Total distance 235 km

A lazy 11am ride out from Chiang Khan this morning following the Mekong for a while

Enjoyable as the 211 is, today I found it rather busier than usual plus some resurfacing going on in places

I keep on promising myself that some day I will be out here in the wet season to see it full with my own eyes

On a much better surfaced section now, I ride to Pakchom then take a right onto the 2108

This wasnt here on my last ride along here

I wonder where that leads to, I will check it out in a further visit when the concrete road is finished

Some good bends along this road

I ride past a lot of vehicles gathered with a nasty pong in the air, suddenly I realise its this rubber making the smell

I stop for a break and make a new friend straightaway

The Huai Hin Sai Reservoir along the 2348, I take a right onto the 4018 and ride to Kut Chap and from there its the 2263 to Udon where I check in at the Si Sawat Hotel for 160 Baht at N17.24.535 E10247.489

Its dinner tonight at the Zap Buffet Steak for 130 Baht at N17.24.158 E102.48.241

Includes ice cream.

Get the gdb file here …

Total distance 341 km

A nice early 8am start and out along the 1143 the workers are busy in the fields

A bit of low cloud but its not cold

A shot from the lovely 1143

At Chat Trakarn I take a left onto the 1237

Not far along here I come across this squashed Banded Krait, this was one unlucky fellow as hardly any traffic is on this road even in the daytime and as this is a nocturnal snake it probably got hit by the only vehicle on the road last night

Its very good scenery along here

The 1237 is one fine road

With plenty of curves

Its been two or three years since I last rode along here and I had forgotten just how good it was

At the end of the 1237 I take a right onto the 1268

Not very far along at N17.35.935 E100.54.115 I take a left on a narrow steep concrete road, the road goes up then round in a loop with these buildings at one spot

Brilliant views from up here

Looks like the helicopter is catered for, here its N17.36.913 E100.54.466

I ride up a dirt track and at the top at N17.37.016 E100.54.593 its 1185 metres, I didnt realise I had climbed so high

Up here its siesta time for the workers

More stunning views from up here

I must return here in the future to see how it looks once its finished

Time to ride the steep descent of 2.6 km

Along the 1268 and I have stopped at this shelter before taking cover from the rain, it looks like some extra building work is taking place here now

I stop at the Changtok Waterfall at N17.28.559 E100.58.393

The twisty 1268

Just past it is the Khing Waterfall at N17.28.469 E100.58.548

This sure is one fine piece of road

I reach the Hueang river which is rather brown from recent rains

Theres an awful lot of Monks wandering along the 2195 today

A very friendly little fella

Now its feeding time

The 2195 splits and I take the inland route

Now I am riding along the narrow path to see the Hueang/Mekong confluence

Well I was, landslides have completely blocked the path

The closest I can get to it

I ride up to the big Buddha statue overlooking the confluence at N17.49.148 E101.33.291

The view from the top, from here I ride back along the 2195 until I take a left onto the 4014 at N17.46.320 E101.34.924, 1.5 km later at N1745.749 E101.35.442 I take a left onto an unnumbered road that becomes the 2154 at Ban Klang

I cross the Loei river and meet the 201 at N17.51.175 E101.39.501 after 15.1 km from the 4014

I check in at TongKhong Guest House as usual but its moving in a few days time just up the road, A pasta with pork here tonight for 120 Baht.
Get the gdb file here …

Total distance 388 km

Whilst stopped for fuel in town this morning I met these guys

The ever popular Yamaha SR 400 decked out as what you would like it to be

I spotted this sign along the 1091

Where this work is taking place

This little tractor was struggling up a hill along the 1091 with a few vehicles trying to overtake it

A variety of colour here

On the opposite side of the road some workers are busy

The finished product

And the young apprentice

Before reaching Pong I take a right onto a side road that soon meets the 4009

I join the 1228 briefly then take a right onto the 1188

The scenery is starting tolook better now

I reach the unpaved section which starts at N19.12.101 E100.27.733

Its a lot easier going then yesterdays adventure was

7.2 km further on at N19.14.271 E100.29.374 there is a track heading south and my gps tells me this is more of the Doi Pha Chang Wildlife Preserve

The girl with the hat on calls out hello as I ride by, I stop to chat and converse with a girl who speaks great English, she was married to an English guy and worked in a Thai restaurant in London, now she sells juice to the students at a local school

Theyve got the right tyres for around here

I ride on and as I reach a small village there is a 0.9 km stretch of asphalt from 19.15.237 E100.29.482 to N19.15.693 E100.29.444

The scenery is getting more stunning the further north I ride

If only that was asphalt what a lovely twisty road it would be

Some construction has taken place since last ride along here

At N19.17.923 E100.28.774 I reach the asphalt surface after a pleasant 16.5 km offroad ride and its a 4.8 km ride from here to the 1148 where I turn left

I take a right onto the 1160

After 5.6 km at N19.25.200 E100.26.268 I take a right

This is a pleasant little side road through very good scenery

The road stops 5.1 km later at this village called Ban Khanaeng at N19.25.616 E100.28.268

I ride back turning right to carry on along the 1160

Whilst the road surface leaves room for improvement the scenery never fails to excite

I reach the unpaved section of the 1160 after eleven km from the 1148 at N19.26.855 E100.27.390 which will take me across to the 1345, I have the waypoint on my gps where the paved surface of the 1345 ends from last weeks trip and looking at them I reckon its only about ten km of offroad riding

Plenty of Maize plus a dust cloud from a passing 4WD

4.4 km later at N19.28.102 E100.28.125 the road splits in two, the gps tells me to take the left and the sign saying 1345 confirms this

Its pretty much a steep downhill ride now

I can now see the village where the asphalt starts

It was 9.4 km of dirt between the two asphalt surfaces and a fun ride along here, I dont stop for anymore photos as its now 3pm and I have 180 km to ride back to Nan from this point so its a non stop ride along the 1345, 1210, 1148 and the 1080 back home

Tonys special of the day today was chicken cordon bleu, I had a double portion of fries with it which cost me 229 Baht, a well satisfying meal too.
Get the gdb file here …

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