Great day of riding, the best so far. Sore butt of course, used two pair of padded shorts and helped a bit.
Finally got to ride on rural roads. Few trucks or buses, wonderful people, beuatiful children, all smiles and happy to see us and share if we offered to share.
At a water stop – the service level from the 'staff' is outstanding and focused a bit on me as I am the oldest and this is very much a Confucian society. They even clink my glass towards the bottom to show respect.
One of the two attached pics is at a water stop. Very small road with limited traffic (except motor bikes ) and thankfully few honking noises.
Lost of chickens and roosters and small dogs on the road. All the dogs appear to be the same species. Strange.
The day's ride started with a ferry ride to the smaller roads side of the Mekong. Off the main highway. The first 26 km were perfect. The rest of the day almost perfect. The last 5km hell as a very rocky unpaved road.
Culturally the idea of trash here is strange to Western eyes. Was giving out gum to children or families. When stopping the bike to drink some of the almost gallons a day required I generally would give the gawkers something. Today gum. Sometimes the package (of 10 pieces) would have only a few left so would give the package with wrappers. The families would take the gum, appreciately with smiles and some giggles and then drop the detritus right on the ground, on their property or the dirt in front of their property. Happened more than once.
Staying three nights at this Victoria hotel a few km from the Cambodian border. Another in the chain of 5 star hotels. We will bike in this area, up to Sam Mountain I believe.
Clearly I have gprs connectivity in the hotel for now.
Second photo is arrival, with lemmon ginger tea, cool towels and lots of help at the front desk. The two seated men are the father and son along with me on the trip. They will leave towards the end and take a boat to Cambodia – then there will be three 'staff' to attend to me for a few days.
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