GOING HOME: MUKDAHAN – YASOTHON - ROI ET – KHON KAEN – NONG KHAI – LOEI – CHIANG MAI
Continued from
Chiang Mai - Luang Prabang - Vientiane
and
Vientiane - Route 13 South - Savannakhet
Exiting Laos across the Friendship Bridge from Savannakhet was easy & straight forward.
Entering Thailand at Mukdahan was almost the same, but with one minute hiccup.
I’d processed Thai immigration with my regular 3 month entry granted. Next step was Customs 10 metres away. I handed my papers in & incredulously the young customs officer asked if I was entering Thailand. Well yes I think so; I’m not riding back across the bridge into Laos I thought, or was I?
OK, but your Thai temporary export papers say you are going to enter Thailand at the Friendship Bridge Nong Khai, not Mukdahan. You can’t come in here.
Well I’m here & I’ve been stamped in by immigration so I don’t think I‘m going back to Laos. You’d better talk to your boss.
Off he goes & comes back in 5 minutes & says “my pen rai” you can go.
Yes that’s what I thought too. You’ve gotta laugh at their efficiency & lateral thinking capacity sometimes.
So I was in & off, flying down the road route 212 heading for Khon Kaen to link up with GT Rider John Gooding.
John has SMS-ed the best way & route nos to get from Mukdahan to Khon Kaen. 212 – 2136 - 2116 – 209. A piece of cake. R212 south from Mukdahan is a superb fast smooth 4-lane dual carriageway & wasn’t it great to be in the Kingdom on a real road again. Cruising at 130-140 kph Khon Kaen would not be too long away. But I could not see R2136 & I was looking out for the route sign numbers. I thought I must have missed it – I was 45 kms out of Mukdahan & doubled back to check one turn off.
Then 30 minutes in Thailand, at 135kph the bike suddenly shut down – no electrics. Beautiful I thought, here we go again a replay of the previous year’s nagging electrical problems? At least it was not in Laos so I though good luck whatever the problem, the bike’s broken down in Thailand.
It was bloody hot out on the super & fortunately 50 metres up the road was a little house with some shade. I pushed the bike along to the shade, unloaded everything, cursing politely as I went.
The saddle bags have to come off to take off the side covers to get to the fuses, plus the bag has to come off to get under the seat & check the battery.
It was hot, I was pretty grumpy but my new rural hosts were very jovial & incredibly generous – bottled water + a can of Beer Chang was even offered. I took the water & declined the beer – I was not quite in the mood for a hot beer in the midday sun. :x
After 40 minutes I’d been able to ascertain that all the fuses & battery were ok. What next? Arh yes I recall the Snail & I working on the ignition switch 9 months earlier – a broken wire, with the decision that the 150 baht Chinese switch should be replaced sooner rather than later.
And ..
I’d forgotten to replace the switch.
So, it "must" be the switch, but it would be better to get this checked out in a bike shop or by a local mechanic who would know what & where to go for parts. Not by the road in Nakhon Nowhere.
A phone call goes out & 5 mins later the local chang arrives. He wants to take me & the bike to the school. No, no, no motorbike shop. Not school. No, no school number one. No no motorbike shop. No, no school. Ha. Ha...... here we go another cultural misunderstanding.
AND
I lost & we went to the school. I could not believe my good luck.
1. The school was less than 2 kms up the road. Good luck. :lol:
The bike was towed up the road
much to everyone's enjoyment.
The ol breakdown must have made the villagers weekend I'm sure.
2. The school was the local vocational training “Fix It” centre. Good luck. :lol:
3. The school only operates on the weekend. This was Sunday. Good luck. :lol:
View attachment 105326
Under the Ajarn’s supervision the students swarmed over the bike excitedly yapping & joking away madly. They must have though Christmas was here early. :lol:
After getting them to check it out systematically fuses / battery, the ignition switch was the next step.
And lo & behold
Yep broken wire again.
No problem, solder it all up & get a pretty good warranty “I guarantee all my life” & a big cheer goes up.
Then there was a huge photo session + a report to be done & signed. The photo sessions with the ajarns & students too more time than the repairs I think. Ho. Ho. Ho.
