Arriving in Thailand, a short boat ride
across the Mekong, a few things were immediately obvious:
- They drive on the left hand side – fortunately, getting this wrong was just embarrassing rather than lethal
- Tourism here doesn’t target people like me, it more targets Thai travellers
- The whole place is way more developed – there were air-conditioned 7/11s everywhere, Tescos and I could even buy cold milk and Gatorade again – my food and drink worries were over!
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| From Iowa to Thailand - corn rules the fields |
Chiang Khong was like a typical small
border town in Thailand, but to somebody arriving from Laos it seemed like a
modern metropolis. A dazzling night market sold cheap imported Chinese goods
(China is a short boat trip upriver from here) and an amazing array of dried
& fresh food – something of a dream after 10 days riding on noodle soup.
Right next door was an immaculate Buddhist temple, one of several in the town;
clearly Thais spend a lot of money on their upkeep and even on building new ones.
James is the only one from the Gibbon Experience to stay on here and we head
out in search of dinner but instead find ourselves exploring along the banks of
the Mekong. Just downriver we find the small village of Ban Hat Khrai, famous
for its annual “pla buek” (giant catfish)
fishing season. These giant river fish migrate up the
Mekong in the dry season to spawn and can grow up to 3.2m long and weigh in at a
massive 300kg holding the world record for the largest freshwater fish.
Historically they have been a major source of income for the village with
expensive Bangkok restaurants paying huge sums for their meat and there are
monuments to the fish everywhere. Unfortunately, they have largely been fished
out of the entire Mekong, populations have declined 90% in 20 years and they only
remain in isolated pockets. The two month fishing season may only land a couple
of fish, international trade is banned and the fish itself is classified as
critically endangered. For more info see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekong_giant_catfish.
For dinner we enjoyed some cheap and simple but very hot roadside curries,
served in plastic bags – Thailand should be good for food.
This whole region is likely to change
massively in the next couple of years with the opening of the 4th
Lao – Thai Bridge just south of Chiang Khong. This will complete a truck route
from Bangkok to Kunming in China (via Laos) and explains the recent upgrade of
the road through Laos and into the jungle. Progress and increased trade in this
impoverished area offer opportunity to help raise standards of living,
particularly in Laos, but I hope it’s not at the expense of the surrounding
jungle and river systems. http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2012/08/17/mekong-bridge-at-chiang-khong/
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| The Mekong river from the top of one of the short sharp climbs that litter its banks |
After almost a week off the bike I’m raring
to go at 6:30am but pause for a proper coffee with real milk (a habit developed
in Australia) and am happy that James joins me and I’m able to say goodbye and
good luck. On my way out of town I stumble upon “Hub cycle café”, sadly closed
at this hour but I think might be a good sign for cycling in Thailand (Of
course this was the last such café I saw before Chiang Mai). The road to Chiang
Saen follows the Mekong for a few miles, bucking up and down and breaking up in
places before rising to a stunning viewpoint over the Mekong and across into
Laos. Turning away from the river, the road smoothens out and crosses typical Thai
rice paddies and a small (Mekong) tributary before heading straight up and over
a 1,100ft pass at between 10% and 17% gradient. I drop into my lowest gear
forcing my legs into action which, after trekking, hurt in all sorts of new places.
Of course after the climb comes the descent and the road sweeps down across
expansive countryside, going from steep and fast to shallow and cruisy; I’m
able to roll along at 20mph with almost no effort and even enjoy the pleasure
of ice cream for the first time in a couple of weeks.
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| Thailand's ruined temples were beuitfully simple |
Approaching Chiang Saen, there are multiple
ruined temples which have a much more enchanting feel to them than the dazzling
modern or restored temples in the towns & cities. Chiang Saen itself has
temples everywhere; at various times since the 6th century the town has been occupied
by Tais from Yunnan in China, Burmese, and the Lanna kingdom. Temple ruins poke
out round every corner and the 3 sided city wall can be traced around the centre (the
4th wall is the Mekong). http://www.chiangmai-chiangrai.com/chiang_saen_past_present.html.
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| Big balls at a Thai temple |
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| Stuck in the middle of the Golden Triangle, more tourism than opium nowadays |
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| Budda in the Sky at the Golden Triangle |
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| Thailand in the foreground, Burma in the middle and Laos in the background and not a poppy in sight |
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| The Golden Triangle's laughing Buddha - drop in coins and he releases a huge long chuckle |
The road into Mae Sae is a newly laid
smooth blacktop and, after a steep ascent out of the Golden Triangle I’m flying
along the flat plains when I get hit by a huge downpour just 5km out of Mae
Sae, Thailand’s northernmost town. As the rain pours down I catch another touring
cyclist cruising along in rather sensible waterproofs; Laura’s the first touring
cyclist I’ve seen since Vietnam, but I’m the first she’s seen since she set out
from Bangkok weeks ago. Laura’s the type of touring cyclist I often wish I
could be; she’s been all over the place at whatever pace suits her that day.
