Back on the road, loving Laos again!

First things first: yes, we did get our China visa and yes, they are 60-day visa! We're all sorted! We were at the consulate at 9am, got our passports with the desired sticker in it, and off we went!

Back into the cycling routine, with the mid-morning coffee break, this time in the rice paddies - which are now dry and full of these purple wildflowers

We were so ready for it, to continue cycling. That surely also contributed but even without that, today was a great day again. A road in very good condition, not too much traffic, and mostly slow too. Even more importantly, spectacular scenery again: mountains, rivers, the limestone cliffs are back, and there were also lots of wildflowers today. But what we really liked today, were the people. Finally! As I indicated in my post yesterday, we're not so impressed with the friendliness of the Lao people.

Nam Ou, a tributary to the Mekong, which we followed today for a long time

The road was mostly gently undulating, with a few climbs; this one is towards the end of today's ride, a climb that would have cost some effort a few weeks back but it's clear that the Lao mountains are getting us well trained...

Plus, you get this reward once at the top

What we got today, was much better however. It was much more natural! Some people said sabaaidee and if they did, it was because they meant it. Many children shout sabaaidee and wave, laugh, spontaneously and happily - but not all of them, and again, it's much more natural the way it was today. It felt more genuine than any of the previous days, it felt great.

Arrival in Ban Naham

Because we got our visa, because it was such a nice ride, because everything fell in place, I think I arrived today with the same smile I started with, never stopping in between. Happiness...

Ban Naham

We knew there would be some possible places to stop for the night before Pakmong, one of them being a guesthouse by a French guy with a Lao woman, after a good 85km, but also something 10km earlier of which we knew as good as nothing - except that it was there (probably) according to Maps Me. In the end, we stopped at that place. Firstly, it was in a nice, pleasant, inviting Lao village. Secondly, we feel like we have seen enough tourists, and we'd surely see more at the French resort. Ban Naham it is, Nasaylom Guesthouse, after 78km of pleasant riding. A nice little guesthouse, friendly people who speak a few words of English, and a surprising dinner with fish and wasabi sauce!