Day 18: Nakhon Phanom - That Phanom - Frankie goes to.....Indochina

January 5, 2018

Day 18: Nakhon Phanom - That Phanom

Routing: #212

Thumbs up for Nakhon Phanom, the most cycling friendly town I have been to so far. That great river cycletrack continues all the way to the south of the city with fantastic river views and several category 2 temples and a delightful park in the very south of the town center. Great start again and the rest wasn´t going to be bad either!

Another full day on the 212 but no complaints about it. The highway has become a dual carriageway with a wide shoulder apart from several short sections where it disappears entirely for unknown reasons; the topography has changed to continuously flat; the traffic has eased considerably; the road runs much closer to the Mekong which allows for river views plus there is far more activity along the side of the road, i.e. farming, craftsmanship and settlements as such. I actually enjoyed the day even if you wouldn´t call it a scenic ride.

Extremely short ride too as I was eager to conduct some bike maintenance and washing. When I rolled into That Phanom - a place I had never heard
of before - I could hardly believe the size of the Wat Phra That Phanom and the compound around the temple. Most impressive, accoring to wikipedia it is "one of the most important Theravada Buddhist structures in the region." Coming with it is a huge number of Thai pilgrims (do you call them that in Buddhism?) and businesses in town.

When I rode down to the massive riverfront promenade I quickly spotted the place I was going to stay at: The bungalows of the Rimkhong Homestay, or Krissada Rimkhong Hotel 2 as it is called on google maps, are exactly my cup of tea and I found the 600 Baht they are asking for (breakfast incl.) very acceptable. Meeting Aussie traveller Scott who is staying there too was definitely a bonus and we went for some decent live music in the
evening. My approach trying to stay in places I haven´t been to yet
pays back with high dividend!

That´s the stuff I like! Illuminated cycle tracks

I am not sure whether it comes across on a photo but it is such a delight to have something happening at the side of the road. Here it´s tomato harvest

Did you notice that I do love those temples?

Having lunch on the That Phanom Mekong promenade

Sorry! That´s my lunch. As Isaan as it gets: grilled chicken, extremely spicy papaya sald (som tam) and sticky rice (khao niaw)

Back home clouds do create rather negative emotions - it´s somehow different here!

Today's ride: 58 km (36 miles)
Total: 1,478 km (918 miles)

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