Just Go With It

December 19, 2019

Tha Li to Chiang Khan

Just Go With It

Tha Li to Chiang Khan

Pushing off from Tha Li was easy to do when you feel like you are leaving a guest house that died. It was a beautiful guest house too, right on the Heung River and soon to have a new promenade in front of it. The place could easily be rejuvenated but I guess most of the problem was that no one comes there anymore. Not enough people anyway.

We were met with some steep hills right off the bat but we were fresh and they were not that big a deal. A bigger deal for me to deal with was when I realized I had forgotten my water bottle in the refrigerator of our bungalow. We were less than three miles down the road but I made the hard decision to leave it behind. It was those hills that stopped me from going back. But it was sad since it was the only water bottle I’ve ever owned since starting to cycle tour. A factor I thought about was that sometime on our last big trip the spout thing broke right off and I patched it with two pieces of industrial strength velcro so the hole was sealed tightly with the industrial strength sticky stuff. It never leaked. But I would occasionally think of what kind of germs were collecting in that velcro. Maybe it was time to let it go but it was hard and put me in a sad mood for a few hours.

On top of the first big hill within a mile of departure.

Beautiful countryside but in a severe drought. To compound the problem for possible large fires is the flowering and death of a certain species of bamboo which can be seen across on the Lao side in this photo.

We don't see many bee keepers in S.E. Asia.

The last view of the Heung River which we had followed for a couple of days. It shortly flows into the Mekong.

Seeing the Mekong for the first time brightened my mood however. We found a path through the jungle to yet another promenade inaccessible from anywhere else and there we welcomed the Mekong back into our lives. I love the Mekong River so much. I don’t know what it is about it. I guess I have been on it or near it many many times on a sizable stretch from near China all the way to its mouth in Vietnam except for a short distance in Cambodia. It’s like an old friend and this time we haven’t seen it since Feb. 2017.

I have to say that being on it is better than being beside it because then you can see and feel the powerful hydraulics of the river. Some say those are Nagas swishing their tails but I think it’s probably rushing water way down deep hitting a house-size boulder and the resulting upwelling of water sometimes rises half a foot above the rest of the river’s surface. Amazingly powerful and I have great respect for that river. I’ve seen whirlpools that have frightened me to no end and the speedboat driver would aim for their center and zip right across their middles - the safest place.

I nearly died in the Mekong once way up in northern Lao nearly to China where the opposite bank is Myanmar in the days before China had built their six dams. Huge Chinese vessels would come down to the Golden Triangle for trade and wreak havoc with smaller boats. I was in one of those smaller boats and got completely swamped by the wake of a Chinese ship. We were full of water but we were able to paddle, with our hands, to shore where we could bail out all the water. If any of us had gone into the river we would not have been able to escape the undertow. Further downstream the river struck head-on solid stone that was maybe a hundred meters high. When the water hit that stone wall the upwelling was close to a meter high and then sloughed off at a right angle. Unbelievable river!

So, it was nice to see the Mekong again. Its waters were strangely clear blue. We have never seen it this color and it’s got to be due to the fact that now China has six dams and Laos/Thailand have one new one. The dams let the sediment settle inside the reservoirs and the water appears much cleaner. It was always a muddy brown color in the past so this was a huge difference. Although it looks a lot fresher this way we can say farewell to dozens of species of fish because of the drastic change.

The road along the Mekong is pure joy even though there were a lot of little ups and downs. Being within sight of such a beautiful river makes the ride more enjoyable. Oh, who am I kidding, the steep little ups and downs wear me out. It was hot again but what’s new!

We stopped halfway at a crossroads small town where the road went through town steeply. Anyone driving the direction we were screamed down the hill and barely saw the town which made me think that those who decide where towns should be should never put them on steep long straight sections of road because half the vehicles going through town will never stop to see the town nor will it be very safe because everyone going downhill will want to take advantage of it. I didn’t think much about the vehicles going up hill because that would have thrown my theory into question. Why question one’s own theories, I say. Better to just ride and look for noodle soup.

Dogs are so relaxed with traffic that they will sleep soundly in the middle of streets. And the people always seem to just drive around them.

We quickly found a place to have noodle soup and it was pretty good. Cars and trucks screamed by going downhill while we slurped and I ignored the ones struggling uphill. After lunch we too went flying down the hill hardly seeing the town at all and were once again on the beautiful road near to the Mekong.

