November 30: Lak Xao to Ban Phonkho – 65.9 km (84.88 km, our failed detour included)
Day 48
For getting to Thakhek, we could take either the scenic Route 8 westwards or 1E southwards. After a careful study of fGoogle Maps, 1E appeared to be a better choice for our human powered vehicles as it is less mountainous than Route 8, but as we soon discovered that 1E is unpaved dirt road. We kept on hoping it would turn into concrete just around the corner, but as we toiled on for 9km it became rockier and rockier and we deemed it unbearable and backtracked.
We were very happy to be on the smooth concrete of Route 8 again. However after our 18km sidetrack, we weren’t sure if we would find a place to stay before nightfall. Instead of civilization, we were surrounded by glorious nature. After several uphills, the road started to take a toll on us and I started to have chills and muscle aches – as if I was going to get a flu. Not a good sign as we just entered into a malaria zone, and I did get bitten by mosquitoes several times before we started the malaria pills. I was all in for wild camping this morning, but now I yearned only for a hot shower and a soft bed. It appeared that 60km away from Lak Xao, there is a sizable town with the possibility of hotels. With that comforting thought, we peddled on.
Approaching another hill with a warning of steep terrain ahead, and Cher’s flu symptoms growing worse we thought about stopping at a small guesthouse. A young boy of 11 manned the gate and grabbed the keys to show us the room. The inside can only be described as a prison. Bare concrete walls covered with smears and filth, and a “bathroom” with no shower and just a large blue barrel with a plastic ladle. The price for this palace, 50,000. We politely declined and started up what we hoped would only be a short incline.
Many uphills and downhills later, only 3km from the town we were aiming for, we came across a small road side town called Ban Phonkho, with 1 guesthouse, 1 restaurant and 1 gas station. Encouraged by the size of the town we saw on Google Maps only 3km away, we decided to press on for more choices. First of all, we missed the town completely, since there was no sign of civilization. Secondly, what appeared to be a sizable town on Google Maps was no more than a group of half finished abandoned houses. The sight of the town was eerie against the sunset on a mountain-enclosed plateau. As we drove across the “town center”, we saw maybe a dozen residences living in little more than wood sheds.
We had to backtrack, once again. Back to the small road side town, we settled in the only guesthouse we saw on the way in just before dark. After a quick shower and some peanut butter on a banana, I couldn’t be happier lying in bed, even with a fever burning me up. My symptoms alarmed Chopper, as he stayed awake to keep an eye on me. When I woke from my restless sleep in the middle of the night, I found him watching me intently, with his shiny white face glowing in the dark, 2 inches away. He told me he was just making sure that I was still breathing. Such is the comfort that we travel as a pack.