Day 12: Pak Chom - Sangkhom - Frankie goes to.....Indochina

December 29, 2017

Day 12: Pak Chom - Sangkhom

Routing: #211

Back to glorious sunshine and corresponding temperatures this morning for another full day along the river. Only the following two occurences stop me from rating the ride 9 out of 10:

a) surprisingly heavy traffic, very likely due to the long holiday weekend. I still wouldn´t call this a problem on the almost shoulderless 211 because ALL vehicles were very cautious and gave me sufficient space

b) the heavy rainfalls of the previous days had washed a lot of soil onto the road which was now quickly drying off being converted into huge clouds of dust. So dust mask on again which is never pleasant when intensive breathing is required

But this was all really minor in comparison to the visual delight of
riding along the Mekong in those brilliant weather conditions. All the same I wish to reiterate that riding along the river is not synonymic to cycling in the flat. I found today considerably more demanding than yesterday and that´s not because of the 20 extra kilometers. There are quite some short but challenging bumps in the way. However - overall another most enjoyable day on the bike!

When coming to this part of Thailand there is one mandatory stop: The Bouy Guesthouse in Sangkhom, owned and manged by the most lovely Toy. I have been here several times and always stayed in one of the
island-bungalows as I call them. Very basic huts but right on the river. You can imagine how disappointed I was when I arrived today and Toy told me her remaining three bungalows were all engaged. She offered me an aircon bungalow right next to the main building for 500 Baht which I grumpily accepted. Now after having realized that the island-bungalows have lost quite some of their charme I am more than happy with my "2nd choice" accommodation. They have constructed a walkway right next to the bungalows and I feel that Huckleberry Finn flair has gone. As I said - more than happy with my alternative: two nights in Sangkhom!

These guys were pressing the lumps of caoutchouc from the plantations (on the right) into these white rubber mats. I could clearly smell they were using some chemicals for the bleaching process which were pumped straight into the river afterwards. Sickening!

Have you ever been served your Asian meal on a banana leaf? This lady is preparing them

My bungalow at the Bouy Guesthouse, Sangkhom.....

Every now and then I will zoom out my ride a bit for those of you who are not familiar with the area I am travelling at that time

Today's ride: 62 km (39 miles)
Total: 1,001 km (622 miles)

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