Biking and kayaking in Laos

We biked only 15km, but after 5 weeks of sitting on boats and in taxis, my heart was pounding in my throat. We arrived early to the elephant camp so we stopped in a nearby village to have a snack - squares of rice gel with tamarind juice, rice crackers, and chili. After seeing the elephants, half of them blind, had been rescued from a harsh existence in the logging industry. Southeast Asia is supposed to be reverent of elephants, but logging is a most irreverent task for these majestic creatures. Not shown is any of the three hours it took to kayak the 15km home, nearly 4 hours under a baking sun with no shade, not enough water in the river (we beached three times), and a headwind that actually could send you backwards.