After a bus transfer to Chiang Saen on Tuesday morning, the serious cycling started. It was here that we retrieved our bikes from the back of the following back up lorry and began our cycle ride to Chiang Khong. The first 56 kilometres were along flat surprisingly well surfaced roads, with fields of tobacco, rice and maize growing intermittently between the forest and jungle landscape. Lunch was provided in the grounds of an ancient Buddhist monastery by the local back up team travelling with the mobile canteen, who had been contracted to look after us during our stay in Thailand and Laos. Around 14 kilometres from Chiang Khong the Mekong river came into view for the first time, the remainder of the days route became mountainous even though we were following the river, presenting us with a few challenging climbs in the rising afternoon temperatures. The Reuan Guest House our hotel for the night was a large wooden structure that was built on the bank to over look the Mekong River. This river was to feature prominently in our tour of Laos during the next two weeks. It has for centuries served to provide the primary means of transport for people and goods, in a country where main roads have only recently been built by the Chinese. The Mekong river forms the border with Burma in the north of Laos and continues as a border line when it reaches Thailand, it then meanders south through Cambodia into the southern tip of Vietnam where it splits into several rivers to form the Mekong Delta before finally discharging into The South China Sea. Looking out across this great river from the hotel's open sided restaurant and watching the changing colours of the sky as the sun slowly dropped behind the mountains of Laos. I could but wonder what we would be cycling into on the other side, in a country that was significantly poorer than Thailand, which is now relatively affluent, having prospered for many years through it's promotion and support for a holiday and tourist trade which has attracted millions of visitors from the rich western nations each year. By contrast Laos only opened its borders to foreigners in 1995 and has yet to be recognised as a holiday destination.

                     Early the following morning we cycled the very short distance from our hotel to the Mekong River border crossing that separates Thailand and Laos. Three boats were there waiting for us once we had completed the simple exit formalities with the Thai border authorities, one boat transported 18 bikes, one was for the accompanying cyclists and the other carried the luggage. Three minutes it took to make the crossing to the northern bank, then it was time to unload the boats and proceed to the border office of The Laos Democratic Republic, where the entry formalities took some time but were relatively hassle free, after we had completed three entry forms. Another short cycle ride along the road that followed the bank of the Mekong river, took us to a second mooring station where a very large motorised sampan style boat with 32 luxury seats, (slat wooden benches really!) a kitchen and dining area and the all important toilet at the back, was once again waiting for us. All the bikes were tightly secured on the roof of the long sampan with ropes, it was not long after we had all boarded that the vessel chugged out into the centre of the river then made a turn eastwards and accelerated away towards Pak Beng our destination for the night.

                      The Mekong river was always very wide but in some areas it could also be very shallow, hence most of the boats that we saw in use, were also sampans with long flat bottoms to reduce the risk of grounding. Islands that had formed out in the river and peninsula's that extended out from the banks produced fast flowing rapids, water raced to pass by them, sweeping speedily over large rock formations as it battled on its way downstream. Fortunately the driver / pilot of our boat was very experienced at his job, steering the boat away from the rapids and keeping to the slow flowing deep water channels that thankfully, always seemed to be available. There were not many other boats travelling along the river that morning only a few high speed sampans that were propelled along by very large and powerful Toyota out board engines, at speeds of 80kph. Spoiling the peace and serenity of the quiet river life, awaking the water buffalo from their morning slumbers as they idled time away lazing in the warm sunshine close to the banks. These speed boats were very noisy and could be heard from a long way off, even before they came into sight. They were usually filled with Western or Japanese passengers enjoying the latest, must do thrill ride, that has become popular with the influx of new foreign tourists. They were all sitting tightly in their seats gripping the boats side, wearing a full face motor bike style of helmet that also covered the ears to reduce the deafening engine noise and protect their heads should they be unfortunate enough to hit one of the rocks or a piece of wood debris that floated down the river and somersault over, as Donald Campbell did while trying to break the world water speed record on lake Coniston in 1967. Our local guide Khen informed us that disastrous accidents of this nature had happened and were on the increase as visitor numbers rose. By contrast our six hour journey that day along the Mekong was a very relaxing and sedate affair, with stunning views of the mountains as they climbed steeply from the waters edge, their sides covered with forests and jungle foliage, patches of floating white cumulus cloud glided over the tops converging and hiding the peaks for short periods of time, creating wonderful photogenic pictures.

