December 27th: Green Climbers Home, Thakhek to Nakhon Phanom, Thailand – 48.6 km
Day 75
After 22 days of climbing and over 60 different routes, the urge to get back on the road grew strong. Plus our visas were going to expire, so we really had to move on.
Leaving Green Climber’s Home we rode into Thakhek town to exchange our Kip for Baht, as there aren’t any banks on the way to the border and you can’t exchange Kip outside of Laos. After exchanging money, we stopped at Travel Lodge to get some lunch and internet. Luckily we stopped, because soon we realized that neither of us had any information on the Thakhek/Nakhon Phanom border crossing. According to the Google Maps, there is a ferry crossing Mekong River, which offers town center to town center delivery. There is also the Third Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge 16km away from Thakhek. The ferry appeared to be the easier option. However, we quickly learned from the English-speaking staff that the ferry over the border only serves locals, and foreigners would have to take the newly constructed Friendship Bridge by bus. Weather or not our human-powered vehicles are allowed on the bridge, the staff could offer no insight. We found a cyclist’s blog and learned that they made him take a bus over the bridge. Dreading the hassle of fully disassembling our trikes and luggage to squeeze onto a bus, we began our 16 km detour towards the bridge.
We arrived at the Friendship Bridge and noticed that they only have lanes for buses and cars. Ignoring the signs, we pulled into the Laos immigration checkpoint. Our trikes again succeeded in breaking the ice for us, as the officials were amazed by them. I didn’t complain as an immigration official and a priest took turns sitting on my trike, hoping that the blessing either higher power might aid our trip. Not sure what to do with our trikes or what classification they fall under, we were waved through after they stamped our passports. We hurried off like giddy students who just realized their teacher mis-marked their exam papers and passed where they should have failed. Soon we crossed the bridge and made it to the Thai border without incident and once again our passports were stamped and we were waved through. There were no searches, x-rays or questions. This was our easiest border crossing yet.
Arriving in Thailand, the prosperity had a shocking effect on us. 7-11’s and modern conveniences are now around every corner. Pedaling along the Mekong on the west bank into Nakhon Phanom, we passed mansions and expensive cars that reminded us of wealthy western suburbs. People out jogging waved at us. The contrast was mind-boggling, as we just left a small dusty slightly ramshackle town on the other side of the river. We will certainly not complain about having more modern conveniences once again.