Day 13: Sangkhom - Ban Wiang Khuk - Frankie goes to.....Indochina

December 31, 2017

Day 13: Sangkhom - Ban Wiang Khuk

Routing: #211, 242

Ban what? Ban Wiang Khuk, 12 km short of Nongkhai. Deliberately! On this particular journey I find it more and more difficult to leave places again. It must have to do with my new as-long-as-I-wish status. When I knew I had only limited time available I felt more agile and eager to keep going every single day. I really had to force myself into rest days then.

This new situation feels like it requires a complete shift of paradigm in comparison to my previous rides. The first changes I am intending to implement are: Sleep in - start late; forget about any 100+ km days; stay in towns I haven´t been to yet. Effective as of today!

The most popular stop to the travelling community after Sangkhom is Nongkhai. I have been there a few times and that´s exactly why I was not headed there today. Let alone the fact that Nongkhai will be very busy on New Years Eve. Fireworks are not my cup of tea at all so any quiet little town between Tha Bo and Nongkhai was what I was aiming for.

I absolutely disliked the first 30 km out of Sangkhom. And that´s not
because of the two climbs on the way. It´s because the 211 has got
no shoulder on that section and the traffic was insane. As ususal no
direct aggression against me but a car flying by at 100 km/h with
hardly any gap is simply scary. I actually felt unsafe which I
haven´t done while cycing in Thailand for a long, long time. However
- after thirty kilometers it was all over: the shoulder was back, the
undulations had disappeared and the stiff northeasterly will only be a
factor for another 2 or 3 days when the Mekong makes a 90 degree turn
to run southbound all the way towards the mouth in Vietnam.

My first stop after getting into the flat was Si Chiang Mai. I always found it a lovely little town but have for some reason never stayed overnight. I guess I would have considered doing so today but most of the nice river front was getting ready for New Year celebrations and that´s a thing I was keen to avoid, as the Thai people certainly know how to party all night long....

Only 15 km later I was in Tha Bo. Another option for spending the night but for some reason a lot of shops were closed which gave the little town some sort of deserted feeling. It´s here were I got onto the #242 to stay as close to the river as possible. And then I saw the attractive looking Rina Resort on my left - that´s why I am in Ban Wiang Khuk tonight.

The whole valley seems to have very fertile soil and they grow chilis in huge plantations

Great cycletrack along the promenade in Si Chiang Mai, looking over to the Lao capital Vientiane

The topiary garden just east of Si Chiang Mai

Mother and son as you can see by their charming little ears

Tobacco is the other big cultivation on this particular stretch

My bungalow for 500 Baht. Mind you the 242 runs right behind me but became really quiet at night

I am lost for words on the interior design though

I have to show you a photo of this most likeable gentleman called Bun Song. He belongs to the big catholic church right opposite the Rina Resort and his big hobby are the plants in the compound. He has got three different devices to water his darlings. If he believes they "are sick" he uses this old teapot as it distributes the water more gently. I love that sort of stories!

My New Years Eve dinner. I walked along the river and decided to have a beer at a shop whose owner greeted me friendly. Once I had seated myself he started a conversation: You like noodlesoup? - Oh yes, I love it. As a result I had those instant noodles in front of me two minutes later. The same thing happened with the crisps (which are Sweet Basil and Chili and really nice indeed!) but from there on it was only: No, I don´t like. Otherwise I would still be sitting in his shop going through his whole supply

And this should have been my place for dinner. The Vientiane Restaurant is said to do outstanding Lao food. But I was full with instant noodles and crisps......

Today's ride: 69 km (43 miles)
Total: 1,070 km (664 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	1
Comment on this entry	Comment	0