Wow! It's Lao 9: Xieng Thong to Phonsovan

Being a former French colony, Lao is known for baking pretty good bread, which I thought I would sample for breakfast. Simple stuff, my French roll was served with sweetened condensed milk - instant donut! 

I was a bit worried as I mounted the motorbike for this next leg of the journey. The guy I'd rented the bike from back in Vientiane had cautioned me that this route, particularly the second half on Hwy 13, could be problematic. Being so high up, it's subject to mudslides blocking the road, which he described as quite narrow. Furthermore, the rain clouds tend to stall and cling to the hills, meaning I'd likely face some bad weather. 

Driving through the clouds.

As it turned out, I saw a few mudslides, but none were insurmountable on my fancy enduro bike. The road showed signs of recent widening, and although I drove through a lot of fog, the weather was wonderful.  

I rolled into Phonsovan in time for lunch, and being a bit of tourist town, there were several nice restaurants on the main strip.

I didn't realize it until after I'd been sitting there a few minutes, but the decor of the restaurant (Craters) was bomb casing themed! This part of Lao was heavily bombed during the Second Indochina War, and un-exploded ordinance is everywhere. 

Having traveled a few days consecutively, I had given myself two days to explore the Phonsovan area, which you'll see in the next blog and video. 

Enjoy Part 9.