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Day 33 Riding local around Houayxai
Up quite early as normal, was feeling really hungry so went and had some breakfast whilst waiting for Kurt (Snakeboy) to arrive, which was going to be at about 0900. I had just finished my Hot Mocha when he got to where I was staying, we were in no rush so he had a brew too before setting off.
The plan was to have a steady ride out and try and find some interesting things I had researched in the local area and discussed with him. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7465/...5cbf814b_b.jpgDay 33 Local Riding near Houayxai by Wayne 66, on Flickr So off we headed, first stop the Laos side of the Golden Triangle, I thought it would be good to have a look over the Mekong River at somewhere I was stood not many weeks ago looking at where I am stood today :confused1:. It was The Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone, coords N20.35484 E100.09054. We stopped outside the hotel/casino in the area and one of the guys outside was not very happy and was telling us both to move on :nono:….we did…once we had taken some photos. Next up in the Zone was the Golden Triangle International Border Zone, where we had a look in the arrival and departure areas, duty free got some money from us also, cheap booze, great…. Then it was time for some food. Once we had eaten we decide to leave the Zone and start heading back towards Houayxai and look for some of the other places. However we ended up seeing some Tigers so naturally we had to stop and take a look, they were massive, also had some young Tigers there, then we saw lots of other animals in a bit of a Zoo, there was Bears, Peacocks, Monkeys and some Deer looking type of animal. It was a nice surprise. On the way out we also checked out the Ampi-theatre on Done Xao, coords N20.32689 E100.09773. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7476/...1b93bc2c_b.jpgIMG_1748 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8568/...71f00c24_b.jpgIMG_1750 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7582/...ff62a2c7_b.jpgIMG_1751 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8631/...f31dcd39_b.jpgIMG_1752 by Wayne 66, on Flickr Looking at where I was a few weeks ago in Thailand https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8651/...feab51a9_b.jpgIMG_1761 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7537/...755338ed_b.jpgIMG_1764 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8642/...f1d35758_b.jpgIMG_1765 by Wayne 66, on Flickr Not bad for a gallon of Malt https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8681/...547c03b3_b.jpgIMG_1780 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8561/...2c0b2dd8_b.jpgIMG_1773 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7499/...2e989930_b.jpgIMG_1776 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7578/...051aac29_b.jpgIMG_1784 by Wayne 66, on Flickr Bear Cub https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7563/...74d030b8_b.jpgIMG_1796 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7469/...66c83d02_b.jpgIMG_1808 by Wayne 66, on Flickr On the way back we were looking at trying to find the Souvannakhomkham Stone Budda area, so with a bit of gesticulating from me and quite good Thai/Lao from Kurt we eventually found one of the Budda’s. Only the one mind as they are situated in a massive Banana Plantation which is a maze of tracks and even the one we found we would have ridden past if I had not had one of the locals sat on the back of my bike showing us the way :biggrin3:. Souvannakhomkham, one of the Stone Budda’s coords N20.24970 E100.16522. The junction we took to the Budda is at coords N20.30186 E100.16099 https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7580/...840485a1_b.jpgIMG_1809 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8617/...7fed68dd_b.jpgIMG_1812 by Wayne 66, on Flickr Next up was to try and find the sculpture of a Lao princess, daughter of the Lane Xang King Chao Anouvong, who is believed to have died at a certain point in the river and the Kings then did the shrine for her. Bonus, we found it, you have to go down some step to get to it and it is nearly right on the edge of the Mekong. There is also a great view of the river and some seats to sit on. coords N20.38180 E100.35274. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7505/...8fc6a082_b.jpgIMG_1824 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7538/...9a2af214_b.jpgIMG_1825 by Wayne 66, on Flickr Back to my accommodation and have a drink then it was 30km in the opposite direction to have evening meal with a Laos family and Kurt’s Thai friend. What a great meal we had and I was made most welcome, then it was a ride back to Houayxai in the dark, that was fun, scooters, lorries and motorised carts with no lights on at all, all driving down the road. Thankfully no dogs, cows or kids etc running about in the road. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7550/...a206f240_b.jpgIMG_1829 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7561/...2606bd15_b.jpgIMG_1830 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7498/...65b87611_b.jpgIMG_1831 by Wayne 66, on Flickr Had a great day and it was nice to have a bit of company and a good ride out with someone, thx Kurt (Snakeboy), and you enjoy the rest of your tour Wayne |
Day 34 Houayxai to Chiang Khong
Set off back for Thailand after a good hearty fried noodles with pork for breakfast at a little food place across from where I was staying.
