Hi,
Just finished riding this stretch about 2 hours ago and now back home here in Chiang Khong with hot shower and a cold beer or 2-3-4. The ride took us 5 hours and was Not fun. The first 25k or so was wonderful and paved as well as the last 25k. And there were a couple of paved stretches in the middle - BUT the rest was much worse then when we rode it this time last year. TOO much thick dust and Too many water trucks making for a lot slip and sliding around. Plus a fair amount of deepish dirt/mud to work through, due to how, when and where they do the grading and road build-up, with water to pack it down with...
Seeing what was accomplished in the last 12 months, we would guess another 24+ months before it's completed.
And when it's completed, it should be a Great Ride of 200k with excellent roll on and roll off curves to keep all the speed types happy.
Until the road is 100% finished, we think next time we might find another route home.
Cheers,
David and Mai
Chiang Khong
BMW 650GS