Today started badly, but ended brilliantly. First the bad news. I slept in, realised what time it was and freaked. I scoffed a bowl of cereal for breakfast, no time for a coffee even, and generally kept everybody waiting while I threw everything into my bag and sprinted to the bike. A quick dash through the suburbs and we were at the border. Vientiane sits very close to the border, which at this point is the Mekong once more. This time it was relatively easy, We cleared the Lao side, had a wander around the duty free shop, where the Aussie wine trade was well represented. I did kiss a bottle of Wynns Coonawarra Cab Shiraz, which is cheaper at home, but bought nothing. Even a litre of Jack was about the same as at Dan Murphys at home. Changed a large wad of relatively useless Lao kip into Thai baht, then went through the Thai side no problems and out onto the bridge over the Mekong. Then halfway across, it occurred to me that I was no longer wearing my prescription sunglasses. When we were able to stop, a quick search of all my pockets confirmed that I had just made a $500 mistake. Jeeesus! I had been five minutes behind everyone else since I woke up. I am by nature a creature of habit, and I like going at my own pace, not everybody else's, so now I was doubly pissed off.
However, after an industrial strength caffiene infusion at the first coffee shop we saw, I calmed down. It actually felt good to be back in Thailand, like a homecoming of sorts. At least I knew how the place works and what to expect. The roads improved instantaneously, and we were back to riding on the left, not that riding on the other side was much of a problem anyway. I would perhaps have liked a bit more time in Laos, and in Vientiane in particular, just so I could get a better impression of the culture. I wouldn't say I actually disliked the place, but I see no real need to ever revisit. I have Myanmar (Burma) on the radar, and I may need to reconsider that now. So we now headed west towards today's destination of Chiang Khan. Being a Sunday, there was not much traffic around, and we were on a very nice road which followed the course of the Mekong. In fact, it was a beauty, and the pace inevitably quickened as we settled into a good groove.
Pretty soon we stopped at a nice riverside restaurant for lunch. Out it came, a sensational Thai spread, and the red curry was memorable. Yeah baby, I'm back! While lunching, the Thai round of the Superbikes was live on the big screen TV. Does it get any better? Yes it does. After lunch, we hit the road again, and really got moving. The Versys was in its element, fast twisties that kept the bike in the midrange gears and revving it right out (8, 9, 10,000 rpm, yippeee) then downshifting, tipping it in and firing back out of the corners. Left, right, left, right. Heaven on a stick! You just can't ride like that in the Adelaide Hills and have a valid license, its gotta be one or the other.
Soon we were at Chiang Kan, a delightful small town on the Mekong, where the buildings are mostly made of wood. We have a boutique style hotel right on the main street, such as it is, and being Sunday there was a street market right out front. Hardly a falang to be seen anywhere. This place is a special treat.
Lao border guards at the crossing from Vientiane back to Thailand
Cars, cars and more cars at the border.
Standing in queues is what its all about at border crossings. And paperwork.
Alison, Deb and Paul.
Loved the coat this punter was wearing.
And we're still in the queue, or maybe it was a different one.
Time to refuel. Service with a smile, that's Thailand!
Lunchtime with a view of the Mekong.
Its a knockout!
Me and my bike both covered in crap, outside our hotel in Chiang Kan.
Ditto Alison, and she did it all on road tyres, a top effort indeed. Respect.
And I hate to labour the point, but Yai and Kay organised a special dinner. We had the restaurant to ourselves and were hosted by a local family. Grandma supervised the kitchen, but didn't start cooking until we arrived, because she wanted it to be fresh. The result was fantastic, an explosion of flavours, and even better than lunch. I reckon it was probably the best tom yum (soup) and larb (minced pork with Thai herbs) I've ever had. So, all in all, a strange day that just kept getting better.
However, after an industrial strength caffiene infusion at the first coffee shop we saw, I calmed down. It actually felt good to be back in Thailand, like a homecoming of sorts. At least I knew how the place works and what to expect. The roads improved instantaneously, and we were back to riding on the left, not that riding on the other side was much of a problem anyway. I would perhaps have liked a bit more time in Laos, and in Vientiane in particular, just so I could get a better impression of the culture. I wouldn't say I actually disliked the place, but I see no real need to ever revisit. I have Myanmar (Burma) on the radar, and I may need to reconsider that now. So we now headed west towards today's destination of Chiang Khan. Being a Sunday, there was not much traffic around, and we were on a very nice road which followed the course of the Mekong. In fact, it was a beauty, and the pace inevitably quickened as we settled into a good groove.
Pretty soon we stopped at a nice riverside restaurant for lunch. Out it came, a sensational Thai spread, and the red curry was memorable. Yeah baby, I'm back! While lunching, the Thai round of the Superbikes was live on the big screen TV. Does it get any better? Yes it does. After lunch, we hit the road again, and really got moving. The Versys was in its element, fast twisties that kept the bike in the midrange gears and revving it right out (8, 9, 10,000 rpm, yippeee) then downshifting, tipping it in and firing back out of the corners. Left, right, left, right. Heaven on a stick! You just can't ride like that in the Adelaide Hills and have a valid license, its gotta be one or the other.
Soon we were at Chiang Kan, a delightful small town on the Mekong, where the buildings are mostly made of wood. We have a boutique style hotel right on the main street, such as it is, and being Sunday there was a street market right out front. Hardly a falang to be seen anywhere. This place is a special treat.
Lao border guards at the crossing from Vientiane back to Thailand
Cars, cars and more cars at the border.
Standing in queues is what its all about at border crossings. And paperwork.
Alison, Deb and Paul.
Loved the coat this punter was wearing.
And we're still in the queue, or maybe it was a different one.
Time to refuel. Service with a smile, that's Thailand!
Lunchtime with a view of the Mekong.
Its a knockout!
Me and my bike both covered in crap, outside our hotel in Chiang Kan.
Ditto Alison, and she did it all on road tyres, a top effort indeed. Respect.
And I hate to labour the point, but Yai and Kay organised a special dinner. We had the restaurant to ourselves and were hosted by a local family. Grandma supervised the kitchen, but didn't start cooking until we arrived, because she wanted it to be fresh. The result was fantastic, an explosion of flavours, and even better than lunch. I reckon it was probably the best tom yum (soup) and larb (minced pork with Thai herbs) I've ever had. So, all in all, a strange day that just kept getting better.
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