Is The Road From Chiangrai Closed?

[zzSleepyJohn]

I'm in Chiangrai and I'm planning a day trip on the slow bus to Chiangmai next Monday. Just heard that the bus isn't running because angry corn farmers are holding a big protest somewhere en route and the road is closed indefinitely. Can this really be? Anyone heard anything?

[BlackArtemis]

Sometimes I really wish I had a 70's F150 or Dodge ram here, something you just wouldn't care about if it got scratched couldn't be damaged even if it plowed through wooden horses... toyotas.

[SoloFlyer]

I'd like a flick blade on the side of the bull bar to dent those buggers who think its fine to double park on a busy road in peak hour.

[baahjun]

so nice to see how all you guys adapted to the relaxed thai lifestyle

[BlackArtemis]

so nice to see how all you guys adapted to the relaxed thai lifestyle

Oh I love it here and generally I am very calm. But relaxed doesn't have to mean I should have to swerve out of the way of oncoming traffic in MY lane or other idiotic driving manueves. And more on subject why should normal people be inconvenienced by people blocking roads. Say some of my wife's extended family has a problem and I need to get to Chiang Rai ASAP, why should I have to deal with some farmer who thinks it is ok to close down the roads?

I was planning on going to CR this week actually, thank god I read this or I would have had to show these people all the words i learned living my relaxed Thai lifestyle.

[lannarebirth]

There are two roads to Chiang Rai, you know.

[baahjun]

so nice to see how all you guys adapted to the relaxed thai lifestyle

Oh I love it here and generally I am very calm. But relaxed doesn't have to mean I should have to swerve out of the way of oncoming traffic in MY lane or other idiotic driving manueves. And more on subject why should normal people be inconvenienced by people blocking roads. Say some of my wife's extended family has a problem and I need to get to Chiang Rai ASAP, why should I have to deal with some farmer who thinks it is ok to close down the roads?

I was planning on going to CR this week actually, thank god I read this or I would have had to show these people all the words i learned living my relaxed Thai lifestyle.

Because people have the right to demonstrate, even if that is inconvenient for you, that......(short silence for dramatic effect, stares down, puts sunglasses on) my dear Artemis,... is part of what we call democracy (the Who starts playing theme song)

[wedders]

so nice to see how all you guys adapted to the relaxed thai lifestyle

Oh I love it here and generally I am very calm. But relaxed doesn't have to mean I should have to swerve out of the way of oncoming traffic in MY lane or other idiotic driving manueves. And more on subject why should normal people be inconvenienced by people blocking roads. Say some of my wife's extended family has a problem and I need to get to Chiang Rai ASAP, why should I have to deal with some farmer who thinks it is ok to close down the roads?

I was planning on going to CR this week actually, thank god I read this or I would have had to show these people all the words i learned living my relaxed Thai lifestyle.

Because people have the right to demonstrate, even if that is inconvenient for you, that......(short silence for dramatic effect, stares down, puts sunglasses on) my dear Artemis,... is part of what we call democracy (the Who starts playing theme song)

I would recommend that Artemis avoids France as a holiday destination... demos, roadblocks are a regular occurrence over there, in part to show the powers-that-be that they are only there on sufferance until the masses decide it's time for the next revolution ....

[Ulysses G.]

so nice to see how all you guys adapted to the relaxed thai lifestyle

Oh I love it here and generally I am very calm. But relaxed doesn't have to mean I should have to swerve out of the way of oncoming traffic in MY lane or other idiotic driving manueves. And more on subject why should normal people be inconvenienced by people blocking roads. Say some of my wife's extended family has a problem and I need to get to Chiang Rai ASAP, why should I have to deal with some farmer who thinks it is ok to close down the roads?

I was planning on going to CR this week actually, thank god I read this or I would have had to show these people all the words i learned living my relaxed Thai lifestyle.

Because people have the right to demonstrate, even if that is inconvenient for you, that......(short silence for dramatic effect, stares down, puts sunglasses on) my dear Artemis,... is part of what we call democracy (the Who starts playing theme song)

Actually, they only have the right to domonstrate LEGALLY - which blocking the highway is not.

A bulldozer should sort out these inconsiderate twirps.

[Blinky Bill]

There are two roads to Chiang Rai, you know.

3 main roads.

Via Mae Rim and Fang.

Via Doi Saket and Wiang Papao.

Via Lampang and Payao.

[baahjun]

Anger management my dear friends, I recommend anger management...

and gentlemen, please turn off your engines while waiting for the protesters to let you through, that's better for the environment in this beautiful country

have a nice trip,......... and drive safe

Edited October 15, 2008 by baahjun

[zzSleepyJohn]

Yes, but I was planning to do it as as a day trip and come by bus. Imagine if the direct road really is closed and all the traffic is being diverted via Fang. It would take forever on that road; that's if the bus ran at all.

Well the chat and backchat here is all very entertaining, but nobody's said anything really useful yet about having heard that the road really is closed, or that it's open. Couid it really be closed indefinitely, which is the story I got when I asked about the bus schedule this morning??

