Travelogue Thailand

(Click on the flag to see the route we followed through Thailand)

Travelogues of our 2005 bicycle adventure

From Hanoi to Phetchaboon through Vietnam, Laos and Thailand.

Day 22

Nong Khai - Sang Khom (90 kilometer)

We wake up with a good feeling because today we are going to discover Thailand. But when we listen carefully we can hear the raindrops on the roof. But we are lucky and soon the ticking sound stops. But when we look outside it is still very cloudy and the temperatures are low.

A type of weather that is rare here but starts to get common for this holiday. The prevent that we still are getting wet due to the water on the streets we first decide to take an extended breakfast. After that the road is dry and it is time to move on to Sang Khom some 90 kilometers from Nong Khai
The plan is to ride along the Mekong river till Chiang Khan. We followed the Mekong river on the Thai side also 4 years ago when we drove from Kunming to Lampang and it was a nice trip with good roads over small hills and beautiful view over the Mekong. In this part of Thailand it turns out to be the same. We ride over National Road 211 that, according to the signs along the road, is declared "Scenic Route" and we must say it is beautiful here. Also the fact that we are in a quiet are of Thailand with only a small number of cars and trucks makes it a joy to cycle here.
Nong Khai, the Friendshipbridge, Tha Bo, Si Chiang Mai the villages and towns pass by quickly and we are lucky because also in the rural areas between the towns we can see beautiful orchards and fields where people are farming. The road is also littered with election posters because on 6 February 2005 there are elections for the national parliament again. Because of the experience gained during our Kunming - Lampang trip 4 years ago we know what that means: take care at shops with Thai Rak Thai posters where they try to sell you rotten fruits (we are still not sure if the rotten apples they sold us 4 years ago were a symbolic sigh but we promised ourselves to take care. Talking of fruit that is something we have seen not so much during this trip. Only a few places near the Laotian border in Vietnam but the quality was not that good, probably the wrong season. So if we see a pineapple stand we pull or brakes to buy one. First we take a look at the election posters that are also on display. We decide to buy an pineapple at a shop with an poster showing a politician we do not know but is not of the infamous Thai Rak Thai party. So probably the fruit will be fine. And when we sit down a few minutes later at the banks of a lake we find out it is a very sweet and delicious pineapple. After we have finished it Kitty offers to cycle back to buy another one, a gesture that the others appreciate. Half an our later we lick our fingers for the last time and mount the bikes again to head of to Sang Khom. We just picked this place because it is approximately some 100 kilometers from our starting point and we do not have any idea they have guesthouses here. When we pass the sign that tells us we have reached Sang Khom we stop at a grocery shop and as the owner of there is a place to sleep in town. She tells us that a few hundred meters from the shop there is a bungalow park with houses on the bank of the Mekong river. When we get there the first question we have to answer is of we want a bungalow with or without airconditioning Without is the unanimous answer because it is still cold enough to cycle the whole day with your jacket on.
Kitty chooses a bungalow with a view over the Mekong, a fine place to spend the rest of the day. The plan is to take a quick shower and relax the remainder of the afternoon. However, Kitty encounters some problems when she held the knob of the tap in her hands so everybody has to wait until the tap is made and we settle on the terrace overlooking the Mekong.
On the terrace we are welcomed by to Dutch cyclists. It turns out that Henk van Bourgogne and his wife Ton originate from Beverwijk, just around the corner of Bergen (NH) where we are coming from. Henk is also an old college of Jeroen and Marcel. The recognise Kees from the picture on the website where he is laying in the mud like a a little pig near Attapeu in Southern Laos. And when Marcel and Jeroen show up they also know them from the site. It is the first time that fellow cyclist recognise us from the site and when they tell us that they obtained a a lot of information from the site.
Henk and Ton have 9 weeks to cruise around Thailand by bicycle and take it easy. They more or less follow the same rout as us but prefer stages of 50 - 60 kilometer a day with some days to relax at nice places.


We find a bed just before night falls. We will have a good night sleep here.	Enjoying diner with fellow cyclists Henk en Ton.

Just before diner we take a look at downtown Sang Khom and it a rather big town with guesthouses all lined up at on the banks of the Mekong river. While we, when we arrived this afternoon thought that we had ended up at the and of the world. The evening market just started and there is food everywhere. We decide to adjust to the the Thai habit of eating and walk along all food stall to taste some good looking food before we will have our real diner at the restaurant of the guesthouse. When we arrive at the guesthouse Henk and Ton are already installed for diner. We join them and soon we are exchanging bicycleadventures and information. They also have made several trips in Asia and they give us inspiration and tips for a new bike trip. A very nice evening ! After that we go back to our bungalows and enjoy the view over the Mekong river and the sound of the crickets. At 11 O'clock, we did not stay up this late the whole trip, we decide to hit the deck.

