Day 17: Bike to big town Ubon
November 27, 2009 by Don Ross
Filed under Blogs, Don Ross, Mekong Odyssey 09
Like most of the small towns we stayed in breakfast poses a problem in Khong Chiam. Resorts come with hot and cold water, even the internet, but the B&B concept, so popular in Europe, has not quite caught on.
Day 16: Rough road to Khong Chiam
November 26, 2009 by Don Ross
Filed under Blogs, Don Ross, Mekong Odyssey 09
If there was a way to avoid the 85 km jolt over the hills to Khong Chiam and still be in striking distance of the Mekong River, we missed it. What remains of our Mekong Odyssey looks pretty painless on paper. Highway 2112 snakes its way southeast, always within just a few kilometres of the river.
Day 15: Following the trail of the Dutch
November 25, 2009 by Don Ross
Filed under Blogs, Don Ross, Mekong Odyssey 09
Our intention is to follow the Mekong River as closely as we can along rural roads that we assume are sealed and not too hilly. We set out determined to follow the route outlined in a Dutch cycling guide that suggests we should head south for 36 km on rural highway 2034 to the small riverside village of Don Tan.
Day 14 Mukdahan gateway to Indochina
November 24, 2009 by Don Ross
Filed under Blogs, Don Ross, Mekong Odyssey 09
Technically it is called a wind chill factor when the temperature you feel is a good 5 degrees below what the thermometer displays. It felt like 15 degrees Celsius as we left Nakhon Phanom for the 54 km ride to That Phanom. We had perfect conditions – four-lane highway, quite deserted and a brisk wind pushing us southwards.
Day 13 Checking out Nakhon Phanom
November 23, 2009 by Don Ross
Filed under Blogs, Don Ross, Mekong Odyssey 09
It is blowing a gale in Nakhon Phanom, giving some significance to the receptionist’s question “did we want sea view or city view rooms”. In just a couple of days the weather swung from unseasonably hot to cool and windy, with temperatures falling to 15 degrees Celsius in the evenings.
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.