[Mapguy]

Yes, but I was planning to do it as as a day trip and come by bus. Imagine if the direct road really is closed and all the traffic is being diverted via Fang. It would take forever on that road; that's if the bus ran at all.

Well the chat and backchat here is all very entertaining, but nobody's said anything really useful yet about having heard that the road really is closed, or that it's open. Couid it really be closed indefinitely, which is the story I got when I asked about the bus schedule this morning??

Go back to sleep, John. When you wake up, all will be well.

[zzSleepyJohn]

.....please turn off your engines .......... and drive safe

Read my OP! Or d'you think I'm the bus driver ??

[baahjun]

I deeply apologize for this grave mistake, I hope I will be forgiven.

[annabel]

Anger management my dear friends, I recommend anger management...

and gentlemen, please turn off your engines while waiting for the protesters to let you through, that's better for the environment in this beautiful country

have a nice trip,......... and drive safe

Hey Guys .... CHILL!!! Go to Pai and relax and just be happy to only have to deal with Road Blocks which can be avoided or cause a small delay ....and be happy you are not in Orissa , India or anywhere in India at this point where they are not doing Road Blocks but just killing you for not being a believer of Hinduism.... You won't be delayed there ...you just won't even get there !!! There is at least a solution here..... 3 different routes to CR ...C'mon .... grow up ! We still have it good here....for now anyway....Sso stop complaining and just get on with it ..................

[ThaiPauly]

They don't demonstrate every day.

I got caught up in one about 6 weeks ago on the way back, we did a detour, took us 7 hours to get back to CM, but we did see some nice Golden Triangle scenery that we would otherwise have missed !!!

Another driver waited at the scene of the demonstration...he made it back in 4 hours

[Ajarn]

There are two roads to Chiang Rai, you know.

3 main roads.

Via Mae Rim and Fang.

Via Doi Saket and Wiang Papao.

Via Lampang and Payao.

And there is also Prao (1001) and Wiang Papao (my favorite)

Last week, I came through during a demonstration, the police simply guided everyone around the mess. And extra 15 minutes of driving. No bid deal. They are not trying to close the road, just create a headache

[Sathip2008]

Are we talking about the same people who've been cutting (illegally) forests for years in order to plant their crops ?!?!?

[Gonzo the Face]

Are we talking of between CM & CR or CR & Mae Sai.

I too was stopped at that miserable police check point that is between CR and Mai Sai about 6-7 weeks ago.

Detoured around thru Thaton & Mae Teng road.

No one seems to have stated that it is closed or other than TP closed occasionally, or exactly where.

Be nice to the OP and give him a straight, honest answer to his question. Lots of us may like to know also.

Thanks Guys

[Ulysses G.]

Are we talking about the same people who've been cutting (illegally) forests for years in order to plant their crops ?!?!?

The same ones who burn the forests and pollute the town in the beginning of hot season?

[ataloss]

There are two roads to Chiang Rai, you know.

3 main roads.

Via Mae Rim and Fang.

Via Doi Saket and Wiang Papao.

Via Lampang and Payao.

And there is also Prao (1001) and Wiang Papao (my favorite)

Last week, I came through during a demonstration, the police simply guided everyone around the mess. And extra 15 minutes of driving. No bid deal. They are not trying to close the road, just create a headache

On another thread you mentioned you have home hospice care. Good to know you are not bed-ridden, and are out and about, Ajarn.

[Wangrin]

I would recommend that Artemis avoids France as a holiday destination... demos, roadblocks are a regular occurrence over there, in part to show the powers-that-be that they are only there on sufferance until the masses decide it's time for the next revolution ....

Wedders, be invited to France (first destination in the world, for tourism), you'll understand why real democracy creates happiness (I'm French !...) Black Artemis, please go back to your home land and stay there for the rest of your life (what please me is that I'll probably never see you in France, hope I'll never meet you in Chiang Mai too...)

[zzSleepyJohn]

Well if I may be permitted to return to the original topic, I finally made it over to CM by bus last Sunday, and came back to Chiangrai yesterday.

I waited over an hour and a half on the main road at the end of our soi for the supposedly hourly slow bus service to CM, but none came. Plenty of fast buses went by but didn't stop. In the end I took a Payao bus in the hope that there'd be an easier connection to CM from there, but when I got to Payao, the last bus to CM was fully booked. So the only option then was to go to Lampang and change again there, and that's what I did.

Coming back yesterday, I enquired about slow buses to Chiangrai in CM bus station, but there weren't any, so the conclusion is that the slow bus service which used to run a few years ago, has now been suspended. There are plenty of fast buses, though. I came back on one of those and told it to stop when it reached the end of our soi, so that was OK.

There doesn't seem to be any truth at all in the original story about angry corn farmers blocking the road. The road was open all the way and there was no sign of there ever having been a problem.

Of course with hindsight, it would have a lot easier, cheaper and quicker to have got in the car and driven there and back, but at the time, as a single traveller, I thought I was doing the right and proper green thing, going by bus.