Day 12 South to Nakhon Phanom
November 20, 2009 by Don Ross
Filed under Blogs, Don Ross, Mekong Odyssey 09
After a stop at Ban Pheang’s 7-Eleven for a snack and coffee we are ready to roll southeast following the Mekong River to Nakhon Phanom. The wind is kind today pushing us along a smooth asphalt highway with its freshly painted white lines. We have 93 km to cover and reckon with a little luck we will be in Nakhon Phanom by lunch.
Highway 212 sticks close to the river, but unlike the section between Chiang Khan and Nong Khai it is always about 1 km off to the east requiring short diversions down tiny lanes to reach its banks.
To the west, a high rocky escarpment juts south for a good 10 km dominating the horizon. Covered in forest it contrasts sharply with the flat paddy fields, where the rice crop is now mostly yellow ready for harvesting.
Our Dutch language guide, which is meticulous in detail, states there are sections of gravel and uneven road on this stage of the journey. Today, the road is in almost perfect condition and with the strong prevailing wind, and cool temperatures we enjoy a ride south that reminds me of cycling trips in Spain and Australia.
You tend to mull over matters as you pedal. Nothing much else to do really, and checking off the kilometres when you averaging a “fast” 23 kph can be quite depressing. Only the occasional E-ten, loaded up with people and cargo, travels slower than a touring cyclist.
So I mulled over the route we had chosen and concluded it should be a classic for cyclists. If you have ridden through the Rhine Valley, or set a more arduous goal to follow the path of the Ganges in India or the Murray River in Australia, then the Mekong River is your classic adventure in Southeast Asia. How much of the 6,000 km of river you want to explore is another subject, but the section through Thailand is quite amazing. It’s a candidate for the must-do holiday options.
It’s a route that fits whatever budget you have in mind, the distances between resorts can be cut to 50 km, or extended to over 100 km to fit the time-frame. The roads are quiet, surfaced and you are never too far from a shop that sells water and snacks. More than anything else this Mekong River route is safe.
At the 50 km mark we take a sharp left off highway 212 following a sign that says we can witness a river of many colours. A smaller river of clear water joins the Mekong and if you are lucky you can see the differences in colour as the tributary merges with mother.
At the junction we stop at a small restaurant where the lady decides we need to pay Bt30 for a standard Pepsi and small bucket of ice. Ah, she knows the value of the view. It reminding me of the day I asked the late Alois Fassbind what was the most important feature of the Royal Cliff Beach Resort in Pattaya.
He pointed to the off-shore islands, raised a glass of red wine to his lips and said: “Don, we sell the view, the rest are just trappings.”
Here on the Mekong River, the lady has the location and who knows one day it might be the site of a grand hotel and spa using the medicinal waters pumped from a well deep below the river bank.
Just 9 km north of Nakhon Phanom we stop at a road side sign announcing work has commenced on the river’s third bridge on the section bordering Laos. The other two are at Nong Khai and Mukdahan.
Construction crews were working on the pillars on the Thai bank, but there was no sign of activity on the Lao side of the river. Even so, it confirmed that the long-talked about bridge is now taking shape. The contractor has 900 days to complete the bridge, which puts the opening date somewhere in early 2012.
Over the last of the rolling hills we coast comfortably into Nakhon Phanom and again I am impressed by the well constructed promenade, tidy streets, stress-free atmosphere and of course the broad expanse of river that separates Thailand and Laos.
A line of oil tankers wait at a small port for the car ferry. It will probably take hours before the last tanker rolls off the flat deck on the Lao side.
We check in the hotel at noon having completed a beautiful ride not for the attractions, or the historic value, but simply for its clean environment, variety of scenery and the cool wind blowing off the river.
It’s going to get chilly. Already we see Thai tourists huddled up in their winter anoraks. Perhaps it was the stiff breeze blowing off the river that prompted the hotel receptionist to ask “sea view or city view rooms?”
Sea view of course, and at Bt700 a night with breakfast we thought we had a bargain.
Friday is our day to explore this northeast border town before we set off for Mukdahan on Saturday.
Tale of the Tape: Today’s distance 105.5 km; average speed 21 kph; cumulative distance 1,100.12 km.
Our ride is for charity. You can pledge support based on total kms we ride during the Mekong Odyssey, or offer a flat donation, which is ever is convenient.
Email details to the Mekong Odyssey 09 email mekongodyssey09@ttreport.com attention Don and Peter.
Mekong Odyssey 09: How to support