I forced a 500 baht tip on the boys for a moo krataa meal that night + 150 baht for the tow + 100 baht for the local drunk pestering me. You gotta keep ’em happy & buy some merit as you go. After all this could have happened in Laos & it would not be quite so easy or so much fun. It was all good luck I reckoned. :lol:
Anyway back on the road, R212 & in the hunt for R2136 to Khon Kaen. Another 30kms down the road I was approaching Amnart Charoen & new I’d definitely overshot the mark.
To hell with 2136 & KK I thought, just work your way towards KK & overnight somewhere convenient. At the PTT on the outskirts I used a 7-11 for a cold drink in the aircon + to get a peak at road atlas & suss out where I was & what towns I needed to pass through heading for Khon Kaen.
I sent out an SMS to John to suggest they give up waiting for me on R2136 & head home to KK. I would catch up to them late that night or even tomorrow, depending on my bush navigation skills.
I forgot about a reply from John & carried on - & riding directly into the setting sun for kms & hours aint no fun.
Yasothon passed by & Roi Et was the next town. Then 170 kms after the Fix It Centre the bike shuts down again - no electrics. Curses, where's my "I guarantee for my life" warranty.
It was hot & almost in the middle of nowhere again, but I could see a PTT 100 metres up the road. Oh well more good luck. :lol:
I will push the bike there & start the whole operation again. :x
Muttering sweet revenge I dismount & start taking my gear off sweating profusely. The phone rings. It's John Gooding. Aha. What should I say, for sure he's going to take the piss once out of me once he knows I’ve broken down again.
But nope he says "is that you stopped beside the road David?"
"Well yes actually I am stopped by the road, bloody well broken down again. But where are you?"
The reply" " I’m standing outside the PTT watching you!" :lol:
No! Unbelievable. My good luck again. I could be in Laos, but nope this is my lucky day - breaking down in Thailand. How I love this country to ride & tour in.
John receiving my SMS figured I would be coming in on the Roi Et route had taken a gamble & ridden over with Bat from the Khon Kaen riders to meet up with me. What great guys.
My good luck continues. :lol:
Bat it was brilliant meeting you & a million thanks for pushing me across the road to the PTT!
My good luck. The PTT has a huge workshop for servicing tour buses. :lol:
It's Sunday & it's late so I decide to lock up the bike in the workshop & return the next day for the MK2 repairs.
Bat heads back to Khon Kaen in the dark & JG offers to stay the night to help out tomorrow.
Unknown to me we are only 2 kms out of Roi Et town. Just across the super. More good luck. :lol: So Roi Et for the night it is.
After an amusing night celebrating my good luck return to Thailand, - a gay receptionist gives John & I lift down town 3-up on his Mio to the local Pub & Restaurant hot spot :lol: ; JG & I strike gold again the next morning pondering where the# 1 big motor bike shop is in Roi Et. The hotel reception ask what is going on & we luck out with a lady being a member of the local big bike club & the # 1 shop is just around the corner. Unbelievable & more good luck. :lol:
We locate the shop
Daeng Charoen Yon
15/7 Senaroemkid Road
Ha Yaek Sai Nam Phueng
Amphur Muang. Roi Et
Mr Krisda Muangwong (Khun Daeng)
Tel 0810600849. 0894217999.
I explain to Daeng what the problem is & would like to install a new switch if we can find one that will fit.
No problem. In 40 minutes the ex-trusty old Africa Twin is parked in the shop, after Daeng follows us to the PTT hard wires the bike & we ride it back to his shop.
Another 1 1/2 hrs later it is all go.
As a precaution Daeng installs a new relay to control the ignition switch power & prevent it from overloading & burning out.
JG & I return to the hotel & check out at 2PM in the afternoon. No trouble. Thank you Mai Thai hotel Roi Et.
Khon Kaen it is then & arrival time is around 5PM. JG escorts me to the delightful Khon Kaen Orchid & I settle in - relieved the day is over with no more breakdowns.
At 8PM we head off down town to the Roma Hotel, owned by a Khon Kaen rider. The Sorrento Cafe is the place to eat for the night & meet the hotel owner & Yamaha FJR300 rider. At 10PM we walk out of the hotel to head his other hotel night club. I get on the AT to ride there AND, loh & behold no electrics. Dead battery. :cry:
To be continued
Continued from
Chiang Mai - Luang Prabang - Vientiane
and
Vientiane - Route 13 South - Savannakhet
Exiting Laos across the Friendship Bridge from Savannakhet was easy & straight forward.