                      In forest clearings close to the shore, timber framed thatched houses were visible occupied by local people who belonged to the regions ethnic tribe. Twice during the day the boat moored up by the banks to allow time for us to stretch our legs and have a wander around these small riverside settlements. A Laos style stir fry with rice and a fruit dessert was provided on the boat at midday, by the lady boat owner who did the cooking on the stove in the rear of the sampan. The sun began to set that evening as we entered the Bourn Mee Guest House a large back packers hostel in Pak Beng and by the time we had settled in and found time to enjoy a relaxing drink in the bar, which was around 6.30pm darkness had descended for the night. Khen the local tour guide who had been employed by John and Pat to look after the party during our time in Laos had been born and brought up in the village of Ban Faen which was 47 kilometres along the road from Pak Beng and also our destination for the following night. It was one of the shorter cycle rides of the tour, along a well surfaced road and easily completed during the morning. Half way through the ride we had stopped for elevenses and were treated to a choice of fresh fruit, banana, pineapple, papaya and apple, biscuits and clean bottled water, which was always available from the support truck.

                       We arrived at Ban Faen at around twelve o'clock to begin a series of events during that afternoon and evening, that proved to be a very enlightening and which gave us a better insight into the life style of the people who live in the many villages that are scattered among the mountains and along the rivers of northern Laos. Khens wife Mae and the lorry drivers wife Mrs Hens had prepared lunch for us which we ate sitting in a large circle on mats laid on the bamboo floor of the large living / dining room of Khens house. The food had all been cooked on a small wood burning stove in the kitchen area in corner of the living room , a bamboo partition hid the sleeping quarters from our view. The house like most of the dwellings in the village was a solid timber frame structure with the floor raised well up from the ground to prevent flood damage I presumed, side walls were made of split bamboo that was woven into panels. In the area underneath, between the solid wooden stilts that supported the house, free range chickens ran about unfenced. At the rear of the garden a pig lay sleeping protected from the hot afternoon sun by the large leaves of a banana tree. Behind the property was the outside squat type loo with a water butt and large wok in close proximity, that was used as a ladle for flushing purposes. Positioned on the flat roof of another building was a small Japanese petrol driven generator, that was able to supply just about enough power for two lights and a television that received its signal from a large satellite dish that was securely attached to the timbers of the house. A sure sign of progress and prosperity in a village where drinking water was carried 1.5 kilometres from a river, that was also used by the population of 800 for bathing, for washing clothes and farm animals. When we had completed our lunch our host took us on a walk around the rest of the village, in front of one of the buildings we passed two men sitting each side of a large tree trunk sawing it into planks with a long and sharp band saw. The planks had been marked out for cutting 28mm thick 150mm wide and 2 metres long, it would have been very hard and sweaty work for those two men on a very hot day, but the planks that they cut were as straight and flat as any cut by machinery. Other sights we saw were a large loom used for weaving cotton and silk into lengths of material standing underneath a house, we then came across a women spinning silk into threads on a wheel rack, and stopped to photograph a gathering of women and children outside the village shop.

                      In time we moved on to the school where we were greeted by a long line of local dignitaries who had been waiting with all the school children and the entire staff, for our party of cyclists to arrive. Small schoolgirls and boys neatly attired in their smart school uniforms, presented each member of the visiting party with a small posy of flowers that had been carefully arranged in a white cardboard cornet which they had obviously prepared for us during that day. We were then ushered into one of the school buildings to meet a few more important local people including the head man of the village who made a long welcoming speech in the Laos language which Khen subsequently translated for us. John our tour leader then made a speech in reply which Khen once again translated. Each of the Laos officials then stood up in turn and formally introduced themselves to us, stating their name and position in the village school or on the village council. We were then obliged to reciprocate and each one of our group individually stood up to explain who they were and where they came from and what their profession was. Another Laos official from the district education office then stood up and talked to us in Laos for sometime about the progress that was being made providing schools and education for the tribal people of Northern Laos, which Khen kindly translated for us once more. After the head man had spoken to us once more and Khen had once more translated, the official welcoming speeches were then brought to a close. Everyone then moved out of the school room to watch a display of traditional Laos dancing performed by the boys and girls of the school in the sports field, this was accompanied by one of the women teachers playing a drum. This dancing display by the children was to be the final phase of the school welcoming activities that afternoon, we then returned to Khens house to collect our toiletries and prepare ourselves for a walk down to the river to wash and clean up in readiness for the evenings activities.

