9th January 2015
Leave 9.15
Miles rode 208 (333km)
The sky was full of clouds when I left this morning and whilst I felt better than yesterday I wasn’t fully my usual self. At 12.30 I arrived in Thakhek, a really nice town so I had some lunch, relaxed and decided I would ride around checking it out and then ride further south flowing the Mekong, it’s such a massive river!
I left the main road and ridding through the small villages with some tarmac & some dirt was so much better. I felt much better in afternoon and arrived in Savannakhet mid afternoon and found an average guesthouse but there were a few other travellers there to talk to so all was good.
Savannakhet is the second largest city in Laos but you wouldn’t guess as it’s not big. I rode around the city and couldn’t find any bars! I stopped at a restaurant (a few plastic chairs and a woman cooking on nothing more than a camping gas stove) on the Mekong at 6pm, ordered a beer and looked out as the sun set across the river in Thailand, I must say it maybe a quiet place but it’s an amazing way to spend and evening.
I know the backpackers will be downing beers in other ‘lonely Planet areas’ of Laos but on this leg of my trip I don’t want that.
Cheers
