Pedalling South

Sou and I headed south out of Vientiane on Highway 13, the national highway.  We've had to leave really early in the day to try to beat the tropical heat and the unrelenting sun. Our days thus far have consisted of waking up around 4:30 or 5:00 and heading out under cover of darkness.  Orion's belt, the big dipper, and the milky way are visible until day starts to break around 6:30. Fortunately, the traffic is light.  We quietly slip through small villages, rice paddies and farm land.  Roosters crow and we dodge the morning traffic: cows, goats, or the errant dog.  As morning progresses, we accompany kids on bikes en route to school.   They barrage us with "Hel-Low!" or "Sa-Bai-Di!"

The terrain has been mostly flat thus far.  The highway is nicely paved and has kilometer markers that read the distance from Vientiane and to the next town.  The Mekong is usually meandering along somewhere to our right and the mountains are off in the distance to the left.

Once the sun is up, the day turns hot very quickly. We bike usually until around 11AM or noon, then try to find a guest house. We spend the rest of the day exploring the town or sightseeing.  We are now in Thakek, about 332 km from the capital and are continuing to head south.