I rode out Route 1, which, despite it's grand name, is a tiny paved road without center lines, fog lines or much else. It runs between karst mountains and the river, and is gorgeous.
I passed through a few larger villages, made a few false turns, and finally saw the dirt road heading North , complete with new power poles. In Lao, electrical lines mean there is something up the road.
The morning mists along the river vanished as I rode up steep hills on the powder fine dust of the road. The heat of the day came on like an oven door clanging open. But the countryside was beautiful and the road was headed in the right direction. What could go wrong?
The road, which had already been climbing steeply, began rising and falling in steep pitches as it traversed the shoulders of the mountains that lie between these villages and the river. Long grades turned into sharp rises with 20% grades. The short downhills were too rough to get much of a run at the next uphill.
I was feeling light-headed when I reached the first village, Ban Bal Duang. There were two westerners there, on a trek with a guide. They were all a little surprised to see me.
The villagers generously allowed me to fill up on water. I slammed almost a litre and filled my bottle for the next leg. It was getting really hot now.
I had ridden about 10 kilometers on Route 1 and another 10 in the dirt. Such a short distance.
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