After being woken at 6.30 am by a city-wide public announcement over the radio - turns out there was a speaker on a pole about 3 metres from my head - then going down the street to a cafe for which I had a breakfast voucher, I studied the menu. Hmmmm. Thai food is all very well and good, but I can't really face it at breakfast. Cereal, toast and coffee looked out of the question, so I walked over to the portable kitchen currently situated just out the front in the street, found a stack of egg cartons, pointed and raised two fingers. Roger that, with a smile, from the lady doing the cooking, after making sure I didn't want any of the other stuff on the menu. Er, no thanks, that won't be happening! Two very oily fried eggs later, that was it. I was fed, for the time being anyway.
Our hotel in Chiang Kan
Ditto
My breakfast on the stove!
More timber buildings in Chiang Kan
Ditto
Ditto.
Me, Alison, Deb, Paul and Kay.
So, on the road again, for a day of mixed riding. Some motorway, some nice twisties, a lot of roadworks, and a lot of climbing back up into the mountains heading for Khao Kho. We had stayed here last year, in a hotel owned by the former local police chief, who happens to be a bike nut. He has an extensive display of bikes of all sorts, although he has cleared a lot of them out over the last year. We were also to hook up with the group going to Pattaya, who had left Chiang Mai at the same time as we did. They had done the same big circle up through the Mae Hong Son loop, and the golden triangle as I did last year. So it was party time, not before Noah found the keys to the bike showroom and started a few up, then took the Can Am Spyder for a run up and down the road at the front of the hotel. The man is a true hoon. We got stuck right into it with a bbq tea on the deck overlooking quite a picturesque valley flanked by mountains. There was a sizeable film crew staying at the hotel also, and they were shooting footage for a TV show. The front man, a very well known Thai comedian, was there too. All the Thai guys were really impressed, and took lots of photos. Kay grabbed a few shots for the Big Bike Tours facebook page as well. I figured this was sort of like us running into Billy Connolly, and he did like to party. He was walking around with a jug of local rum on the rocks, offering a glassfull to anybody who was game enough. (Hell yeah, I sure did, twice, or was it three times?) It reminded me of my days as a barman at the Largs Pier Hotel, enough said. Anyway, the party got into full swing when Noah and Yai found the switch to the karaoke system. The end result of all this was that next morning there was one hell of a mess, and a lot of sore heads.
Getting my money's worth on the scintillating ride from Vientiane to Chiang Kan. (yes, it's mine!)
Yai and Noah with the karaoke machine at Khao Kho. Somebody pull the plug!
Party time. Both tours meet at Khao Kho. This many bikes in one place would probably be illegal in Queensland, under current laws.
The Thai TV star, standing at the back, his producer at left, and the annoying wunderkind sidekick with the beatle haircut.
The next morning was overcast, and our group were heading right into the blackest clouds around, not an encouraging sign. Our first stop was at a mind boggling temple which we had visited last year, while part of it was still under construction. It's still not finished yet, but has advanced significantly. Alison hadn't seen it before, and was suitably gobsmacked. It has that effect.
The staggeringly incredible temple near Khao Kho
Ditto.
Ditto.
A little closer,
and even closer, check out the detail!
The huge multiple white statues of Buddha dominate the valley, and can be seen for miles.
Moving right along, Kay decided to take us onto a back road over a mountain range in the Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park. This was a tight, twisty, narrow road with very steep switchback turns which would have been demanding enough in the dry. Today, the road was wet, and the rain had washed mud onto the surface, making it particularly greasy. The plan was to give it a few kilometers and see how it looked. We pushed on, even when we hit cloud or fog, thinking we would break out of it soon enough. It just got thicker, and pretty soon we were committed to continuing rather than backtracking. We had to ride very close together to maintain contact. The mist got so thick that I lost sight of Kay's bike out in the lead. Then I lost sight of Paul's bike, and pretty soon it was all I could do to see Alison in front of me. I went up in first gear, slipping the clutch most of the way and making decisions based on what I could see within about 5 meters. My hazard lights were flashing in case anyone (probably Yai!) shunted me from behind, but this was of little comfort. This was pretty nerve wracking riding, I have to say. We finally found somewhere to stop just past a toll booth for the National Park, where there was a painted median in the middle of the road. A group discussion of our options followed. Our main concern was what it would be like going downhill after we crested the summit. It was pretty cold (cold? in Thailand??) and in the interest of safety, Deb got in the truck, where it was nice and warm and dry, but probably only marginally safer. I have struck riding conditions like these only once before, in Brazil in 2011, and it didn't cheer me up.
But as luck would have it, shortly after we restarted, we actually began to descend, and the fog or cloud started to thin out, until finally we were out of its clutches. The demanding road was still steep, wet and slippery, and still covered with big leaves, twigs, and clumps of pine needles, and it took some time till we were able to stop somewhere and get a coffee. We were all fairly knackered from this effort. It had been very technical riding on a very difficult road, requiring intense concentration of the highest order, and we all regarded it as quite an achievement.
Foggy Mountain Breakdown. Well, tactical pause at least. Visibility 5-10 metres, degree of difficulty huge.
