Where Did All My Food Go???

It has been crappy biking since we left Thailand. Not liking it. Don't get me wrong the scenery in Laos has been superb but it is just that there were too many stupid hills and not any decent places to have a rest and snack.

There was absolutely nothing in Laos. We had to stop off at huts and shacks at the side of the road. Not much of a selection either. I am glad we are done Laos as there is Malaria there. I didn't get bitten but I did get some nasty bite on my shoulder which I still have no clue as to what it was. Four bite marks in a row. Trevor got eaten four times and now he worries he got malaria. We are both on Malarone at the moment so I think we should be fine. Sucks with malaria. A tiny mosquito can do so much damage.

Right now we are in Vinh, Vietnam. The motorbikes are coming out in force now. It is going to get much worse I know in Hanoi. I would like to get out of Vietnam as quickly as possible. What really pisses me off is getting a cold drink. I had this problem a lot last year travelling around SE Asia. Right here in Vinh I walked blocks and blocks and only could find warm drinks. I finally found a freezer with some drinks but not really liking the selection. They serve a lot of beer. Not ideal at the moment.

Also we have been getting a lot of hello's ever since entering Laos. It is nice to say hello but everyone is saying it and I am one of those people who says hello back all the time so it is kind of getting annoying and tiring. I don't want to be mean but saying it and waving all the time does take energy.

Quite a few photos here:

First one: Me saying goodbye to 7-11 in Thailand. That was my last delicious chocolate cappacino drink I had. Not sure when I will have the next. Seriously we have had some good times chilling at 7-11 in Thailand.

Second one: Me on the boat across the Mekong River to Laos. Kind of funny Trevor got shut down when he tried to get in Laos with his Swiss passport. They wanted the one that he exited Thailand with. As such he didn't save 5 bucks USD. Still don't get why Canadians have to pay the most to enter Laos. We are up there with the war torn countries of the world. Strange I say...

Third one: The rain came down for a short while once we were in Laos.

Fourth one: This was horrible. We cycled to Hinboun thinking we were going to sleep there but then realized there was no accommodation and the next guesthouse was in a place called Namthone about 50 km away! It was around 6 pm in the evening and we had a lot to do. I was also low on water. Absolutely horrible situation we were in. The bugs come out too and I had all these bugs flying at me. We had to cycle in the dark again which was again stupid. But really didn't have much of a choice otherwise. I was thinking of asking a family if we could crash at their place but it isn't easy when they don't really know any English. Another thought of just sitting at an abandoned gas station crossed my mind as well. Anyways, worst cycling day thus far. We got in at 9:40 pm. Only positive out of it was we now have a new record cycling day of 219 km!

Fifth one: Taking a breather up a hill somewhere in Laos. Also where I wrote the single 'How I Hate Hills (The Laos Remix)'. I am hoping no killer hills for some time to come...

Sixth one: A viewpoint on the number 8 road in Laos. That road is very scenic. Just annoying biking up all the hills. But another good piece of news is that I went down some hills as well and again have a new maximum speed record!!! Not sure if I will beat this one. The new record is 67.9 km per hour.

Final picture: Very surprised to have found this restaurant on the number 8 road. It took a long time to make but it was delicious!