Loei 2.0 – Si Bun Rueang to Chiang Khan

Last night we stayed in in a province named Nong Bua Lam Phu.

According to the Bangkok Post, Nong Bua Lam Phu is the poorest province in Thailand with an annual average income of 41.000 Baht (2018).

Located in the heart of the Korat Plateau, the province is largely agricultural. Sticky rice has long been the area’s traditional crop, although there has been a shift to sugarcane due to low rice prices and sugarcane’s resistance to flooding. In 2016, more than one third of the available agricultural land in Nong Bua Lamphu was used for sugarcane plantations. According to the provincial Office of Agricultural Economics, sugarcane cultivation is expected to rise. In contrast, the area devoted to rice farming shrunk by 73 percent from 2000 to 2016.

As of today, Nong Bua Lam Phu has a massive drug problem.

Our day started not too early, at 7.30 am with perfect riding conditions. Almost no sun, 24°C and no wind.

Hwy 2343 in Udon Thani – a dream to ride!

Traveling North in Isaan means that at one point you arrive at the Mekong River.

The Mekong is a trans-boundary river in South East Asia. It is the world’s twelfth-longest river and the third-longest in Asia with an estimated length of 4,909 km, discharging 475 km³ of water annually. From its headwaters in the Tibetan Plateau, the river runs through Southwest China (where it is officially called the Lancang River), Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and southern Vietnam. The river is a major trade route between Tibet and Southeast Asia. The construction of hydroelectric dams along the Mekong in recent decades causes serious problems for the river’s ecosystem, including the exacerbation of drought.

In Thailand, the Hwy 211 leads along the Mekong, we turned left there direction Chiang Khan.

Travel tip for Thailand:
Supermarkets like Big C or Lotus’s often have a food court.
In the food courts, you can expect a great value for the money. Meaning very delicious, cheap and clean.
We tried our luck in the Big C of Chiang Khan – unfortunately no food court there.

So let’s find a place to stay first and then walk into the town for find some food.
The resort we stayed last time was fully booked so we choosed the Saythong Boutique Hotel. Including breakfast for 1.800 Baht it is – for me – too overpriced for what you get.

More important was food… restaurant with a view.

Eating good food made us tired…let’s take a rest in the hotel.

Conclusion: a great half day ride over 230 km in 3 provinces on roads we have never been before. Especially the Hwy 2343 in Udon Thani is a must to go.

Find the detailed trip in the Calimoto link.

Ride safe guy’s and enjoy yourself!!!!

#dustysocks #fortheride #triumphtiger1200 #thailand #loei #udonthani