Cycling trip Nong Kai to Mukdahan with K Varut , 5 to 11 February 2021

Day 1 Bus to Nong Kai, 9 hour journey, we stay in Mut Mee hotel just next to the river,  very good . Very little water in the river.

Day 2 late start and we look around Nong Kai and we still tired from the journey.  On the way out of Nong Kai we cycle through a market 1 kilometre long , this is for Laos people to buy goods from Thailand but now the borders are closed the market is very quiet.  We cycle 50k to Phon Phisai with strong head wind. We stay in Rimfangkhong hotel near the river and eat local street food.

Day 3 97 km to Bueng Kan, stay at the Century hotel,  on the way we stopped for coffee in Pak Khat by the river, again little water in the river. Hot and dusty in the afternoon,  they are rebuilding the road and there is dust everywhere for the last 30 kilometres.  When we arrive we drink a lot of beer to slake the dust. We eat by the river,  many people out for exercise in the evening as the sun goes down.

Day 4 91 km to Ban Phaeng,stopped for lunch at Bung Khla. Stay at Hugphaeng Garden Resort, has live music, food and beer, we were too tired to look around so we listened to the singing and drink beer.

Day 5 100 km to Nakon Phanom. Heavy rail all day so we take a bus. We are lucky, the rain stops when we arrive in the city. We stay at the IOI Hotel,  a new hotel near the centre. Has a cycle way for several kilometers along the river, we find a nice coffee shop looking out over the River about 2k to the North .

Day 6 105 km to Mukdahan.
We stop half way at That Phanom with the famous stupa which has a relic of Buddha. After That Phanom we can use a local road next to the river which takes us past the Thai Laos Friendship bridge into Mukdahan.  We pass a Wat that I visited with Jaz 11 years ago.  We cycle to the bus station to sort out the bus for the next day.  The bus is at 6am so we stay at the hotel next to the bus station so we can get up early and catch the bus without cycling.
All the hotels we stay in are about 500 baht.
We eat in a nice restaurant with local fish , we have a little money to spare so we take a taxi there and back for 45 baht each way

Day 7, 3 buses and 14 hours to Phitsanulok, via Kong Khan and Lom Sak, passengers 100 baht, bikes 100 baht.

The total trip about 6000 baht each (150 pounds)

Bus station Phitsanulok

Looking across the Mekong River when we arrive in Nong Kai

Early morning in Nong Kai with the Mekong River behind

Big Serpent in Nong Kai

Evening in Pon Phisai

Stop along the way

No water in the river between Nong Kai and Bueng Kan

Another photo showing that the boats cannot go because of low water

We meet local guys in Bueng Kan

Another streatch of the river with no water between Bueng Kan and Nakon Phanom

Rain on day 5

We arrive in Nakon Phanom

Looking across the river in Nakon Phanom

Early morning in Nakon Phanom

Nakon Phanom has a good cycling lane for many kilometers

Stop for hot tea and croissonts

We arrive at That Phanom, this Stupa has a relic of Buddah

Goodby That Phanom

We arrive at the Thai Laos Friendship bridge

Looking across the Mekong at Mukdahan

We finish the trip in Mukdahan

Catch the bus to Kong Khan and then back to Phitsanulok