mustakimrides: Mae Sai

Showing posts with label Mae Sai. Show all posts

29 December 2010

Indochina(Thailand) - Post No 24: Mae Sai to Chiang Rai 160km

26 December 2010

It was a short ride to Chiang Rai, though definitely not an easy one as we took the route that goes through Doi Tung and Mae Salong. It was the 1149 that runs along the border with Burma. There's a Thai military checkpoint that also provides an excellent viewpoint to gaze at the endless layers of Burmese mountain.

Checkpoints

It is a proper bunker, if you're wondering.

Then we proceeded to Mae Salong a tourist town that's famous for it's Chinese presence. There's plenty of Chinese Tea shops that you can try out. We had our lunch at a Chinese Muslim restaurant and coffee afters at another place. You sit on the balcony with a cuppa and just enjoy the view.

That's Chiang Rai down there

I can do this all day......

I was taking a pic of the cake........honest!

In Chiang Rai, I wanted to check out the White Temple, something that I missed the last time I was here. Now this is a new temple and unlike the rest over here, it's white. The artist who's building it didn't want to paint it gold as he says it signifies greed. Guess what was painted gold at this place?.......the toilets...haha. Though there's just some things that I don't quite understand, esp the Predator coming out of the ground. I'm like....dude...WTF?

white girl, white dress, white temple

By this time I have done close to 9000km since leaving Malaysia and I must say I'm enjoying the corners a bit too much here. Just check out the side by side of my tires, brand new vs now to see what I mean.

smoothen the edges as well.....

I'll just end this post with a very graceful shot.

As graceful as a hippo in full flight.

27 December 2010

Indochina(Thailand) - Post No 23: Mae Sai (The Great Escape)

25 December 2010

I had inadvertently pulled a great escape in Mae Sai.....phew!. We had crossed into Burma, to Tachilek the border town for a look see and made our way back and at Passport Control in Thailand the immigration guy said "you have 15 days", which means until the 8th of January. Now I thought I'm being shortchanged cause with a visa of 30 days from Chiang Khong that would mean I only need to leave on the 12th of January. Now what I didn't realise was that when I came in through Chiang Khong, I was given a 15 day visa as well, which means I needed to leave on the 26th of December. So the decision to cross over to Tachilek saved me from penalty for overstaying....so ya....phew indeed!

Anyways, back to the Mae Sai and Tachilek, it's actually a pretty busy town I must say with markets galore on both sides of the town, but typical with most markets, you'll find the stuff sold repetitive. There'll be like 10 stalls selling the same T'shirts, scarves or trinkets.

You can also start to see the different faces of the Burmese people, and I find it amazing how in just 200 metres they immediately look and sound different. Faces are darker, harsh which is a total contrast to Thailand. Then again there are so many tribes here, I could be confusing one with the other and grouping them all in instead.

The immigration office is an experience on it's own. I wouldn't be surprised if it actually doubles up as an interrogation and torture room. "Who sent you!.....who sent you!".....whack! there goes a knuckle. Pretty intimidating stuff I'm telling ya.

Yes....you're looking at the Burmese immigration office....hmmm different I must say

On the Thai side you can walk through the market without being hassled, but in Tachilek you have all sorts coming to you and generally being very pushy, cigarette sellers, tour operators, touts, the guy who can get you anything "you want boom boom, very nice?".....

5 star in Malaysia you say? Pah!...we laugh at your 5 stars

So with Burma, that makes 5 countries stamped on my passport on this trip. It's be nice if we had been able to cross with the bike though.

By the way, Mae Sai is also where Highway 1 ends, the main highway that I've been pretty successful in avoiding on my trip, not that there's anything wrong with it, just wanted to use the back roads as much as possible. It's about 900km to Bangkok if not mistaken and in a bus it equates to a backbreaking 13 hours ride.....same as you taking a flight from KL to London.

everybody takes a pic here.....so why not?

