Total distance 313 km

Time to move on and I have just spent probably my last night at the Tongkhong Guesthouse as Bens lease runs out at the end of the year and the owners want it back to change it. Sad really as I have been staying here for the last six years when I am in Chiang Khan

I take the 201 for five km then its a right onto the 2154 followed by a left onto the 4014 then a right to ride the brilliant 2399 again

It doesnt seem to get written about so obviously its being negleted by GT Riders when they are in this area

The only fire that I see today thankfully

Some happy workers out in the fields

Surely the above picture must make some of you want to ride along here

A brilliant road from start to finish whichever way you ride it, finally it finishes at the 203 where I turn right and ride to Phu Ruea

I take a right onto the 2013 and this is also good in places

At Nakhon Thai I take a right onto the 1143 and enjoy lots of this fine road

At the 1143s finish its a right onto the 1246 to Thong Saen Khan and here its a left onto the 1214 followed by a right onto the 1244 then a left onto the 1047 which brings me to hwy 11 where I turn left then do a right into Uttaradit

Buffet at the Inter Restaurant tonight for 130 Baht

Including ice cream

Total distance 243 km

I take the 201 for about five km then its a right onto the 2154

A pleasant back road that has a few potholes but nothing to worry about

Just before a village I cross over the river but not much water in it now, I reach the 4014 and turn right onto it then not far along here its a right onto the 2195 and I ride on to Ban Tha Di Mi to visit the Mekong/Hueng confluence

The Mekongs low but still has a fair flow to it and I can only wonder at its depth

The Hueng doesnt have much water at all

Looking across the Mekong to Laos and fires there too

Down on the bank of the hueng

Another shot from the top of the hill

Riding along the narrow 2195

I come upon a couple of monks who want a photo with me

Lots of burning in Laos across the Hueng

This is a good road that I like very much plus the scenery is great at the right time of the year

I ride down to Ban Nong Phu and here people are walking across the Hueng to Laos

Along the roadside

The low flow of the Hueng

I take a left onto the 2294 to enjoy this road again

At the 2294s end I take a left onto the 203 and ride through Phu Ruea

Then its a left onto the 2399

Very hazy now

The jewel in Chiang Khans crown

No excuse is needed to travel along this very fine specimen of asphalt as often as possible

And I will be riding along it again tomorrow in the opposite direction, I managed to get the Phantom up to 140 kph down one of its hills today

At the all too soon finish of this fantastic road its a left onto the 4014 then eight km later a right onto the 2154 then a left onto the 201 and back to Chiang Khan

These cute dogs were parked outside my guest house

Today I paid Islam a very deep insult indeed, I asked for and ate a pork massaman, hopefully theres not a fatwa on my head now

Total distance 342 km

I took the 201 south for about twenty km then took a left onto the 2108, after a couple of km this gets nice and twisty

Its a shame the haze is here but looking in the paper I see its a lot worse around Mae Hong Son

I cant fault this road

I take a right onto the 2249

Near the finish its a great new surface with rollercoasters, at the junction with the 2138 I turn left onto it

Two or three km later I take a right onto an unnumbered road, its a bit hit and miss along here, it starts off alright then goes to potholes then its a mixture of asphalt and a loose surface for a fair way

Finally its a good surface leading to Wang Saphung

I reach the 201 at Wang Saphung and turn left onto it

After a few km I take a right onto the 2250

Now this is a good surface

After about twenty km I reach a crossroads and I take the left which is still numbered the 2250 to ride to Nong Hin. This starts off as a good surface but soon deteriorates into potholes and a crap surface for a while, then its an okay road to Nong Hin

At Nong Hin I turn right onto the 201 then almost immediatelt take a left onto the 2400

I like this road and theres some decent bends along it

I take a right onto the 2141 and some fires burning in places

The 2141 is a funny road, narrow and a rough surface in places then good in others. I ride on until I loop back to the 201 where I turn right and stay on this road back to Chiang Khan

Pork steak, chips and onions tonight for 200 baht

Total distance 498 km

I took the 201 from Chiang Khan past Loei and as far as Wang Saphung, here it was the 2016 to ride up in the hills

Not far out of Wang Saphung and to my right is this Buddah that I have never noticed before

The haze is really here now

Still hazy even when a lot nearer

The roads getting twisty already

Plenty of fires around now

A fantastic ride along this road whatever bike you ride

This pratt is getting another fire going

This route up through here doesnt get mentioned much which is a shame as its really good plus the scenery is brilliant at the right time of the year