                     The small river that passed by the village was just over one kilometre from the centre, it was reached by walking along a rough cart track that passed through woods and along the side of fields. The bathing took place where the banks were low and the river widened out to create a pool. Some of the children we had seen at the school were there playing in the pool diving from the bank and swimming in the water that had been warmed by the afternoon sun. Women waded in to the water with clothes in their hands ready to wash them out. A small tractor was crossing the river from fields on the opposite bank, its wheels half covered by the shallow water. Our group of intrepid travellers prepared themselves on the bank to bathe and get cleaned up in the same manner that the local people did. The bed of the river was very stony and very uncomfortable to walk over if you had soft feet, I remember thinking with hindsight afterwards, that it would have been better to wear shoes or sandals, looking back I can't say that I really enjoyed the actual washing bit that afternoon, if I was the same age as those young children then I am sure it would have been great fun. Having aged considerable since I last took part in such activities, I can honestly say that I much prefer the comfort a solitude of a real hot bath to laze in for half an hour, but then I have become just another soft westerner whose grown accustomed to such luxury.

                      Another Ban Faen welcoming ceremony had been planned for us that evening in the community centre by Khen and the local councillors, this one however lacked all the formality of the afternoons events in the school, having more of a big feast and party atmosphere about it. As we entered the hall which was the usual large timber framed building with the outside the appearance of a English medieval tithe barn, we could see long tables at the side of the hall laid out with dishes of steamed rice, fried rice with egg, fish, vegetables, and large bowls of soup, which were easily identified as fish head soup because the heads could be seen floating on the top with the eyes gazing lifeless up into the space above. The village headman welcomed us all once more to the party and John once again replied, these proceedings were translated for the benefit of both nations again by Khen, this little ceremony came to completion with the downing of two small glasses of Loulou a locally distilled strongly fortified rice wine, this fiery spirit I was thankfully warned probably possessed a 60% alcohol content. It was then time to take our seats at the tables to begin the evenings feasting, the fish head soup, I am sorry to say did not go down to well with our group of cyclists the dull glazed eyes staring up at them from the bowl, sort of suppressed their appetites for the delicacy quite considerably, but as normally happens with cyclists the rest of the food was cleared up fairly quickly. While we were eating, two very attractive young Laos woman visited the tables at regular intervals to offer more small glasses of the Loulou wine. Not wanting to offend our hosts we gratefully accepted these drinks to start with, but then they became more and more regular. It was unfortunate, but we all needed to remember that the next day we had been scheduled to cycle 100 kilometres, now a little voice in the back of my brain had begun to tell me, that large quantities of strong Loulou wine would not be the best brand of energy drink to consume before attempting a long distance cycle ride, so regrettably most of the cyclists declined their generous offerings, but these girls were not keen to let up in their mission to ply us with large quantities of alcohol and immediately demonstrated their determination to continue, by substituting the small glasses of wine for larger glasses of Laos beer.

                      That night we were billeted in the homes of various village people, two people to each house, Christine and myself slept on a mattress that had been laid on the bamboo floor of an old ladies living room, a mosquito net had been erected around the makeshift bed. In the centre of the room, a candle burned slowly on a table, there was no electricity or bathroom, to reach the toilet one went through the outside door, down the stairs to ground level and then walked across the yard to a closet at the rear of the house. The lady welcomed us and showed us the basic facilities when we arrived and then retired to bed. We only spoke once more to thank her the next morning as we left to cross the dirt road to Khens house, where we rejoined the rest of our party for breakfast. A number of people with their children had congregated to wave and say their goodbyes as we departed half an hour later, our night in Ban Faen had certainly been a new experience for some of us and we had certainly been made to feel more than welcome, (many times over)! It was Friday the 4^th of November, we cycled that day for 96 kilometres, following rivers that run through the mountain valleys with the occasional steep climbs, along well surfaced roads that had been built by the Chinese during the seventies. We passed many more houses that had been built on stilts well above the ground, other smaller buildings were used for storing maize and rice. Large plastic sheets had been laid out in the road by local people to dry the rice on. As is often the case in third world countries children under five would stand by the roadside to wave and shout “sabaidee” (hallo) as we rode by. Pigs, turkeys, goats, cows and dogs also wandered aimlessly about in the road sometimes requiring us to slow down or stop to avoid them. Other traffic was light just a few lorries, pick up trucks and motor bikes. Private cars were almost non existent, which was a real bonus for us, it was such a welcome change from the congested roads of England. The day was hot and sunny but the heat did not become excessive. Around mid afternoon we entered the town of Oudomxay, the large town sign displaying the red flag with the hammer and sickle reminded me for the first time since we were in Laos and  that the country still had a communist government. Our hotel in the town for that night was a very modern building with very high standards, it was a godsend to be able to take a hot shower, and use a clean en suite flush toilet once more.