Then it was off for the short journey across the Fourth Friendship Bridge and in to Chiang Khong. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7500/...d253600b_b.jpgHouayxai to Chiang Khong by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7573/...a68f92ac_b.jpgIMG_1832 by Wayne 66, on Flickr Last Photo in Laos It was not far to the Bridge from where I was staying, maybe 12 km’s or so. When I got there I went to the Main Part of the Building and found the window for Check Out. The guy behind the window spoke really good English and he told me to get back on my bike and go to the lane for cars. Once in that lane there was a queue of of about 6 people wanting to cross the border in their cars. As I got to the window the guy on the otherside of the glass didn’t seem to want to deal with me and he called another bloke over. This guy took my passport and paperwork (the Customs paperwork and Thailand acceptance sheet). He kept looking at it and then he put it down and just walked out of the hut. I thought this is going to be along process. I was quite wrong, after making a phone call he came back in and processed my paperwork and then asked me for 500 Bht for the escort to cross the bridge. I asked him if he had a receipt in case I was asked for it again, the answer was no. So I paid up. He then gave me everything back and said to me that I must go to the Customs window which was about 25 meters further on, on the left. He walked and I rode down to the window, at this point I had to hand in my Customs paperwork, no extra charge, just a stamp and he kept it then said I could go but had to follow this civilian car across the Bridge…..sorted I manage to sneak bit of video of most of the area and the crossing of the bridge to the Thai side. Once we got to the Thai side the guy in the escort vehicle point for me to go into the private car land and he drove back towards Laos. I parked up and went to the window in the hut to my front and handed in my paperwork and passport. I was asked for the vehicle paperwork and told him I don’t have it as it is a rental bike and thats all I had. Whilst I was filling in the arrivals paperwork one of the other guys went out and checked the paperwork with the bike registration number. He came back satisfied, I was then stamped into the country until the 13 Feb 15, not bad that, thought you only got 15 days, not that I need it all! From that window I rode down to the Customs window which is about 25 meters behind the Arrivals booth. He took my Customs paperwork which I was given as I left Thailand, I signed it, and that was that, back into Thailand and on my way to Chiang Khong and all in less than an hour. Well chuffed. I had to pay another 200 Bht at some point but I cant remember where, think it was the Thai side at the arrivals window https://flic.kr/p/pSgfN6 Video of crossing the Bridge Found a place to stay in Chiang Khong, the Baan Fai Guest House, which is next door to the Nam Khong Riverside where I stayed last time I was here, Hot water, good wifi, nice clean room, bike parked on there grounds at the back, out of the way, 800 Bht, coords N20.26704 E100.40595 https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7550/...f3eb24ac_b.jpgIMG_1833 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7506/...6c722b3a_b.jpgIMG_1853 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8632/...57ccb214_b.jpgIMG_1854 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7538/...664fa1eb_b.jpgIMG_1855 by Wayne 66, on Flickr Wayne |
Good to see you got back safely in the dark yesterday Wayne. And good also to hear the border cossing went relatively smooth.
I really enjoyed your company on our day out riding. We made it safely to Oudomxai today and tomorrow we will head for Phongsali. Wish you a safe return to Yorkshre and happy travels later on. Safe riding! Regards from Snakeboy aka Kurt |
:rofl: at the vehicle escort......like you could get lost on the concrete ??:scooter: :innocent:
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Day 35 The Penultimate Day, Chang Khong to Phayao
The penultimate day was was spent riding from Chang Khong to Phayao.