We took a little break at a disused promenade that began nowhere and went nowhere. I was surprised to find a small patch of cotton growing next to it. The cotton looked pretty good too growing there in sand. The cotton growers arrived while we were there to check on their crop. It seemed like it was just a day or two from harvest. They waved and left.

Then, a wonderful thing happened. Andrea was checking her phone and saw the headlines; Trump Impeached! What could be better for us there next to our beloved Mekong and realizing that possibly justice might be served in some way. We celebrated by sharing an orange and a Clif Bar. Yes, I’m still carrying Clif Bars.

A promenade that starts nowhere and goes nowhere.

Back on the road we passed through an area where the Thais were harvesting sand from the river big time. It was at a gentle bend in the river a perfect place where sand has been deposited for thousands of years. They were not only removing the entire banks of the river (which they will fill with large rocks and top with a promenade) but also dredging from under the middle of the river. There were six or eight dredging barges moored in the river with pipes leading to shore. This is a massive operation and sickens me considering the environmental long lasting results. Maybe at the end of our journal I will do an entire entry on the removal of sand from the Mekong that the Thais have been doing for years - one of the biggest operations the Thais have ever undertaken.

They wouldn't be doing these massive operations if the sand wasn't worth a lot of money because the government does not really care if the river erodes or if the people have promenades. They just want the sand.

We were headed to Chiang Khan which is a major Thai tourist town. It’s an antique wooden house town on the river. Old teak house after old teak house has been preserved and gussied up to be quite beautiful. The Thais flock to Chiang Khan to experience their heritage. There is a walking street along all the old buildings and it’s marvelously quaint but a little over the top at the same time. There are venders every few feet selling every imaginable kind of food or clothing.

We stayed in Chiang Khan five years ago at the River View Guest House. It was a lot of fun and we had a really beautiful room. We had splurged but today these houses are even more overpriced and we were not feeling the pull to stay in one. We just needed a normal place to stay for the night and it didn’t have to be near the river or the walking street.

As soon as we entered the edge of Chiang Khan we stopped to check the map and right there a man who was reading the newspaper in his front courtyard yelled excitedly to his wife that there were farang. She came running and said she had a room in an old house a block away. She pretty much insisted we follow her to have a look. When situations arise out of the blue I think the thing a traveler should always do is GO WITH IT - ALWAYS SAY YES.

So, we followed her like lost puppies. The woman was super nice and her second house was nice as well. There were no other people there and she lived a block or two away so it was as if we would have the house to ourselves. In fact, she showed us the washing machine and told us to make ourselves at home. It was great. 500 Baht.

After we were settled and had had showers we ventured on our bikes to the walking street to see it again. We rode through it slowly twice and that was enough. It is a very beautiful scene and I’m glad the Thais come in droves to see old Thailand. The houses are gorgeous and the food looked great but all we needed and desired was some basic Thai food.

The antique wooden houses of Chiang Khan's walking street.

The River View Guest House where we stayed five years ago. Our room was to the left upstairs with the door open. A great room!!

There was a down-home restaurant directly across the street from OUR house and that’s where we went for dinner. The mother, the cook, welcomed us in and was willing to cook us anything. We were basically in a Thai home eating dinner at the dining table. The extended family was there bowing every time they passed our table, as the Thais always do out of respect, and kids were playing in the living room. It was good food too, first time we had gotten cauliflower and a lot of other vegetables.

The problem came at night when a guy nearby had a lot to say to his buddies. He talked non-stop in a loud voice for hours. They must have been drinking too but I have no idea how he had enough time to even stop for a slurp of beer. His gruff voice seemed continuous. And it went until 3:30AM!! We had considered staying another night because it was such a great experience to have our own large home but the loud disturbance all night made us pack up in the morning and head to the next town. Things change quickly on a trip like this. One never knows what will happen next but it’s all good. Just go with it.

lovebruce

Today's ride: 32 miles (51 km)
Total: 627 miles (1,009 km)

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Ron SuchanekAlways say yes. It paid off for us as well on our tour.
But too bad about the drunken hillbilly. That annoys me every time.
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4 years ago

Bruce LellmanTo Ron SuchanekNormally in Thailand nights are super quiet. This was unusual for where we were.
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4 years ago

Jen RahnI never understand how anyone can talk non-stop like that. Even if he had a few drinks, you'd think he would get sick of hearing himself (??)
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4 years ago