Team Dai Ladies having breakfast overlooking the Nam Ngum

 Breakfast on Tuesday morning, the last day of the Team Dai Challenge, was on the scenic riverfront deck at Vangsana Resort.
The previous afternoon I jumped directly into the pool as soon as I was off the bike.  120 + km,  the last few hours in 35 + heat - it was necessary.

It is a small world -  and an international world.  I hadn't met any of the women in the picture before - but established some connections.
Helen Keogh, front right is from Wangaratta - how weird, and has taught at VIS, and currently lives in Savannahket  in the south of Laos.
Ginny, middle on the left, works in Chiang Mai for a cafe/bakery chain called Joma and I am friends with one of her colleagues Hamish  (he is from NZ and his wife teaches at APIS in Chiangmai), who also works for Joma and who I catch up with when he is in Vientiane for work. Patricia and Annie are from Bangkok, although Patricia is originally from the US and Annie from France.  They mountain bike in Bangkok and surrounds with Andrew Duckworth (UK) a former colleague at APIS.

Thu at the front left is from Vietnam, has worked in Laos for close to five years,  and is the strongest rider on our morning training rides.

Last year Patricia was the only female on the Team Dai Challenge, but this year the ratios changed dramatically. There were eleven women and ten men.

For anyone with time to spare - or looking for distraction, Annie's husband is a photographer and also organised private tours/expeditions. Her stories were fantastic. She's off to bicycle in Mongolia next.
 Check out the links.
 His photographs of this area are wonderful http://www.jockmontgomery.com
and the tours exotic, inspiring and expensive.http://compassroseexpeditions.com/