The central part of this journey is the most densely populated, maybe due to the influence of the main crossing point between Thailand and Laos: the
Friendship Bridge next to
Nong Khai; hence it offers several possibilities for stopovers.
If traveling with plenty of time, I recommend staying overnight in each one of the main towns along the way, but if reality presses hard, reaching Nong Khai from Chiang Khan in one day is possible.
A simple compromise can be reached by doing all the way in one day, but stopping in the main towns along the way; the tiny villages permit quick explorations of their emerald wonders.
If you decide to give up, there are buses from Chiang Khan to Khorat between 06:00 and 15:00, every hour (and vice versa as well) for 171B; to
Bangkok there is a regular bus in the morning, 08:00, for 355B, and a VIP one at 18:30, 560B; returning to Loei is possible using the same trucks you arrived with.
Continuing ahead from Chiang Khan along the
Mekong, Pak Chom is the next significant town. It is forty-one kilometers eastwards; a truck there costs 20B, the way takes one hour and crosses an incredibly green area; the road’s surroundings reminds of a rainforest.
Pak ChomPak Chom is a one-road village, as most of this area, but it is more developed than the others with some brick buildings alongside the more abundant teak-wood ones. Its distinction from its neighbors does not end there since there is a solid cement bus terminal at the western side of the town; silent shophouses surround it.
Next to it, there is a small and muddy market; inside it, I counted eight active stalls:
1) A fruits one.
2) A cold drinks one.
3) A chickens and cookies one.
4) A vegetables, fish and frogs one. The fat frogs were alive and jumping within a big bowl covered with a fishing net.
5) Two vegetables, sauces and eggs stalls.
6) A meat, eggs, garlic and pickles stall.
7) An ambulant stall with several products parked in the center of the action.
Near and perpendicular to them was a lane of deserted stalls, maybe patiently waiting for the next market day. As always, a visit to the market tells much about the locals and their way of living. Here they were friendly enough to begin basic conversations in English.
A very basic guesthouse exists, surprisingly answering to the name Pak Chom Guesthouse, but unless having arrived at the village very late, I do not recommend it.
Reaching Nong KhaiNong Khai is 159km eastwards; a bus there costs 57B and takes four hours, departing in the late afternoon would result in arriving after dark. There are seven buses during the day; their departure times can be found at the terminal, however this area is not the most punctual in Thailand and schedules should be taken with a bit of salt and pepper.
Once within the bus, the next step is deciding where to descend; in order of apparition, the main options are Sang Khom, Srichiangmai, Tha Bo and Nong Khai.
Sang Khom is some sixty kilometers east of Pak Chom, is very similar to the former and has one basic guesthouse, the
Bouy Guesthouse that offers some limited river activities on the Mekong. Little after leaving it eastwards, the rainforest ends, giving way to cultivated fields; hence to enjoy the wild-look of the Mekong I recommend spending some time at last in one of the former towns.
Srichiangmai is worth a visit due to its promenade and the good views it offers of
Vientiane, the Laotian capital across the Mekong River. It has also a good night market by the promenade but the accommodation options are extremely limited. A detailed description of the town appears in my journal about Nong Khai.
Tha Bo is midway between the two and is a pleasant town that is too close to the area’s main city to offer an attractive tourism infrastructure. Yet, it has a Seven Eleven branch, while Srichiangmai lacks one. If you want to avoid sleeping in Nong Khai and need to buy something more than basic, then Tha Bo is the best choice. Frequent and inexpensive regular buses connect the three towns so that the decision is neither crucial nor irreversible.
Nong Khai signals the middle of this journey; from there the journey along the Thai Mekong enters its wildest, greenest part.