In Thailand, a bpai tiao is a trip of any length. I’ve written about some of my more significant bpai tiaos to tourist destinations here, to be used as travel ideas and tips.
One thing that I have enjoyed while in Thailand is going to as many new places as I can. I enjoy seeing the variety that the country has to offer, from beaches to mountains, rivers to jungle not to mention the various cultural differences between the regions. I may not have the language skills to speak about things in depth, but I have gotten really good at casual conversations with new acquaintances as I have tried to talk to new people in all the places I have gone.
My most recent trip took me not only to deep Isaan, already a place most tourists don’t visit, but to a little visited province even by Thais, and through small villages that are well off the sightseeing path.
Mukdahan, at the Edge of the Map
I first heard about Mukdahan from another volunteer who had spent a year in Thailand as an exchange student. He and his friends were intrigued by this seemingly strangely named place at the edge of the map. The Mekong River, which makes up the border with Laos here, is at its widest, but the road out of the provincial capital provides the most direct and shortest route to Vietnam.
Planning a Bike Trip Along the Mekong River
Since getting my standard Peace Corps issued mountain bike two years ago, I had an itch to do a bit of bike touring, particularly along the Mekong.
Turns out, the road out of Mukdahan city goes through some pretty typical Thai villages, along the Mekong, with some interesting temples to stop at and ends at the famous pilgrimage site of Phra That Phanom. All told, the trip would be about 50 kilometers, which I figured would be a totally doable day trip.
My friend who was also intrigued by the other volunteer’s interest in Mukdahan joined me after helping at a bike event at a fourth volunteer’s site.
Mukdahan City
We got there in the late afternoon, settled in and explored the city, which has a 65 meter observation tower called “The 360 Degree of Pleasure in Mukdahan on the Mekong” and a pretty typical night market (the highlight for us was the availability of Vietnamese food). There is also the Indochina Market, which looked like to have a lot of cheap imported goods like toys and such, but also a variety of silks and fabrics.
Biking through Rural Thailand
We set off the next morning a little before 9. Sadly, we didn’t stop at many of the temples, though they did look like pretty standard temples that we’ve seen a lot of in our two years here. We did stop at one that was out of the ordinary, though.
Locally it is known at Wat Song Khon, but its official name is Our Lady of the Martyrs of Thailand Shrine. It was built 20 years ago in honor of seven Thais who were killed in 1940 for refusing to renounce their Christian faith. Their ashes are interned here, and while the grounds could have used some attention, there were Christmas decorations up, giving me the impression that it is used as a place of worship by some people in the area.
We continued on to the Kaeng Kabao Rapids, where we ate lunch with a view of the river and 17 kilometers later, arrived in That Phanom around 2:00. Once again I made merit at the shrine and in my mind dedicated it to the Thais who have been so instrumental to my experience here. Afterwards, we found the bus station and made our respective ways back to site.
Tips and Lessons Learned
The trip ended up taking more out of me than I expected. I did have a pretty big and rather heavy backpack on for the trip, which if I were to do again I would have packed differently.
I also managed to get a small puncture on my front tire, which I was able to patch up. They were either paving or resurfacing a section of the road which caused more wear than I was expecting.
However, I would definitely recommend this trip, especially if you are wanting to see non-tourist Thailand. The people were extremely friendly and were delighted by the sight of us rolling by. Just take the main road north out of Mukdahan, the river will be on your right, and follow the signs for That Phanom. If you go, stop at the wats and let me know how they are!
