Total distance 365 km

A horrendous amount of traffic was swarming into Udon this morning at 8am as I left, in fact I thought the roads were pretty busy all day today and this first picture wasnt taken until past Roi Et

Well out in the farming countryside now

This chap appeared to be enjoying himself, rather him than me

Quite a lot of burning has already taken place out here

Now well out the other side of Roi Et the traffic has really eased off and I am beginning to enjoy the journey a lot more

On the 4014 and a much twistier more scenic road

The Huai San Dot reservoir

The Mun river seems rather low for december

The view down from the bridge

I ride on into town checking in at my usual the Si Saket hotel N15.07.051 E104.19.613 for 100 Baht per night

One of the Expats who lives here and his very friendly young daughter who was running around Franks restaurant and she was into everything

A very filling pizza at Franks Living In The Past restaurant N15.07.338 E104.19.981 for 160 Baht tonight.
Get the gdb file here …

Total distance 330 km

I took the 210 heading west out of town then after about 30 km it was a left onto the 2315, along here I spot this quite impressive entrance

Not such a good picture from the other side

The road becomes the 4019 and at N17.04.869 E102.34.785 I take a right onto an unnumbered road that later becomes the 4022

4 km later at N17.03.158 E102.33.827 I stop at the temple on the hill thats under construction

Evidence of more work going on

Good views from up here

This cat befriends me straight away and follows me around

Then the pups arrive on the scene

The mother doesnt appear to be in the best of moods

Time to look around inside and theres some work been done since my last visit here

Upstairs looks even better

They obviously dont want the donations stolen

A bit further along the 4022, I reach the 2146 at N16.59.311 E102.33.663 after 12.9 km of the 4022

Today after 13 months of totally trouble free holiday riding I reached this mileage

Now I have a new bike again

Along the 2146 and a good road with some bends

The Ubonrat reservoir is the fullest that I have ever seen it

Normally these trees are well out of the water, at the dam it looks just over 1 metre below capacity

Along the twisty 4014 that runs from the dam south to hwy 12

In some of the places along the road much more than 1 metre of water would submerge the road

Some seriously good bends along this road

I take a right onto the 2015 then its hwy 12 for a few km then a boring stretch along the 2038 followed by a spell on the 2133 before turning right onto the 3175 at N16.48.981 E102.19.820.
This is asphalt for 2.5 km until N16.49.744 E102.20.437 then its unpaved for 1.4 km until N16.50.360 E102.20.731 then its this nice new shiny surface for a while

I reach the 4006 at N16.50.949 E102.21.358 after 5.7 km of the 3175, here I turn right and soon come to the sharpest corner that I know of on a flat road

While I am stopped and poring over my map these friendly youngsters turn up and happily pose for a photo

I take a right onto the 3002 and ride to Non Sang where the water level is really high up completely covering the fields that were visible in february

The same place in february

I ride back to Udon and enjoy a lovely homemade mince beef and onion pie with homefries at the Irish Clock for 160 Baht but I foolishly left my camera in my room so no photo.
Get the gdb file here …

Total distance 432 km

After heading south on hwy 2 and turning left onto the 2023 I take a left onto the 2393 and heres where the fun begins

Agricultural country out here with lots of farm machnery and sugar cane laden lorries on the road today

The red tree looked quite striking from where I was standing

The 2393 is a very pleasant road to ride and a nice refreshing breeze along it today

Now along the 227 and a few rollercoasters along here

I stop in a village looking around the market for something to eat, it looks like babys breakfast is being prepared

I wander around the market but nothing catches my fancy

I find a restaurant here and decide to try a spicy breakfast

Dont fancy that

I ask for a stir fried chicken with basil and get this crap bland meal that looks like it was cooked in gravy.
This is why I seldom eat Thai food anymore, a burger at the 7-11 would have had more flavour, its meant to be a hot fiery dish and not like this, totally pissed off I ride on

Along the 2218

A quick look at the Nam Phung Reservoir which I have never seen full to capacity

Then its these lovely bends along the 213

This twisty road has loads of them

Through these bends I see some monkeys

Heading back towards Kumphawapi, as todays ride was a long one and one that I really enjoy I didnt stop for that many photos

Thinking of burgers earlier on and I eat at TJs tonight at N17.25.626 E102.46.637, these cheeseburgers are 65 Baht each plus 50 Baht for a large portion of fries so 180 Baht in total and I could barely eat it all, this place was recommended to me for doing the best burgers in town and I totally agree.

