Madness In Nong Khai 🇹🇭 Journey Along The Mekong

Madness In Nong Khai 🇹🇭 Journey Along The Mekong

[Music] Behind me here is the mighty Mekong and 
for more than 800 km it forms the natural border between Thailand and Laos. And for the next 
few weeks, this beautiful stretch of water is going to be our guide as we explore this 
beautiful and underrated part of Southeast Asia. Along the way, I’ll be stopping in small villages,   exploring hidden corners of different provinces, 
and discovering stories of culture, history, food, and the incredible people who call 
this part of Thailand their home. So, come and jump on my motorcycle and join me on 
this journey along the Mekong. Yeah, welcome back everybody. I’m really 
glad to see in the comments that you’re enjoying this series. And so today 
we’re going to continue our journey   along the Mekong. This morning I woke up in 
Chiang Khan in the province of Loei and I’ve just come up to this beautiful viewpoint 
to get a little bit of a lay of the land. As you can see, it looks gorgeous, but we’ve 
got to get a move on. So, let’s go. [Music] [Music] These little villages all along the Mekong are just 
going to be so fun to explore, drive through, and sometimes even stay in as well. So this time 
of year in October, the Mekong is full. It’s brown and it’s flowing fast, full of sediment and 
water from upstream into northern Laos and uh even into China where the Mekong begins. 
[Music] And there is literally no better way to explore the Mekong than on your own little 
adventure bike. My trusty steed Zelda. [Music] What is that? I love it. [Music]   I honestly didn’t expect just how close we would 
be driving along the Mekong. So, there’s the main road which is called the 212 and that hugs the 
Mekong pretty tight, but every so often you can just take a little detour and come right along the 
water’s edge. Now, obviously, if it was flooding,   all of this would be underwater. And in dry 
season, all of this would expose even more of the banks, some of the islands. In fact, just behind 
me there, that’s the first island on the Mekong I’ve seen. And it’s covered in heather and birds. 
Looks beautiful. And these little footpaths here just seem to connect farm to farm to farm so that 
the farmers here and the people who live right on the water’s edge can maximize their yields 
and get as much of the nutrients from the water   source which is flowing right here as possible. 
There is some scary looking storm clouds in the background. So, I’m going to keep moving. But 
this is this is a joy. You’ve got to come up here. I am quickly learning that this region of Thailand 
is very special. Not only are there little towns and villages just perched in the most scenic turns 
of the river, but the laid-back atmosphere and the slower pace of life around here really helps me 
to slow down, take more of the surroundings in and just to notice the little details that make 
this region so damn gorgeous. Of [Music] course, this area is susceptible to bad weather just 
like anywhere else in Thailand. And so from time to time, I had to dawn the waterproofs 
and drive through some rain. [Music] [Music]   Okay. It’s amazing what Google Translate and 
500 Bart can get you here in rural Thailand. So, we’ve been seeing these trucks. I’m not 
even sure that’s the right word for them. So, I just was driving through this beautiful 
little village here and had a little stop, had a little think, zoomed in on Google 
Maps, and found a place that looks like you can actually pay to sort of have 
a little adventure on one. And I think   this will be a fun way to sort of learn about 
the local way of life up here on the Meong. Okay, here’s our trusty umbrella. What 
is this? The uh Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I love the way they’ve just rigged this 
together. So, this is a lawn mower engine   or something and then it’s connected and 
welded to this chassis. The back tires are nice and chunky. There’s also a platform here 
on the back for people to sit. The steering wheel looks to be taken from a little Jeep. 
There’s a few pedals. He’s got a handbrake. This looks fun. [Music] [Music] We’re in business. [Music] I’ve done some strange unique things in 
Thailand, but this one’s going to be a   memory I won’t forget. I can already 
tell. This is going to be so fun. So yeah, we began by driving through the village 
and along the main road. We were headed towards a nearby stream, but on route it was just a 
great way to see the villagers working the land. [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] After 10 minutes, we arrived at the stream’s 
edge. Now, let’s see how this thing handles as we use the stream to get deeper into the forest. 
Okay, looks like we’re going into the river. [Applause] I was so surprised at 
how easy this wooden contraption took to the water. [Applause] Here we go. [Music] And yes, it was bumpy as hell, but it was just 
such a great way to explore. I have to say, this is one of the most fun things I’ve ever 
done. It’s so random. I didn’t realize we were going to go this far downstream. What 
