In the light rain I cycle up to the border to Laos. Just before the border the rain stops and when I cross it the sun shines. Just as pleasent is the border crossing itself. The visa I can get here on the spot, everybody is extremly friendly, there are only few people and it is very quiet.

Most surprised I am about the road. It seems to be brand new, clean and best of all: there is hardly any traffic. But after only a few kilometers I leave that road already. I want to follow the Ho Chi Minh trail here in the east. Finally back on a dirt road, I was looking foreward to that. In contrast to Vietnam that is only a few km away, here it is very dry and dusty. After half a day I get to a crossing where I am not sure anymore where to go. People show me the way but they also doubt, that I can pass there by bicycle.

I heard already that there are quite some cyclists here in Laos and soon I meet Esther from Holland with whom I cycle for the next days.

As soon as possible I go back to the east. Here the roads consist of this dusty, red earth. After a day on such a road I am red from head to toe. Here on the Bolaven Plateau there are many coffee, rubber and banana plantages. But in between there is also lots of forrest and some nice waterfalls. They are not only nice to look at, much better is still the bath in the river as the temperatures regularly rise to unpleasent hights in the afternoon.

After the ride through the forrest I come to a little village where there is a little guesthouse. What a peaceful place! The guesthouse owner has two elefants and in the evening I go for a ride with one of it. It is just fantastic to sit on this great animal with its thick but still soft skin. As the sun goes down we walk along the rice paddies, through wetland and to a hill with a great view. Finally we take a bath with the elefant in the river. I should try and stay on its back while it goes under water. I feel like a surfer as I try to hold my balance while the elefant is taking a bath. Three times that works quite well, but the forth time a can't keep the balance anymore and fall next to the elefant into the muddy water. It's just big fun.

Next morning I wake up with the quiet, rhythmic chanting of the monks in the temple close by, then the animals come alive and finally it gets bright. I could wake up every day like that...