Day 23

Sang Khom - Chiang Khan (107 kilometer)

We wake up early and because there is nobody awake yet we decide to have breakfast at downtown Sang Khom. So we cycle to the market and have a cup of coffee and something to eat. Breakfast is something we did not do so often in Vietnam but is getting tradition in Thailand already after two days.

Probably due to the fact the food is better here but also we have are confident we will reach the next town on time. Something we did not know when we were cycling in Vietnam. After more then one hour we shake our lazy legs and decide to mount our bicycles. Soon we see Henk and Ton. We had the idea that they would take it easy today because Pak Champ, today's aim, is only 60 kilometer away. But they also are early risers. When we pass by we wish them a good trip. When we take a picture of the beautiful view over the Mekong river Henk and Ton catch up with us again. You see, that the deference in speed on the bike are quite small. Henk stops and offers us a Dutch candy (drop), something we forget to bring ourselves. After a while we go the same way with different speeds again, something we will do a few times more today before we really lose them out of sight.
So now and then we make a stop by one of the waterfalls which are indicated by signs on the roadside, but all of them have run dry. Something Kitty can not imagine in her mind it is here always cold and sometimes wet in this month. The only other thing that breaks the rhythm of our legs is a tent with partying Thai. The ask us to stop pedaling and join the party. We stop our legs for only a few moments but decide to cycle on we still have some kilometers to go to Chiang Khan and we probably will not make it with alcohol in our legs.
When we arrive in Chiang Khan halfway the afternoon we have time enough to look for a good guesthouse and after a view round through the city center we find the most beautiful guesthouse of this ride. An building in colonial style with a modern interior, on top of that it is so clean that even Kitty tells us to stop and book a room here.


Monks on their daily round in the early morning in the roads Chiang Khan.	One of the first times the sun is shining this ride and what do that white people they go to sit in the sun.

Due to our early arrival we are able to relax a bit. We decide to book a tour over the Mekong river. And a few moments later we cruise over the beautiful river. Not that we see something else then the last few days when we followed the river but the stress (if we have it) is surely gone after the boat trip
When we return at the guesthouse and we talk with our host, in German because has has worked there a couple years, we find out that he also likes cycling. He wants to buy a new bike and asks us for tips. So we explain him in our best German all about frames, gears, breaks and tires, always nice to kelp somebody into the saddle. After that we go out for diner, although we had the address of a good restaurant we did not find it and end up into a tourist trap. Food without taste, not even a trace of chili where Thailand is know for, and staff that has more eye for the soap on the TV then for the guests. Even in a communist country like Vietnam we did have a restaurant where you have to beg for some extra rice or another drink. During diner Marcel asks if it is normal in Thailand to give a tip, but when we are finished we all agree that we do not have to bother about that tonight.
As dessert we eat an ice-cream along the roadside After that we lock ourselves in into the guesthouse because our hosts have to go off. What a trust something that you will not see often where we come from.

Day 24

Chiang Khan - Dan Sai (124 kilometer)

As usual we rise early, but because we run after 100 meters into a "pa tong go"-shop (kind of Thai/Chinese breakfast) it is quite late when we leave Chiang Khan. The reason is that the hairdresser and cook bakes very delicious pa tong go. We keep eating and ordering and climb with round bellies again on our bikes. And just before we leave downtown Chiang Khan we are hold up by a big group of monks on their daily route.

The first part of today's trip follows the banks of the Mekong river. But soon the Mekong heads North into Laos and we keep heading South West and follow the much smaller Huang river that forms the border between Laos and Thailand here. The ride is a fast one, especially the first hour. We manage to reach most hills that we pass on our largest gear and then down again making speed and up the next hill again. Only Jeroen has some problems reaching the top of the hills so he has to switch gears all the time. So after one hour he shouts to the others it is time for to relax a while, so we pull our brakes. Nowhere a village or shop to be seen so we are going to sit along the road. Kitty in the sun and the others in the shade because the sun is shining at last. When we sit down Marcel ask if we would like an ice-cream because he hears an horn honking and his guess is that it is an ice-cream salesman. When the motorcycle turns around the corner it is an ice-cream salesman indeed ! So we wave at him and when he stops we order a cold ice-cream To our surprise two more ice-cream salesmen pass by, probably the are sweettooth in this area.


