Cycling along the flat, straight road in the heat, the mind wanders. In Vientiane I talked with world cyclists Martin and Susanne, and with Mark about the big question – ‘what will you do when you finish the trip?’ A boring cycling stretch can sometimes bring surprising mental clarity – and so it was today.
Boring road
Key words float in and out of my mind as the cars and trucks roar past. Environment, helping disadvantaged people, Australian aboriginals, Australian healthcare policy (I have worked in healthcare research and healthcare communications), Aboriginal health (life expectancy 15 years less that non-Aboriginal Australians). Then the massive illegal destruction of the Indonesian rainforests. Issues in areas I will be cycling through. Issues that are important. What will I do when I get to Australia? I don’t know – yet.
A rest-day in Vientiane with interesting people can break the cycling mindset. I had a day of sightseeing, guided by a local, lots of smoothies, and bought some of the cool sticky rice and coconut tubes (sold in bamboo tubes).
Sticky rice in bamboo
Meeting with Twisting Spokes
arctic-cycler.com 