Popular Post DualSportBiker Posted March 13, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted March 13, 2015 (edited) I flew back to CM last Wednesday and collected my bike on Thursday to continue my adventure around the border... Day 1 - Chiang Mai to Piang Luang via Pai https://goo.gl/maps/cW7m6 I escaped Barcelona Motors by just before 10:00 am and had lunch and coffee in Pai - nothing special to report about that segment… I then road past Pai to the 1226 only to be told the road was damaged and reduced to steep and dangerous single-track in places; I was recommended to turn back. I tracked back to Pai and headed up the route I was guided on 4 years back. The road is around 70 + km of dirt track with the occasional steep section with ruts and dust. The steeper sections are paved thankfully. There are plenty of dusty hairpin bends and one section where you can see perhaps 10 km back to a ridge where the track is clearly visible. No panics, but a cautious ride… Looking back at the hills I'd just crossed from Pai. Spent the night in Piang Luang’s newest resort - dead opposite the other resort. 150 Baht per night has morphed to 650 for a fan and 1000 for air-con, but the rooms were great and the view was fine. Day 2 - Piang Luang to Mae Sai https://goo.gl/maps/NhK1V Despite being turned back at Ban No Lae where the road drifts into Burma (according to the soldier who just said “No”), this was an awesome ride. Only 380 km, but some pretty glorious scenery and more curves than I deserved… Early start Plenty of unpaved to start the day followed by hours of road in need of repair mixed with perfect new tarmac. Kept me on my toes, literally, standing for most of the day. I spent time with some Lao-Sue people (sic) and did a little research for a project I am working on. Can’t remember what I ate which means it was neither great nor evilly bad! Lunched here The road ahead is just visible... Just before being turned away at the border End of the road Evening light Day 2 - Mae Sai to Chiang Klang https://goo.gl/maps/4spnu and https://goo.gl/maps/vESHb I did stray from the optimal border route here - planning error perhaps or concern over dotted lines in place of solid road lines… I can’t remember. Morning light - can you tell the difference? First time East of Mae Sai until I reached Chiang Khong - found a superb place for a break over the river and took full advantage. Even the thunder-room had a view! View from the thunder-room! I clocked up 50,000 km on the approach to Doi Phat Ang and stopped to record the view... The road through Pu Chi Fa is fantastic! I found a cheap, clean and comfortable place to stay on the main highway, southbound just out of town. Plenty of good food at the evening market. Knackered and in bed by 9! View from the cheap hotel... Day 3 - Chiang Klang to Ban Khok https://goo.gl/maps/52tNA This was a tough day, and not even 400 km long! Up to the border crossing, quick chat with an official about taking bikes across… The road is quite outstanding: proper meal at Bo Klua View which made up for the cheap place I stayed the night before… Then the three left turns after Bo Klua had me on some pretty small and twisty roads. I spend the next couple of hours in 2nd and 3rd gear on roads thinned down to a single lane. Expansive views, and not a soul to share them with. I rode for close to two hours without meeting another vehicle, parked or moving, or a person. I was actually pretty happy when I met a pick-up coming the other way. Eventually around Mae Charim the road normalised with traffic and people. As one heads south, the mountains slowly become hills and the roads straighten up making for a faster more flowing ride to close out the day. If I thought I was knocked the day before, I was totally exhausted after this ride. One beer and I could not keep my eyes open and was horizontal by 8:40! There are half a dozen places to stay in Ban Khok and I think I picked the worse just by being too tired to ride around and check… Day 4 - Ban Khok to Nong Khai https://goo.gl/maps/WjCl2 Interestingly my GPS states 493 km and the route on Google is logged as 413… Overlooking the road just 10 minutes out of Ban Khok is this: Anyhow, I took the road through Pu Soi Dao but Na Haeo National Park is not a drive-through, so I gave it a miss. I guess I need to leave something to come back and visit later… Again, at 8:00 am, the road through the park Pu Soi Dao was empty and an extreme pleasure to ride. The highlight of the day was a 400+ year old temple at Saeng Pha (17.495271,101.02935) at which I took at hour to soak up the tranquility and relax. The rest of the route was pretty intense riding; right up on the border almost all houses are wooden and that all adds to the feeling of remoteness. I got drenched near Pu Rua riding through a significant downpour in MX pants! Standing up for 20 minutes after dried me out a charm! Eventually you hit the Khong and follow it through to Chiang Khan and the rest to Nong Khai. The road is is good shape with some roadworks, but nothing to slow one down significantly. Day 5 - Nong Khai to Nakorn Phanom https://goo.gl/maps/Bym7v An easy route as it turns out… I was headed to Ubon, but when I returned to my bike from lunch in Nakorn Phanom, there was oil on the road so I ended up losing 29 hours for repairs. I found a reliable mechanic next to the PTT station that is in turn next to Tesco Lotus. He found the failed kludge of a seal Barcelona Motors Chiang Mai had tried on my air filter assembly and intermittent failure of the fan and cooling system pump. Not being 100% confident on a BMW, he took his time and eventually got it all fixed. Solid chap, not willing to do anything he is not sure of. His name is Pump. Spend the day relaxing and reading - it was hotter than hell by comparison with previous days in the hills… It rained again the next morning and was very pleasant for a couple of hours before heating up to 37º! Day 6 - Nakorn Phanom to Ubon - straight down the 212… I left NP at 5:00 on the nose and realised as dusk approached that I only had fairly dark goggles… I began to struggle with seeing unlit bikes as soon as the sun set, and was looking for a Fortuner to follow at a safe distance, but all the traffic was doing a law-abiding 80! Just as I was cleaning my goggles at Amart Charoen I broke the strap (stitching failure) and so pulled up immediately to a hardware shop in the process of closing. He sold me his last damaged pair of safety glasses for 50 Baht. When I took them off, the leg snapped so I rode with one leg stuffed in my helmet to Ubon where the other leg snapped as I pulled them off! Fit for purpose, but only just! Nothing to report as I couldn’t see boo and was concentrating rather hard. Arrived in Ubon at 8:00. My bike is now parked up at a friends apartment where I will collect it next week to complete the ride. I have yet another interruption to handle this weekend and will fly back perhaps Tuesday… Edited March 13, 2015 by DualSportBiker 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seedy Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 Great Post ! Thank You ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhys Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 Thanks for the photo..a long trip on the back gravel roads.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guzzi850m2 Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 Awesome trip man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSJ Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 Thanks for posting. It's the start of a great trip by the look of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Familyonthemove Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 Great post and great photos. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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