Writing fromVientianne

Hi guys, I am sorry for having you guessing what happened to me for so long ,since I left Bangkok, but the truth is : I was in the rural areas most of the time and without excess to the internet.

Unable to move north due to the floods , I joined a group of senior cyclists in Aranyapathet and spent a week cycling (touring ) the eastern parts of rural Thailand ,close to the Mekong and Thai / Cambodia border. What is unique about this tour is that it is organised and led by an engineer ,Mr Jaruke (63) and covers a total of 74 days beginning on the 10 of October 2011.The tour will end somewhwre in Chiangmai.

When I joined them, there were 18 people in all including 3 senior ladies. What is interesting is that these seniors are seasoned cycliSts who are well equipped and prepared for the long haul.They are disciplined and independent ,everyone with tent,camping equipment and spares. Some of them start from the beginning to the end while others join the group at their convenience. For example you can join from day 6 and end on day 19 or jion at a place of your choice and then cycle back to your home.

Their routine is simple. : up at 4.30 to 5.00 am and leave at 6.00. By 1 or 2 they are done for the day and would have cycled some 70 to 100 km.There's no briefing or instruction given and they move in groups of two or three. The time I was with them we slept at 3 Wats, 3 National parks and 1 Chinese Association Hall.

The oldest in the group was a 75plus year old man and he is also one of the strongest that I have ever met. So are the rest and I must admit I was never able to keep pace with them on all the days I cycled with them. After a week , I left the group and spent 2 days with one of the cyclists Mr 'Chop' at his house in Ubon Ratchetsima.I had a wonderful experience with the group inspite of the language problems, that's Thai friendliness for you.

Leaving the group, I made my way to Nong Khai and on reaching Nong Khai I had to leave quickly as the guesthouse owner pointed out to me that my passport showed that I had overstayed for 4 days. At the Thai immigration before crossing the Friendship bridge to Laos I was slapped with a 2,000Baht fine. It was an oversight on my part I must admit. You are only given 1 month for each entry .

Well, from here I should be moving north towards Luang Prabang and eventually Kunming in China, a daunting task, if you should ask. Well, we'll see.


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