December 15, 2022
Baan Huai So to Chiang Khong
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Not having far to go we waited until it was light outside - 7:30AM - before we started riding. No more than 100 meters down the road we saw it - the scene of the accident I was fairly certain I heard at dusk the night before. The vehicle had been removed but a large chunk of a cement block wall was broken and pushed inward. Stuff from the vehicle was strewn all over the place. And there were bloody latex gloves lying about, left by the paramedics no doubt. The path of travel meant that the vehicle took an abrupt, nearly 90 degree turn and directly into the wall. I had seen a vehicle go past our guest house at dusk moments before I heard the crash and I remember it going quite fast. But to take such an abrupt turn must have meant that the driver possibly fell asleep or passed out from alcohol, which is common in Thailand. It's possible that he veered to avoid hitting a motorbike or something else but it's more probable that he was drunk and lost control. Often farm workers will start drinking at the end of the day's work, still out in their fields, and when it's getting dark they drive home drunk.
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2 years ago
Funny that there had been no sirens. The reason we didn't walk down to see if it had really been an accident that I had heard was because cars, trucks and motorbikes continued to fly by on the road right after the accident. That makes me wonder if Thais simply don't ever stop to help but leave it to the medical professionals. It was an ugly scene and left me with some ugly questions that I won't find answers to. There are a lot of single vehicle crashes here. I hope the driver is all right. I look at the scene and I think about how easily we, on our bikes, could be in the path of a similar out-of-control vehicle. We know of three cyclists who have been killed this way in Thailand.
Other than seeing the crash scene, it was a perfect day to ride a bike in northern Thailand. The temperature was the coolest yet and there was cloud cover. Because it has now been a few days since any rain fell, people are catching up on their burning which is about a month late due to all the wet weather. The distant hills were shrouded in a blue haze. The smoke will only get thicker from now on unless it rains again or a tremendous wind blows all the smoke somewhere else. Neither of those prospects are likely in normal winters here in northern Thailand.
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2 years ago
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We only were cycling around 20 miles to one of our most favorite towns in Thailand - Chiang Khong - situated overlooking the Mekong River. All we needed to do was ride some fairly flat roads, stop to marvel at a few temples, continue the squashed snake count, maybe stop for some noodle soup and ride into the typical Thai town where tourism has still not caught on very much.
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2 years ago
The reclining pose depicts the last days or moments of the Buddha's life. With that in mind, I'm not quite sure why he needed a big expensive roof.
2 years ago
And that's what we did. We leisurely rolled into town just before noon. We went directly to the guest house overlooking the Mekong that we have stayed at many times in the past, Baan Rimtaling. The guest house is an old hippie type place: all wood, funky, old and lacking modern conveniences like refrigerators in the rooms. But in a way it's kind of fun to go back in time and experience the same things we experienced 22 years ago in most hotels in S.E. Asia. One of the main reasons we put up with the near camping experience of Baan Rimtaling is because the view of the Mekong is fantastic and I love the Mekong River more than any other river in the world. Across the river is the ever enlarging Lao town, Huay Xai. Big and little colorful wooden boats constantly motor up and down and across the Mekong. Always something to watch on the Mekong.
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The other reason we love returning is because the owner of the guest house, Maleewan, is a super friendly character. Maleewan speaks English perfectly and is a wealth of information and strong beliefs. We love her. Maleewan's interests are cooking, baking, brewing the best coffee beans and traveling and she seems to have little interest in spending much money on fixing up her guest house. As long as we can get bunglow #2, or the one above it with an even better view, we are happy to be at Baan Rimtaling. Her rooms are cheap as well. There are loads of really nice new modern hotels lining the bank of the river but they can be quite expensive. Besides, funk fits us better.
Maleewan was in Chiang Rai when we arrived at her guest house and the maid, not wanting to deal with tourists, immediately called Maleewan and handed the phone to us. I told Maleewan we were Bruce and Andrea, not really thinking that she would remember us, sight unseen. She said, "Boof?" trying to place me. I told her she would remember us when she returned in the evening. We worked out which room we could move into and that the one we really wanted would be available in another day.
After we dropped our panniers in our room we rode our bikes all the way to the other end of the main street excited to see our old haunts - what was new and what was gone. The fancy coffee place, Cafe de Lao, was still there so, of course, we had to stop to celebrate making it all the way to the Mekong. Chiang Khong is a smallish town but is more than two miles long and just a few blocks wide because it takes advantage of the river views. A block off main street on the river banks are loads of hotels, restaurants, temples and homes and in recent years a beautiful walkway and bikeway have been built along the river. Things change quickly in Thailand so a few places were gone and some looked slightly changed and then, of course, there were the new places and the temples which seem to have been more dazzleaffied. A promenade had been built a few years ago but it too had been modified - widened in places in a really nice way.
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2 years ago
2 years ago
The best improvement for us was the new bike lane. Both the walkways and bike lanes stretch for more than two miles right along the river complete with three little bridges over streams. It's the best design of a promenade that I've seen in Thailand. We rode from the northernmost end downstream to the other end where work is continuing to extend the promenade and bikeway probably all the way, another two miles, to Thai Immigration at the Friendship Bridge to Laos.
Maleewan's guest house is very much like camping and nowhere near 'glamping'. But there are so many other nice attributes to the place that we still love it. It's a billion Baht view from the dining area and everyone who stays becomes like family with Maleewan at the head of the table. It's hard to get disappointed if she doesn't fix the place up, it is what it is and Maleewan is one of a kind. It's nice to be back.
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2 years ago
lovebruce
Today's ride: 21 miles (34 km)
Total: 623 miles (1,003 km)
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| Comment on this entry | Comment | 8 |
2 years ago
2 years ago
I try and try to tell Andrea it is solid gold and not just gold paint but she doesn't believe me.
2 years ago
I too stayed at Baan Rimtaling on my one trip to Chiang Kong! I couldn't agree more, Chiang Khong, the Mekong, the guesthouse and especially Maleewan are fantastic. It's one of my favourite places in Thailand.
This journal just keeps getting better and better ...
2 years ago
Yes, Maleewan is the best and her guest house is just perfect for us. She gave us a bag with two bao when we left. So thoughtful. They were a nice treat along the way. I'm so glad you also experienced her and her guest house. I was unaware of that.
2 years ago
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