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The Mekong valley is a deep V here & uncultivated. Our tiffin place was at a village on the side of the valley about 800 [[strikethrough]] 0 [[/strikethrough]] feet above the river. From here the road ascended steeply up a rocky gulch. It was the most treatcherous piece of roadway we have met. The bed was composed of hard flinty limestone [[strikethrough]] t [[/strikethrough]], rounded & polished by hoofs as smooth as billiard balls. The feet of the [[strikethrough]] front [[/strikethrough]] beasts slipped at every step. My horse fell several times with only the empty saddle & 6 of the pack animals gave out on this streatch which lasted for a whole hour of continuous travel. Above the bad road our way continued on thru rice fields in narrow valley & thru several small filthy villages. We finally found a camping place at 5 P.M. near a few houses amid pine trees. The Chinese govt. spends no money on road repair & seems to have no