5 replies to this topic

[thuna]

hi

 

we want to bike chiang mai - lampang - uttaradit - loei and then along the mekong to bueng kan. any tips as to what to look out for / go see / take into consideration? and any ideas for roads less travelled than the main roads?

 

thanks for any hints,

tina

 

 

[Trek730]

Hi. I have ridden from Ubon Ratchathani to Uttaradit, though in a rather unorthodox manner. I did it in two "installments" with the first being from Nong Khai to Uttaradit, and then from Nong Khai to Ubon Ratchathani two years later. It's a fantastic ride, with some of it being downright spectacular. In fact, I've actually ridden from Nong Khai to Chiang Khan twice just because it was so enjoyable, and because that is my favourite part of the country. I would do it again in a minute if I could.

 

You can read about the Nong Khai to Bueng Kan stretch here ... https://www.crazyguy...oc/?doc_id=5776

 

I tried to cover, as much as possible, road conditions, points where it was possible to get off of the main highway, places to stay, places to eat or take a break. I entered maps, distances, times, and my thoughts on each part of the ride. One thing I will say about the ride from Nong Khai to UR, and that I state (or hint at) in the blog, is that the best part of the ride was over once I got to Bueng Kan. It seemed to me that with a couple of exceptions, such as between Nakhon Phanom and That Phanom, it was very difficult to stay close to the river and the scenery gets pretty dull.

 

The best part of the first half of my ride (Nong Khai to Uttaradit) was from Nong Khai to Ban Pak Huay.with special mention to the 45 km section of road that runs parallel to the Mekong from Pak Chom to Chiang Khan. Brilliant! Spectacular! Gorgeous! The whole trip was fantastic, but that particular part of the river was outstanding, especially later in the afternoon when the sun began to drop. My friend and I were in riding heaven, though we did find ourselves chasing the sun in an effort to get to Chiang Khan before dark and before the dogs started to come to life.

 

I didn't write much about Nong Khai in the above blog, mostly because I spent most of my time doing very little. I've been to NK many times over the years and have explored it pretty thoroughly. There's lots to see and do there. It's a great town! Lots of great places to stay at, as well.

 

For the first part, the route I took went something like this ...

 

- Nong Khai to Si Chiangmai on the first day as I had to make a stop along the way in a village just west of Nong Khai to visit a friend's aunt. Otherwise, NK to Sangkhom can be done in one day. It's around 85 km

- Si Chiangmai to Sangkhom

- Sangkhom to Chiang Khan

- Chiang Khan to Ban Pak Huay

- Ban Pak Huay - Dan Sai

- Dan Sai - ? (can't recall the place where we stayed)

- ? - Phitsanulok

- Phitsanulok - Sukhothai (Old City)

- Sukhothai - Sawankhalok & Si Satchanalai

- Sawan & Si Sat - Uttaradit

 

I could write more about those areas and roads but can't at the moment as I'm at work. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

 

Mike

[thuna]

hi mike

 

thanks for this helpful input! am checking out your blog as i write....

 

thanks!

[Trek730]

Great. Let me know what you think and if you have any questions. 

 

I read part of the blog that simonhill recommended and it looks like little has changed on the road from Dan Sai to Ban Pak Huay. The surface is atrocious because of monsoon rain and the location being one that is not much used ... therefore little money goes into infrastructure. But for the majority of the ride the trip is awesome.

 

FYI, I avoided the area around Na Haeo. I was considering going that way to Uttaradit and then dropping down to Sukhothai, but after reading a lot about the area, especially blogs from previous riders, I decided against "the steepest roads in Thailand" for more undulating terrain. Maybe another trip when I have more time and inclination.

 

Happy Riding.

[Mike Hammers]

Hi Mike,

 

Great write up about your Isan trip. Thanks for sharing. A lot of good information in there.

 

Thanks for mentioning BicycleThailand.com in your story. We're glad the info we provided was helpful to you during your trip.

 

All the best,

Mike Hammers

[Trek730]

Hi Mike,

 

This is your site? It's really developed since I started using it and, yes, it saved my skin a few times and let me help out others, as well. Keep up the good work.

 

Mike