That Phanom to Ban Phaeng

27/1/13 That Phanom to Nakon Phanom  56km.

"Where do we go now?"

This morning we tried a different breakfast, sticky rice with fruit and soya milk, it worked really well and give us plenty of energy.
The main highway 212 we'r riding on, but avoid any time we have the chance, is busier than secondary roads and any time a truck passes us leaves behind a cloud of dust.
Around 30 km outside of That Phanom ther's a small village, not pointed on our map, with a great coffee stall just at the entrance of the market. The owner, who speaks good English was a pleasure to talk to so here it came the perfect excuse for a coffee and banana brake!
The flat road went fast on and once at destination we checked ourselves in at the "First Hotel" (thats the name!) just behind the clock tower. The place is very retro with a big yard inside the building and a tv room where u can hang out all night long with the owner.
We got a great deal with the room we got (beside the price), ground floor, which means push the bike to the door!
Nakon Phanom turned out to be a big and alive town, found a morning and night market and a vegetarian restaurant. We loved it right away and decided to stay one extra day.

Totally from "Akira"

Mountains in Laos

Clouds are kickin'in!

Ground floor rules

Mini oranges

28/1/13 Nakon Phanom to Ban Phaeng  100km

This morning after a DIY breakfast we manage to leave early, around 8.15, have a long stretch ahead and we'll try to make it to Bang Phaeng.
We started riding towards a little town called Tha Uthen about 25 km out of the city on the highway 212, turned out to be a very busy town with some sort of fair going on, stopped for coffee and bananas and on we went.
The 212 got really busy with traffic so we decided to take a turn some 20 km out of town on a secondary road closer to the Mekong, this path was only shown on our regional Thai map.
From there on the traffic dropped to zero and the scenery got really amazing.
The road stretches the whole way to Ban Phaeng passing through fields and many beautiful villages showing some great rural Thailand.
The bad side of the story was the condition of the road which was seriously bad, muddy and bumpy.
Today was our first cloudy/rainy day it made the ride pleasant but a bit messy. We found out that this part of Isaan is subject to cold wind from China so one day to another the temperature drops, clouds fill the sky and the rain starts.
Reached the village of Si Sumang we got a bit lost and the only signs we could find brought us back to the highway which we followed for 10 more km before reaching destination.
Ban Phaeng was bigger than expected, we drew through the main gate on the right, all the way down over a little bridge. There we got the first hotel we found.
Very nice place, very under construction! Got a bungalow filled with unnecessary gadgets, a pinkie little house in the middle of a destruction derby pit. Drop our stuff and went off to the night market to find some food.
We took the day after off and decided to explore the area, bike around the fields and visit some national park. Really amazing place!

The shorter road is not always the fastest 

Mini banana 

Sunrise on the Mekong

Loundry bike

Destruction derby resort

1st. week on the road: Flat land, A sore ass and 1000 plastic bags.

Here we are, Nakhon Phanom, enjoying a restday in this beautiful place by the Mekong. We arrived yesterday around 13.00 after a super flat 60 km. The plan was to only stay for the night, but after a walk around town and a snack at the nightmarket, we decided to stay an x-tra day. Really, we don't have to be somewhere at a certain time, so why not enjoy the good places we pass..
The road from Khon Chiam has by most parts been really really pretty, with lots of different nature surrounding us. Traffic has been light and generally the roads have been in a good condition, though it seems like thai government put new asphalt very randomly. You go from driving the most nice road, almost like flying, til the shittiest of the shittiest, where you have to keep all your focus on the road to avoid the big holes.

