There were severa l reasons why having left the Elephant Centre,  I stayed overnight in Sayabouri and then headed to the bus station, rather than cycle all the way back to Vientiane.  The more I viewed the road from the comfort of the airconditioned minivan ( where I sat with bike beside me – see…

Its 6pm and our eclectic group of bizarre adventurers from across the globe is gathered here at the Elephant Con servation Centre (ECC) dining room for a simple Lao-style dinner. The setting sun distracts us as we watch the reflection on the lake of a glowing orange orb above the hills, but gradually the conversation…

I guess it had to happen, and it was partly my own fault, but I HATED my riding today.  I wasn’t feeling so well this morning, and lingered far too long over the amazing French hotel breakfast, chatting with a delightful Swedish couple my age who had loved their time in Luang Prabang so we…

Almost a week has gone by since my last blog, and yet as I sit in the comfort of my hotel room, I can still sense the sounds, sights and scents of the superb ride down to Luang Prabang. Freewheeling for 15km was such a joy that the next uphill 15km felt easy, knowing I’d…