Day 1 of the great(?) bicycle adventure December 18
As far as first days go, this one’s been pretty good. About as well as can be expected, I suppose. I find myself in Thabok, 90 some-odd kilometers from Vientiane, in a very nice, though rather expensive guesthouse.
The bike and gear is working out well, despite minor problems. The biggest of which is that it’s still slightly on the small side. Which means I have the seat up all the way. Which means that the post is starting to bend, presumably because of the amount of leverage. It’s not bad so far, and i’ve only just been bending it back into shape every now and then. But I do wonder if it’ll become cataustrophicat some point. If so, I hope I can get someone with a welder and some steel to jerry rig something. Which I’m considering about doing before the fact, both to strengthen it, and to lengthen it, if possible. If I can find someone who’s willing to think outside the box a bit, it shouldn’t be too hard a task. I’ll ride on it another day to Pakxan and see what happens. My other biggest problem is that my butt is incredibly sore from the seat. I think that’s just a matter of breaking it in. My butt, that is.
I had accompaniement on my ride at two point, once by two high school girls on a motorbike, and once by a guy about my age on a bicycle. The guy offered to let me stay at his house, as his village was only a few kms away, and it had gotten dark. I felt really bad about turning him down, but I thought it best to stay in guesthouses for a little bit, until I could adjust to life on the bike. Oh well, there will be more chances.
The mile markers look like gravestones.
Most people only know one english word, “hello”, and they practise every chance they get. Which means I have to say “hello” about every 50m. Which could theoretically get old after a while. I think I’m starting to get the wave of someone who gets waved at a lot.
I feel very much as though this bike trip is the culmination of my year of travelling - as though everything I’ve learned is feeding into this. In some ways, I guess it’s a test, one which I think I’ve already past the majority of.
extended - This is meant to be hidden. If anyone ever reads this, email me at scotty@scottyallen.com