The end of Highway 1

Going around Mae Sai, you'll find Muslim food is easily available, with restaurants and stalls selling it. Ironically, there was once we went to a Muslim restaurant and I ordered noodles with seafood.....doh! haha.

Beef noodle this time.

I'll be back!

We're off to Chiang Rai after this, and then to Chiang Mai, we've still not figured out where we'll be for New Years, which is actually half the fun.

25 December 2010

Indochina(Thailand) - Post No 22: Loei to Nan to Chiang Kham to Mae Sai 900km

25 December 2010

Ho! Ho! Ho! Very the merry the x'mas to those celebrating it. As mentioned in the last post, me not flying solo anymore as Husref made his way up to Loei as we tour this fine country. I actually really like Loei, it's a small charming Thailand town, that's probably smaller than Kampar but it's well laid out and whatever you need as a visitor is nearby, which is basically lodging and food...hehe.

2 bikes now

We headed back to Nan as the South East of Thailand is relatively flat which equates to "boring" so back up North we go. Furthermore, I already came through those roads and I absolutely loved it and definitely don't mind doing it over and over again.

Breakfast of champions, ......champion membesarkan perut that is.

Spotted in Loei...i "think" there's 11 bikes, not surprised if there's one in the front seat

genius? or madness?

I've decided that at the end of this trip I'll be producing a guidebook of some sort on the roads that I've taken so that it can be of use to others. There are videos as well so that you can see what it's like. I haven't sussed out the full details, guess I'll decide once I get to that.

One of the roads that we took was so good and quiet that we passed no one (except a herd of cows once) for a solid 40km of riding. On my own I didn't stop as I'm such a wimp but since there's company we stopped in the middle of bridge for a break. Yes that's right in the MIDDLE of a bridge.....so what do 2 bikers do when no one else is around? Goof around la...

started well and serious

Mr. Miyagi would not be proud

Hulkster rules!

Ninja school dropout.....Waachaaa!!!!

Circus boy

ok....enuff...back to normal haha

If you must know, this is the 1083 and I told Husref, it's like our fathers bought this road and gave it to us. Of course it sounds better in Malay, "Ni macam BAPAK kita punya jalan!" haha.

We've decided to keep our riding loose and flexible, with more than 2 weeks ahead of us, the main thing we decided on was 1. We're touring North of Thailand, 2. We're doing the Mae Hong Son, 3. We're gonna hit a beach. So other than that it's really a case of opening up the map and choosing a place to go, normally done over dinner or breakfast.

Have map will travel

From Nan we went up to Chiang Kham taking the roads that hugs the border of Thailand and Laos. I can tell you this, this part of the ride we suffered. The roads are not good with gravel and potholes all over the place. This is also mountain roads, so you can imagine how it winds left and right with many hairpins thrown in, so just add gravel and potholes, let it simmer for backbreaking 5 hours and you have a great recipe for balls in throat cake.

I'm convinced the recent heavy rains and major flooding in early November did most of the damage to what would have been an otherwise fine biking roads. I'm sure this will all be fixed but just not sure when. It's a good thing the ride ended with the 1148 into Chiang Kham, as this is up there as one of the best biking roads ever.

The bridge is down

What do we do?

I don't know man.....

Boohoohoo...I want my Mummy!!!

Haha....we didn't have to go through the above, but it does illustrate what kind of damage the floods did. I was trying to convince Husref to jump over it Evel Knievel style, but he's not buying it....damnit! if not I'd really have something to write home about.

Leaving Chiang Kham we were looking for a place to have breakfast and stumbled across this chicken rice place....yes chicken rice for breakfast. What we didn't know was it seems this place is really famous in Chiang Kham. We met local tourists from Bangkok who were on their vacation as well telling us all about it. The owner was also happy to hear that we're from Malaysia and took out his photo album of his trip to KL. So it's kinda nice that we're there as though returning the favour by visiting his place in return.