a great way to experience Thailand. Love it. And we just kept going deeper and further 
into the forest. Hold on. I didn’t have a clue really where we were going, but I didn’t 
care. This was just too much fun. [Music] Sexy. After we passed through some streams, we made 
it up into the rubber tree plantations. These beautiful trees are bled for their raw 
rubber sap, and it’s a very profitable   business actually, and something that 
you see a lot of here in rural Thailand. [Music]   deeper into the jungle. We go. [Music] We’re here. Wherever here is. So, it looks like 
there’s a few other people here. This is so fun. Just park her anywhere you like, mate. What 
a machine of engineering. So, as you can see, there’s a couple of other little tractors here. 
This is actually a little thing that you can do,   guys, if you’re in the area. This one’s a bit 
bigger, isn’t it? Look, it’s got a huge engine, double platform, and yeah, I think people 
just jump on the tractor, come downream, enjoy being out in the countryside. There’s uh 
some ladies there cooking up a storm. You can pay a little bit extra and and have some food. 
And then you can cap. You can come and just hang out by the river, swim with your kids, swim with 
your brothers and your sisters and your cousins. Talk about undiscovered, unknown Thailand. What’s he going to do? Be careful. I swear to 
God, I better not I better not have a boy when I have kids. Thought they’ give me a heart 
attack. Is he going to jump off that tree? This kid has literally no fear. Oh my god. [Music] I swear to God, I better have 
girls. He just gave me a big   bottle of water. Bless him. And now 
he’s leading me into the jungle. Looks safe. God, it’s so slippy. Oh, let’s go have a look at this waterfall. It’s so good that you can still have these kind 
of experiences in Thailand because, you know, if you’re just going to the touristy places, 
you won’t have stuff like this. You won’t have experiences like this. He says it’s up to 
your chin. So, take a picture. Yeah. Chin. Welcome back. Okay. Adventure in the Meong 
complete. Are you ready? Okay. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] Right, let’s head back through the 
forests, back down the streams,   and back towards Zelda. We’ve still got so much 
to see and this region of Thailand is surprising me so much. I just can’t wait to find out 
what we’re going to see next. Okie dokie. I just need to take a little bit of a break. I 
am a bit shattered. And it’s also the perfect opportunity to say big thank you to the video 
sponsor today, Cluke. Whether you’re traveling to the beautiful country of Thailand like me 
or you’re going to Japan, Europe, or anywhere, you need to download Cluke. It’s one of the 
best places to book your accommodations,   your transport, your activities, and you can just 
make sure that your whole trip runs really smooth. Just type in the destination that you’re going 
to, and then you’ll start to find guided tours,   accommodations, activities, eim deals, 
and of course, unique experiences in those amazing places. And you can book all of these 
things ahead of time so that when you land,   everything’s confirmed. You’ve got your spot and 
you don’t need to worry and you have less stress when you’re on location. And you can save 
even more money on Cluke using my exclusive code Paddyy Doyle on selective bookings. 
So download Cluke today and make your next trip as stressfree as possible. Thanks to Cluke 
for sponsoring this adventure. In the distance, I did spot something on a mountain. It looked 
like a temple, but not any normal temple. And my spider sense was tingling. I kind of had the 
feeling that this would be worth stopping at. [Music] [Applause] You have to be very very quiet.   So, I’ve just come away from people. There’s 
monks here. There’s people meditating. This is one of the most beautiful temples I’ve ever 
seen. And I wasn’t going to come here at all.   I didn’t even know it it existed. I was just 
driving along and I saw this thing up on the mountain and I thought, “Wow, what is that? 
Look at it.” Let’s go find out what’s inside. [Music] So this statue of Buddha is actually 20 m long and 
it’s made completely by white marble imported from Italy. And as you can see, it’s really common for 
Thai people to come up here to pray, to meditate,   and to admire the art and just the beautiful 
serene environment. This is one of the best temples I’ve ever seen in the flesh. What a 
temple. I mean, come on. I don’t stop at most temples, but when I was driving past and I saw the 
blue roof, I thought that looks beautiful. Let’s   come up and check it out. But I’ve never seen 
such a beautiful reclining Buddha statue in all of my life. And it is 100% made out of marble. 
It’s out of this world. This was in Bangkok, it would be the number one temple. It’s that 
beautiful. Completely free to come here as well. And I just love the fact that it’s up on 
this mountain. overlooking the basin and down over into the Meong. You can also see they’re 
