Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Riding "Up" The Mekong River 2026

Supercross (from Houston) was on, so I got a late start heading south-east towards the Mekong River...
Since I knew I was going to stay home to watch, I had made a reservation in Yasothon...about 185Ks out...

Here's what you get for twelve bucks:



The bathroom has an Instant Heat Shower, a sink and a Western Toilet...

I didn't stop to take any photos when I should have...Ks and Ks of Rice Paddies...very beautiful green scenes...

There's a lake nearby and it's Green as far as Flying goes, so I may fly the drone over the lake tomorrow morning...

Oh, and I haven't seen a single Westerner while wandering around a Hardware Store (needed a 2-prong adapter for my power strip), and a Food Mall...

I'll definitely try and get something more interesting in this thread soon...

Here are some photos from Day 2:


Sirindhorn Reservoir. I wanted to fly here, but it's Restricted Airspace.

The lake that I had planned on flying in the morning turned out to be dry...



Two-Color River Viewpoint Longboat Dock. This is where the Mekong River turns east into Laos.
It appears the river is way down...



I guess because the Mekong is down, it's not the muddy color that would make for Two...



Mun River...the other of the Two...

A sunset photo from Buengkan and a map of the "track" taken...I've been riding almost exclusively on Secondart (many dirt) roads and it's Long and Tiring...not to mention poor Internet in many Rural areas...








Almost all of this trip has been No Fly Zones...Lucky I got the 1 flight in...Looks like today, near Nong Khai, I should be able to fly again...I did do 1 ******* flight with the Follow Me Drone...there was a really cool, new, Retaining Wall/Bike Path (Thais on Scooters ignore the signs, so, so do I)/Roadway that I couldn't resist "filming"...no people...It's interesting that there was a Flood Control Structure that had a Bridge that had my phone thinking I was outside of Thailand...

I closed the loop by riding all the way home yesterday...the next part of the trip goes NW from Nong Khai, then SW and then N to The Golden Triangle, where the Mekong leaves Thailand...

Here are some photos and videos from the trip:


Little did I know that a lot of the Mekong River has paths and barriers like this...



But, there are a lot of dead-ends like this...backtracking required...



A really tall White Buddha in Mukdahan.



Down at the river level. (Lots of dust on the iPhone sensor...)



Lots of "mining" on the river.



Lots of Rice Paddies.



Hazy view of Laos "mountains."



Ongoing work...



Rice Farming must be a lucrative business...I'd guess 3-4 million for the house...bhat not $$$...



I did see a few real ones walking along the river...



Me trying to do a Selfie in a Long Boat...


A couple of i360 videos:

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-jc7x6bv/A

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-Mk3GbjM/A


Drone Flight:

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-n3z8fm7/A


Follow Me Flights:

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-CxmSCrn/A

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-4c98zn6/A

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-rJcPXv7/A

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-8G2MZnC/A

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-DbKbrPg/A

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-rp7HWJ8/A

So much for my understanding of Asian Geography...the Gap where the Mekong is in Laos is in the neighborhood of 600k (a WAG on my part)...
So, this is going to be interesting...there are a lot of National Parks up in that area of Northern Thailand...
There are not a lot of Major roads...
There are a lot of Secondary Roads that roam along what looks like an Unprotected Border...(mountainous/hilly terrain that should be a lot of fun)...
I better make sure the SPOT batteries are fresh...
I've laid out a 558 mile Route that connects Chiang Khan with the location where the Mekong comes back into Thailand...
(From there to where it exits into Myanmar is supposed to have a path like "down below"...)
(I"m carrying 5 liters of spare fuel...)
First Adventure in the start of my 8th decade...

My Tame Birthday Challenge yesterday was to take a Honda Scooter Dirt Bike Riding:

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-H6tKKhj/A


Wish me luck...I hope this works out because it looks facinating on a 3D model...I'll try and keep count of how many times I cross over into Laos...and try not to get arrested by Border Patrol or the Army...


BTW, some Russian Scumbag just got a 99 year Visa Ban for violating Thai law...maybe I should take that as a lesson...

I can tell I'm heading into Northern Thailand...
Rolling terrain with lots of Twists and Turns...
Also much slower "highway" riding...

Here's 3+ minutes of riding downstreanm yesterday afternoon:

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-mbCgwn3/A

Beautiful...

BTW, there are rapids on the Mekong...I've always thought it was this big, meandering, river...

Yesterday reminded me why I love Northern Thailand...
Incredible twisting roads...and you better be dang serious about wanting to go Offroad...I feel for the Farners who have to deal with these paths on a daily basis...2 yelled at me to turn around...I didn't...(a couple of videos below)...

Frustration...the High Season must be over...3 "hotels" closed...finally looked at Booking.com and had to travel another 30 miles...in the wrong direction...to find a bed...almost decided to just stop at one of the "bus stop shelters" that are common in Thailand...


Some N Thai dirt:

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-wg8xvzp/A

This was tame compared to the next section I rode...pinapple farm at the start...


