Ubon Ratchathani to Pakse

Mon 06/01/14, 138km

Overslept a bit and didn't make it down to breakfast until 7AM... Only to find Paul and Anina, the Australian/ Swiss cycling couple I'd been bumping into since Nong Khiaow a few weeks back! We had breakfast and chatted: they'd done the length of Laos and told me I'd not missed anything much after Vientiane.

So, it was a later start than I'd wanted but a good one. The road out to the border was a good one, although the day was starting to get hot. Around the 70km mark I met more cyclists coming the other way, a Belgian couple, and we stopped briefly to exchange news on the road in both directions.

There are a series of hills running up to the border crossing which in the heat left me just a little sweaty but the crossing itself is straight forward. Can't tell you about rate of exchange there as I kept hold of my baht which is a hard currency in these parts.

It was about 45 or 50 km from the border to Pakse and I could tell I was in Laos again. Road was OK, and on I rolled, baking gently in the heat, until I hit town. Fair few accommodation options in town but I can't help with budget options, I went for the posh Pakse Hotel, a nice French run boutique place that wasn't cheap (250000 kip) but was very very worthwhile. I can recommend Nazims for a curry though, om and nom for dahl, aloo methi and rice with a beer for around 35000 kip. I slept well.

Paul and Anina

Belgian couple on the road

Sunset over Pakse