Trails between two cities

You can of course get from Mukdahan in Northeast Thailand to Savannakhet in Laos in a matter of minutes by bus or by car, but travelling there under your own pedal power is a far more interesting journey, allowing for detours along tracks to admire the scores of stupas and temples that dot this region.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Nakhon Phanom office recently decided to underline this cycling delight by organising a rally between the two towns Mukdahan in Thailand.

Boonyanuth Varnaying, director of TAT Nakhon Phanom, who also overseas tourism operations in Sakon Nakhon and Mukdahan, was the brains behind the initiative.

“We’ve introduced several activities including bicycle races, rallies and a marathon with the aim of attracting more tourists both from Thailand and from Laos, and also as part of our programme to connect with the Asean Economic Community, which gets underway next year,” she explains.

“Cycling is also a major part of our drive to promote green tourism, which saves energy and is less harmful to the environment. And it’s a good way of encouraging people to enjoy a healthier lifestyle and enjoy the wonderful food this region has to offer.”

The region, of course, has much more than food to offer the tourist, especially those interested in Buddhism. Sakon Nakhon is a well-known Buddhist town, once home to the creator of the Thai Forest Tradition of Buddhism, Luang Pu Man Bhurithatto. Nakhon Phanom has several magnificent stupas including Pra That Phanom and Pra That Choeng Chum, while Mukdahan boasts an observation tower 65.5 metres in height as well as Wat Phu Manorom, a hill-top temple with a footprint of the Buddha and a wonderful view over the Mekong into the Laos.

Our Bike Finder team, which also comprises actor Pollapat Welsh, and Agri-Tourism Park owners Ruangparipat “Rak” Tangjitmankongchai and Chonlachatt “Ae” Montri, sets off at 6am to join up with the other cycling teams at Mukdahan Park. They include Nawa MTB Nakhon Phanom, That Phanom, MTB Sisongkram, Suamuanglue and the Two Wheel Khorat Club .

We’re on the road at 8, cycling through  Ratree Market and past Wat Si Mongkhon Tai into Samran Chai Khong Nuea Road, which runs parallel to the Mekong. Before long, we are on the second Thailand-Laos Friendship Bridge where we meet up with our “guides” for the day – 40 Laotian cyclists from Savannakhet and Luang Prabang. I’m surprised to find that among them are seven members of the Laos national cycling team. Saysana Pathoumphanh,  a second year student at Savannakhet Teacher Training College, is one of them and tells me that he hopes to follow in the footsteps of his older brother Kengchai, a professional cyclist who has taken part in several international meets.

We continue our journey across the bridge and follow the signs that remind us that now we’re in Laos, we must drive on the right.

We reach the Dinosaur Circle safely and take a break at Savan Park, a free-trade industrial and commercial centre. We then make a detour to an agricultural development centre at Nong Tao, a man-made lake originally constructed for rice paddy irrigation and now home to beautiful lotus blooms before turning back to That Ing Hang (Ing Hang Stupa) for a lunch of kaeng khe lek, tom yam pla, nam phrik with boiled vegetables and omelette.

That Ing Hang is Savannakhet’s most sacred site and a frequent place of pilgrimage for Thai Buddhists. Legend has it that King Asoka created here a monument in 225 BC to sanctify the place where Buddha is believed to have delivered a sermon before resting under a Hang tree, hence the name. The present stupa was built in 1930 in Lane Xang style. Standing  nine metres high and featuring beautiful carvings, it’s said to house a relic of the Buddha’s spine.

Our next stop is Bung Va Lake on the outskirts of Savannakhet, the venue for both the local Boat Racing Festival and Rocket Festival and home to several restaurants and gazebos. 

By now, many of the group are feeling the stress of cycling along a pot-holed road in the heat and a break for refreshments is more than welcome.

We also visit the Dinosaur Museum, home to dinosaur fossils excavated from Ban Tang Vay, in Xonbouly District.

The going is better downtown and we slow down to admire the French colonial buildings as well as the modest but charming St Theresa’s Catholic Church.

We stop to gaze at the Agriculture and Forestry Office in Kaysone Phromvihane  District and spend time in Savannakhet Museum before ending our trip at Kaysone Phromvihane Memorial museum.

We are scheduled to return to Mukdahan before nightfall but before we leave, we are treated to a blessing, a feast of local delicacies and  a cultural show.

My new friend Saysana sympathises with our aching limbs. “It’s very hard,” he admits. “Some stretches of the route are really rough and full of nasty potholes.”

“It’s definitely worse than the roads back home,’ says Pisit, a member of the Two Wheel Club. 

“What’s great though is that cyclists can go everywhere. You can’t do that with a bus.”

 

 

On two wheels

_ Hiring a bicycle in Savannakhet costs 20,000 kip (Bt80) per day. Motorcycle rental is between 70,000 and 80,000 kip.