Entering Thailand at Mukdahan was almost the same, but with one minute hiccup.
I’d processed Thai immigration with my regular 3 month entry granted. Next step was Customs 10 metres away. I handed my papers in & incredulously the young customs officer asked if I was entering Thailand. Well yes I think so; I’m not riding back across the bridge into Laos I thought, or was I?
OK, but your Thai temporary export papers say you are going to enter Thailand at the Friendship Bridge Nong Khai, not Mukdahan. You can’t come in here.
Well I’m here & I’ve been stamped in by immigration so I don’t think I‘m going back to Laos. You’d better talk to your boss.
Off he goes & comes back in 5 minutes & says “my pen rai” you can go.
Yes that’s what I thought too. You’ve gotta laugh at their efficiency & lateral thinking capacity sometimes.
So I was in & off, flying down the road route 212 heading for Khon Kaen to link up with GT Rider John Gooding.
John has SMS-ed the best way & route nos to get from Mukdahan to Khon Kaen. 212 – 2136 - 2116 – 209. A piece of cake. R212 south from Mukdahan is a superb fast smooth 4-lane dual carriageway & wasn’t it great to be in the Kingdom on a real road again. Cruising at 130-140 kph Khon Kaen would not be too long away. But I could not see R2136 & I was looking out for the route sign numbers. I thought I must have missed it – I was 45 kms out of Mukdahan & doubled back to check one turn off.
Then 30 minutes in Thailand, at 135kph the bike suddenly shut down – no electrics. Beautiful I thought, here we go again a replay of the previous year’s nagging electrical problems? At least it was not in Laos so I though good luck whatever the problem, the bike’s broken down in Thailand.
It was bloody hot out on the super & fortunately 50 metres up the road was a little house with some shade. I pushed the bike along to the shade, unloaded everything, cursing politely as I went.
The saddle bags have to come off to take off the side covers to get to the fuses, plus the bag has to come off to get under the seat & check the battery.
It was hot, I was pretty grumpy but my new rural hosts were very jovial & incredibly generous – bottled water + a can of Beer Chang was even offered. I took the water & declined the beer – I was not quite in the mood for a hot beer in the midday sun. :x
After 40 minutes I’d been able to ascertain that all the fuses & battery were ok. What next? Arh yes I recall the Snail & I working on the ignition switch 9 months earlier – a broken wire, with the decision that the 150 baht Chinese switch should be replaced sooner rather than later.
And ..
I’d forgotten to replace the switch.
So, it "must" be the switch, but it would be better to get this checked out in a bike shop or by a local mechanic who would know what & where to go for parts. Not by the road in Nakhon Nowhere.
A phone call goes out & 5 mins later the local chang arrives. He wants to take me & the bike to the school. No, no, no motorbike shop. Not school. No, no school number one. No no motorbike shop. No, no school. Ha. Ha...... here we go another cultural misunderstanding.
AND
I lost & we went to the school. I could not believe my good luck.1. The school was less than 2 kms up the road. Good luck. :lol:
The bike was towed up the road
much to everyone's enjoyment.
The ol breakdown must have made the villagers weekend I'm sure.
2. The school was the local vocational training “Fix It” centre. Good luck. :lol:
3. The school only operates on the weekend. This was Sunday. Good luck. :lol:
View attachment 105326
Under the Ajarn’s supervision the students swarmed over the bike excitedly yapping & joking away madly. They must have though Christmas was here early. :lol:
After getting them to check it out systematically fuses / battery, the ignition switch was the next step.
And lo & behold
Yep broken wire again.
No problem, solder it all up & get a pretty good warranty “I guarantee all my life” & a big cheer goes up.
Then there was a huge photo session + a report to be done & signed. The photo sessions with the ajarns & students too more time than the repairs I think. Ho. Ho. Ho.
