Honda Baja 250

I skipped an entry, but hopefully I'll be able to post it soon. On to today...

We woke up in Vientienne (the capital of Laos) with a stiff back thanks to the ever-so-uncomfortable hostel beds. But, at $1.50 a night, who would dare complain? Besides, they were short a room/bed, so I bunked up with Dana and Ben. We made do by squashing two twin beds next to each other and sleeping horizontally. Yes, we're slummin' it! I think they only way I slept was to pop a couple Gravol before bed. Jetlag has been kicking my ass...

But our dream of motorcycling through Southeast Asia materialized today. Of course, these sort of dreams are never quite as exotic as in your mind. For instance, it's expensive to do so. I coughed up the extra dough for a Honda Baja 250 instead of a scooter. I would have paid even more just to let loose on the throttle in the heat. For those of you who know me, you know it's one of my favorite things to do in the whole wide world. I couldn't have been happier.

Trekking through the countryside was amazing. There were grass huts everywhere, barefooted children playing on the side of the street, ladies walking with dozens of baskets, and palm trees swaying. It's very peaceful here.

One minor challenge was that there are all kinds of animals running around the countryside, from ox to cows to stray dogs to goats to chickens. I even saw a pig running around! Never mind the crazy Asian drivers- the animals are what you have to watch for. The first time I saw a cow lazily cross the street way ahead of me, I thought it was funny. The second time a cow crossed the street and I had to slam on my brakes and swerve to miss him, I didn't find it as funny. There was also a cute little boy on the side of the road cleaning something with a bucket of water. Well, the cuteness wore off quickly when he chucked the bucket of water at me as I was driving by!

But the drive was beautiful. We trekked through the mountains, up and down, swerving around, hitting the brakes for the hairpin turns. Night came quickly and when the sun disappears, so does the heat. We were still an hour from our destination and this is when the romance of driving a motorcycle through the countryside started to wear off. I was leading the pack and since the sun had disappeared, it was black as coal. The headlight of my bike cast a milky glow which enabled me to see, oh, 2 feet in front of me. On curvey roads with hairpin turns in the mountains when you're shivering, this is challenging. Add the memories of stray cows and it's downright dreadful. But we made it.

Now we're in some city (I can't even remember the name...how bad is that? Some odd combination of lots of vowels and few constanants) but we're happy to be here because we're now warm and alive. And this city is cool- it has a real pulse and some nightlife. Plus, we each got our own room in a hostel with our own little bathroom for 2 nights for $16US for all 5 of us (for both nights). No word of a lie. Mind you, if some of you saw these rooms, you might choke, but hey, we're a travelling caravan on a budget! We just ate some local food and drank a local beer and are feeling full and happy. Here in Laos you sit on the ground on cushions to eat your meals, so we lazed around while we waited for our food. Like I said, it's peaceful here.

Now it's time for me to crash. Hopefully I can sleep peacefully, kick my jetlag, and have no nightmares about smoking a cow on my motorcycle. Steak, anyone?