Temple by the river, Mukdahan

It's been a super nice week and i really enjoyed the ride so far. A bit of everything and a smooth start when it comes to hills -from tomorrow on will start the hilly parts, but i'm actually looking forward, since the straight, flat road gets just a bit too monotone after a while..
Being back on the road is amazing and after travelling 2 years in a row in thailand with the backpack, it's nice to do it by bike again. You meet so many people and have a lot of none-sense chats with random people - it's great! It prevents you from feeling isolated as a "Farang" down here. We've been practising our thai  a lot and are able to say a few more politeness things and by the end of the day, it  really makes a difference in how people experience you.
Though quit a few people do this road by bike, it still seems like us passing by is the highlight of the year! So many hellos during a day, it leaves your mouth all dry! But also a lot of nice conversations about daily life and of cause the head subjects: Italian football (which we love as you all very well know) and the -17 degrees it is at home right now (do i even need to ask myself what i'm doing down here??)

Lunchtime!!

Doo doo the river, again again..

Love these old thai wooden houses, Khemmerat

On the  way to That Phenom

I must admit, i was a bit nervous about how this first week back on the bike would be for me. It's been a while since i did my last biketrip and my shape is not near as good as it was a year ago. Despite of that, it's actually been alright for me and besides from a preeeety sore ass from time to time, i'm generally feeling good. Yesterday was the first day my legs felt tired and even after the 96 km we did from Khemmeret-Mukdahan a few days ago, i wasn't too smashed. It's a great feeling and everyday when we're on the road i'm so exited about what the day will bring! You can never tell in this country..
After a few long biketrips together with mikele, we're soo sorted..We have all the gear we need, super nice bikes and comfy things such as computers, trangia and travel pillows (really, BEST investment. Those rock look-alike pillows they use down here, leave your neck all crooket).

Sunrise over the Mekong in Mukdahan. Even on our rest-days i wake up real early. that's the way it goes when your daily routine is getting up at 6.30 to hit the road early and passing out before 10 in the evening!

Mukdahan

Alot of people don't understand why we choose to go with a kitchen, but really, once you're on the road, it's nice to be your own boss and decide for yourself when to eat and most of all, what. As a vegan down here, there's a certain limit for how much Khao pad pak, mai sai kai (fried rice and vegetables without egg) you can consume in a day. With the kitchen we buy  veggies in the morning at the local market, cook up a fast noodle soup for lunch, get some sticky rice at the chicken-stall in the nightmarket and make a quick stir fry -how easy is that?!! Often we find small local vegetarian eating places as well and we always fill up, but you can never be sure to hit one at the rigth time.
All in all, it's been a really awesome first week on the road. In a few days we will start entering the mountains, so maybe i wont be loving it as much the next time you hear from me;)

Mukdahan-That Phanom

Wat That Phanom

shiny new place we stayed in That Phanom. Was the cheapest we could find. For 300 baht we got a big room with a massive fridge, hot water and wifi -how luxurious is that?!

Miki's favourite hangout spot at the night market: The Patongko-stall, aka chinese doughnots

Those thai people sure know how to get best out of everything, here it's an old petrol station turned into a restaurant!

First days on the road

21/1/13
Ubon Ratchathani - Kong Chiam
83km/4h43min.

Left Ubon early in the morning after shopping for supplyes at the market and having a big breackfast at the buddist center.
The road is flat pretty much the whole way, plenty of places to buy whater and food, we made it to Kong Chiam around 5.30.
The town is small and nice, we checked in at the first place we found just next to the marke, got a nice room for 250 Bath with free coffe and chinese donuts in the morning.
This town is famous because the Mon and Mekong river join together and their different coloured whater create a scenic view but we where there in the wrong season.
After all this first day has gone pretty easy.

Stine's favorite part of the day, breakfast!!!

Thinking of changing our allarm clock into a gong...

Bus stop lunch time

Cooking in action

No comment, you will see this over and over again

Great decorations and gadgets in thai's guest houses!

