We left the hotel this morning in Chiang Kham around 7:10 and hit a 7-11 (why is that these things are everywhere in Asia but you can't find them in US???) for great coffee and whatever else we could find to devour. Rolled out of town at 7:30 and promptly realized we weren't on right road. Finally found where we needed to go. This was a great ride today, flat to rolling hills although I just couldn't seem to get into the ride today and not sure why. Felt like I was fighting the ride all day and struggling. It was brutally hot today so maybe that plus my not taking my daily dosage of chocolate milk in the afternoon had something to do with how I felt.
The damn maps did us in again...this has been a recurring fiasco. The maps had us at 90K total distance and we got out on the road only to discover we would be riding somewhere around 107 (it ended up 108.8)
We rode north on highway 1021, a nice good blacktop road with huge mountains looming on our right hand side covered in trees. I'd been concerned that we might have to ride some of those passes, but my fears were un-founded as we pretty much rode a great flat road at the foot hills. Reminded me a lot of our rides on CO 36 with foothills to our left. Only the trucks and traffic is just so generous and courteous to bikers here..no even even came close to us.
The damn maps did us in again...this has been a recurring fiasco. The maps had us at 90K total distance and we got out on the road only to discover we would be riding somewhere around 107 (it ended up 108.8)
We rode north on highway 1021, a nice good blacktop road with huge mountains looming on our right hand side covered in trees. I'd been concerned that we might have to ride some of those passes, but my fears were un-founded as we pretty much rode a great flat road at the foot hills. Reminded me a lot of our rides on CO 36 with foothills to our left. Only the trucks and traffic is just so generous and courteous to bikers here..no even even came close to us.
We saw these buildings alongside the road while riding...your guess is as good as ours what they are!
We arrived in Theong around 11:00 a.m. and stopped for water. We found a great little highway noodle shop and stopped for lunch. I love the Thai noodle shops...for about $.50 you get a big bowl of steaming rice noodles in a "soup" with pork, chicken or beef and they taste good and are really nutrious. Here's a pic of Colin at the shop...........
We arrived in Theong around 11:00 a.m. and stopped for water. We found a great little highway noodle shop and stopped for lunch. I love the Thai noodle shops...for about $.50 you get a big bowl of steaming rice noodles in a "soup" with pork, chicken or beef and they taste good and are really nutrious. Here's a pic of Colin at the shop...........
Colin after polishing off bowl of Thai rice noodles with
pork and enough hot peppers to burn place down!We took off and rode to Chun Phu and stopped for a Kodak moment before continuing on for Chacern. Finally arrived in Chiang Khong at the the border with Laos on the Mekong River at about 2:30. Found a great guesthouse overlooking the Mekong and Laos for only 300 baht (under $20 a night). It had hot water, and Western toilet (this is my measure now of what I decide is a great place to stay for the night!!)
Beautiful Buddhist stupa we saw alongside the ride.
This is a "slow boat" on the Mekong looking out from our
guesthouse
Out on the ride today, we met two guys who were riding road bikes from Chiang Khong. Turns out that there is a big cycling festival going on in Chiang Khong this weekend beginning Friday. Will have cylco, road, mountain racing and a crit. The one guy was a Brit from Liverpool who has been living in Chiang Khong for 3 years and is opening a cycling museum...funny the people you meet on these trips.
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