                      A German man and his wife accompanied us on our 100 kilometre cycle ride to Muang Khoa the next day. It was the longest days ride so far following two rivers for most of the way, it was quite a hilly ride as the mountainsides dropped steeply to the river shores creating high ridges for the road to cross. I rode for a long way with our new found German friends who told me that they were living in Oudomxay, the man had been working for the Laos tourist organisation for one year and was expecting to stay for two before returning to their home in Berlin. He explained to me some of the problems that the government were trying to overcome in Northern Laos, the area which we were touring. People from that part of the country belonged to many different tribes, some of these had originated and moved down from China, others belonged to tribes from Burma and Thailand as a consequence of these big movements of population, many different languages were spoken which means that the task of educating these people who often live in very remote and inaccessible places is somewhat difficult to achieve. Other problems arise when the population migrates from the colder high mountain areas to the lower hotter parts of the country to be near the new roads, that offer easier access to schools, work , and medical facilities. Very often the young children who had never suffered from malaria and other tropical diseases would begin to succumb and die because they lack immunity. The conversation I had with that couple as we cycled along was very interesting, it is surprising what you learn while riding a bike. The man's knowledge of Northern Laos amazed me and I regret now not writing down his name. They returned to Oudomxay the next day with our back up truck. We stayed for one night in Muang Khoa a town by the river Nam Ou that had a large covered market, where women were selling an array of local food produce, some of their items seemed a bit unusual especially the ones that looked to me, like over baked charred squirrels, and dried fish in packets.

                      Most of the next day was spent sitting on a sampan again as we travelled south along the river ( Nam Ou) to Nong Khiaw, it was a very similar day to the one we had on the Mekong river stopping twice to visit riverside villages and enjoying a meal of noodle soup that had been cooked on the boat. It was nearly 4pm when we finally moored up and left the riverside, there was only one and a half hours of light left and we had 30 kilometres to cycle to Pak Mong to reach our lodgings for the night. Our back up truck was waiting for us after driving around the mountain roads through Oudomxay to drop off the two Germans, then continuing on to Nong Khiaw to support us once again. Later Christine and myself were pleased to make use of the truck climbing aboard as the darkness descended to complete the last 10 kilometres to Pak Mong as we didn't feel safe riding our bikes without lights, the truck then followed close behind the rest of the group to give them some protection from other traffic on the dark unlit road. Pak Mong is a small town built around a road junction, it is 100 kilometres north of Luang Prabang our destination for the following day. Situated close to the actual crossroads are a few shops and bars, The Pak Mong guest house was the only establishment in town that could accommodate a group of our size. Our room for the night was very small and dingy, the double bed that was squeezed tight between three of the four walls, was the only furniture in the room. There was just about enough space between the bed and the fourth wall to allow access through the door. The walls were bare and in need of a coat of fresh paint and the two squalid squat type toilets were well away from the room down a flight of poorly lit stairs, there were no proper washing facilities. The guest house was all very basic and our room was akin to sleeping in a third world prison cell, the only points awarded were for the mosquito net draped over the bed. As always in the morning everybody appeared to have slept well and nobody in the group complained, having excepted the Pak Mong guest house as all part of the Laos experience. It is only fair to add that our accommodation for this night was the exception and that all the other guest houses and hotels that we stayed in during our time in Laos were all clean and of an acceptable standard. We have over the years become accustomed to travelling in under developed countries and like other people who go on these tours, understand that there will be occasions when we must expect to rough it.

