Getting There: On Thursday, we started our adventure by driving to Udon Thani, Thailand, about a 1 1/2 hour ride from Vientiane to catch our afternoon plane to Bangkok. The bike case wouldn't fit in the trunk, so Peep and I were squeezed into the back seat with the case while mom rode in front and Poup drove. After a 3 hour layover in Bangkok, we flew to Chiang Rai in northern Thailand where we caught a cab for the 50 minute drive to Chiang Saen on the Mekong River border with Laos. We checked into our hotel, had some dinner and then went to bed.
Buddy Bike & Run: We were up early Friday and after breakfast walked into town to watch the Buddy Bike and Run. It is an interesting race for two man teams, one running and one biking. The runner holds a rope attached to the bike to keep the teams together. The runner and biker are allowed to switch positions at any time during the race and as many times as they want. The race course was about 12 miles long (3 loops around the inner city, along the Mekong and city wall). Peep and I had fun cheering all the competitors until the last team crossed the finish line, and even met one of the organizers that was to become my second biggest fan by cheering me on the rest of the weekend. He called me "mister" and was always cheering "Go mister". I registered for the three races before heading back to the hotel for lunch.
Aquathlon: The Aquathlon started at 4:30 that afternoon. The 1,500 meter swim was very fast due to a swift current. It was a shallow water start and one of the women held on to me to keep from being swept away before the start signal was given. I was pretty far up in the group coming out of the swim and felt real good for the 5 kilometer run. The sun was already low in the sky by then and the run was fast.