Based on some conversations with other cyclists we knew heading south out of Luang Prabang we were going to be tackling a series of steep climbs over the next 210k to Vang Vieng. Sure enough it didn't take all that long, about 20k south of town we started with an absolutely lovely 8k climb on some windy roads up to a nice ridgeline view point. The view was nice, but sadly it was nowhere near the top of the climb, that was still another 6k away. After mashing out the last 6k we were treated to a nice long 16k descent, leaving us at just about the same elevation that we started at four hours earlier, wahoo. Which left us starting the truly beastly climb of the day, all 25k of it, just as the mid-afternoon heat was ratcheting up. I know I bitch alot about sweating profusely and the heat, but its really damn hot here, and I'm from Seattle, where the thermometer hardly ever goes north of 85. The climb was beautiful, it just necessitated frequent snack and water breaks to make sure we didn't pass out in the road halfway up. Probably a little dramatic, but it felt pretty brutal at the time.
Our destination for the day was Kiawakuchum, a humble roadside town perched atop a sinuous ridgeline overlooking the distant peaks, and the valley's below. After a day of brutal climbing it was nice to take in a ridge-top sunset, while attempting to inhale all of the calories I had burned off during the day, thank god for sticky rice.
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