RIDE DAY: Chiang Rai to Phaya Meng Rai

1/5/09
Day: 74.74 km (24km out of way)
Cumulative: 601.2 km
Avg Spd: ~19.4 kph
Max Spd: 35.5 kph
Ride Time: 3h 54m
Highs: Feeling OH SO GOOD after a really good night of sleep, country roads, very quiet, crickets all around in the rice fields, little traffic, nice country air, change of topography--a few karst peaks, the best timed and tasting Pad See Ew I've eaten in Thailand, "piq" a peppery condiment I haven't seen before, Met a great Swiss cyclist and shared breakfast!
Lows: Rode 12km out of way because no hotel/motel/guesthouse in the small village that was my target, accidentally reset cyclometer after 1 hour of riding...not many others this day


I'll let my snapshots speak for me:

scent of rice straw
stars up above once again
Northern Thailand


-----

(needs refining)

met three young monks
on the road yesterday --
morning temple bells,
I know they're sitting
in the wat up the road


-----

these twenty baht bills
have traveled much through the North
their craks tell their tales

----


A really nice day of cycling. I was feeling pretty good because of good rest and good food. Sad to hear about news from Gaza on BBC, CNN and Al Jazeera in my hotel room. Thinking about Allen. I woke in the morning and went looking for some new shoes at the local shoe shops, but after three shops of being told they didn't have my size, I gave up. A Swiss cyclist talked to me on the street and invited me to coffee and brought me to a place where I could get an omlette. We talked together and with two Canadian cyclists until 1:30 when I saddly had to excuse myself to make my mileage for the day. It was a late start, but really nice, because the Swiss fella gave me some great info about Northern Lao roads and directions. He'd cycled extensively in Northern Thailand and Northern Laos.

I'd return to Northen Thialand for more cycling in a heartbeat. It's mellow, the prices decrease, people are lovely and there are some interesting land forms. The Swiss fella told me that there are also lots of Hmong hill tribes to visit. Perhaps on another tour. I had to make the border and I wanted to knock out 50km. I did that when I arrived in Phaya Meng Rai at about 4:30, but got greedy for kms and set out to the next village, hoping to find a place to stay. A lady in the next village, 12 km ahead told me there was nothing in that town and nothing until the border at 35 km away. It was late, so I turned back and retraced my ride. It was o.k. because the country was lovely anyhow...learned my lesson, too.

I got my first peak at the karst that is supposed to be all over Laos, jutting up out of the rice fields and enwrapped with banana orchards. Really lovely.