This week’s Travelsonabike2 bicycle touring post comes from Laos on the 26th-January-2012, and I’m in Laos. The day didn’t start too well.
Thursday 26th January 2012 In Kasi, Laos
Another early start to the day. What is it with the chickens around here? It was 4.30 when they started “cock a doodle dooing”. I tried to stay in bed and get back to sleep, but there was no way it wasn’t going to happen, so I got up. Anyway, it’s good to start cycling in the cool air of the early morning.
I left the guesthouse and set off up the road. But within half a mile, I started to get a feeling in my stomach, the one where you know that your bowels are about to explode at any moment. And there’s nothing you can do to stop it. I quickly turned around, cheeks clenched, and raced back to the guesthouse.
Thankfully, the key was still in the door to my room. Nobody had been in to clean my room. I hurriedly pushed my bike in, locked the door, and made it to the toilet just in time. What a relief. Unfortunately, I wasn’t feeling so good now, so I went back to bed and spent the next few hours between the bed and the bathroom. Airing on the side of caution, I decided to stay put for the day. After all, I had my own toilet, and it was a proper loo as well. We don’t want any accidents on the road, do we?
Time To Venture Out
I was starting to feel better by lunchtime, so I ventured out to the restaurant and had a black coffee. After sitting there for an hour or so, Natalie and Vincent turned up and stopped for something to eat. Vincent was feeling a lot better now. His tummy bug had gone. I told them that I hadn’t felt so good myself. They thought twice about eating then. But I reassured them that I didn’t think it was anything to do with the food. It was more likely to be the water I’d drunk this morning.
Natalie and Vincent didn’t stop for long. They were in a bit of a rush. They were trying to avoid another cyclist they’d got caught with last night. All he spoke about was himself, and he was pretty dull with it. An hour after Natalie and Vincent left, I saw the cyclist they talked about come through. I knew it was him from their description, so I hid behind a pillar just in case.
I sat in the restaurant for the rest of the afternoon. It’s a busy place, with coach loads of Chinese tourists stopping off en route to Vientiane. I watched the chef pluck and portion up a chicken. I hope it’s the one that woke me up this morning! Later on, I tried something to eat, along with a beer, and they seemed to have stayed in! Hopefully, I’ll be okay to move on tomorrow.
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