Pua - Huay Kon
From Chiang Khong - Luang Prabang or bust
March 2024
There are road works underway widening the road for the high-volume truck transport.
R101 North from Pua to the border is 82kms,
It is one of the North's great roads & dare I say it, potentionally the greatest road / ride you can do in the North - once they have finished the road improvements!
There is a lot of truck traffic on the road, taking fuel & cement to the Hongsa power planet, such that the old road is too narrow, tight & steep in places. But the trucks still do it, slowly!
North from Pua the new improved road, alternates between 4 & 2 lane for 48 kms to Pon, where R101 crosses the Nan river.
maps.app.goo.gl
From Pon the road gets exciting, it soars up & down through the mountains.
There are 34 kms of road works where they are cutting a wider road through the terrain, & you probably wouldn't want to be here on a road bike in the wet season.
It may look ok, but imagine in torrential rain all that dirt washing down over the road, or being on some snot dirt sections for a few kms.
The cut through the mountains.
I can well imagine a petrol tanker or cement truck getting stuck somewhere on a bit of snot - no traction - and scores of vehicles get blocked.
It is what it is & will be frustrating fun for many drivers in the coming wet.
Impressive it will be when finished & they will need a minimum of 2 wet seasons to get close to finishing the job.
The first border turn off is a dirt road.
maps.app.goo.gl
If you want to skip the dirt section, & ride on asphalt, take the 2nd border turn off here
maps.app.goo.gl
The border
maps.app.goo.gl
From Chiang Khong - Luang Prabang or bust
March 2024
There are road works underway widening the road for the high-volume truck transport.
R101 North from Pua to the border is 82kms,
It is one of the North's great roads & dare I say it, potentionally the greatest road / ride you can do in the North - once they have finished the road improvements!
There is a lot of truck traffic on the road, taking fuel & cement to the Hongsa power planet, such that the old road is too narrow, tight & steep in places. But the trucks still do it, slowly!
North from Pua the new improved road, alternates between 4 & 2 lane for 48 kms to Pon, where R101 crosses the Nan river.
Pon Sub District Administration Organization · GW9G+864, Pon, Thung Chang District, Nan 55130, Thailand
Government
From Pon the road gets exciting, it soars up & down through the mountains.
There are 34 kms of road works where they are cutting a wider road through the terrain, & you probably wouldn't want to be here on a road bike in the wet season.
It may look ok, but imagine in torrential rain all that dirt washing down over the road, or being on some snot dirt sections for a few kms.
The cut through the mountains.
I can well imagine a petrol tanker or cement truck getting stuck somewhere on a bit of snot - no traction - and scores of vehicles get blocked.
It is what it is & will be frustrating fun for many drivers in the coming wet.
Impressive it will be when finished & they will need a minimum of 2 wet seasons to get close to finishing the job.
The first border turn off is a dirt road.
Huai Kon Checkpoint · H3J2+PPG, à¸à¸²à¸à¸«à¸¥à¸§à¸à¹à¸à¹à¸à¸à¸´à¸à¸«à¸¡à¸²à¸¢à¹à¸¥à¸ 1080, à¸à¸¸à¹à¸à¸à¹à¸²à¸, Chaloem Phra Kiat District, Nan 55130, Thailand
H3J2+PPG, à¸à¸²à¸à¸«à¸¥à¸§à¸à¹à¸à¹à¸à¸à¸´à¸à¸«à¸¡à¸²à¸¢à¹à¸¥à¸ 1080, à¸à¸¸à¹à¸à¸à¹à¸²à¸, Chaloem Phra Kiat District, Nan 55130, Thailand
If you want to skip the dirt section, & ride on asphalt, take the 2nd border turn off here
19°34'40.4"N 101°04'52.8"E
The border
Huai Kon Immigration Office · H3WP+GJ4, Huai Kon, Chaloem Phra Kiat District, Nan 55130, Thailand
âââââ · Immigration & naturalization service
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