“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other...” - Walter Elliot
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| (Beautiful sunset on Mekong River) |
Route: Thakhek - Vientiane
Distance: 341 km
Hotel: Douangdee Hotel, Vientiane
07:00 - Breakfast of eggs and bread in the hotel room.
07:30 - Checked out and drove towards Vientiane, Laos capital city.
09:45 - A brief stop at a PTT gas station in Huenganung.
10:45 - To break the journey we stopped at Pak Kading for coffee break and photo shots of the beautiful view of surrounding area. Pak Kading is the meeting place of rivers. The Nam Kading River comes and joins the Mekong here. There is a wooden hut perched on the river bank serves as a viewpoint of scenic Mekong streams and surrounding area.
14:30 - Arrived in Vientiane early and drove around to look for a hotel around the riverfront but were mostly either fully booked or very pricey.
17:00 - Checked in Douangdee Hotel, a little far from town for Kip150,000/night.
17:30 - Drove to the riverfront and parked our vehicle by the river to watch the sunset over the Mekong River.
17:45 - Strolled along the night market. Bought a selfie stick to replaced my broken one.
18:20 – Had lamb biryani and mee goreng dinner at Nazim Restaurant. The mee goreng was tasteless. Bought banana pancakes from nearby Muslim stall for my hungry tummy.
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| (A popular hotel for tourists) |
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| (A tuk-tuk waiting for passenger) |
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| (Thailand is on the other side of river bank) |
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| (Nice sunny day for a morning walk) |
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| (The river reflects the colour of the blue sky) |
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| (Driving out of Thakhek) |
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| (Stalls selling fruits and salted fish) |
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| (Not much traffic on the road on Highway 8) |
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| (Newly tarmac road) |
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| (Passing through small villages) |
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| (Road works in progress, dusty and bumpy) |
09:45 - A brief stop at a PTT gas station in Huenganung.
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| (Another PTT along Route 13) |
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| (The bigfoot is taking a rest too) |
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| (The bridge crossing the Kading River) |
10:45 - To break the journey we stopped at Pak Kading for coffee break and photo shots of the beautiful view of surrounding area. Pak Kading is the meeting place of rivers. The Nam Kading River comes and joins the Mekong here. There is a wooden hut perched on the river bank serves as a viewpoint of scenic Mekong streams and surrounding area.
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| (A sleepy town of Pak Kading) |
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| (A small temple up the hill) |
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| (Where Kading and Mekong rivers merged) |
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| (Beautiful scenic view of the Kading River) |
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| (Taking a rest at the viewpoint) |
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| (The bridge and Kading River) |
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| (Historic memorial) |
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| (Continuing our journey to Vientiane) |
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| (Extra hot crispy potato chips) |
14:30 - Arrived in Vientiane early and drove around to look for a hotel around the riverfront but were mostly either fully booked or very pricey.
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| (Patuxay War Monument of Vientiane) |
17:00 - Checked in Douangdee Hotel, a little far from town for Kip150,000/night.
17:30 - Drove to the riverfront and parked our vehicle by the river to watch the sunset over the Mekong River.
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| (Trying to touch the sun) |
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| (A gathering place at the end of the day) |
17:45 - Strolled along the night market. Bought a selfie stick to replaced my broken one.
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| (Night Market Walking Street) |
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| (Handicrafts and local products on display) |
18:20 – Had lamb biryani and mee goreng dinner at Nazim Restaurant. The mee goreng was tasteless. Bought banana pancakes from nearby Muslim stall for my hungry tummy.
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| (Tasteless mee goreng) |
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| (The food court on the reclaimed land) |
GPS Coordinates:
ReplyDeleteDouangdee Hotel, Vientiane (17.96867, 102.58931)
Nazim Indian Restaurant, Vientiane (17.96499, 102.602989)