Along the way she’s thrown herself into the local culture, explored off the back
roads, learnt the language, stayed with local villagers and a whole lot else
besides. She’s a playful bundle of energy and enthusiasm and certainly makes me
wonder why I seem to have this thing inside me that makes me want to race all
the time, even when there’s nobody but myself to race or even judge the result –
I was supposed to be taking it easier in Asia, but instead have had the hardest
time of my year abroad. Staying in the same guesthouse, we explore Mae Sae in
our own way; I sit by the river with an American guy Brian and watch as people
wade in from both sides to wash, fish, dump rubbish or simply converse with
friends from across the border, Burma is literally a stone’s throw away here
and not even a strong throw at that. Laura wanders off and finds herself
sharing a dance class in the park with a group of Thai housewives before
talking her way round the market and returning to the guesthouse with an array
of exotic vegetables to mix up for dinner.
Brian’s an American expat that’s been in
Thailand for 12 years or so, he’s lived in Mae Sae for almost a year and is
popular with many of the locals. At first we hang out whilst he fishes for
catfish in the dirty river. After watching Burmese routinely throwing their
rubbish in on the other side it’s no surprise that Brian doesn’t eat what he
catches but the locals do. Another technique we spot later in the day involves
strapping a huge battery pack to you back, wading into the river and using a
long prong to stun tiny fish with an electric shock then collect them in a
small hand held net. Shocking many metres of the river resulted in only a few tiny
fish but this is enough protein to feed to feed a small family. I’m also told that
people regularly “cross” the border here, sometimes to share a beer with a
friend by the river, sometimes to avoid the official bridge crossing a 100m
downstream. Mysterious parcels also make their way across occasionally… it
seems the Golden Triangle may be alive and kicking after all. Right next to the
water there’s a police post, but just up the road there’s apparently a mafia
house; it’s hard to know exactly who’s in charge but things seem to work just
fine.
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| The river at Mae Sae, Thailand's northernmost point and rubbish tip to the Burmese |
Walking to the Burmese market I find that I
can take my bike across into Burma for the day so that’s tomorrow sorted. At
the market the street food is fantastic, I “snack” on spring rolls, sesame
toast, chicken strips and yellow bean filled donuts, altogether costing a
couple of dollars and even get some beer for free off a friendly stallholder
who’s just happy to chat in the street. After a quick tour of the brothel
district (a bit like wandering Amsterdam’s red light district but a lot more
dilapidated) I find myself a steak dinner, at this rate I may be able to get
that weight back on before I leave.
Wandering home I’m stopped by a curious
American Journalist and Author – Frank Georgalis – he wants to know if the area
is safe as he’d missed his border run and instead was being forced to stay the
night. I kindly point out the alleged mafia house, police post and other goings
and of course proclaim the place completely safe. After too many awkward
minutes being eulogized too about the problem with Obama, then the blacks, then
his books, I manage to extricate myself from what had turned into an very
uncomfortable (and one way) conversation. Finding his website (http://www.frankegeorgalis.com/) on
my return home I feel he was the real danger to himself rather than anything
Mae Sae might throw at him, thankfully I never met anybody this mad in America.
I return to my guesthouse and hang out with Laura for a couple of hours sharing
travel stories. Thailand and Mae Sae in particular seem to attract some
interesting characters.
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| In Burma they like to take things a little easier |
The next morning I pay the standard 500
Baht and get breeze through the border with my bike, leaving my passport with
them to pick up later – presumably to stop me cycling off to Mandalay. On the
other side is the bustling border town of Tachileik, at first glance much the
same as Mae Sae. There are huge markets selling Chinese imports, shops selling
household white goods, bakeries, motorbikes, cars, trucks… in fact this
isolated country seems a lot more developed than Laos. Pretty Burmese women
stand around, their faces covered in a thick white paste, presumably to protect
from the fierce sun. Monks in deep red costume, walk from shop to shop gently
asking for alms in their bowls. I pick one of the dusty roads and ride out of
town, assuming somebody will stop me if I’ve gone too far. I pass statues,
schools with immaculately uniformed children, markets and eventually the airport.