Taking a rest at this cool waterfall. For the first time this trip it is hot !	Kitty has her doubts but this really is Kees his favorite singer this evening.

We hit the road again. The surroundings are nice and it is good to have the Huang river next to us all the time so we are able to take several cool breaks. Jeroen falls behind because his chain gets stuck when he changes gear. Kitty who goes back parks her bike in an identical way next to the bike of Jeroen and it takes a while to get everything running again. Kees and Marcel pull their breaks a little later not only to wait for the others but also to have a chat with two cyclist that are sitting in the shade in a small hut. They turn out to be two Dutch girls who travel Asia already for a few months. First by backpack and after that got bored the bought a mountainbike in China. Their equipment looks exotic; a wooden stick on their rack, a woven bamboo basket attached to the stick on both sides of the bike and outer tires, a straw head and a tent on top all that. When look at the construction and guess how many kilos they have to carry Marcel and Kees look at each other and both ask themselves how these girls can manage we sometimes already have problems with our 12 kilo of luggage. Then we take a look at the bicycles and they are original Chinese mountainbikes. They tell us that the bikes have done good so far do not cycle that fast in order to prevent the bicycles from shaking. And the only real problem they have encountered so far is a broken front axis. Marcel scratches his head and it is clear he has his doubts about it. With 65 kilometers downhill and then a broken axis. That will be a single trip to the local hospital or even worse ! It gets better when they tell us that they are heading to Laos and Vietnam to escape the heat. Kees and Marcel say good-bye and catch up with Kitty and Jeroen to tell them about our fellow travelers. Kitty shakes her head and still does not believe that it can be hot in this area in this time of the year although all people we meet tell the same story: "It is very hot here in Thailand and the last two days with clouds and low temperatures are more than welcome"
The last 30 kilometers to Dan Sai are ideal. The tarmac is in perfect condition and there are no hills. That has been different today (also the last days) with most of the time large potholes in the undulating roads. But we are so used to it that we only now are getting aware of it because of the perfect road ahead of us. Also the numerous brakes make the last kilometers a joy. We guess there is noting to do in Dan Sai so it is better to reach our destination just before it is getting dark so every time we see something nice we pull the brakes to take a look.
At 6 O'clock, when the light is turned off, we reach Den Sai. A busy town with a thriving market. After we checked into the local hotel / brothel we take a shower and walk into town to get something to eat. We are surprised to see that the market is closed already and it is impossible to get something else then noodle soup. But everybody favors a plate of rice after a hard day of cycling. With growing disbelief we walk around to look for a restaurant but after walking around for a few kilometers and asking some people on the roadside the only conclusion can be that this is a backward town or "Ban Nok" in Thai because a town of this size without a restaurant must be unique in Thailand. So we head back to the hotel to catch our bikes so we also can take a look for a restaurant in the suburbs in this thriving town.
We are luckily that we find a Karaoke bar soon. A place where they have something to drink is also a place where they have something to eat because drinking and eating go, unlike Holland, always together. However, Kitty refuses to enter because in her opinion it isn't a decent place to eat when you look at the short skirts of the waitresses. But the men are hungry and are not interested in skirts and waitresses they want a plate of rice and because there is no restaurant to be seen except this one they sit down on the terrace and order a plate of fried rice. Kitty follows them with great hesitation. The good thing is that unlike the service of yesterday today we are good taken care of. Our glasses are filled regular without asking and the food is good. The girl at our table asks if we want to karaoke but we kindly refuse. We know our qualities those are on the road and not on a stage. But when our drinking lady tells us she has to leave us a while to sing Jeroen tells Kees that it is not polite to stay behind so both of them go inside to take a look at the performance. Jeroen takes a picture and after exchanging names (the girl has the same name as the daughter of the Thai prime minister so we wonder who she is, is it just an artist or just sheer coincidence) we head off to our beds. We mount our bikes and go to the local drive-inn brothel where our beds for the night are. Kees tells the others that 2 years ago he also spend the night in this hole and that at 2 O'clock in the night he was woken up by a drunken policeman looking for his wife. The policeman did not want to believe that the only one in the room was Kees with his bike and that Kees had to park the bike almost in the face of the policeman before the drunk was convinced that his wife was not in the room. After this story we roll laughing of the bank in front of our rooms. That cases a lot of noise and within a fraction of a second the nightwatch shows up to take a look at the damage done. There is no damage but we are told to be quiet in this descent neighborhood so we decide it is time to go to bed and get a good night sleep, hopefully without being disturbed.

Day 25

Dan Sai - Phetchaboon (121 kilometer)

This will be the last day on our bikes ! Today we head to the so know town of Phetchaboon to enjoy a couple of lazy days. But first we will have to get over the mountain that divides Dan Sai from the rift valley where Phetchaboon is located in, that means next to a steep mountain in the beginning another 120 kilometers in the saddle today. The last mountain of the trip is a nasty one we all cycle our own speed in order to get on the top. And when we get there we find out it is a small village located around a T-junction and that the local market is also there. So that means a breakfast stop. Jeroen and Kees enjoy one of the local or Isaan delicacies "nem ping" or rusted fermented pork. Marcel and Kitty think this threat is to fat in the morning so they decide to only have some sticky.
After this nutritious breakfast it is 20 kilometers downhill to Lom Kao. The lower we get the more hot it gets. While it is quiet early it is already hot, l meaning a steaming hot day around noon. So finally Kitty gets what she wanted a hot day on which we are easy to follow. Just take a look at all the sweat that falls on the road. At 11 we reach Lom Kao only some 60 kilometer from our final destination.

We decide to cycle on for another hour and then shift into a lower gear and to take it easy. So around noon we end up at a noodle soup shop under a traditional Thai house. We enjoy the soup, at least Kees and Jeroen, while Kitty and Marcel enjoy the shade and a coke. The owners tell Kees about their late Belgium neighbor. He did not like the Thai food but the Thai beer he could not resist, with fatal consequences. Jeroen can not keep his eyes open en decides to take a nap, so very happy we sit, hang or lay down in the shade during the hottest hours of the day.


On top on the last mountain of this ride. So early in the morning me manage to look fresh and smile for the photo.	Everybody on their way home before the evening falls. So we have to slalom between the cows to get to Phetchaboon.

So a couple of hours later we head off in the direction of Phetchaboon Airport. That sounds good, it looks new but it is unknown if there are still flights arriving or leaving from here (on internet it is impossible to find any flight). The first kilometers are not that beautiful but soon we cycle through fields with tobacco, sojabeans and tomatoes but also banana and mango orchards and just before Phetchaboon also rice fields in different shades of green. A very ideal end of our ride, especially when during our last stop also an ice tea and ice coffee salesman passes by. The we decide to make a last sprint, it is almost 5 O'clock and we want to reach Phetchaboon before dark.


Touring through the Thai rural areas an extra outside and in addition to the program these last kilometers to Phetchaboon.

Phetchaboon is a surprise to the most of us. Big and busy unlike most towns we passed. That is a good sign because it means that we have a broad choice of restaurants where we can eat. But first we are going to visit Veow to tell all about our adventure. A couple of minutes later we sit down and soon different plates with food pass by and a few beers to fill the excess of liquid. After a good evening we go to bed. Jeroen, Kees and Marcel under a mosquito net and on a bamboo mat. Kitty with Veow and grandson Falan on a soft mattress We fall asleep with the knowledge that we managed it again.

Day 25 until 27

Phetchaboon, Bangkok and heading home

A good begin of the day. We do have to get onto the saddle anymore. The ride is finished and it is really getting hot. Now it is time to prepare everything for the trip home. That means is washing a lot of washing. Yesterday when we opened our bags the stench was indescribable The result of 3 weeks of effort and bad weather so washing was impossible.


For the last time a photo together with Buddha to thank him for a ride without problems. And no.... the monkey to the left is a local one we did not take it with us the whole ride.	After the ride it is time to prepare everything to go home. The bicycles get another drop of water.

After the wash, we head off to the market to buy souvenirs for the homefront and of course look if we can find something to eat. It is a pity we have to go home soon because 19 January the Tour of Thailand finishes here in Phetchaboon. That is an event we would like to see, and also check out of the rider suffer just as much on But after we get back from the market we install ourselves in the soon to get at least a bit of a tan so that everybody at home gets the idea we have had a lazy holiday !


.... Marcel at knifepoint	Like always in front when there is something to see: The local Miss Tamarind election in Phetchaboon.

Travelogue Vietnam

Travelogue Laos

Last update 24 July 2005

OneStat