Paklai

 

My last cycling day took me from Houaybouha to

Paklai. 48.36 km on roads worn just wet enough 

to be comfortable by the rain.

Charlene, you see, don’t cycle in the rain, so I had 

to wait for it to stop. It drizzled for hours. If I 

could have jumped on a pick-up truck or tuk-tuk 

going my way it would have been with pleasure.

When it finally stopped raining at about 13:00 I 

got on the saddle, and all the way to Paklai, at 

least until I hit the new paved road between the 

city and the Thai border, not one conveyance 

passed me.

Paklai is a sweet enough little town. The 

guesthouse recommended in the Rough Guide no 

longer exists and the only place with a view on the 

Mekong was a humidity stained dump with a 

bumpy mattress and extremely fickle hot water 

heater.

Still, that view! The sheer and utter majesty of 

that River! The power and light it radiates gives 

life and meaning to the land!