                      On Monday the 7^th of November we set off on a 100 kilometre cycle ride to Luang Prabang the early morning started cloudy and cool, the back up lorry stopped every 25 to 30 kilometres to feed us and replenish our clean water supplies. On the lorry were plastic tables and chairs which were taken off at each stop and set up at the roadside, tea, bread, fresh fruit and biscuits were served by Khens wife Mai, the lorry drivers wife and Khens brother a proper family business it appears was beginning to develop. Our third stop was at a proper roadside restaurant 28 kilometres from the days destination, it was 12.30 midday the sun by that time had burnt through the cloud and was radiating down lifting the temperature to 100^o F. Christine and one of the other cyclists in the party stayed with the back up lorry preferring not to cycle in the searing heat. The main bunch continued on to Luang Prabang arriving in the mid afternoon at the Sabaidee Guest House for a two night stay. Luang Prabang was at one time the provincial

                     Our journey through the northern region continued on Wednesday with an early morning mini bus ride to the Pak Ou Caves which are 25 kilometres north along the same road that we had used to reach Luang Prabang. To reach the caves it is necessary to turn off the main road and travel several kilometres along a narrow unmade road to the bank of the Mekong river. Three sampan boats were waiting to transport us across the Mekong to the opposite side where we moored close to the limestone rock face that arose steeply from the waters edge and up the high mountain sides. The Pak Ou caves have formed in the cliffs after millions of years of rock erosion, they are accessed by steps carved into the limestone rocks that lead up to them. By a metal door two Laotian women sat collecting entrance fees, inside the first cave set out on rock ledges stood many statues and images of Buddha in various sizes and arrangements. Collected over many centuries they have been revered by the local people and regarded by all in the past as most holy and sacred, they became the reason and destination for pilgrimages that were made for many years along the Mekong, by the previous Royal families and their subjects. A second cave that was up more steps and further along the mountain side was the home of yet more Buddha's but it did not contain the same high number of statues and images as the first.

                     For the remainder of that day and the beginning of the next day we were retracing the route that we had cycled along before. By the time we had returned from the caves and resumed the mini bus ride north it was mid morning, the bus ride came to an end 25 kilometres south of Pak Mong where we reclaimed our bikes from the following truck and cycled into the town, where we turned right at the only junction all the time searching for better lodgings than Pak Mong Guest House. We continued riding all the way back to Nong Khiaw and the Nam Ou river where we had arrived by boat three days previously, it was here that we found a bed for one night in the only hotel. Cycling through Pak Mong for the third time the next morning, we crossed straight over the junction to head out on the Oudomxay road. It was here that the terrain began to get tougher for cycling, until this point we had travelled along roads that followed the rivers, although it had been hilly with many ups and downs, there had been no major climbs. Now we were challenged by high mountain passes and spent the rest of the morning pedalling slowly up a 30 kilometre climb. The morning clouds had long been dispersed and the temperature ascended like the road, cycling up these high mountain roads became a very hot and sweaty exercise. During the afternoon we completed another 12 kilometre climb before being rewarded with a long 20 kilometre descent to Oudomxay and the same luxury hotel that we had used during the first week of the tour.

                      Vientiane in the south of the country the present day capital of Laos and Luang Prabang are the most popular destinations for foreign tourists who are only just beginning to visit the country in ever increasing numbers. There are a few tour companies who advertise holidays along the Mekong river in boats, with nights spent on the shore in ethnic villages, but we never saw to much evidence of this activity while we where there. We certainly never saw many western visitors in the country north of Oudomxay that we visited over the next five days. Our route was to take us on a big loop first to Luang Nam Tha then the next day on to Muang Sing, which was our furthest northern point, where we came close to the border with China. A change of direction the following day took us south west to Xien Kok and a return to the banks of Mekong river. Another days boat ride took us through the Golden Triangle where the river becomes a border, on the east bank is Laos on the west bank Burma, later in the day and further along the river Thailand replaced Burma on the west bank. The final days cycling was from Muang Ton Pherng to Huayxay and the same border crossing that we had used two weeks earlier. Our tour of Northern Laos had now come to an end, It was then a case of crossing the river to Chiang Khong returning to Chiang Rai, then to Bangkok for the long flight back to Heathrow and home.

                      That was the second time within three years that we have been on a CTC tour to the far east with John and Pat Ashwell leading. There are several advantages to touring with an organised group as opposed to travelling alone and making ones own arrangements if you go with good leaders as John and Pat are. Both times they had employed a small local tour company to help with planning and organising the route, back up, luggage transfers and supplying food and clean water while cycling, but just as importantly the local couriers also acted as translators, explaining the countries traditions, culture and the habits of the indigenous population, they also took us to places that we would not have known about if we had self organised. In general Khen and his family of helpers greatly increased our knowledge and enhanced the overall experience of Laos for the whole group, which was probably the task that I thank them most for.