LUANGPRABANG – NONG KHIAW

The gas is more expensive here than in Thailand, besides, it is not the best fuel either. Good gas stations are available only in bigger towns, everywhere else there is a two hundred liters big tank with a manual pump and a glass pot with the indices marked. There are always two colors: red for ninety-fifth gas and yellow for the derv. If someone is not aware, one could mix these up with the juice cans: there was this sort of equipment in every grocery at the times of my childhood. Serpentine runs on and on, and the tired tyres of ours are getting their relief after Mongolia. But it’s only good when the covering is dry. It’s possible to lay the bike down on its side almost till the moment the box touches the road. However, it’s not the same when the road is wet: the forward wheel slides just like on the ice, hence, the speed is decreasing. At 4PM we get to Nong Khiaw village and get a nice bungalow at the river shore for $6 only.