The Golden Triangle Rider

Captain_Slash · Posted: 30.01.2008, 18:39 Post subject: Umphang-Nong Luang-Burma

I took the 1167 out of Umphang today and stayed on it until it finished at the Burmese border about 15 km later

A nice twisty road that is well surfaced

The army checkpoint is a hit and miss affair, sometimes they are there and sometimes its deserted. Four years ago when on my Honda Phantom I got to here and was told you can go no further, one year later on my Honda Wave it was deserted and I rode to the border and about 1 km into Burma but turned back because the track was so rutted. The next year on my Bm the soldiers escorted me to the border and pointed to where there was a supposed land mine in the middle of the track, last year it was deserted again and the landmine did not exist as there were people walking along that stretch of track. Today I rode straight through and no bang from any landmines

The border, and there is still a hole about 2 metres inside Burma where the landmine was supposed to be

Its a real shitty track alright, really deep ruts in places

Just over 2 km in and theres civilisation

I see a monk walk up to here and I notice the loudspeakers on the house too

I hitch a lift on this as I had left the Bm quite a way back and walked a while

I sit on top the sacks but not for long as it starts to slide, I jump off and decide its safer to walk back

To think I was sitting on that lot

I get the bike and decide to ride in a bit further but after another km I have had enough. I reckoned that if you entered Burma here and rode north you would reach Waley, this was confirmed by a Burmese in the village who spoke a bit of English, however he said its 30 km from this village to Waley which is a long way on this track.
Plus he said 2 km further on is an army camp so I probably would get stopped there anyway

In places its not too hard going

But this is what its like for most of the way

I make my way back to Umphang, another adventure over. I am often asked why I prefer to travel alone, trips like todays wouldnt happen if I had company as most people wouldnt do lots of the daft things I do as most people worry too much about things, me I just ride on regardless
_________________
If Typhoo Put The T In Britain Who Put The C_unt In Scunthorpe