Nobody tries to stop me and in between the quizzical looks I get as a white man
on a bike, I get a flurry of beaming smiles which I return with glee. Finally
after about 10km the town runs out and I’m headed down a narrow track in to the
country when a guy in a military jacket, carrying his son on the back of his
moto, flags me down and asks where I’m going. Unfortunately my Burmese is worse
than my Thai so I’m back to using sign language, pointing further on brings
furious shakes of the head and he directs me back towards town then cruises
slowly along the road just in front of me even when I slow down to a snail’s
pace. As we reach the main junction out of town he stops and points down the
side road “Burma”, smiles, shakes my hand and rides off. I’m left wondering
whether I’d just been stopped by the military or helped out by a friendly
local. I head briefly down “the road to
Burma”, but after passing a military camp and a small temple I’m too hungry and
turn back to town.
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| Tachilek, Burma |
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| Looking down on the Thai / Burma Border from Tachilek |
Back towards Tachileik, I stop at a
suburban market and find everything’s priced in Baht, my presences certainly
gets some curious looks but eventually a pancake seller manages to hold my
attention long enough to sell me his wares. After another stop for food at a
bakery I explore the market by bike, dodging between hassling cigarette sellers
and then up to the other side of the river from where I sat yesterday. Finally,
I settle down for a coffee I’d been longing for all morning, but just after
ordering realize my wallet’s missing from my pocket! Fortunately I have just
enough to pay for the coffee, but I can’t enjoy it as my mind’s already racing,
tracing my ride through town after the bakery. I follow my route back but of
course find nothing; I’d never cycled in these shorts before so it may have
just fallen out, or else it was pickpocketed in close quarters in the market.
Fortunately I’d had the hindsight to leave most of my money & cards in my
guesthouse and of course immigration had my passport. However, any thoughts of
a long lazy day in Burma were gone; I’d have to head back for lunch as I’d no
money left at all.
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| Wat Phra That Doi, Tachileik, Burma |
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| Sweaty work getting to the temples in Burma |
Putting the wallet loss behind me, it was
bound to happen at some point over the year and otherwise I’d been pretty
lucky, I got back on the bike and explored what I could of Tachileik. Up a
short hill I found Wat Phra That Doi, a huge golden stupa overlooking the town
and surrounded by small alters & statues to each day of the week. The open
space around the stupa was vast with a couple of small simple temples on the
periphery but there were few tourists looking around, most people were locals
going through their own spiritual rituals. It appears the crossing here is
simply used as a quick visa run for most ex-pats that make the journey out
here. After 2 attempts I found the narrow path up to the final two temples in
Tachileik, located on the two peaks of a steep hill overlooking the Thai border.
Whilst the temples here were relatively plain and simple, the path up was not
and I had to push the bike up a couple of steep corners with grades over 20%.
The scenery was spectacular, and the strategic position overlooking Thailand
had not been lost on the Burmese military, each temple was surrounded by (empty)
bunkers and gun emplacements, reinforced with sandbags made, ironically, from
Thai cement bags. In the mountains on both sides, small isolated temples could
be seen poking gout from the steep jungle-clad slopes.
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| Burmese temples surrounded by bunkers overlooking Thailand (made from Thai concrete bags) |
Back over the border in Thailand, I take the afternoon off to sort out my life, but instead end up chatting to an interesting American (so many) Buddhist called Put Su who’s over in Thailand buying semi-precious stones and artisan handicrafts and much more to ship back to his shop in California, seems a great way to combine work & holiday in an annual trip. Over 3 beers in a riverside bar, enough to get me quite drunk now, I decide that tomorrow I have to take the mountain road along the Burmese border towards Chiang Mai rather than the nice flat valley road, again I never seem to take the easy option and I’ve no idea who I need to prove myself to. I share the beers with Davide, John & Jimmy – 3 guys riding motorbikes out of Chiang Mai for a few days, they have some crazy stories of dodgy police and dangerous roads but are blown away that my bike doesn’t have a motor. Suddenly about 10 police in full uniform arrive at the bar and start questioning various people, my instinct is to keep quiet and slowly sip my beer with my head down. However, Jimmy’s is to start shouting at them and engaging them in a stuttered English conversation. After a few awkward moments where the police ask for passports, everything turns out well as various cops want to get a picture of themselves with Jimmy and the Farangs attentively checking passports. It’s all in good jest but my heart rate exploded for a few seconds there. I head to bed looking forward to another beautiful day in the mountains.
Instead of doing all this cycling simply for fun I'm also raising money for the North Staffs Adventure Playground where my handicapped sister used to attend. They continue to do great work with handicapped and special needs kids and adults in the local area and woulld really benefit from any donations. Thanks to all those who have already sponsored me and contributed to the North Staffs Adventure Playground - I'm hoping to hit 1000 pounds so please donate using the following link:
Just to let you know Frank Georgalis past away about a month after this.
ReplyDeleteHe returned back to pattaya and died of a
heart attack on October 30 2012.
Frank was a little crazy and always had one way conversations but he was a nice person.
RIP Frank