As we sped away from Konglor Cave on our trusty motorbike the sun was beating down like crazy in central Laos(老挝) at midday. We could still feel the coolness of the cave on our skin as we made our way back to Thakhek, where we had a flight booked for the next day. But little did we know that just about fifteen minutes after passing a tiny town on the dust y road, something unexpected was waiting for us.
All of a sudden, our motorbike stopped working as a result of a broken fuel line and we found that we were in the middle of a deserted road with no people in sight. As the minutes dragged on and on with no cars passing by, panic started to set in. But we knew despair wouldn't help us get out of this mess.
Gathering our courage, we all agreed to take turns to push the motorbike back towards the town we had passed earlier. Since we didn't have a map and were unsure about how far the town in our intended direction was, this seemed to be our best option. It was challenging to push in that heat, our clothes sticking to us and dust getting everywhere. Our feet were killing us too. As we continued pushing the motorbike under the sun, the weight of the motorbike seemed to increase with each step.
The dusty road stretched endlessly before us, disappearing into the horizon (地平线). We had no choice but to hope that the town was not too far away. We encouraged one another with words of support and occasional laughter to lighten the mood. However, as time ticked by, it became obvious that this journey would test not only our physical strength but also our mental endurance. Doubts began to creep into our minds—what if there were no towns nearby? What if we ended up going in circles?
Just when we were about to lose hope, an old dusty truck appeared on thehorizon.
……
As we left the repair shop in town the truck driver refused to accept the money I offered him
