December 1, 2016
To Chiang Khong: Last night in Thailand
I tried to get going early this morning. Gin's Mekong View had a sign up saying breakfast for 99 baht, and they had told me they opened at 7, so I was there promptly at 7:00 am. The menu they gave me said breakfast was 150 baht. I asked the waiter about the sign on the road, and ended up walking with him to show him. Turns out that's the price for hotel guests, although the sign doesn't mention that. We compromised and I payed 129. It was okay, but just one egg, and instant coffee.
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I took my time leaving, stopping to snap a few pictures and not feeling rushed.
There are a couple of route options between Chiang Sean and Chiang Khong. The most direct goes over a big hill. The less direct follows the Mekong, and adds about 15 km. I chose to follow the Mekong.
The river was not in view for most of the ride. When it did pop into view, it was delightful.
The ride was not flat. It sort of rolled a little for the first half, and then became downright hilly. There was an outlook at the top of one of the climbs. There were some Thai men there, and one of them offered to take my picture for me.
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After the viewpoint, the hills continued, and they were made worse by road construction. The road was rough and dusty. There was a parallel dirt section where they are adding a new lane, and I rode that for a while as it was less bumpy and dusty than the primary lane.
I finally made it into Chiang Khong, and stopped to eat. There is a Mexican restaurant that doesn't seem to have Mexican food, but does have freshly baked whole wheat bread. I had some pumpkin soup and toast and jam, and that seemed to be what I needed. I asked about the infamous bicycle museum, and was told that it no longer exists. It closed about a year ago.
I went on to Baan Rimtaling, the guest house owned by the friend of my friends in Chiang Rai. It's on the river, and is an eclectic mix of dorm rooms, singles with shared bath, and bungalows. After looking at the single, I opted for the bungalow. It's not really a stand alone bungalow, but had a private bath and a sitting area looking over the river. Initially they put me in one with no hot water. I took a shower there. Then the owner showed up and said they're repairing the shower, and that I should move to another one to be more comfortable. That's fine with me, so I moved. The bungalow is 350 baht. The single room without attached bath and that was barely big enough for the bed was 250.
I'm booked on the luxury boat, Nagi of Mekong, leaving tomorrow morning for the 2 day Mekong cruise to Luang Prabang. They also facilitate the border crossing, so it should go smoothly. They're okay carrying my bike, but they usually pick up at the hotel in Chiang Kong. They can't take my bike for that portion, so I have a short ride to Thai immigration at Friendship Bridge #4 in the morning.
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Today's ride: 71 km (44 miles)
Total: 1,129 km (701 miles)
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