about to close. Look at the little isolated rainstorms. That’s why when it rains, it never 
rains for very long cuz you just drive through it. Epic. This is a top 10 temple in Thailand. Low 
key, it’s incredible. Right, let’s get back on the road. It’s getting darker and not just because 
of the storms, but because it’s about 4:00 in the afternoon here in Thailand. The sun sets around 
6:00 p.m. So, ideally, I’d like to find a place to stay. Somewhere on the river would be nice. 
[Music] Okay, I found a little hotel right on the water’s edge. 700 Bart. And look at the view. It’s 
funny at this time of day, the Meong looks blue. the blue skies, the storms have passed, and it’s 
just a magical view. Not bad for 700 Thai bar. There’s also a little bit of a market up the 
road and some kind of restaurant hopefully. And I’m just going to have a have a bite. And that 
was a that was a really fun day, but I’m tired. Out of the darkness of sun. It all seems so harmless. Silver. Don’t you wait. Don’t you wait 
until the morning light. The morning light. [Music] Far away. Far away. Until 
you’re out of sight. You’re out of sight. Yeah, this was actually our first decent 
sunrise here on the Mong. And I mean, look at it. It We were just 
being spoiled. What a stunner. Don’t look back. Don’t forget you 
got to let know now while you care. Don’t look back. Don’t forget. You 
got to let you. [Music] From my hotel, I could see up to a nearby mountain that looked 
like it had some cool buildings on it. Now,   my drone can fly pretty far. So, I actually flew 
it 2 km away from my hotel to get a closer look. I do this sometimes to see if a place is actually 
worth going up to. And as you can see from these amazing drone shots, I can tell that this is 
probably somewhere we’re going to have to visit. I had a feeling the view would be nice 
when I flew the drone this morning,   but now that I’ve come up here, 
I’m completely blown away. There’s a rock here. Should we go on it? Years 
ago, I would never do this. But I kind of overcame my fear of heights. I think doing a sky dive was 
the medicine for that. So here you can see there’s two little viewpoints. One up there and one right 
here. And the temple grounds are right here. There’s a few Tai people. Um just taking a break 
from meditating or praying to come take a picture. If you’re scared of heights, just close your 
eyes for two seconds. And there’s the view, the mighty Mong. Down there’s the little village 
we stayed in last night. There’s the main road, and we’ll keep following that all the way to 
the next town. This is the exact reason why traveling around Thailand is the best country. 
Everywhere you go, every province, every town, it just seems to have a viewpoint, a 
beautiful temple, a hidden treasure,   a fun, unique experience, beautiful wildlife, 
incredible nature, epic views, delicious food, incredible people. This country has it all. 
And it’s just I can’t wait to just continue to rediscover my love for this country as we continue 
down the Mong. Let’s wave at the camera. Hello. Let’s take a picture. Okay. Pose in the distance 
like, oh, what’s that? Oh, look there. An eagle. Stoic. Look into the distance. That’s where 
we’re going over there. This whole temple is literally perched on this cliff here. 
Oh, my legs are starting to shake. Okay. I’m just thinking of another way to explain how 
good Thailand is to travel. And if you consider Nong Kai, right, this province that I’m in, 
it’s a region that’s not known. Most tourists have never come up here. And on paper, there’s 
not much to see. There’s not much to do. So, you could compare it to somewhere in England like 
Barnsley or Huddlesfield, right? And no hate to those towns. I’ve been to them. Beautiful people, 
great place. But if you go to Barnsley and if you go to Huddlesfield, you don’t get stuff like this. 
You just don’t. And here in Thailand, no matter where you go, it just is relentless. There’s 
a monk behind me just meditating and chanting away whilst also making sure that everyone’s 
behaving themselves. But uh as you can see, nobody here. Nobody here. And look at it. This 
is the temple I saw this morning and the one that I filmed from the drone. And I thought that was 
it. I thought, “Okay, we’ll come up here. We’ll   have a little look, see if it’s anything worth 
visiting or or worth mentioning.” And you know, that’s beautiful. But to me, this thing here is 
just gorgeous. Let’s just quickly pop our heads in and see what’s going on. And as you would expect, 
a beautiful temple where millions of dollars have been spent on it, on design, on sculpture. You 
know, it’s not until you actually get really up   close to these things and you realize every tile 
has been hand painted, hand sculpted, you know, this wave, you know, just every detail. The beauty 
is in the detail. when you come to Thailand cuz things look beautiful from afar. And then when 
you get close up and you realize, you know, this has all been handmade, handdesigned in 
clay and steel. I don’t know who funds all this stuff. Honestly, Thailand’s a poor third 
