“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will...” - Vince Lombardi Jr.
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| (A beautiful moment to treasure) |
Route: Pakse - Thakhek
Distance: 331 km
Hotel: Mekong Hotel, Thakhek
07:00 - Had heavy breakfast in the hotel cafe.
08:00 - Checked out a little later than usual. Today we would be driving direct to Thakhek and the road is supposed to be good.
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| (A good heavy breakfast before the road trip) |
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| (Salad and fruits, a must for breakfast) |
08:20 - Refuelled at a petrol station near the airport and changed our off-coloured genuine USD100.
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| (A good place to buy provisions) |
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| (Fuel is expensive in Laos) |
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| (Driving out of Pakse) |
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| (Less traffic early in the morning) |
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| (Commuters for daily workers) |
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| (30km/hr speed limit in town) |
10:00 - Coffee stop at a PTT petrol station in Khongxedone.
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| (A short break to straighten our backs) |
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| (More PTT Cafe Amazon along the route) |
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| (That cat is trying to hitch a hike) |
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| (My favorite peanut biscuits for snack) |
10:30 - Drove carefully and followed the speed limit especially crossing the villages and small towns. There were many road blocks along the route and we got stopped a few times. After we showed our travel documents we were allowed to continue our journey. Through our previous experience in Laos, local authorities here are usually friendly but strict.
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| (Animals and children hogging the road) |
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| (A quiet trunk road) |
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| (Keeping to the speed limit at all time) |
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| (Road obstruction is not an offense here) |
13:30 - Stopped at Lattanaphonephasouk Hotel at Xeno and took some photo shots to reminisce our first Kembara Qurban trip. We used to stay here during Q1 riding trip in 2012.
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| (We were here in 2012 for Kembara Qurban) |
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| (A very long name for a hotel) |
15:30 - Arrived at Thakhek town in late afternoon. Checked in Mekong Hotel by the riverside for Kip140,000/night.
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| (A clear view of Thailand across Mekong River) |
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| (An old hotel along the water front) |
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| (An antique bath shower, still functioning well) |
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| (Our room facing the river) |
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| (Ready for a stroll along the river) |
16:15 - Performed our prayers then took a walk along the Mekong River until the end of the waterfront.
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| (The sun is setting quickly) |
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| (Thakhek Clock Tower) |
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| (A small temple at town centre) |
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| (Hotels and Guesthouses along the waterfront) |
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| (One of the floating restaurants) |
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| (Waiting patiently for the sunset) |
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| (Sunset over Mekong River) |
17:15 - Had an early dinner at the Sunset Restaurant. Dinner was Tom Yam Kung and Luang Prabang Salad with rice while watching the beautiful sunset.
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| (Have to choose seafood menu only) |
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| (Waiting for dinner to be served) |
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| (A popular restaurant with nice ambiance) |
18:00 - Had an hour of strong foot massage at Relax Massage and Spa.
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| (Therapeutic strong foot reflexology) |
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| (One of the many Foot Reflexology and Spa) |
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| (Cool weather for a walk at night) |
ReplyDeleteGPS Coordinates:
Mekong Hotel, Thakhek (17.39651, 104.80284)
Sabaidee Sunset Thai Restaurant, Thakhek (17.39198, 104.804176)
Lattanaphonephasouk Hotel, Xeno (16.68716, 104.95431