Old dogs unlearn old tricks

As someone keen on route planning, I'd be expected to do better than this. One basic rule is, surely, "In winter, start from the south and work north slowly". It's what I did right in India (second time) so why was lured like so many others by the prospect of down-river trips (in this area mostly north to south, some west to east) to take the clockwise route through Laos and Cambodia (basically, north to south)? Cambodia is going to be baking in March while Northern Laos, now bitter, is more likely to be mellow. In February, Cambodia has been a bearable 30 odd while here it's well below 10!

So what now? Head south!

Route planning in the north of Laos is hard enough with the roads running for French colonial convenience across the country to Vietnam (west-east) and very few indeed north-south. Those tracks that do exist are pretty basic but, with better weather, I had a route plan which ended by bypassing Vientiane entirely by using one of the most challenging of them. Now, however, I'm facing a straight run through the night to Vientiane and on from there on the 15th Feb. I passed up on the 8 a.m. bus because it would have delivered me into the capital at midnight. I hope the 2 p.m. bus will carry me through the night and arrive at dawn. Hopefully, that's one old trick still remembered: "reculer pour mieux sauter"!

Happy Valentines everyone!