The wonders of rainy season

ianyonok

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Dec 9, 2008
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Great to get out this time of year and check out waterfalls and rivers. They look so dramatic if you get out there at the right time. It had been raining here in Chiang Saen for what seemed like about 3 days non-stop, then slowed yesterday and the sun came out for about an hour. So it was time to head out for a looksee.

In Chiang Saen town looking upriver. The mighty Khong is magnificent and huge.

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Downriver.

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Flotsam around the steps at the T junction. Lots of people head out to collect weird shaped pieces of wood that have come down from Laos/Burma/China/Tibet, as house decorations.... or to sell to people who want weird shaped pieces of wood as house decorations......
8m is pretty good. Normally this is around 2m. It's just amazing how much the rivers can come up in a short space of time. About 4 years ago I did see 10.5m here. That was when the river was up to the roof of the conference room at Rai Saeng Arun on the road to Chiang Khong. If the rains ease though, it will drop down in a day or two.

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The new bridge being built over the Kham river, south of Chiang Khong.

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The Kok river south of Chiang Khong. Both rivers flood their banks every year and irrigate the surrounding fields. This looking NE across to the new port.

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Looking SW.

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Our nearest waterfall, Pa Lat, near Bahn Saew. A great brown raging torrent......... wonderful.

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Just after I got back........... we had 2" of rain in the rain gauge in less than an hour!
 
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ianyonok

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Yes, it's a lovely time of year and quiet too, because a lot of people don't go out much and few tourists or minibuses around..
 
Sep 1, 2011
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I agree, it's a great time of year. There is of course a need to modify our riding style to cope with wet roads, but otherwise it's wonderful. It's much better to rode through the green rather than the brown and the worst thing that can happen in the rain, is we get wet. Here in the north there is the added bonus of riding into the mountains from the hot humid lowlands into the cold (midday yesterday 18 degrees, 25klms out of Pai) green and misty mountains.
Beautiful!
 

Franz

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Jun 28, 2007
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Nice write-up & daytrip Ian, also love the lush green scenery right now although the waters everywhere turn to a not so beautiful muddy brown, but now at least waterfalls are waterfalls again and not dribbles of moisture........cheers, Franz