A long last day in Thailand

To sum it up, I think this day wins the title of the shittiest riding day. Riding with a chain that often breaks is worse than riding with a tire that often gets flat !

But I could temporarily fix it and, by avoiding to use my gears too much, managed to reach the Thai-Lao border around 6:45 pm, just before it closes at around 7pm... Ouf.
Once in Laos, the chain broke for the second time. It was dark and starting raining again... So I finished the last kilometers by walking my bike and reached my hostel quite late.

But I made it and reached Laos ! Or should I say the "Lao People's Democratic Republic". After a young democracy governed by marxists (Nepal), a large democracy but with authoritarian/nationalistic drifts (India), a military-run republic but still working as a dictatorship (Myanmar) and a constitutional monarchy (Thailand), Lao will be the first of a communist regimes series, before Vietnam and China. After right, left, right, left, I also have to get used to ride again on the right side of the road.

At night, a couple of travellers from Luxembourg who contacted me through Coushsurfing was waiting for me to go out for dinner. Nice and comforting after such a long day.Read more