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Tour de Isan 2011 - July 6th to 16th from Nong Khai to Ubon Ratchathani
This 10 nights/11 days tour will include 8 days of riding 760
kilometres / 470 miles and 3 days of rest, relaxation, and sightseeing.
Tuesday, July 5th
It is recommended that all riders plan to be in Nong Khai by this day to
get ready for the trip and leave time for scheduling mishaps or delays.
If you are taking the train to Nong Khai you will need to leave Bangkok
by this evening to get to Nong Khai in time to join the start of the
Tour de Isan. *Accommodations not included on this night.
Wednesday, July 6th
All riders must be in Nong Khai by this day to join the start of the
Tour de Isan. We can arrange for transportation from Udon Thani should
you decide to fly there. We will check into our hotel, get the bikes
situated and checked over, take a late afternoon boat ride on the
Mekong, and have dinner
along the Mekong looking across to Laos. (Meals Included - D)
Thursday, July 7th
Ride from Nong Khai to Pak Khat (63 miles / 101 kms)
Opening Ceremony and start of the 4th Annual Tour de Isan 2011.
After a brief ceremony and some photos we will leave Nong Khai riding a small country
road lined with potted trees and colorful flowers along the Mekong
River. This is the day you realize you made the great decision to do
this event after seeing the beauty of Isan, but I assure you that this
is only the beginning both literally and figuratively! (Meals included -
B, L, & D)
Friday, July 8th
Ride from Pak Khat to Beung Khan (40 miles / 64 kms)
More riding down small country roads, through small villages that hardly
ever see foreigners, switching back and forth from dirt and gravel to
cement and paved tarmac and we have a unique stop at a temple with all
these boulders that look more like giant dinosaur eggs. Today is short
and very sweet! After cleaning up we will take the support vehicles to
Wat Phu Tok so that riders can see this really cool temple that has 7
levels of walkways along the side of the mountain to get to the top. (Meals included - B, L, & D)
Saturday, July 9th – Ride from Beung Khan to Ban Paeng (57 miles / 92 kms)
Today is the first day we will see some rolling hills (very gentle)
with more of the incredibly beautiful dirt and gravel roads through some
small villages. (Meals included - B, L, & D)
Sunday, July 10th – Ride from Ban Paeng to Nakhon Panom (62 miles / 99 kms)
More gorgeous riding along small country roads near the mighty
Mekong River into the rather large city of Nakhon Panom. At 4 PM we will
meet in the hotel lobby to take the support vehicles to the city pier
where we will get on another scenic boat ride on the Mekong to watch the
sun go down over Nakhon Panom as we enjoy some liquid refreshments with
the Rotary Club of Nakhon Panom. It's party
time tonight, we have a day off from cycling tomorrow! (Meals included - B & L)
Monday, July 11th – Day Off in Nakhon Panom
Day off for rest, relaxation, and sightseeing. At 9:30 AM
(optional) we will meet in the lobby and take support vehicles out to
learn about rice farming and give it a try ourselves. After lunch we'll
take you back to the hotel to resume your day of rest and relaxation.
(Meals included - B & L)
Tuesday, July 12th - Ride from Nakhon Panom to Mukdahan (68 miles / 110 kms)
Today's ride is between two of the largest cities in the area but
there is still plenty of country road and riverfront riding in between
for great scenery and more of those neon-green rice farms that look so
picture perfect. Our lunch stop is at the famous Wat Phra That Phanom
which is almost half way and is a great place to stop for lunch and have
a look around the temple. (Meals included - B, L, & D)
Wednesday, July 13th – Ride from Mukdahan to Khemarat (56 miles / 91 kms)
We will really get to see some back road riding today as we take you
on some very lengthy dirt and gravel roads along the Mekong and through
more farmland. As we get closer to Khemarat we will start to see some
rolling hills and finally come to rest in this quaint little town on the
Mekong that still seems to have enough people to have (2) 7-elevens
right next to each other (funny). (Meals included - B,L, & D)
Thursday, July 14th – Ride from Khemarat to Khong Chiam (72 miles / 117 kms)
Today is the day we've all been training for. We will finally hit
some mentionable hills after about 49 km, but the mountainous scenery is
worth the extra effort on this day. The lunch stop is at a great
little Thai restaurant in the middle of nowhere that just happens to
also be a rice mill so we will continue the education on rice farming.
The cool swimming pool and a few
beers at the hotel will make all the painful memories drift away.
(Meals included -
B, L, & D)
Friday, July 15th–Ride from Khong Chiam to Ubon Rathchathani (52 miles / 84 kms)
The Closing Ceremony of the Tour de Isan 2011 will be at a local
restaurant for a little dinner party before we head off to enjoy
Ubon Ratchathani's International Wax Sculpture Festival with plenty of dessert
opportunities all around. (Meals included - B, L, & D)
Saturday, July 16th – Day Off in Ubon Ratchathani
See the International Wax Sculpture Parade in the morning and early afternoon
and prepare for your trip home. Riders can take the overnight train back
to Bangkok, fly directly from Ubon Ratchathani to Bangkok or other
parts of Thailand, or you have the option to come with us in the support
vehicles and visit the Khmer Ruins of Wat Panom Rung on the way back to
Bangkok with an overnight stay along the way, arriving in Bangkok on
the 17th. (Meals included - B)
Register for the Tour de Isan 2011
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