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.
Day 11 Chill-out in I-san’s far north
November 19, 2009 by Don Ross
Filed under Blogs, Don Ross, Mekong Odyssey 09
So far on our trip following the Mekong River we have missed the legendary winter weather that guide books claim descends on the Northeast. In theory it’s a snap coldish spell that drifts over the region requiring residents to don their wool jumpers for a month at most. Read more
Day 10 Following a river in the rain
November 18, 2009 by Don Ross
Filed under Blogs, Don Ross, Mekong Odyssey 09
Torrential rains pounded the guest house roof all night making it almost impossible to sleep. We are fine weather riders, at heart, travelling with credit cards, not tents, so the thought of having to cycle to Pak Khat in the rain was not very encouraging.
But the driver of a sky lab tricycle parked at the gate noted it was an auspicious day for Nong Khai, when town folk participate in an annual Lion Dance.
Joining the happy soothsayer, we pointed fingers at the sky to check the wind. It was blowing from the east. We stared at the heavy dark clouds that insisted on pounding this neck of the woods with sheets of rain.
Day 9 Parked in Nong Khai
November 17, 2009 by Don Ross
Filed under Blogs, Don Ross, Mekong Odyssey 09
On one side I can see the Mekong River flowing steadily past the promenade and on the other a pool table with a long bar packed with expatriates supping beer. It’s 1500 in the afternoon and I am parked in Noi and Brendan’s Riverview Restaurant and Bar, one of 10 expatriate owned pubs in Nong Khai.
It has the right business model. You can dine, sup ice-cold beer and there is free internet and even a power up if your battery runs flat.
Day 8: A pit stop in Sang Khom on scenic 211
November 17, 2009 by Don Ross
Filed under Blogs, Don Ross, Mekong Odyssey 09
Today we travel to Sang Khom a steady 106 km ride from Chiang Khan, where the Mekong River rejoins Thailand and marks the border with Laos for more than 1,000 km, all the way to Ubon Rachathani province.
Day 7: Fairy tale stay in Chiang Khan
November 16, 2009 by Don Ross
Filed under Blogs, Don Ross, Mekong Odyssey 09
After a rest day in Dan Sai, Loei province, watching two buffaloes wallow in the resort’s watering hole, we are ready to tackle the next leg of our trip, a 140 km ride to Loei town and Chiang Khan on highway 203 that will take us across Phu Rua hills.
Day 5 Dansai first town in I-san
November 16, 2009 by Don Ross
Filed under Blogs, Don Ross, Mekong Odyssey 09
After travelling south on a route that hugs forested mountains, close to the border with Laos, the small town of Dansai marks the start of I-san or Northeast Thailand.
Day 4 Visits to national parks
November 12, 2009 by Don Ross
Filed under Blogs, Don Ross, Mekong Odyssey 09
Peter calls this stretch of North Thailand, that marks the border with Laos, the :”empty quarter” borrowing a quote from a travel book on journeys in Oman, “Where Angels Feared to Tread,” written by Wilfred Thesiger.
Day 3 Trail to Si Nan Park
November 12, 2009 by Don Ross
Filed under Blogs, Don Ross, Mekong Odyssey 09
We estimate we have 68 km to cover to the Si Nan National Park, where we plan to rent tents at B250 a pitch. We leave Nan on a tiny rural road, pick up some bananas at a roadside stall for Bt5 and arrive at Wiang Sa well south of Nan for lunch. I get a reasonable connection through the mobile phone at the restaurant and give TTR Weekly’s daily the once over.
Day 2 Pong to Nan over the hills
November 11, 2009 by Don Ross
Filed under Blogs, Don Ross, Mekong Odyssey 09
I am sure those who ride ponies, walk or cycle agree philosophically that it’s the journey rather than the destination that makes it all so exhilarating.