world country, they say. Have you been here? To say this is in the middle of nowhere is an 
understatement. But welcome to Den Ping Cave. We will have an official take you down. We 
will go down as a group. Okay. C. Seriously, Google Translate is a game changer 
for so many years now, whenever I’ve   traveled anywhere. You can just get past the 
barrier of confusion with that simple tool. Looks like we’re going to get a guided cave 
experience. This is so cool and so random. Okay, they told me to wait for a group of 
people to go into the cave and a group of   people have arrived and they’ve taken one 
look at the the cave and they’ve said no, we don’t want to go in there. So, I’m going to 
have my own little tour with this fella here   and we’ve had to take our shoes off which 
is a bit worrying. Let’s go into the cave. Instant regret. [Music] It’s deep. Oh god. Okay. Wow, that was insane. [Applause] Okay, so my nice camera died of battery, but 
this is one of the most incredible things I’ve   ever seen. I don’t know what these stringy things 
are. It looks like maybe it might be like a a silk worm or an insect. And they’ve lit it in such 
a cool way. And I’m just following this man, this young boy as my guide. Obviously, it’s 
extremely claustrophobic, but it’s something quite magical. I’m loving the water that’s we’re winging 
through as well. Makes it such a cool experience. [Applause] [Applause] No wonder those people didn’t want to 
come in the cave. This is This is I’ve   been in a few caves. Never been 
in a cave like this. Help. Okay. Oh. Oh, no. No, no, no. Cannot my my my No, no, no, no, no. My my my my He just pointed at this like thing 
on the floor and he was like, “Okay,   we’re going to crawl on the floor and go 
underneath this thing.” And I was like, “No.” Because number one, 
I’m terrified. Number two, I don’t want to get soaking wet and dirty cuz 
that could literally go on my belly. And thirdly, I’m literally carrying my stupidly expensive 
camera which I can’t get broken. So thankfully those three things combined, he politely 
said, “Okay, then we’ll do a different way.” Oh, look at that. All the way 
down that tunnel. If I zoom in, there’s a there’s a statue of Buddha down there. 
That’s so cool. Wow. This is the coolest tunnel. This is the coolest, scariest thing I’ve ever 
done. I was just thinking, I’m so glad there’s no insects in here. And then there’s a giant huntsman 
just run over my foot and I screamed like a [ __ ] It is equal parts terrifying 
and the coolest thing you’ve   ever done. I’m alive. I’m alive. That was insane. That was really, really, really, really, really 
terrifying. Okay, that was absolutely insane. Only in Thailand. Only in Thailand would 
they allow you to go in to a cave with a 16-year-old boy who doesn’t speak any English, 
no safety training, a flashlight on his phone, Google Translate along the way, telling me 
telling me about why your head here, don’t   break your ankle here. Look at this millipede. 
By the way, when the huntsman ran over my leg, he stopped and he used Google Translate and 
he said, “Oh, don’t worry. It’s not that   poisonous.” I was like, “Not that poisonous? 
How much is not that much poisonous?” Anyway, you give 100 Bart to the temple in a box and then 
you can tip your guide. So, I gave him 300 Bart because that was such a great experience. He’s a 
young lad and his eyes lit up. He was like, “Wa, that’s $10.” But I’ll never forget that. That was 
a That was amazing. Do I recommend you come and do it? No. It’s a complete health and safety hazard. 
If you’ve got a sense of adventure and you don’t really care about dying, then yeah, do it. Um, 
it was it was pretty terrifying, especially when he got to the part where he was like, “Right, 
let’s climb under this thing.” And I was like,   “No, no, no way.” And I just kept thinking about 
earthquakes happening right now. Started to get a little bit panicky. Guys, if you’re enjoying 
this series in the Mong and you want to continue, just do me a tiny favor. Just like 
the video. If you’re not subscribed,   hit that button. But just honestly, watching and 
liking the videos helps them reach more people. [Music]   Okay, we made it to Nonkai. This is a beautiful 
city and it’s very big and popular because it connects Thailand with Laos. There’s a friendship 
bridge and this is where all of the trade and oil and goods and services and people cross. The 
Mong is a beautiful huge long river but there are very few bridges that go over Talao and this 
is one of the only bridges and we’ll continue from Nongai up the Mong even more towards Bernan and 
that place is just full of beautiful things. So I’m sure more adventures, more surprises along the 
way. So, thank you so much again for watching this adventure. It’s been two action-packed days. I’m 
going to go edit that video and the one before it, and I’ll see you on the next adventure as we 
continue out of Nonkai up towards Bernan. And if you can’t wait to watch that episode, don’t worry. 
You can click here and watch it right now. [Music]