Some N Thailand "mountain" roads:

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-DZkGf6J/A

There was so little traffic I didn't feel any guilt at flying the drone behind me...

How do you link the drone with your bike? Next question does the drone ever get caught in the trees? OK so the ruts in the road how many little crashes , I hate those ruts I put a handle bar through my wrist years ago and can still see the crash in slow motion.

Starting with a complaint…most expensive hotel of the trip and no Internet…using my phone…

This drone can be flown multiple ways…I have it connected to my phone with an app for these flights…it’s rated at 43kph, but I’ve forced it to follow me at 50+…it can do it for short periods…battery only lasts for about 9 minutes at those speeds…

It’s crashed many times already…it is an amazing piece of Engineering…I just pick it up and wipe the lens off…DJI makes US drone makers look like amateurs..,

I’m up to 21 crashes…it was a doozy and it’s on film…I’ll post it when I get a chance…

I’m 90k from my destination on the Mekong but it’s 200+ on roads…

The Thai Tourism people name their roads…I was on Curvy Road #3 for the North Bound part of the loop up to the Laos border east of where the Mekong is back in Thailand…I did 360k today…

I saw Strawberry Farms on the ride today...

I went to dinner at a place named Heyday Bistro...figured they must speak some English...they did...cute, all Women Staff...I wanted Chicken Cashew Nut...not on the menu, so Red Curry...not spicy, please...don't tell my wife...outstanding...probably because of the fresher ingredients...
Noticed the menu had Smooties...Strawberry...ordered to go...OMG!!! Delicious...

Bet youj didn't know a Panic Stop can cause a Flat Front Tire...Numbnut Richard...not paying attenion...Hairpin...2 Scooters coming at me...didn't want to be responsible for possibly killing 2 Thais and myself...hard on the brakes...rear is anti-lock...front isn't...sliding sideways with the front wheel locked up...didn't hit anyone, but a few minutes later...a hard handling front end...stop and see the front is flat...Limp a long ways to a mechanic...I look at the tube and he shows me where the stem had a rip...

I tell you...Nepali and Thai Mechanics are outstanding...and inexpensive...had the job done before I finished my Iced Tea...200 for the repair...about $7...heck, a tube in the US is $20+ now...


So, on to the Mekong Ride Story...GPS (GaiaGPS app) was giving me nothing but trouble...missed turns because of the delay in location updates...I got so frustrated...even after I slowed way down to give the app a chance...that I switched to Google and Apple to take me via the shortest route....bummed because I had found a couple of dirt routes to a viewpoint at the Thai/Laos border and a peak you can ride up...oh well...looks like another trip up here is required...

They were having a party at the spot where the Mekong is back in Thailand (for me heading up)...all kinds of flower gardens...the Mekong up here is the Muddy "green" that I've alway seen...

Last of the Mekong trip is tomorrow...Golden Triangle is where the Mekong ends for me, but enters Thailand for the northern end...


Here are some photos:


Off my balcony this morning before leaving.









Walk a little ways and you'd be in Laos.



They're a little more strict about keeping the path to bikes and pedestrians up here...no scooters, or me...



Unreal...the amount of land devoted to Rice Paddies...



I shot one i360 video that I'll post as soon as the AI Editor gets done with it.


BTW, the $7 hotel tonight (decent place) makes up for the overpriced Resort yesterday...

Here's the Insta360 AI video from yesterday:

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-WxJ97pj/A


I had told Shin I was returning on Friday The Thirteenth...not realizing we have one 2 months in a row this year...

I'm heading back to the 2 dirt tracks I wanted to ride...I figure (I hope) it's worth the extra 200k of riding...I'll just stay at the Golden Triangle instead of heading down to Chiang Rai...

I'm glad I went back...I ended up doing a 280 mile loop...one of the off-road trails was actually accessible by car...also did the final secondary roads section up near the Thai/Laos border...got to see why a lot of these "dirt" roads aren't dirt any more with a Road Crew pouring concrete...couldn't pass until the cement mixer had finished dumping his load and backed out...




Made my first summit of the year:


Someone with more skill than me probably could climb the strairs on a bike, but I decided i'd walk the last (less than) 10 minutes to the summit...



I did cross into Laos Visa Free...(phone welocmed me to and gave me the terns of the plan)...


The Golden Triangle:


Thailand and Myanmar.



Thailand and Laos.

BTW, that should have been 180 not 280...

Here are a few short videos showing some more of the capabilities of the follow me drone:

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-8nCNR9R/A

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-JdH7Mqq/A

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-gTHz5Wf/A

What I didn't mention in the previous post is that the tracking is done Optically...the connection to the phone just insures that the drone knows it's "on track" and if the connection breaks, the drone will hover in place until retrieved, or the battery dies, and it lands...

BTW2, I'm not opposed to the US banning Chinese Drones...I hope US Engineers are "returning the favor" and reverse engineering these masterpieces...I just hope they don't forgo the Consumer and Focus On The Money of military builds...

