Day 215
I’ve arrived in a different Bangkok International than I expected, this one is 50 km from the city rather than 20, so I head back inside to change into lycra. Remembering to drive on the left is the least of my problems, all the roads out of the airport lead to the motorway. After a couple of attempts I find a way through a hotel carpark on to a back road and head to the city. It’s much as expected from a sprawling city, fast roads, lots of traffic, and it’s raining.
It turns out that Thai craft beer is as rubbish as their lager, just more expensive.
Day 217
The plan is to cycle north but first I need a new chain and there’s only one recommended bike shop, Pro Cycles in the centre, opens at 10.
Cycling in Bangkok gives a very different view of the city. There are raised walkways everywhere, trains on viaducts stacked up to three deep, and flyovers for the roads weaving around like a never ending spaghetti junction. Cycling on ground level takes me under all this, and it feels a little like the backdrop of a dystopian future film, with a backdrop of enormous electronic adverts, nests of wires, and absolute filth.
The shop has no single speed chain. Ten, 11, 12 speed, nothing below. This is quite surprising as 99% of the bikes in the country are single speed, though they do look like they’ve never changed chain, or even oiled it. There’s a “fixie” shop somewhere on the outskirts but it’s closed on Sundays. I try one other shop but it only sells BSOs and kiddy bikes, no spares.
Getting out of Bangkok takes a long time, which is not unexpected. Eventually there’s open countryside, flat and cris-crossed with canals, and the traffic drops. There are buddhist temples every km or so, about as many as there are 7-elevens.
Day 218
I decide to go to Chiang Mai before attempting to cross into Laos, so I head north-west to the Chao Phraya River and follow that. It’s a lot more rural, and quiet on the back roads which are 50/50 asphalt or concrete. The monitor lizards are huge, but very shy and head for the nearest water when they spot me.
Day 219
A similar ride to yesterday, mostly flat but there are hills around to the sides. Towards the end of the day I hop on to the main road as I’ve spotted a bike shop on the map. There is a good hard shoulder to ride on, but I need to regularly pull on to the main carriageway to avoid the motorbikes riding towards me. This seems to be the done thing to ride against the traffic, rather than just needing to be this side of the barrier. Perhaps I should also be on the right?
The bike shop here also has no chains wider than ten-speed. Hopefully I’ll get one in Chiang Mai, the current one has 5,000 km on it now and is looking a little sad.
In Khlong Khlung I meet Serged, a French cyclist going from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, he sounds like he’d like company but he’s starting at 5:30 to avoid riding in the humid early afternoon, I’d rather leave after breakfast.
Day 220
I continue following the river north, the paddy fields give way to sugar cane, then to bananas. It’s getting more rural, there are various ruins of ancient temples to look at along the way, and a few newer temples. I meet a couple of Chilean cyclists heading to Indonesia.
Tonight’s stop is Tak, a large town but the hotel is on the edge and I end up with Western food, which is 10 times the price of Thai food.
Day 221
There’s a bike shop in Tak, and this one has a single-speed chain, a cheap (£2) Taiwanese one but it will do. The owner wants to tell me all about his daughter who went to Reading University, then wants to spray oil on every part of my bike.
At lunch time I meet some Belgian cyclists, they tell me they’ve just passed a Frenchman heading north. It is indeed Serged who I met in Khlong Khlung, he’s heading to the dam. This route seems to be quite a long-distance cyclists thoroughfare.
There’s a highly recommended farmstay with restaurant in Thonton, a bit away from the route but I can book on line. When I arrive, Serged is there. Shortly after a Finnish cyclist arrives: there are three rooms in this hostel, and three cyclists. The owners photograph us to put on their Facebook page.
Day 222
It’s raining when I wake up. Apparently this is incredibly unusual for December, and there are thunderstorms forecast for tomorrow. Thankfully (for my new chain) it stops by 7:30 and I set off for the climb up into the mountains. This is the Thailand scenery I have been waiting for—dense green forest and cloud-topped mountains, it’s gorgeous and the climbing is easy.
I meet a Dutch couple going the same way and we stop to have lunch together. From here the next step is hard to call. There are places to stay here in Li, then very little until Lamphun or Chiang Mai. The Finn has already planned to stop around here although it’s only 70 km for the day. I toy with the idea of riding straight through to Chiang Mai, but that’s only realistic by taking the main road as it’s at least 120 km. I decide to stay in Li and take the mountain road tomorrow which should be much more pleasant. The Dutch couple think they’ve found an option 30 km further on, which they want to try for in case the weather is inclement tomorrow.
As it’s early, I get a beard trim.
Day 223
From Li I head up to the mountain road, and at nine o’clock it starts to rain very heavily, instead of the light rain forecasted. This is the first proper rain since the Baltics, and if the forecast had been more accurate I’d have modified my plans. It clears up by lunchtime, after which I enjoy the back route with very little traffic. The forests around are incredibly thick, so despite the climbing there are very few views.
After dropping back down to the flat lands, I stop for coffee and spot the Finn, he waves but does not recognise me, or stop. Later I catch up with him but sadly he’s not good company. He admonishes me for not wearing a helmet: he’s riding with no gloves, a backpack, and he’s already crashed once even though he’s only been here a week. I ditch him when he wants to take the main road into Chiang Mai, I take the back route along the canals, maybe slower but more interesting.
Day 226
I’ve spent a couple of days in Chiang Mai and avoided getting either a tattoo or a massage. I’ve seen enough buddhist temples to last a lifetime and walked the monk trail up the mountain and back down again. This has left me with very sore legs, not ideal for the climb over the 1,040m pass on road 118 towards Chiang Rai. It’s not steep, but by the time I arrive in Wiang Pa Pao I can hardly walk. I’ve been in touch with a couple of other cyclists who are heading from Chiang Mai today on their way to Friendship Bridge IV, same as me. I don’t see them on the road, and they’re both camping, personally I don’t see the point as accommodation here is €15.
Day 227
It’s cold overnight and the morning is shrouded in a thick fog. I set off early but have to stop in the first village as the road is blocked while some men slaughter a pig. They’ve put out candles and incense in front of the animal, but that’s not much help as the pig takes a very long time to bleed out and finally die. No pictures.
The rest of the day is an uneventful ride to Chiang Mai, there’s not much in the town itself, the draw for tourists is probably the Karen (long-neck) villages, like a human zoo, and the tiger park, also unethical as they heavily sedate the tigers so people can get selfies with them. Riding a little further on to get a head start for the ride to the border, there are some interesting sculptures made out of old tyres.
Day 228
A short day of around 100km takes me from Chiang Rai to Chiang Kong. I want to cross the border to Laos tomorrow morning but I’m still waiting for the visa to come through. The roads are nice to cycle through the villages and the rubber tree plantations, then out to the plateau this side of the Mekong. Close to the border there are a lot of police around, I’m not sure if there’s something specific going on or there’s general border problems.
My visa arrives at just after midday, with instructions to print it. That’s not easily done here. In Africa there were loads of people offering copy/print services, maybe there are here and I just can’t understand the language, but nowhere appears to look like they do. The host of the farmstay near the border tells me not to worry, it can be done at the bridge, though I’m anticipating it involves a bribe or an inflated fee.
