Bo.lan's tasting menu includes this wonderful dish, stir fried squid with free range chicken with orange chili and Thai basil.
This is a spicy relish accompanied by local vegetables, and the betel leaf had been tempura-ed to make it even more tender.
For the desert course we sampled Thai sweets, and our favorite was the coconut cream. Pete is holding the lid that covered puffed rice that was "smoked" with an herbal candle at the table.
We especially like Bo.lan because they have a female chef (her name is Duangporn Songvisava, and her nickname is Bo), they locally source their ingredients, and the restaurant is taking steps to eventually eliminate their carbon footprint.
Pete is with our friend Steve at the Bangkok train station. We met Steve on the Burma cycling trip two years ago, and we are so happy that he joined us for another cycling adventure! The three of us took an overnight train to Vientiane.
The train was comfortable, and before we knew it, we were in Laos.
Kristina is holding her passport, as we had to get our Laos visa on arrival.
Day One of the cycling trip: touring around Vientiane, the capital of Laos.
Here we are with our cycling tour group during our ride around Vientiane. We visited Pha That Luang, which is the golden stupa behind us.
Pha That Luang is the national symbol of Laos and the current stupa dates back to 1566.
Vientiane became the capital of Laos in the middle of the 16th century, when the country was still named Lanexang, Kingdom of a Million Elephants. This is King Sai Settathirath, who is considered one of the greatest Laotian rulers, in part because he stopped the Burmese invaders. He was a prolific builder and is credited with building the current version of the Pha That Luang stupa.
We cycled to Patuxai, the Victory Gate. Built to commemorate the struggle for Laotian independence against the French, and using US funding and cement earmarked to build an airport, it is joked that the monument is a vertical runway.
At the Victory Gate we talked with this Malaysian couple who have been riding their bikes throughout Asia for the past nine months. Their trip is planned to take two years.
This is the sign for the Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise (COPE) visitor center. COPE provides prosthetics to survivors of unexploded ordinances (UXOs).
During the Vietnam War (1964-1973), the US (although not officially at war with Laos) made more than 500,000 bombing missions that dropped over two million tons of bombs on the country. Our cycling group visited COPE to learn about the continuing impact of UXOs on Laos today: UXOs still explode and cause blindness and loss of limbs to the victims. This is a photo of the visitor's center and its display of old prosthetic legs.
Laos is officially named the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). While riding we saw a few communist propaganda billboards like this one.
Day Two: Vientiane to Nam Ngum, 94 Km
The ride out of Vientiane was filled with traffic, but as we crossed the Nam Ngum river, we officially left the capital behind for the charming countryside.
The cycling group stops for breaks about every 30 Km. The crew is great about putting out chairs and tables with snacks and water.
We enjoyed riding with the other cyclists, who are mostly from the UK.
Laos is a Buddhist country, so we regularly rode by temples.
Around noon we saw lots of teenagers riding home for lunch. We liked how they could ride in the shade by holding umbrellas.
Even the monks ride with umbrellas!
At one of the rest stops we took a look at a loom with this beautiful, intricate weaving.
We were happy to arrive at Nam Ngum reservoir, and we felt cooler just looking at the large expanse of water.
Here we are with Steve. Just behind us is the fabulous swimming pool at the hotel. We soaked in the pool for a long time to really cool off.
Day Three: Nam Ngum to Vang Vieng, 108Km
It's a treat for us to see so many temples as we cycle.
These stupas are part of a monastery and hold the remains of prominent monks.
This boy is playing the age old game of rolling a tire with a stick.
In many villages the kids are curious about our cycling group. Here they are rushing to get into the photo.
The kids are friendly. Of course they wanted to see the photos that Steve had taken.
We browsed at the fish market that had many different varieties of freshwater fish from the nearby Nam Song river.
We saw lots of goats as we cycled.
These water buffaloes seemed to be heading home after their day spent in the river.
Day 4: Rest day in Vang Vieng
We spent two nights in Vang Vieng and enjoyed the beauty of the area.
Behind the rooftops of the resort where we stayed are mountains made of limestone.
Kristina is with Claire (left) and Natasha. We were in the back of a tuk-tuk heading to a hot air balloon ride.
It was our first time to go up in a hot air balloon, so we were excited!
It was fun to see the first balloon going up as our balloon was being inflated.
Then it was our turn to get into the basket. As the balloon started rising, it was thrilling to watch the town of Vang Vieng getting smaller and smaller.
Behind the town are rice fields that have already been harvested.
Looking up from the basket, we could see the inside of the balloon.
Although it was hot on the ride, we had lots of fun looking at the scenery below us.
We had a great view of the Nam Song river and its curvy course.
As the sun was setting, we enjoyed watching the clouds and sky changing colors.
It was a lovely way to watch the sun set.
Day Five: Vang Vieng to Kasi, 58 Km
The scenery was fantastic as we left Vang Vieng and started climbing up through the limestone mountains.
Chilies and mushrooms were drying by the side of the road.
Three of the cycling support crew ride in this bus, along with our luggage and supplies. The crew always waved to us as they passed on the road.
We rode through an area where they grow a lot of citrus fruit.
Here you can see dozens of citrus stands clustered together at the side of the road.
It's very common to see satellite dishes next to houses in Laos, although this dish is especially large. We also noticed bundles of tall grasses next to the house, but we're not sure what they are used for.
Pete was able to get this shot of water buffaloes enjoying the water.
We saw lots of people working in rice fields. Here they are threshing the rice by hand.
We saw lots of gardens too.
These kids had just come from a swim in the river and were all smiles as we rode by.
Behind this house there is rice growing.
Lunch on day five was in a small village. The restaurant had this lovely fruit and vegetable bowl out front, with eggplants, tomatoes, limes and more.
Many homes and restaurants have an altar with offerings like this one.
We were served french fries several times on the trip. Being in Laos, of course we had to drink Beer Lao.
Day Six: Kasi to Klu Kachan, 98 Km
Pete took this photo early in the morning when the light was turning golden. The building in the rice field is a shelter used by the farmers to escape the heat of the day.
Early in the morning we passed these kids in carts on the road.
The people of Laos are so friendly. They always wave and say hello, "Sa bai dee!"
This is Tommy from Scotland. He is 60 years old and by far the fastest rider in the group.
This is Nick who lives in London. He is passionate about cycling and is a fast rider, too.
This little boy took a hold of Kristina's hand and ran along side her as she cycled. Although his mom keep calling to him to let go, he held on for at least 200 meters. What fun!
It was quite a climb to get up to this peak, but it was worth it for the views.
We toured a local market, marveling at how they use bamboo skewers to barbecue a wide range of foods.
After the market tour, we hung out at the junction until all the riders arrived.
This rest stop was picturesque, so we got Steve to take another photo with us. The clouds were starting to accumulate, which provided a nice break from the sun.
We were surprised when a bit later it started raining. We took cover and watched the downpour that only lasted about 20 minutes.
We saw lots of beautiful roosters on this trip. We heard even more of them!
Day 7: Klu Kachan to Luang Prabang 77 Km
The Klu Kachan village overlooks a valley. This morning the cool mist is hiding the valley floor.
Laos is very hilly, which makes for wonderful views and lots of climbing as we cycle.
This shade structure had a rug to make lying down more comfortable. We were tempted to try it out, but decided it wasn't a good idea.
We are having a wonderful time cycling in Laos! We'll post again soon with the rest of our cycling trip.