Had a good night before I set off, I went back to the Hub Pub to have a drinkk and see some friends which I had met there the last time I was in CK. Had a really good time and even ended up heading back to the main road to go and play pool. It was quite a late night but not too alcohol driven. https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8603/...19d1fa7a_b.jpgIMG_1856 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7538/...a6e685bd_b.jpgIMG_1860 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7510/...01ef9dc1_b.jpgIMG_1861 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8669/...1ef7f7fc_b.jpgIMG_1862 by Wayne 66, on Flickr The road from CK to Phayao was initially long and a bit boring (1020) and very damp as it had just finished raining,but then I turned off and went on a few of the back roads which turned out to be about 20km shorter than if I had stayed on the main drags. Once I had left the 1020 I ended up going on the 1292, 4005, 1126 and the 1202 straight in to Phayao. On the 1202 I stopped off at one of the reservoirs for a bit of a chill https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7530/...a850be81_b.jpgDay 35 Chang Khong to Phayao by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7468/...3d720259_b.jpgIMG_1865 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7492/...69e27530_b.jpgIMG_1867 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7484/...2d1e30f6_b.jpgIMG_1871 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8655/...f26519e3_b.jpgIMG_1873 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7529/...49515952_b.jpgIMG_1874 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7486/...8fc6c65c_b.jpgIMG_1875 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7552/...673eb869_b.jpgIMG_1876 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7545/...09a71710_b.jpgIMG_1877 by Wayne 66, on Flickr The view across the lake Once I got in to Phayao I had a bit of a drive through and found a coffee shop to plan my next move of finding some accommodation. There was a few places scattered about and decided to ride along the edge of the lake and see whats about. I found The Cosy Nest, quite a nice place but a bit on the expensive side, they only had the large twin and kings rooms left, he was asking 1500 Bht but got him to knock 10% off the price, breakfast included. Awesome shower and great wifi, nice clean room. The bike is park on the front but there is CCTV and a security guard on as the hotel is open 24hrs. coords N19.16459 E99.89785 https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8673/...24afa311_b.jpgIMG_1879 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7519/...cef01c51_b.jpgIMG_1881 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8625/...de7a5635_b.jpgIMG_1886 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8671/...7d5a6cb2_b.jpgIMG_1887 by Wayne 66, on Flickr Wayne |
I hope you are heading along the '120' ??
Looks like a fun bit of bitumen to finish off:mchappy: Damn you Lonerider, now you have got me looking up airfares :rofl:bier Thanks to your RR, I will be heading north east next trip, via CM of course :thumbup1: |
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Don't blame me for all the money you spend :rofl: |
What a fantastic journey you have had Lonerider :scooter:
You have certainly shown me the way to do a blog properly & backed it up with some awesome photos & co-ordinates :thumbup1: Thanks for taking us poor people along for the ride :rofl: Now, what the hell am I going to do with my spare time :innocent: the missus will probably want me to pick up a paintbrush or something silly again :oops2: Cheers Wayne bier:clap: |
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Glad you enjoyed travelling with me, I enjoyed posting it. Conclusion to follow. I have enjoyed the comments Don't blame me for you having to do the decorating hahaha Thanks again Wayne |
Conclusion
Well what can I say….Its been an amazing trip and I have been in touch with and met some really wonderful people. Fellow travellers and locals alike. I have been made warmly welcomed in both the countries I have visited.
Firstly I would like to thank Phil at Riders Corner and C&P bike rental, both in Chiang Mai for the bike hire to allow me to do it in the first place, secondly thanks to family and friends for checking up on me and all who have followed, commented and met up with me, its been fantastic. https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8606/...753e0d8a_b.jpgThe Full Route, all 5054Km:3158mile by Wayne 66, on Flickr The full route Back to the conclusion…….I travelled a total of 5054 Km as the speedo had 500km on it when I got the bike so in real terms 3158 miles in 36 days and by no means was that rushed. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7539/...dd6d03da_b.jpgIMG_1953 by Wayne 66, on Flickr The roads were sometimes good, sometimes bad and sometimes I wondered why they called it a road when its a single track and your fighting your way through trees and undergrowth. But whatever state the road/track was in the scenery was superb all the time, around every corner there was a different view, including a closeup of the tarmac :oops2: The people who I met everyday on my travels, locals and other people from all corners of the globe were outstanding. Warm, welcoming people everywhere. Only really had one run in at the Chinese market in Oudomxai, where there were 3 Chinese taking the p*ss because I was trying to explain that I only wanted a small bag of Nescafe 3in1, I kept picking up 'falang' (foreigner) but it wasn't what they were saying it was the tone, so they they put in the picture rather sharply, my tone said it all, falang from Chinese in Laos, Ummmmmm haha. Otherwise I cant fault the helpfulness, hospitality and friendliness of any others. The Bike. A CRF250L, never let me down once even after been slid down the road on top of me and dropped in the mud on the hardest day I had between Muang Sing and Houayxai, although it did break. A great little thing and all I did was oil the chain every other day and do basis checks. The oil level stayed spot on as did the rest of the machine. It pulled me over some very rough enduro type terrain and breezed me down some very good roads. If I had to pick a fault it would be that it could do with a little more torque as it did struggle sometimes when going up steep or long uphill tracks and roads. But maybe thats because I used to own the CRF250X which was a outright enduro beast. Oh and I would fit a bigger tank if I owned my own haha. When I handed the bike in I was billed 400 Bht for a lever and the gear selector, it was to be expected as I had damaged bits but it was great not to get ripped off in the process I would really recommend using C&P either direct or through Phil, I have details if anyone wants them. C&P provided all the paperwork to cross border, which went smoothly. The Gear. As I said at the beginning of the RR I was going to use my own gear. The reason….I knew it all fit, was serviceable and was comfy, enough said…..Fox offroad helmet and goggles. Had the GoPro mount on the helmet. Light weight offroad shirts, glad I had two as one was shredded when I slid down the road. On that note I had full offroad body armour, arms, chest, shoulder and back. It came in handy twice and has the scars to prove it. One pair of offroad trousers which got binned as they too bore scars of tarmac rash. Knee protectors, they came in handy more than once, O'neil motocross boots and a pair of short leather enduro type gloves. Yes it was a bit nippy on a morning the further north I went, but it was great when the sun came out. Mapping, Gps, Getting about. I did go with a loose plan and a route, I also did a fair bit of research on the areas I would have like to have visited and what to see and do once I got there. I say would liked to have visited because as I said early on in the RR, no plan survives first contact. Two days bad weather, coming off on diesel totally blew my plan of going to Phonsaly and on to the Northern most point in Laos. But hey, adapt and overcome. For the maps I used the German made Reizen maps of both Laos and Thailand. I found them to be good but lacking in some tracks due to the scale, but they were a good source of confirming with the GPS The GPS is a Garmin Montana 600 which worked really well and has an awesome battery life. I was getting between 14 and 16 hours per charge. The battery is rechargeable but if you really get stuck you could use AA batteries in it. I did not use any Garmin mapping at all, instead I went with OSM from Free worldwide Garmin maps from OpenStreetMap, I found it to be good but again not all of the tracks were on it and I sometimes found myself riding on a blank screen on the Montana. I would use the OSM again for other areas of the world. All my plotting was done on the Garmin basecamp programme on my Mac which was then automatically transferred to the Montanna as I plug it directly into my Mac rather than remove the micro SD card all the time. Bits and Pieces. I had the GoPro Hero4 mounted on my helmet, what a great bit of kit, only problem is battery life is only about two hours. Will take a spare battery on the next journey. All the photos were taken with my iPhone 4S which was donated to me by a mate as he had got a new one I also carried a windows phone which I used for putting Thai and Laos sim cards in, with internet. I just liked the fact I had most kinds of comms in most places, you never know!? I also got myself a rechargeable recharging device which worked on both my phones and the GoPro, although it was ultra slow at charging the GoPro on the road, worked well with the phones. CamelBak, really glad I took it along, needed it no end in some of the places I rode. I kept it in a daysack along with my tools for the bike and puncture repair kit Mac Air 13inch, I took this with me as it is relatively small, robust, light and has a superb battery life. The reason I went with the 13 inch rather than the 11 was, I prefer a bigger screen and the 13 has a SD card slot. Wolfman tank saddlebags bought from Advspec.com, glad I brought these with me, good for carrying spare gloves, goggles, small food items etc. Oxford Hump visor carrying bumbag, Not that I had a visor but it was good for the phones, passport, wallet, earplugs etc and whenever I left the bike it was all with me Oxford Gold disc lock, good for piece of mind. A small powerful torch which came in very handy more than once (spare batteries) Carried a hammock that can also be used as a hooped tent complete with a mozzie net which I acquired from Brake who is on the rideasia site. Better to have than need. Just incase I was stuck in the middle of nowhere for whatever reason Monies. On food, accommodation and fuel I reckon I spent about 1300 GPB, thats excluding the first and last week in BKK. The bike was 36000 Bht (1000 a day) so about 728 GPB on todays exchange rate. That equates to just over 20 GPB a day, not bad really. I left 20000 Bht or about 500 GPB as a deposit which is now the spending money in