Theres road widening going on at the junction with the 2216, I turn left onto the 2216 and its a dicey surface to start with as theres loose gravel everywhere

Then after a few km its back to a good surface

Plenty of these along here

Then theres this brilliant new surface for a fair way, once the road widening and resurfacing is complete this will be an awesome road

I reach hwy 12 and turn right onto it

This is a good twisty section that is surprisingly pretty much devoid of traffic

A couple of photos from a viewpoint

I take a right onto the 2181 and ride into Lom Sak then take the 203 which is great after a while

More fires along here, the 203 really gets twisty but times getting on and I have a long way to ride so no more photos along here

Past Phu Ruea and its a left onto the 2399 to enjoy this brilliant road again

A road that I will never tire of, I ride to its finish then take the 4014, 2154 and 201 back to Chiang Khan after a much longer ride than I anticipated

Pork and pasta tonight for 150 Baht

Total distance 248 km

It was hwy 2 straight up to Nong Khai and to the friendship bridge to check on the Mekongs water level

In november I have seen the water level up on the main pillars and at other times at various levels on the wider concrete part but today is the first time that I have ever seen the wider concrete part completely out of the water

I wonder if its shallow enough to walk across now

A few km further up river and its a narrow flow here

Plenty of sand being excavated on the Lao side

A great ride as always along the 211 on a much cooler day

Lots of sandbanks all the way

A good surface, next to no traffic and the Mekong to my right make a fantastic combination

The good old rollercoaster section

From here it just looks like a dried up river bed, I cant see the water out in the middle

A bit further along and its back in view

I stop at my usual viewpoint for some photos

The top of the concrete marker in the middle of the photo is only just visible in november now its well out of the water

I walk out to the middle of the Mekong, the sand is very hot to walk on

Look at that bubbling cauldron of raw power, no swimmers in there thats for sure

This is the total flow and I wonder how deep it is

Not the safest of places to be

Typical I walk back to the road then these two boats come along so its zoom time

Its pretty slow going for them along that section

The view down river

A few km further and the water has disappeared from view again

Then it returns again

I am seriously neglecting the road shots today, a narrower road now but still good fun

The bed of the Mekong is now a sea of greenery

I reach Chiang Khan and this is a shot up river from my guest house

Looking down river

Plenty of boats and people out on the sandbanks

I reckon all that water has affected my appetite tonight and I plump for a large chicken massaman with rice for 150 Baht at my guest house

Total distance 261 km

It was a pleasant gentle ride along the Mekong from Chiang Khan this morning

The Mekong is not as low as I have seen it at this spot

The 211 is always a pleasant ride

This infernally noisy thing caught me up and the guy on it seemed to think that I wanted to ride alongside him listening to its racket, I stopped and thankfully he rode off

A bit further along it was parked beside the road and this big hole in the exhaust pipe was the reason for the horrible racket

90713 km on this old two stroke aint bad going though, its done more than my Phantom has

Theres places where the Mekong is fast and ferocious

Some rollercoasters again today

My last picture of the Mekong at Sangkhom, I call in to say hello to the Irish chap who has a restaurant and rooms here but the place has been ripped out. I was only telling a young Aussie guy about this place earlier this morning as he was asking me about where to stay, hopefully he found somewhere

I take the 2376 inland from Sangkhom and at its end a left onto the 2348 and along here I happen upon this snake

I have never seen one of these before and absolutely no idea what it is. I ride on to Ban Phue and from here take the 2021 to hwy 2 where I turn right and ride into Udon Thani. Here I check in at the Srisawat Hotel as usual and its still 160 Baht per night

Riding around town I happen upon this scooter

Obviously an even bigger fan of the brand than I am

I go to Piccola Roma for my meal tonight but I get a shock when I arrive as it looks a lot more upmarket than before

Thankfully theres still some normal seats for a peasant like me, I was worried that I would be refused entry to start with

Lasagna, garlic bread and an onion salad for 250 Baht

Total distance 331 km

The Mekong was hardly visible through the fog at my guest house this morning

I took the 201 south for twenty four km then took a right onto an unnumbered road, along here the freshly planted tapioca sticks are being sprayed with something

I come to a T junction and its the 4014 which I had assumed emerged onto the 201 nearer to Chiang Khan, this explains why I couldnt find the start of it this morning. I turn left onto it and ride its mixture of a reasonable surface, potholes and repair work

The 4014 appears to end at its junction with the 3003, I take a left and ride on stopping for a break at this rubber tree plantation

Its another road that good at times and a bit potholed at others, it emerges onto the 201 14 km north of Loei despite not appearing on my map