.Get the gdb file here …

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 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 438 km

A small pizza for 75 Baht from Muang Pizza at the night bazaar for breakfast this morning, not bad too

Then its out of town on the 2074 towards Phutthaisong

A few curves along here but not that many, just before Phutthaisong its a left onto the 202, along here a few km and its a left onto the 2061 which is a horrible pot holed road. At its end I take a right onto the 207 and cross over hwy 2 into Phon

From Phon I take the 2233 which is a more relaxing road but still a lot of traffic everywhere this morning

After a few km I reach the 2199 and turn right onto it and ride to Chonnabot, here I take a left onto the 229 and ride to Mancha Khiri

In Mancha Khiri I take the 2062 to Phra Yuen

In Phra Yuen its a right onto the 1011

At last some bends

This is the bendiest road that I ride today, it finishes at hwy 2 where I turn left onto it then about one km later I take a right onto the 208 and ride along here for about thirty km to Kosum Phisai

Here I take a left onto the 2237 which has a new surface in places and takes me to Chiang Yuen

Here I cross over the 209 and the road is now the 2152, I remember seeing this Buddha before

This road is better than most of todays other ones and takes me to Kranuan

It looks like a tree but is made of concrete

These two friendly youngsters come over asking questions

Past Kranuan I take a left onto the 2231 and this leads to the 2023 where I take the left fork. I ride on to hwy 2 where I turn right and ride to Udon Thani. At 438 km todays was the longest ride for a long time and I had no idea that it was going to be this far, still it was a pleasant days ride

Zaps tonight for the buffet at 120 Baht

Plus of course ice cream

Total distance 287 km

There is no interest for me whatsoever in riding from Udon To Sakon Nakhon along hwy 22, I took it out of town until I went past the km 27 marker then did a U turn and took a left onto the 2007

This is great after that infernal highway and cuts a corner off the journey

I ride along the 2007 for six km

Then in a village I take a left onto an unnumbered road

After 3.2 km I reach a crossroads, straight across was the preferred choice on my map but as its a narrow unsurfaced road I take the right

After five km this turns to unsurfaced but its only a few km to the 2015 so not a problem even with all my luggage on the bike

Its easy going and pleasant too

Three km later and its back to asphalt and 600 metres later I reach the 2015 and turn left onto it

At the junction with the 2350 I do a right and ride on enjoying this pleasant road until I reach the 2023

I take a left onto the 2023

Then veer off to the left on he 2393

Always a pleasure riding along here and now the resurfacing has had a few more days to settle down its a more pleasant surface to ride on

A little bit of loose debris on the left along here but a lot cleaner than a few days ago

I reach the 227 and take a left onto it

Another one thats always fun to ride

Just before Waritchaphum I take a right onto the 2218

This takes me to the 213 where I turn left

This must be some special curve ahead if it has its own sign

This curve is awesome, its a real work of art

It took a long stop to get all these pictures as I didnt want any of them spoilt by having tin boxes in them

A bit further on and theres another set of good bends

I have never used this section of the 213 before and never imagined that it was this beautiful, from here I ride on in to Sakon Nakhon

I check in at the Krongthong Hotel the same as last year, the rate has now risen from 120 Baht to 150 Baht per night

Standard cheapy, bed, toilet and shower, cold water only

Parking in the hotel here

I go to look for the same restaurant that I ate in last year but its moved to a larger premise

The menu looks the same though, unfortunately the owners are in Bangkok now and the food wasnt as good

I order spaghetti bolognaise and end up with this crap which soon gets sent back

This was their second effort which was edible and I did eat and only 49 Baht, he seemed to think that I was going to pay for the first one but didnt argue when I refused. Hopefully tomorrows meal will be better or should I give it a miss and just go to KFC? at least I know what to expect there

Total distance 224 km

It was a real late start this morning, the bike needed an oil change, new rear brake pads and a new battery plus they managed to strip the threads on my sump plug and that had to be replaced, luckily it was the thread on the plug and not on the sump, so it was gone 11.00 before I even left the shop. The good news was the total bill was only 1120 Baht

I was determined to find the road that links south of Nong Wau So with the 2146 so off I set along the 2263 towards Kut Chap

When I rode along here a week ago there was no water flowing into this new reservoir that they are building but today its certainly flowing in, perhaps its from the recent storms

Along the way I see this pleasant looking house but why the tin eyesore attached to it?

At the 2263s end I turn left onto the 2097 and ride south for about ten km

I then take a left onto the 3005, a road that I havent been on before and it should take me to Nong Bua Lam Phu

There is a short unsurfaced section going into a village

This is the end of the road for me, theres a deep trench in front of me so its a detour through the grounds of some building to bypass the roadworks

Then its an asphalt surface again

A few twisty sections too

Theres an old lady sitting here with lots of dogs and puppies but as soon as I stop the puppies all run off

I ride on and upon reaching the 210 turn left onto it and ride into Nong Bua Lam Phu. Here I take a right onto the 228 and a couple of km later I take a left onto the 2146

About 100 metres before the km 27 marker I take a left onto the 4002 but its not numbered at the start, only after a bit

The temple on the hill comes into view in the distance

This surface is fantastic and absolutely loads of bends along it

I wonder how long this has been a surface like this as my Thinknet map only shows it as a thin red line

Partway up the hill and the road turns to concrete but thats no problem, theres a viewpoint from where this picture was taken also partway up the hill

Theres three little Buddhas here but I cant get them all in one photo

The big one that can be seen from a distance, this is one that will progress over time and next visit should see some progress

The smaller one that can be seen from a distance but this is the best shot I can get as if I walk back any further I will fall to my death over the cliff