2 stories about spying for those who are nieve enough to think governnents (LOL in the face of people who think DJI is independent) don't spy on common folk...my first briefing before international travel: Do Not Turn On Any Of Your Devices In China...second was a German Tourist who I had a conversation with who was denied entry to the US and Deported because they found a message on his phone stating he was going to look for work...he didn't give them his phone...

Hey just read your flat story , when the POS van keep breaking down I road over to Bakersfield to pick it up for the second or third time , I took the BMW 1100 going great till the interchange from 58/99 south I was doing about 50 saw the sign 15 ? well with in the BMW lean and turn ability until I see Oh it's a 90 degree turn about 100 ' ahead I also lock up the brakes Amazing amount of noise! The bike is bouncing I am not turning ... heading for the pasture ahead . My first thought I had locked up the transmission somehow down shifting in a panic. I knew going into the dirt with the brakes locked was going to throw me over the handle bars so I let off the brakes . Noise stopped I entered the dirt at the suggested 15 mph , put down the training wheels (my feet) keep the bike up and got it stopped. The noise was the antilock brake system doing what is was engineered to do .

Went to a gathering Saturday for Dave G took Carbon Canyon and had flash backs of all the rides through the canyon in the late 60's -70's WOW many houses now and Sleepy Hollow store is gone .

Did Dave pass? If so, I’m sorry to hear it.

The more things change…Riding south from the border at Mae Sai…developed the whole way…I don’t remember it being this way when I rode these roads on a bike and a scooter decades ago…

No Dave is doing great was just a chance to chat with the group .

That's a relief...

Here's a blast from the past:


Some thieves cleaned the house out a long while ago (all my high altitude and cycling gear, Mountain Bike, and the AC Unit), but left the dish behind...my wife hired a neighbor to watch over the house since...we'll have to have a discussion about hiring a Handyman to do sone repairs and maintenance...the only problem is...Chiang Mai and Mae Rim (where this house is) are so overcrowded now...I think I like the Rural NE better...and we've got the option to buy out the S-I-L of a house they paid 2.2 for the land and custom home for 1.8 becuase they want in in Hua Hin (Royalty hangs out there)...



The Farmland behind the house is still there, but this Mossi Magnet Pond is different...I had tried to buy a few rai from the Farmer thru my Wife, but the price was outrageous because he got wind that a Farang was behind the purchase...There's actually a nice view of the mountians (what I wanted to save from Development) if it isn't hazy...



The Property is in Dire Need of some TLC, but not bad for something that's not had a regular resident in nearly 25 years...We only paid about 16k for the land and the buiding of a 2 bedroom vacation home...I spent nearly a year here in the early '00s when I didn't feel liike working in the US, but was sick of travel for work...most low-stress year of my life...and probably the best shape I've ever been in between all the mountains I climbed on my bicycle and my feet...


I'm about 700km from home, so 2 days minimum to get back with the stops that I want to do at Doi Suthep (my cycling climbing workout mountain...it's a National Park now...), Doi Inthanon (the high point of Thailand with an AF Base on top, and some Crazy Road near Phitsanulok...


Oh, and I made it to the Northern Most Point In Thailand...(literally, it a dump)...no photo...so now I've been to every point on the compass in Thailand...

The trip is complete...
Disappointing Tail End of the Ride...
Chiang Mai is way too crowded for my taste now...
It appears to have been invaded by Westerners...

It was interesting to see the number of Thais out on the road on bicycles and their feet...back in the day it was Rare...there were 2 other westerners that I saw on a regular basis...occasionally a few more on the roads...there were hundreds, if not thousands, out on Sunday...

The Famous Twisty Road near Phitsanulok was Underwhelming compared to the riding I did in the Far North...

I did get in the Doi Suthep / Doi Inthanon Double...3 peaks in a few days with less than half-an-hour of walking...

It was Odd...Doi Suthep is now part of a National Park, yet the Summit gets no Glory...it used to be a Jungle Walk...now it's just off the road in a group of trees with no Marker...it was Desolate Jungle beyond one of the Royal Summer Palaces...now there are structures almost all the way up...there is also a road on the "backside" that makes a loop possible...the road down was closed due to damage, but there was an Off-Road Route that was "fun" and made the loop happen still...It allowed me to get in some Chiang Mai Dirt...

Here are a few photos from Doi Inthanon:


Parking lot a few feet below the summit.



A little bit higher than the WPS.



The summit memorial and scientific/military equipment.


i360 AI video of the ride down from Doi Inthnon:

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-dFChCkP/A


I didn't have the tracker running for some of the ride...the total was around 2000 miles....over 90,000 feet of climbing on the bike...probebly put 2 years of wear on the bike in 9 days of riding...brakes are definitely in dire need of maintenance...

Here's the SPOT Track:




And, here's 7 minutes of descending out of Doi Inthanon National Park:

https://piotrowski.smugmug.com/Whats-New-1/Thailand-2026/i-KPZXQwP/A