I turn right onto the 201 and ride on for about five km then take a right onto the 2115

Today is my first ride along the entire length of the 2115 and its a pleasant experience. I notice quite a few roads going off to either side, some are on my map whilst others arent and further exploring will be done in the future

I ride to Tha Li and take the road out towards Phu Ruea but its not numbered at the moment

Now its the 2399 and the other section of it that I have never rode on before

I have this bit to look forward to

That is one steep hill and a lorry going up it took forever to reach the top

Looking back down

I reach the other section of the 2399 that I have rode before and ride on to the 203

I reach the 203 and do a left onto it then 3.5 km later I take a right onto the 3002 that Jerry (monsterman) mentioned recently

An awesome road with stunning bends and scenery to match make my first ride along here fantastic

The weather has changed today, after a few cold days its baking hot today

I come to a speed bump in the road

Then this warning sign

They sure want everyone to know about this corner

Damage to the concrete barrier where someone has hit it

Not so many bends now but still an enjoyable road, at its junction with the 2140 I take the left and ride to Wang Saphung. Here I take the 201 to Loei then a right onto the 2138

Then after a few km its a left onto the 2249 and some nice rollercoasters along here

Theres some tapioca being harvested along here, these have been uprooted and left on the surface

Some more rollercoasters along the 2249

At the end of the 2249 its a right onto the 2108

More good scenery along here

Its rollercoaster country along these roads

At Pakchom I take a left onto the 211 to ride along the Mekong to Chiang Khan

No sign of the water now from this viewpoint

I can see and hear it boiling away now though

A very scenic view of the Mekong in full flower rather than full flow

I am having withdrawal symptoms from my trip to the very south from last year and have a large chicken massaman curry with rice tonight

Followed by this from a restaurant around the corner

Total distance 405 km

I took the 201 then a left onto the 2154 and at this roads end a right onto the 4014. at the T junction with the 2195 I took a right and one km later took a left also onto the 2195 to follow the border towards na haeo

i see plenty of tapioca being harvested around here now

The 2195 is quite narrow along here but enjoyable just the same

I am riding along the hueng now

A twisty section in the distance

At the finish of the 2195 I turn left onto the 2113 and ride into na haeo where its time to stop for a break and a snack

Theres some good bends along this fine road as well

great scenery along here too

At dan Sai I take a right onto the 2013

And theres some sharp bends along here to start with

That water looks a bit muddy, I guess thats because of the recent rains around here

About twenty five km out from Dan Sai I take a right onto the 2010, I have often wondered where this road led to and today was the time to find out

It certainly starts off promising enough and just after the first village it narrows and becomes the 4008

I dont see any people wearing white hoods so I imagine that KKK means something totally different around here

After eighteen km the 4008 meets the 1248 and I turn right onto it

The scenery is looking good ahead and this is another new road for me today as well

Theres a steep climb up around these bends

Stunning views and scenery from up here I can tell you

I reach Ban Wang Khiri and ride through it for about six km until the asphalt road finishes, then theres only this gravel track and its time to turn around

The people living around here certainly have lovely views

This was the sign at the end of the asphalt road

I ride back to Ban Wang Khiri and stop at a shop next to the school

This teacher spoke good English, i asked her where the road next to the school went and she said about fifteen km to another village then it finishes. I dont have time to explore any more today, I noticed another road going off the 1248 that went for 18 km so they can both be explored on my next visit

I say goodbye then ride back to Dan Sai the way that I came

A photo from a viewpoint on the 2013, I take a left onto the 203 and ride to phu ruea

Just past phu Ruea I take a left onto the 2399 to enjoy it in the opposite direction

Unfortunately times getting on as I went a lot further than I realised and its not the best light for photos now

Brilliant fun both ways is the 2399

At the end of the 2399 I take a left onto the 4014 and after 4.3 km I take a right onto an unnumbered road which I am told also goes back towards chiang khan, its too dark now for any pictures. Its not a bad road to start with then it gets a bit potholed, after 10.1 km I reach the 201 about thirteen km south of Chiang khan

Another pork and pasta meal tonight for 150 baht

Total distance 319 km

The Mekong from my guest house

I take the 201 south for about five km then take a right onto the 2154

I cross over this river as I approach a village

At the 2154s end I turn left onto the 4014

The roads a bit potholed in places

Eight km later I take a right onto the brilliant 2399

As I am going up a steep hill I see these turds in the road

I am glad that this monster wasnt rolling down the hill as if it was and I had hit it then I really would have been in the shyte

Stunning scenery along this brilliant road, one of the best roads in this area thats for sure

