The day was designated as a “full day cycling” but this ended up being a relatively short “half day” ride with lots of activities along the way.
At 08:30 we drove to a bike hire centre in Luang Prabang and we each selected a bike of suitable size and after a few minor adjustments and a brief safety chat we were on our way.
We rode down to the pier on the banks of the Mekong and boarded the river crossing ferry. The ferry was overloaded with small trucks, cars, motorbikes, bicycles, freight and dozens of people but the 300 m crossing went without incident.
The village we arrived at across the river was Ban Xieng Man and from here we commenced a ride to Ban Na Kham.
The road was exceedingly rough with a rocky and dusty surface together with many deep ruts which made for generally slow progress and the need for great caution.
Ban Na Kham is well known for growing amongst other things, sugar cane and sticky rice. A common meal enjoyed by the locals involves cooking the sticky rice with a little sugar over an open fire inside hollow bamboo stems. We sampled some of the end product and all agreed that it was delicious.
We rode our bikes down into the centre of the village and observed the local people’s lifestyle with their traditions and practices.
The children were amusing themselves with a game involving spinning tops made of wood and three little boys were running around with a pet rooster which they were enticing to fight with other roosters. Some interesting items on sale in a little store included pig oil, fermented fish stock and several types of dried fungi.
Our ride then took us back towards Ban Xieng Man at which point we turned off the rough road to ride on a slightly better surface to the village of Ban Chan Neua renowned for its pottery.
The local potters specialise in making big clay jars which are fired in a large underground kiln heated by firewood. An aid programme from overseas has seen the introduction of a propane gas fired kiln to reduce the locals’ dependence on firewood as it was having a serious effect on nearby forests.
We watched a potter working with freshly turned wet clay as he cut elaborate patterns into the surface to produce what eventually would be a lampshade.
We left our bikes at the pottery where their owner collected them with his truck and we clambered down the bank to the nearby Mekong River.
We all boarded a long narrow covered boat with comfortable bus seats and spent the next hour travelling up the Mekong while we had a tasty lunch and observed the activities on the river bank.
The rich alluvial soil on the river bank makes for very successful vegetable production with beans, corn, yams and chillies being common produce. Some water buffalos and goats were grazing near the water’s edge too.
Our boat trip ended when we returned to the ferry terminal at Luang Prabang where we’d commenced our bike ride this morning. We returned to our hotel and relaxed until the late afternoon.
With the cooler conditions after 16:00 we decided to climb Mount Phou Si (Sacred Mountain) which is a very prominent landmark in Luang Prabang.
There are three pathways leading to the summit and we took the stairs directly opposite the National Museum and climbed the 328 steps after paying the entrance fee of 20 000 Kip (AUD$3) per person.
At the top is a four sided 24 m high stupa referred to as That Chomsi. This is not the main reason people climb the hill but rather it’s for the panoramic view available from the summit.
A big crowd had gathered around the stupa to observe the sunset across the Mekong River.
We descended the 355 steps on the Nam Khan River side of the hill where there were several old temples and many Buddhas on display. At the bottom we crossed over one of the several peninsula roads that link the Nam Khan and Mekong Rivers.
We then ventured back to our hotel for a cool shower and prepared for some well deserved refreshments before heading to dinner at our hotel’s restaurant.
Tomorrow we have the morning in Luang Prabang and in the early afternoon we leave Laos and fly to Siem Reap in Cambodia to start a further phase of this incredible Asian journey.