I forced a 500 baht tip on the boys for a moo krataa meal that night + 150 baht for the tow + 100 baht for the local drunk pestering me. You gotta keep ’em happy & buy some merit as you go. After all this could have happened in Laos & it would not be quite so easy or so much fun. It was all good luck I reckoned. :lol:
Anyway back on the road, R212 & in the hunt for R2136 to Khon Kaen. Another 30kms down the road I was approaching Amnart Charoen & new I’d definitely overshot the mark.
To hell with 2136 & KK I thought, just work your way towards KK & overnight somewhere convenient. At the PTT on the outskirts I used a 7-11 for a cold drink in the aircon + to get a peak at road atlas & suss out where I was & what towns I needed to pass through heading for Khon Kaen.
I sent out an SMS to John to suggest they give up waiting for me on R2136 & head home to KK. I would catch up to them late that night or even tomorrow, depending on my bush navigation skills.
I forgot about a reply from John & carried on - & riding directly into the setting sun for kms & hours aint no fun.
Yasothon passed by & Roi Et was the next town. Then 170 kms after the Fix It Centre the bike shuts down again - no electrics. Curses, where's my "I guarantee for my life" warranty.
It was hot & almost in the middle of nowhere again, but I could see a PTT 100 metres up the road. Oh well more good luck. :lol:
I will push the bike there & start the whole operation again. :x
Muttering sweet revenge I dismount & start taking my gear off sweating profusely. The phone rings. It's John Gooding. Aha. What should I say, for sure he's going to take the piss once out of me once he knows I’ve broken down again.
But nope he says "is that you stopped beside the road David?"
"Well yes actually I am stopped by the road, bloody well broken down again. But where are you?"
The reply" " I’m standing outside the PTT watching you!" :lol:
No! Unbelievable. My good luck again. I could be in Laos, but nope this is my lucky day - breaking down in Thailand. How I love this country to ride & tour in.
John receiving my SMS figured I would be coming in on the Roi Et route had taken a gamble & ridden over with Bat from the Khon Kaen riders to meet up with me. What great guys.
My good luck continues. :lol:
Bat it was brilliant meeting you & a million thanks for pushing me across the road to the PTT!
My good luck. The PTT has a huge workshop for servicing tour buses. :lol:
It's Sunday & it's late so I decide to lock up the bike in the workshop & return the next day for the MK2 repairs.
Bat heads back to Khon Kaen in the dark & JG offers to stay the night to help out tomorrow.
Unknown to me we are only 2 kms out of Roi Et town. Just across the super. More good luck. :lol: So Roi Et for the night it is.
After an amusing night celebrating my good luck return to Thailand, - a gay receptionist gives John & I lift down town 3-up on his Mio to the local Pub & Restaurant hot spot :lol: ; JG & I strike gold again the next morning pondering where the# 1 big motor bike shop is in Roi Et. The hotel reception ask what is going on & we luck out with a lady being a member of the local big bike club & the # 1 shop is just around the corner. Unbelievable & more good luck. :lol:
We locate the shop
Daeng Charoen Yon
15/7 Senaroemkid Road
Ha Yaek Sai Nam Phueng
Amphur Muang. Roi Et
Mr Krisda Muangwong (Khun Daeng)
Tel 0810600849. 0894217999.
I explain to Daeng what the problem is & would like to install a new switch if we can find one that will fit.
No problem. In 40 minutes the ex-trusty old Africa Twin is parked in the shop, after Daeng follows us to the PTT hard wires the bike & we ride it back to his shop.
Another 1 1/2 hrs later it is all go.
As a precaution Daeng installs a new relay to control the ignition switch power & prevent it from overloading & burning out.
JG & I return to the hotel & check out at 2PM in the afternoon. No trouble. Thank you Mai Thai hotel Roi Et.
Khon Kaen it is then & arrival time is around 5PM. JG escorts me to the delightful Khon Kaen Orchid & I settle in - relieved the day is over with no more breakdowns.
At 8PM we head off down town to the Roma Hotel, owned by a Khon Kaen rider. The Sorrento Cafe is the place to eat for the night & meet the hotel owner & Yamaha FJR300 rider. At 10PM we walk out of the hotel to head his other hotel night club. I get on the AT to ride there AND, loh & behold no electrics. Dead battery. :cry:
To be continued
Last edited:
