Day 11: Chiang Khan - Pak Chom - Frankie goes to.....Indochina

December 28, 2017

Day 11: Chiang Khan - Pak Chom

Routing: #211

I´ve been waiting for this day for a long, long time. The Mekong has got almost spiritual dimensions to me and riding from Chiang Khan to Nong Khai is certainly one of the most attractive cycle routes I can talk about. And then this! I woke up with the rain still hammering on the roof. My plan of going to Sangkhom today was binned at the same second. Pak Cham -only 40 km down the road (or better Mekong) - was the new destination.

Not my first choice as an overnight stop but I think I could get used to these very slow-start mornings. While still waiting for the roads to dry up I went for a walk along the promenade to the park on the eastern end of Chiang Khan followed by one of my beloved rice porridge soups (Joc Moo in Thai) in the charming restaurant right opposite my guesthouse. Not a bad start for such a bad start!

The whole rest of the day was most delightful despite the dull skies. The huge advantage of that low pressure front are the extremely pleasant cycling temperatures at approx. 25 Celsius. The sun will be out long enough for me over the next few months!

The route itself: I´ll spare you the altitude chart today as it is rather deceiving over such a short distance. It makes it look like a difficult day which it wasn´t! It´s not flat but it´s extremely gentle undulations only. Great pleasure to ride my bike along this quiet road with the river almost continuously in sight.

Arriving in Pak Chom I saw a couple of accommodations on the way in but decided to have a look into town first. In the end I did come back to the Chaitung Resort just one km before town as they had the best deal for me: A decent bungalow (let alone the colour) with good wifi for 350 Baht. Sangkhom and my beloved Bouy Guesthouse tomorrow!

Chiang Khan - the park directly east of the town center as such is nice but I wouldn´t say the same about these sculptures

This place is attractive though! My regular breakfast restaurant right across from the Chiang Khan Guesthouse

And that´s what they can do best: Joc Moo, a rice porridge I would die for

Even grey days can be appealing along this river

Always a delight to see such polite, friendly and certainly pretty schoolchildren, isn´t it? I actually entered the compound because their school should be elected "School with the best view" right on the bank of the Mekong

One of the ferry crossings for Thai and Lao citizens only

The bungalows in my favourite colour.....

Today's ride: 44 km (27 miles)
Total: 939 km (583 miles)

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