The further I get to the North of Laos, the more I get the feeling of driving through China. People seem like a dark version of the Chinese, cars and trucks are made in China and all signs and advertisements are bilingual: in Lao and Chinese. Here and there I even see the communist red flag. My place to stay is only 19 km from the Chinese border, so that may not be surprising.
I have no idea what the roads are like in China, but here they are bad. Gravel or broken asphalt every few hundred meters. A short rain shower has given the bottom and rear of my motorcycle a new color: beige.
When I stop for a small lunch on the way, the owner proudly shows me the giant snake and rats he has caught. In terms of lunch, I'll stick to a few pre-packaged muffins here.
The next day it doesn't get much better in terms of roads, but the area is and remains really beautiful. When I approach the Thai border in the afternoon and leave the mountains behind me, the temperature rises quickly from 31 to 37 degrees. It will be a warm bordercrossing tomorrow.
