well whirlwind the last couple days. made the Unhappy discovery had over stayed my visa!!! thought i guess that i had two months but no...... so decide in a bit of panic to bus on to Laos straight away. asked about transport night before at guest house, yes bus 8 am, out we go into fading smoky red full moon twilight at 7 so might get bite at mkt before. ask around and busses had left! but sawengthaw (sp) last one before 8 so..... soon enough arrives. is easier then bus throw on roof. not many passengers but a load of propane tanks going to town to fill. and a few various deliveries along way. sack of manioc here, bags of noodles there. take on few things.
arrive big mkt in Tha Bo, would love to have cruised it. quick noodle soup. we chose to ride from here and Keith sees there is shorter route. yea for that! about 25k some of it bad road, narrow no shoulder lots traffic. but arrive to main road. go into immigration with bated breath and trepidation. and there is a separate line , pay over stay fine. wow that simple. !! gratitude!
ride on over bridge. mekong is wide river. very narrow no chance to pix. saw tandem cyclers going other way, recumbent in front upright in back. no chance hello. arrive Laos border. get form to fill exchange little money to pay visa and wait. and wait in this line long. one widow, and this is the busiest border between T and L. well maybe Poipet but still. then wait again to get passport returned. about hour and half hanging about.
there is no signage! for road info. we go out of immigration road to bit t doesn’t say V this or that or how far. 20k to town and never saw single info sign. distance or where. got to big junction again big guess. we took upper north road loop apparently. coulda followed closer to river. at any rate long time of street traffic and not knowing where going finally figuring to turn toward river and keep querying eventually did arrive to river at touristy area. had GH recommendation. in the thick of it. are many high priced and low priced.
throngs of internationals. as ready to hear french as english. meet couple from belgium had been moto biking Viet Cam Loas, gave us good tips. huge night mkt. the clothing etc kind. not food. there is a really long malacon running along river, people jog bike and morning out doing exercise groups. i went out fair early to river wander then longish circuitous walk about. great mkt extensive. the part in the street closing up around 8 as they often do leaving just the indoor part open. is a labyrinth of small curving lanes alleys through a maze of tents awnings tarp sided stalls. long push wagons 6-7 feet long 32 wide they navigate goods through. buckets of flopping fish, piles of hopefully not flopping chickens. slabs of meat in all variety. veg area and egg area.
visited interesting Chinese wat and a big castle looking city gate in middle of main street round about. and did finally! find cyber. number of them signed but bit the dust. anyway stay another night here then ...... oh in midst was having an on-going slowly flattening tire. Keith is great about equipment and fixing! really good 'kit' wonderful small pump. anyway see what afternoon brings. buying map priority.