This week we continue our journey along The Mekong here in Thailand – Download the Klook app or visit http://www.klook.com and use the code PADDYDOYLE at checkout for exclusive discounts on available products.

In this episode, we continue our journey along the mighty Mekong River — exploring the far northeast of Thailand where ancient legends, wild landscapes, and rural life all collide.

We begin our morning high above the misty mountains at Phu Thok Viewpoint, before heading deep into the countryside to discover the hidden community of Khiri Wongkot Village — a place where locals live simply and welcome visitors with open arms.

From there, we visit a beautiful temple surrounded by nature, stop for scenic views over the Mekong, and venture inside the mysterious Din Phiang Cave — said to be guarded by the spirit of a Naga.

Finally, we arrive in Nong Khai, home to one of the most iconic Naga statues in Thailand, standing watch over the river that separates Thailand and Laos.

Join me as we continue our adventure along the Mekong — meeting locals, discovering hidden temples, and learning about the stories that flow through this incredible part of Southeast Asia.

Chapters:
0:00 – 0:51 – The Mekong
0:52 – Leaving Chiang Khan
1:26 – The Beautiful River
4:51 – A real local experience
14:21 – Klook
15:26 – Beautiful Temple
18:16 – Mekong Hotel
19:38 – Beautiful Sunrise
20:26 – A viewpoint like no other
23:33 – A local gem
25:31 – Insane Cave Experience
32:16 – Nong Khai

🗺️ – Locations Featured:
📍 Phu Thok Viewpoint – https://maps.app.goo.gl/VqUSer1yqFuNWKyE8
📍 Khiri Wongkot Village – https://maps.app.goo.gl/mJhQak9jqRHrD9bn8
📍 Beautiful Temple – https://maps.app.goo.gl/iCeB2FCXvPdXv41d7
📍 Scenic Views Over Mekong – https://maps.app.goo.gl/L7uSrJfW2wMgWuPw5
📍 Din Phiang Cave – https://maps.app.goo.gl/vVANrBnWep4fCctC8
📍 Nong Khai Naga Statue – https://maps.app.goo.gl/Zmv2d6swkYdmL5aL7

✈️ Where I get my TRAVEL INSURANCE 👉 – https://safetywing.com/?referenceID=24896498&utm_source=24896498&utm_medium=Ambassador

🧳 Need an itinerary for your trip to Thailand?
the THAI TRAILBLAZER Itinerary – https://tinyurl.com/j4p5m9z7
the SOUTHERN SUNTAN Itinerary – https://tinyurl.com/2dzdtr7n
the NORTHERN MONKEY Itinerary – https://tinyurl.com/38jmb4xk
🧳 These itineraries are perfect for a 2 – 4 week trip!

🇹🇭 My Southern Thailand Guide – https://tinyurl.com/82r9hnv7
🇹🇭 My Northern Thailand Guide – https://tinyurl.com/4wrzmsar
🇹🇭 The COMBO North+South Thailand Guide – https://tinyurl.com/3k24dtmm

Get the COMPLETE 🇻🇳 Vietnam Motorbike Tour Guide here 👉 – https://paddy-doyle-merch.creator-spring.com/listing/vietnam-travel-guide-2022?product=1227

🎥 LEARN YouTube with me – – – https://tinyurl.com/ypeh2nmn
✅ — HOW TO FILM video for YouTube
✅ — HOW TO EDIT video for YouTube
✅ — HOW TO UPLOAD & YouTube Masterclass
✅ — 💲 💲 Get a $100 discount code here – https://tinyurl.com/yb349upz

✈️ Cool TRAVEL products I recommend (with discounts) – –
⭐ Get $$ OFF your eSIM card with Airalo (code: PADDY3) – https://www.airalo.com/?code=PADDY3
☞ Stay safe online with Nord VPN – https://nordvpn.com/paddydoyle
☞ Build a Website with Squarespace – http://www.squarespace.com/paddydoyle
☞ Download Klook and use the code PADDYDOYLE at checkout for exclusive discounts.

👉 Ways To Support Paddy Doyle –

🤙🏻JOIN my Patron Production Team
🔗 https://www.patreon.com/paddydoyle

✅ Get 1 on 1 Help on Your Own YouTube Channel (Production CEO Tier)
https://www.patreon.com/paddydoyle?fan_landing=true&view_as=public

☝🏻 UNLOCK the next episode RIGHT NOW by becoming a channel member
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU1wi0E8d98o0KTaOGJbieg/join

💕 Contribute Directly
🔗 https://tinyurl.com/uuyvnfql

💪🏼 Support the Channel Here –
🔗 https://www.buymeacoffee.com/paddydoyle

🙋🏻 Get Next Level Adventures MERCH
🔗 https://paddy-doyle-merch.creator-spring.com

🔔 Subscribe here – https://tinyurl.com/5fpytmaf
make sure to hit the 🔔 notifications bell 🔔 and never miss an adventure!

🎧 Where I get my music (FREE TRIAL) – https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/o1nwys

#PaddyDoyle #thailand #travel #adventure