Deb looking a bit worried, and cold! Kay doesn't look too happy either, and you can't even see Alison!
A stop for lunch at a small restaurant just as it started to rain, then a sprint along a motorway got us to Uttaradit, a largish town about a day's ride south east of Chiang Mai, as the rain began again. Crazy weather indeed. Is this global warming in action?
Our hotel in Chiang Kan
My breakfast on the stove!
More timber buildings in Chiang Kan
Ditto.
Me, Alison, Deb, Paul and Kay.
So, on the road again, for a day of mixed riding. Some motorway, some nice twisties, a lot of roadworks, and a lot of climbing back up into the mountains heading for Khao Kho. We had stayed here last year, in a hotel owned by the former local police chief, who happens to be a bike nut. He has an extensive display of bikes of all sorts, although he has cleared a lot of them out over the last year. We were also to hook up with the group going to Pattaya, who had left Chiang Mai at the same time as we did. They had done the same big circle up through the Mae Hong Son loop, and the golden triangle as I did last year. So it was party time, not before Noah found the keys to the bike showroom and started a few up, then took the Can Am Spyder for a run up and down the road at the front of the hotel. The man is a true hoon. We got stuck right into it with a bbq tea on the deck overlooking quite a picturesque valley flanked by mountains. There was a sizeable film crew staying at the hotel also, and they were shooting footage for a TV show. The front man, a very well known Thai comedian, was there too. All the Thai guys were really impressed, and took lots of photos. Kay grabbed a few shots for the Big Bike Tours facebook page as well. I figured this was sort of like us running into Billy Connolly, and he did like to party. He was walking around with a jug of local rum on the rocks, offering a glassfull to anybody who was game enough. (Hell yeah, I sure did, twice, or was it three times?) It reminded me of my days as a barman at the Largs Pier Hotel, enough said. Anyway, the party got into full swing when Noah and Yai found the switch to the karaoke system. The end result of all this was that next morning there was one hell of a mess, and a lot of sore heads.
Getting my money's worth on the scintillating ride from Vientiane to Chiang Kan. (yes, it's mine!)
Yai and Noah with the karaoke machine at Khao Kho. Somebody pull the plug!
Party time. Both tours meet at Khao Kho. This many bikes in one place would probably be illegal in Queensland, under current laws.
The Thai TV star, standing at the back, his producer at left, and the annoying wunderkind sidekick with the beatle haircut.
The next morning was overcast, and our group were heading right into the blackest clouds around, not an encouraging sign. Our first stop was at a mind boggling temple which we had visited last year, while part of it was still under construction. It's still not finished yet, but has advanced significantly. Alison hadn't seen it before, and was suitably gobsmacked. It has that effect.
The staggeringly incredible temple near Khao Kho
Ditto.
Ditto.
A little closer,
and even closer, check out the detail!
The huge multiple white statues of Buddha dominate the valley, and can be seen for miles.
Moving right along, Kay decided to take us onto a back road over a mountain range in the Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park. This was a tight, twisty, narrow road with very steep switchback turns which would have been demanding enough in the dry. Today, the road was wet, and the rain had washed mud onto the surface, making it particularly greasy. The plan was to give it a few kilometers and see how it looked. We pushed on, even when we hit cloud or fog, thinking we would break out of it soon enough. It just got thicker, and pretty soon we were committed to continuing rather than backtracking. We had to ride very close together to maintain contact. The mist got so thick that I lost sight of Kay's bike out in the lead. Then I lost sight of Paul's bike, and pretty soon it was all I could do to see Alison in front of me. I went up in first gear, slipping the clutch most of the way and making decisions based on what I could see within about 5 meters. My hazard lights were flashing in case anyone (probably Yai!) shunted me from behind, but this was of little comfort. This was pretty nerve wracking riding, I have to say. We finally found somewhere to stop just past a toll booth for the National Park, where there was a painted median in the middle of the road. A group discussion of our options followed. Our main concern was what it would be like going downhill after we crested the summit. It was pretty cold (cold? in Thailand??) and in the interest of safety, Deb got in the truck, where it was nice and warm and dry, but probably only marginally safer. I have struck riding conditions like these only once before, in Brazil in 2011, and it didn't cheer me up.
But as luck would have it, shortly after we restarted, we actually began to descend, and the fog or cloud started to thin out, until finally we were out of its clutches. The demanding road was still steep, wet and slippery, and still covered with big leaves, twigs, and clumps of pine needles, and it took some time till we were able to stop somewhere and get a coffee. We were all fairly knackered from this effort. It had been very technical riding on a very difficult road, requiring intense concentration of the highest order, and we all regarded it as quite an achievement.
Foggy Mountain Breakdown. Well, tactical pause at least. Visibility 5-10 metres, degree of difficulty huge.
Deb looking a bit worried, and cold! Kay doesn't look too happy either, and you can't even see Alison!
A stop for lunch at a small restaurant just as it started to rain, then a sprint along a motorway got us to Uttaradit, a largish town about a day's ride south east of Chiang Mai, as the rain began again. Crazy weather indeed. Is this global warming in action?
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