Work Travel Volunteer

Case study of a cycling holiday in Laos just outside Luang Prabang. Ecotourism in Laos is one of the main forms of income.

"Still recovering from a one day cycle tour around the villages near Luang Prabang in Laos but it was possibly one of the best days I have had in Asia.

Biking for six hours+hot, hot, hot weather+humid enough to take a shower in+not particularly fit Kate cycling=feeling of nausea and "I am about to DIE!" going up hills plus rear end whinging at me for the next two days plus consumation of six litres and still not needing to go to the toilet.

But it was so good.

Five of us stupid tourists went plus two Laos guides. We first had to cross over the Mekong to "the other side" by boat which was pretty amusing - seven bikes plus two men on top of a small longboat trying to make sure the bikes didn't roll off into the water.

The people were genuinely happy to see us, especially the children would occasionally looked as if they would burst with excitement plus the villages were fascinating. Not touristy at all, just this is how it is. Most houses are made out of brick or bamboo but some rich villagers have huge stone and wood built homes. And again the landscapes were incredible. Paddy fields, water buffalo with bells, huge mountains in the distance and no tarmac, electricity pylons or adverts for coke anywhere. Our guides were excellent in explaining current situations such as what the local people did for work, what religions they followed and how we should behave when we met them.

Had a bit of a blip at lunch when our guide told us the village had no bottled water left and would we be okay with boiled water. All of us were until it came out, looking very brown and cold....choice between ameobic dysentery or death by dehydration. Tasted of charcoal mixed with washing up liquid and we all drank it thinking would we make it back, when our guide told us the reason it was brown was because the lady cooking our lunch had added some herbs for "good health" Doh!

Started to get tired post lunch. All the riding was off-road, and it was pretty rutted and stony. Two of the other cyclists were pretty fit - they had just done two weeks cycling in Vietnam, so they would embarrass me on every uphill slope (oh there was many!) but then I would give them the finger on the downhill, as they had fallen off riding downhill before and were reluctant to go fast. Ha ha. Thankfully there was another girl who started struggling with the hills towards the end so I wasn't the only totally unfit rider there. I have never known exercise until today and I will now mock anyone who decides one hour in front of "Davina's workout" is going to do any good.

And the most amazing thing that I still can't over is that one of our guides wore black trousers and a black jumper and did not even break out into a sweat the whole day."

Kate travelled with Green Discovery Laos