idea of the scale of what really lay ahead. The last three days have been some of the toughest days on a bicycle that I've personally ever experienced. Taking into account the rise and fall in elevation I'd estimate we've pulled about around 5,000 metres (16,000 feet) to get to Luang Prabang where we are now (back down on the River Mekong).
But the payoff has been the utterly spectacular scenery and exposure to some of the more isolated peoples that inhabit the highland regions of northern Laos. Historically these folk have deliberately chosen the mountains for the cooler temperatures and distance from the interfering hands of outside powers, including most recently the French. The road that we've just ridden was unpaved until comparatively recently and targeted by rebel 'Issarak' bandits looking to make life as hard as possible for the supply convoys feeding the northerly provinces. The legacy of this is evident in the rather cool reception we've received by khaki-clad men walking down the road wielding homemade rifles that look like they've been cobbled together out the back of a plumbing store. Take away the sealed road and the regular traffic and it wouldn't take a great leap of imagination to be transported back to the way it used to be just 60 years ago.
We've received the exact opposite response from the children who, without fail and en masse, descend upon us in every village like a swarm of nats with the chorus 'Sa Bai Dee' (meaning 'hello') repeated over and over until a response is given. Some are primed to beg for money with open palms, but are not the least bit put out when given a firm refusal. They settle instead for running alongside the bikes, screaming at the top of their voices and attempting to pull off any loose gear that their grimey little hands can reach. All executed with beautific, toothless smiles that can't help but make one laugh regardless of what the little tykes have got away with.
Posted on July 27, 2006 3:38 PM