HATW NE Thailand Ride Day 4 Ban Phaeng to Nakhon Phanom 103km

The joys of blogging with weak wifi……this the 3rd time I am writing this post having lost it twice.

Half way on the first ride. Today is the rest day being spent at Nakhon Phanom Riverview Hotel. One of the photos below is the view from our room looking over the Mekong River to Laos on the far bank. Another photo is last night’s sunset over Thailand from a river cruise we took before dinner.

Day 4 had plenty of variation including a fair bit of back country riding. The bikes and riders got another good coating of red dust and mud. The potholes and corrugations can get a bit tiresome but you never tire of the scenery or of meeting the people in these country areas. Tobacco, corn, cabbages and other crops grow well along the fertile river banks.

There are a few Catholic churches around apparently established by French missionaries who travelled up the Mekong River. The town of Nakhon Phanom has a pleasant riverside promenade reminiscent of a French boulevard.

We made two school visits, one impromptu and handed out copious quantities of the ever popular HATW sticky stretchy toys.

Chris Wilson (from Wellington) distinguished himself by having the first puncture for the group of the tour and then followed that up with another later in the day. There have been fewer punctures, crashes or mechanical problems it seems than the ride I did last January. Touch wood.

After the cruise and dinner a good sized crew ventured into town to the Ohio Bar for pre rest day R and R, and a smaller number went on to the Duck Club later in the evening. No details are available for publication.

2 hour Thai massage today has ironed some knots and came with a marriage proposal from the massage lady who is 31 and yet to settle down. She thought I might fit the bill which was nice of her but I explained we had a ride to finish……




HATW NE Thailand Ride Day 4 Ban Phaeng to Nakhon Phanom 103km by Paekak at Garmin Connect - Details