Louangprabang-Pak Mong

Total Distance:1113.46km
Total time:6h51m41s
Average Speed:16.5km/h
Maximum Speed:57.0km/h
Total Distance So Far:7419.07km

So, you are probably all wondering why every time I write about Louangprbang I spell it differently. Apart from the fact that my spelling skills leave something to be desired, there is no exact translation between Laos and English. Every time I pass a sign for Louangprabang it is spelt differently. However you spell it, my last visit there was a good one. There were a couple of things that, with the excitement of Pii Mai, I was unable to check out the last time I was there. Louangprabang is a great city. Very relaxed. the perfect place to spend a couple of days before heading back out into the mountains.
Pak Mong is only 27km from where Fred broke down and we ended up on the bus. I was glad to get there. Having retraced the path of the bus ride, I can now say I actually rode the whole route without cheating. I don't want to be one of those cyclists who tells people they are riding across SE Asia when, in fact, they are busing it most of the way. The ride was a good one. A surprisingly easy one. The road between Louangprabang and Pak Mong follows the Nam Ou river, meaning it runs in a valley making it a whole lot less hilly than what I've been used to. There are hills, but they are small and rolling. It was great to actually average 16km/h. It's been a little frustrating after pulling 200km days at 20km/h, coming to Laos and only being able to make it 80km in a day and at a snails pace.
Pak Mong had little to offer, but a girl's gotta stay somewhere. It is sort of a hub town. People generally only stop there to transfer buses to either Louangprabang or Oudom Xai. However there was a place to eat and a place to sleep, so I was happy.