Nan & home to Chiang Khong the roundabout way.
Nan - Phrae - Sa Iab - Chiang Muan - Pong - Chiang Kham - Chiang Khong.
Distance: 412 km.
I was overjoyed to arrive in Nan without any rain, as all the warnings had been that typhoon Yagi was inbound and that the rain would start anytime.
I never really expected to get to Nan on this trip & honestly thought that Chiang Muan would be as far as I got before the rain came,
I can handle riding in the rain, but I will bail out when I'm on a trip looking to take photos.
I don't want to kill a phone or a camera taking photos in the wet, as I have done before. I've learned my lesson more than once!
In Nan, I hit a few new places for the record.
The Say Pub & Restaurant
Located on the city side of the river, opposite the Sanian, it was a cool spot to chill out and watch the long boats practising for the annual boat races.
Hooking up with Oddvar in Nan was a highlight & we managed a couple of new places.
Bitter Bar: A smart, classy cocktail bar.
Plus, the
Bacon Craft Beer Bar
I'm pleased to say that I left at 11.30 p.m. and note that Oddvar was not able to make our Hot Bread date.
Hot Bread is a gem of a spot in Nan for a superb: "home-cooked" breakfast.
And the Hot Bread omelette is always a total winner for the old GTR fellah.
A Hot Bread brekky is often enough enticement to want to go to Nan for a ride, have breakfast & come back to Chiang Khong
The other attraction at the Hot Bred is Ms Nan, the delightful owner. An outstanding independent, thinking woman, she has travelled the world, backpacking, with her female partner: Iran, India, Cuba & all those places you're not supposed to go as a single woman.
The next time you're at Hot Bread, linger longer for a chat.
Hot Bread had ankle-deep water in flood in their shop, but nothing as serious as those metres underwater near the river.
After breakfast, I looked up at the sky & thought what the heck, it's all bright & sunny. Let's head to Phrsae next while it's not raining & see how we go. If it started raining, I was quite prepared to slow down & spend a night on the way.
On a roll, I thought the Gingerbread in Phrae was the next stop to check up on how they had fared in the flood.
Phrae's biggest flood since 94, they said.
Like many in Phrae, Gingerbread was unprepared for the severity of the flood.
Fortunately, by the time I got to Gingerbread, they were back in Biz.
To share the love & compassion, the old GTR fellah had another brekky. This one at Gingerbread.
The fine weather continued - SaIab and the Sakthong was the next top to check up on "Pah See" at her liquor distillery & restaurant.
Wat Si Moon Ruang R1154 - Song, en route to Sa Iab.
Sakthong
Sakthong in Sa Iab is a favourite GTR stop on a fabulous road, the 1120, that twists its way through the forests of the Yom River between Chiang Muan & Song. Sa Lab is a magic little village renowned for its fighting spirit in stopping the construction of the Kaeng Sua Ten dam over many decades.
For more info see:
Thirty Years of Resistance: Stopping the Kaeng Sua Ten Dam on the Yom River - EarthRights International
Riding The Yom River & R1091
As luck would have it, on the day I rode through, the villagers of SaIab had earlier organised another rally to reconfirm their opposition to any new plans to kick-start the project to build a dam again. Banners were up in town and on the roads of Sa Iab.
"Pah See" the owner of Sakthong roped the old GTR fellah into showing his support for them in their fight.
Phrae: About 1,000 residents joined a protest over the ruling Pheu Thai Party's proposed revival of the controversial Kaeng Suea Ten Dam project in Song district.
www.bangkokpost.com
The Sakthong has a delightful restaurant and cafe in town, plus a cosy resort, Mountain Lodge if you ever want to spend a night there. But note that there is no 7-11 or ATM in town.
I always enjoy an aircon break at the Sakthong, plus a quick bite to eat, passing through.
From Chiang Muan, 20 km north of Sa Iab, it is the home straight for me.
R1091 near Pong city, was looking gorgeous in the later afternoon sun.
At 5:30 p.m., it was time for another bite to eat, this time at the Chiang Ban in Chiang Kham.
The Chiang Ban is a brilliant spot for a relaxing aircon meal. Excellent food & service.
I lingered a bit longer at the Chiang Baan, catching up on the MotoGP news, and then had a quick thrash to get home before the main MotoGP race started.
I arrived home in Chiang Khong with 10 minutes to spare, and as I was taking off my jacket, it started to rain.
I thought, "Just perfect." What a brilliant three days pottering around, checking out flood damage, and checking on friends!
Total distance: 726 kms.
The longer I stay here and the more rides I take, it seems that most rides nowadays involve going to a specific place and restaurant for a specific dish and chatting with friends. Long may it continue.