22/13/13
Kong Chiam - Scout Homestay
83km/5h


After a huge breakfast at the market with "yok" (rice porrige, served with finelly chopped veggies, carrots ginger spring onions and minced pork ,wich we didnt get, and more) we had a couple of coffee at the guest house.
We ran into another ciclist going opposite direction and exchanged some tips about the ride ahead. By the time we hit the road it was a bit late.
The road today has been hilly but not majou climbs, in this strech is good to buy whater when you can because the shops are not so many.
Most of the day has been through a beautifull dry forrest where in periods the trees offered a nice shade and definytly many great camping spots, the whole area is filled with attractions, whaterfalls national parks and weird rock formation.
In some streches the road got a bit bumpy.
We stopped at 5.30 at the Scout Homestay wich is more of a mini bungalow resort where for 500 bath,  got a little house with aircon.
Aldough the porch was great for cooking the room is a bit pricy for what u get.
After the resort the road goes uphill for about 1 km where you find a little sadlement with shops and market.
Ther's other accomodations in the side streets.

Stop for a snack and find a friend

Stine's other favorite part of the day, snacks!

One night mansion 

Ubon Ratchathani

19/1/13

After a very long but comfortable train ride to eastern Thailand we made it to the city of Ubon Ratchathani, try to say it 3 times fast if u can!, we travelled in first class sleepers with aircon, first time for me and i have to say they really spank that conditioner!
Beside that i slept like a baby under a warm blanket cuz the temperature in the cabin was close to the one back home.Carring  bikes on a train in thailand is very easy.

At the train station in Bangkok 

You just buy a ticket before boarding, 180 bath for 2,  cheaper than expected. The firstwagon of the convoy is the one used for shipments, this is where u drop the bike. Somebody puts it on and tights it, the luggage though goes on board with you.
A bunch of snacks and twelve hours later we arrived.
The train leaves you in a little town 3 km outside of the city. When we got to town we rode a bit around before we found the first vintage "horror" hotel of this trip: the "New Sri Isaan 2" for 200 bath a night we got a mansion, a safe place to leave the bikes and a rooftop with amazing view and space to cook (with our trangia). It sits close to the river and just next to the market.
We left our things in the room and went of to stuff our faces at one of the two local vegetarian restaurants.

The sleepers wagon

After lunch we had a walk around, noticing the different atmosfere and clean air, somethig  Bangkok lacks. We stumbled upon "L.A. Bikes" a thai brand bikeshop chain, wich offers parts enough to fix most problems plus awide selection of multicoloured crap to pimp your ride if u likethe style.I personally LOVE IT!
What else...a walk and a beer along the Mon river and a tour of the night market are enoug to keep u entertained for two days in Ubon. Tomorrow wake up at 6.45, first day riding!

Freeeeezeng up there!

The room in our great hotel

Last check in the yard

The Mon river

Old building in Ubon

One day in Bangkok

Thought it was about time i started posting stuff as well, not leaving it all to miki! i've been sick almost since we arrived, a flue that wouldn't let go (damn you air-con!!), but today i'm feeling much better. Miki went to the morning market and bought breakfast, exotic style: mango, papaya and pineapple! fuck yeah! i missed the fruit down here sooo much, makes me wonder why i'm even bothered eating it at home..After breakfast and a coffee, we went to the wand lang market, a few stops with the boat from where we live..It's a real nice market and i always go there, if not to buy stuff, then to snack! We bought a few things and sat a bit around, enjoying the madness, before we headed back to Banglamphu to check out a new veggieplace we found on happycow. It was a real nice place, totally Yota-style, run by a little old lady who cooked us up a real good noodle soup. We paid 1,5 euroes for both!! Did i mention how much i love Thailand??
After lunch we went around and got some stuff for the trip tomorrow, including kerosene for the Trangia (which we found the thai word for, NAUM MAUN GAS, and when we say it people actually understand us!). 
We went back to the G.H, did some laundry, tried out the kerosene, miki did some blogging and i did some yoga. Again a really nice day in bangkok had passed. After dinner we wanted to go get massage at a place we've been checking out, but it was super busy so after a walk we ended back up at the G.H, finishing my first post before watching an episode of Game of Thrones..Tomorrow the big land of North East Thailand will be waiting and we are super stoked to go!! Really, i can't wait to be on the road!

Coconut pancakes stall at the market, aroy mak!

Lunch favorite, rice noodles in clear soup

Napping in our messy room