so yesterday morning. after i went out on a short dawn walk. met withh Keith and we head out along river road. this is the north part of the Mekong Discovery trail. road is a small one lane road along the river with row of houses right on the bank. this is very poor country in general and some places like here seem more impoverished then others. regular moto traffice carrying the usual multiple people or loads of goods. we have seen little trusck grocery stores travel through countryside here they are the motos some trucks very few cars. road is bad as per usual for area. small wooden bridges over samll ravines. as go along fewer or farther between houses small garden plots regulary people out watering with water cans one on each end of pole across thier shoulders. or plastic jugs. lots of houses on pilings wwoden or some laced bamboo. saw tow schools built by oxfam. community pumps in several places. kids still call out hi but not as fervently. small groups of houses or one here then later then tiny ih house type 'stores'. road for a while under construction piles of gravel along one lane in road. then place where graded and rollered great smooth riding. then back to now jus tplin roack and dirt. hard biking joustled jounced rattled finally Keith say not want keep on. i ready turn around. by time return town not long till head to llucnh at Le Tonle agian. happy to support them, the food is good, though really slow coming. convergence by evenings end of 7 cyclists! wow. share stories with coupel from Switzerland just coame when we going. exchnged maps andn info. go things to know about road housing or lack there of. they did back road getting to Kratie and van from there to STung. Keith said he decieded to go on bvan part way then get out ride 'Trail'to Kratie. i opt out need bit of rest i guess so will wait in K. so this morn go to meeet van for 7 30 departure. great scene of vans milling touts racing to each moto taxi that arrives wher egoing take thins can i carry your luggage. two little girls mom travleing in oour van one crying but they spoke english alittle so she kept getting pulled to want to talk with us. good for her. there is a rack extending out the back of the van that is used for big luggage which there is often Much of. so our bikes get tied on alogn with a stack of folding wooden shairls huge gunny sacks of ? everyone eleses biggie bags boxes andn bales. all up to the roof line and hanging obout 4 feeet off behing. some others even more loaded. waiting.... waiating... more folks about 9 we have 20 epole in a 15 person van. off we set. buring speed records out of town. road ok we going too fast for me. with the horn on continual blast. driver on and off cell. then raod deteriorates bump rut hole gravel then its under construction, piles of gravle ungraded on edge road and dirt on other. at one time truck stop in front of us another oncoming truck blockuing our passing chance stopped as well. he just turns hard left 4 wheeling up the dirit bank around trucks. by thins time impeding grader moved so our lane trucks blasting frwd we lurch off bank just infront of it and off we blaze. then just un pavaed road billows of red dust in a pall over all. couding our vision, but not the horn, and still the cell in use. people get out and in along the way. we drop Keith at an intersecton....? signage? off we shoot. arrive Kratie little before 12 wow on time. well the three hours they daid would take. just couple hours later. edge of mkt the van roundup. really gald got location close by from other cyclist re GH arrive gladly window and second story balcony :) to mkt the dry goods kind but edges is fruit veg in strret adn selling of prepared food. take away in a bag, i have my truty cup, or some inside sit down for noodle soupe or rice. i choose outside with the table of lidded pots pick up one after antoehr decieding on what looks good. any of it generally some not ingeds i want or enough veg. then fruit shopping and successful cyber hunt :) am right on river more later