BKK. Regrets. None at all, it was all just awesome, even when I was struggling with the terrain sometimes. Just wish I had got to Phonsaly and right up north Arrived BKK at 0700hrs and went to the hotel I was in when I first got here. Got a great room. As I was here really early I couldn't get in to my room till 1000hrs, so went out to wander the streets, went for a full english then found a nice salon and went in for a pamper, haircut and shave, they even did ear, nose and eyebrow hair, sorted, feel like a new man, metaphorically speaking of course :rofl: https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7548/...e373b1ba_b.jpgIMG_1971 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8608/...f963d70d_b.jpgIMG_1970 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7546/...953697e2_b.jpgIMG_1974 by Wayne 66, on Flickr Just a few extras, sorry to use that word, maybe its because I am in BKK now :rofl: https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8618/...40129709_b.jpgIMG_1895 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7499/...0edf5416_b.jpgIMG_1815 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7567/...2d77c137_b.jpgIMG_1756 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7548/...9d19c9fe_b.jpgIMG_1819 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7548/...b6be7602_b.jpgIMG_1649 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7474/...e9a09a78_b.jpgIMG_1609 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7466/...4f649600_b.jpgIMG_1557 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8571/...f9741606_b.jpgIMG_0946 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7538/...408701f2_b.jpgIMG_0930 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7529/...fe8b0cf5_b.jpgIMG_0890 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8682/...2f57e9c8_b.jpgIMG_0524 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8582/...f5b3e8ea_b.jpgIMG_0474 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7529/...0c253ea4_b.jpgIMG_0397 by Wayne 66, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8608/...88088115_b.jpgIMG_0366 by Wayne 66, on Flickr Any questions, queries etc I will get back to you as best I can, but its now time to chill in BKK for a few days before heading back to the normal turmoil we call life, roll on my next trip. :thumbup1: Wayne |
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Was this from the shop that has all the ice cream cakes in a fridge out front and a heap of wierd dwarf statues in the corner? My bro and I had an afternoon coffee there... so much cakey decadence! |
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Like yourself I stayed on the river, but I promised myself that next time I would stay at the hub Bunkhouse! |
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Yes mate I think it was, the cake was great after loads of rice and noodle haha Wayne Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
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Alan was great, no toe wrestle though, yeah met his son and his lovely wife May Had a great Christmas with them all. When I came back from Laos he was not there so had a natter to May . Hope u enjoyed the read mate Wayne Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
Thanks for the ride m8
Hello Lonerider
Thanks for getting me through some long days at work and well done on what was obviously a brilliant trip, great to see that you didn't just talk the walk. Hopefully one of these days we'll be able to get that pint of Guinness together somewhere on our travels. bier Rigs94 |
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Glad you enjoyed the read Rigs. It was an awesome trip, yeah a pint would be good, always time for a beer haha Back in BKK at the moment till around mid March just chilling with some good company! Cheers Wayne Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
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It was THAT moment that I vowed I would be back, for longer, and get over the border into Laos. I am just over a month away! Excitement grows. I am going to apologise to YOU and everyone else now. You travelled many of the roads I was looking at and areas I have not seen yet. My mission will be to get photos different to yours! But you have pointed out some amazing places that I am now pencilling in. I think my RR will have to be called "NO! I am not following Lone Rider!":innocent::innocent: CHAOS! |
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I will be following your Ride report with great jealousy Cheers Wayne |
Wayne,
Thanks for all the info. you posted. I searched high and low for this kind of info. Exactly the trip I had envisioned. I thought of starting in BKK and your approach to busing to Chiang Mai is brillent. Bookmarked the thread and have a good amount of time to research before I leave Feb. 3rd thru 19th. Cheers and good going! |
Cheers robopie.
Take the overnight train. It was fine and the sleeper cabin is cheap enough Wayne Sent from my SM-G361HU using Tapatalk |
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The "how to's" have been posted somewhere in here previously - being one who follows the route well travelled previously, I have never found the need. |
Looks like a fellow overland rider and myself might make the trip together.
Can't thank you enough for all the time you spent working on the thread!!! |
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Wayne Sent from my SM-G361HU using Tapatalk |
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