The views from up here are fantastic

The lovely twisty road that I have just rode up

I can see a proper road ahead of me so hopefully its a good surface to Nong Wau So

Pictures at the temple of the progress

A last shot from the road as I ride away, Ray23 if youre reading this get your ass up here, its a dam fine trip

Time to ride on and its back to asphalt again now

There appears to be another temple along here but I dont investigate it today

I reach a village with lots of speed humps in the road then I emerge onto the 4019 and I know exactly where I am as I rode down the 4019 looking for this road the other day

Ray23 if you try this route as you are heading south along the 2315 after going through Nong Wau So the road then becomes the 4019 and just before the 3 km road marker where you see the picture of the King you need to take the right and then just keep going straight. Well perseverance certainly paid off today and I am really glad that I finally found this great little road

Another meal at Zaps Restaurant for the buffet tonight for 120 Baht

Total distance 352 km

I took the 210 out as far as Erawan to try out some new roads that I havent been on before, I take a left onto the 2420

This gentleman is doing it the hard way

Its a well surfaced twisty road alright

Everywhere I look today its just agriculture

I stop at a village for a break

It seems that two strokes still rule out here

That DT certainly brings back memories

I take a right onto the 5006 as my map shows a road going to Nong Hin and I can loop back from there and ride to Si Bun Rueang on a small side road thats on my map

This road is great to start with then gets some potholes in places and upon reaching the 2141 I realise that I am not where I thought I was

I turn left onto the 2141

A real pleasant ride along here, I come to a junction and I take the road signposted to Si Bun Rueang

From here things go haywire, first it starts raining hard which turns into a thunderstorm and I wait under cover for nearly an hour

The sun comes out and even though its still raining the heat soon has steam coming off the tin roofs

I set off along this wet road now that the rain has stopped but suddenly find myself back on the 5006 so I go back to the village and get back on the 2420, Nong Hin can wait until another day

The rain is just to my left and at times it starts but then thankfully the sky clears a bit

I am beginning to wonder where I am then suddenly appear in Si Bun Rueang on the side road that I had been searching for, success at last

I ride south on the 228 for about five km then take a left onto the 2133 and about five km later take a left onto the 4006

Along here the bridge is being knocked down, I have never seen it done like this before

This soon turns into a good twisty road but its soaked in places and I am lucky to escape getting wet today as I can hear thunder for a good while

A lush green field and a light sky to my right but rain not far away to my left

Looking at that sky I never expected to escape the rain but I did

Hardly any traffic on this road and what a surface

A wet road now, my map shows this as a sharp corner but I never expected an almost 180 degree corner on a flat surface

As I ride on to my right is this green field and the mountain covered in rain

To my left is a blue sky and a fire

The roads are virtually dry again now and I reach the start of the 3003 that goes back to Nong Bua Lam Phu, here I take a right to ride the 6002 back to Non Sang

The 1.2 km of dirt is done in the dry today so no sliding around in the mud like the last time, the truck had been removed that was stuck on the last trip and all the holes filled in and it was a pleasant ride to Non Sang

Non Sang sits on the edge of the Ubonrat reservoir

These rice fields are in the reservoir so no shortage of water

From Non Sang I take the 2146 back to Nong Bua Lam Phu but halfway between the two towns I think that I have found the road that goes over the hills to Nong Wau So that I was looking for a few days ago. Its too late in the day for exploring now so it can wait for a day or so

A spicy salami pizza at Piccola Roma tonight, lovely it was too

Garlic bread and pate are given with the meal and the whole lot is 240 Baht and certainly takes some eating

Total distance 167 km

I was determined to find the right road to Prachak Silapakhom so I tried again today, I took hwy 22 out of town and after about twelve km took a right onto the 2040 and some bends to start with

Lots of water around now from the recent storms

Its a good road for the first five km

Then I come to the obligatory unsurfaced section

But only for 1.2 km then its the good surface again which takes me through Prachak Silapakhom. I join the 2007 taking the right fork and ride on until I meet the 2015, here its a left and this takes me to the 2350. I turn right and ride on meeting the 2023 just east of Kumphawapi, here I turn right and ride on through Kumphawapi until I reach hwy 2

I turn left and ride along hwy 2 for about eight km then take a right onto the 2316 and a quieter more pleasant road

The shutter doesnt appear to have fully opened on this picture

Theres a few of these animals along here and they are all tethered to keep them out of the road, a good idea

The 2316 is a very pleasant road indeed, better scenery than most plus some good bends and a good surface

Lots of rubber trees along this road

North of Nong Saeng I stop at the reservoir

From a distance it looked like the water was well down but up close thats not the case and its only about one metre below capacity

Plenty of these swooping bends along here and a good short loop out from Udon Thani. Upon reaching the 210 I turn right and ride home

I went to Mojos for the carvery or buffet sunday roast

Beef, pork, roast potatoes, brocolli, cauliflower and a Yorkshire pudding

I went back for a second helping and had chicken and pork this time, 190 Baht for all you can eat including soup and salad. Every sunday between 12.00-16.00 hours