More bends and rollercoasters but thankfully no more turds

After 9.7 km theres a crossroads with the 3003, the 3003 appears to have priority so take care along here

I noticed these two tractors ploughing

The hill is really steep and I guess its not possible to plough going uphill like normal

I reach the 2115 and turn right onto it then 1.2 km later take a left back onto the 2399

More people should ride this when in the area, I never see it getting mentioned in anyones trip reports, a shame really

The last rollercoaster before I reach the 203

I turn right onto the 203 and soon stop at a steakhouse to view their menu, here this yapping poodle comes out to greet me

Then this big quiet friendly one appears

I am in serious danger of being licked to death here

I ride on and just past Phu Ruea I take a right onto the 2294 and this is a good bendy road too

As I stop for a picture this mangy looking dog appears

I stop at the hydropower project and the water level is low

Last time I was here everything was ready to go but the team doing the commissioning still hadnt arrived from the UK so it couldnt start operating. Today I see its fully functional and working

The concrete pipe that the water runs through is well hidden

The tunnel through the cliff is now completely concealed and you would never know that it was there. For at least the past seven years since I first rode here it was just an open hole

I ride down to the electricity producing bit and even more dogs come running out

Apparently the commissioning only took place last month so its only been operational since then and I am told that the water level is very low and theres only enough water pressure to run one of the two turbines. They seem to think that it might not work in the next month or two until the rains come, it seems a lot of work for nothing if it cant operate all year round

Once this water joins the river theres a bit more of a flow to it

I ride on enjoying more of the 2294

I reach the 2195 and turn left onto it

Less than 1 km later I take a left onto the 4007

Another twisty road but its a bit bumpy in places

A few rollercoasters along here too

I reach the 2013 and turn left onto it then just up the road it reaches the 203 and I do a right

About eight km along and I take a left onto the 2174 signposted to Ban Wang Yao, this is a road that I have meant to ride for some time but never got around to it, today I did finally ride it

I dont know what this is all about, lots of statues of chickens, I must make sure that I dont run one over as perhaps they are a sacred breed around here

Great scenery along here alright

I am descending into Ban Wang Yao

Theres a road carrying on for another six km that I follow

It reaches another village

Times getting on and I have a long ride back so I dont look to see if the road goes any further, that will have to wait for another time. I ride back to Ban Wang Yao and there are two other roads leading to somewhere so a return visit will be in order sometime in the future. I make my way back to the 203 and take it to Loei, here I take the 201 back to Chiang Khan

Pork steak, fries, onions, mushrooms and bread tonight at Tong Khong guest house, 250 Baht for this lot

Total distance 321 km

I take hwy 11 north for a few km then its a right onto the 1045, this road is pretty mundane for a while then perks up further along

I like how they have done this

I dont ride up to the top as I have been there countless times before and its not like it will be overflowing today

Leaving the dam the road is now the 1146 and when it reaches the 1047 I turn left and ride to Nam Pat. Here its a right onto the fantastic 1239

I get to ride this road for the second time in three days and thankfully its a dry ride along it today and these bends can be enjoyed a lot more

There is a newish section in the middle where care is needed as theres lots of loose chippings on the surface

This older surface that goes to the 1268 is great

I reach the 1268 and turn right onto it

Everything is colour matched around this house, the dirt, timber supports, house, roof, pile of stones, motorbike and even when the dog ran out it was the same colour as the windows

The 1268 is a thoroughly enjoyable road to ride

Phu Soi Dao Waterfall

Its a lovely warm dry day, at the moment anyway

As I am climbing the hills about twenty km before Na Haeo the cloud really increases and the temperature sharply drops

Its starts raining as I stop for this picture, luckily theres a shelter here so I stay under it

The same picture thirty minutes later as its pissing down now with thunder overhead. I stay here for just over an hour until the rain eases right off. I ride on and the roads are soaking wet for a long way so I definitely did the right thing stopping

The sun comes out and its nice and warm again now

Chang Tok Waterfall

Khing Waterfall, both of these are along the roadside

I reach the 2113 and turn right then take a left onto the 2195 virtually straight away

I really like this road

Now I am riding alongside the Hueng river

You could jump across to Laos from here

There are some potholed bits along the 2195 but by and large its still a great fun road. I take a right onto the 4014 then a left onto the 2154 and this brings me to the 201 about five km south of Chiang Khan, here I do a left and ride to Chiang Khan checking in at the Tong Kong Guest House as usual

A large plate of spicy pork and spaghetti for tonights meal at Tong Kong