Visa Run-Road Report (Nan etc)
« on: Nov 12th, 2002, 5:25am » Quote Modify Remove
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back from a nice long visa run.
3 mates on our varioused yeared and conditioned 250cc xr's (luckily mine the newest , even though mates 10 yr old xlr still going strong) luckily all had time off together for a nice week off visa run.
main stops chiang khong , phu che fah , pua , nan and phayao.
lost my notes so will try and remember road conditions from my bad memory.
118 - heading out of chiang mai- chiang rai , the road is still in crap condition, but has improved later on, with new tarmac making a better ride.
stop before joining route 1 , for ususal stock up of " khao lab" .
1152 - bit of a tough road to find , starting to get dark as left late as usual. head towards phaya mengrai , have to stop for great sunset. road is in fairly good nick , although some fairly bumpy tarmac , mixed with some potholes.
1174 - again fairly good road , although some bumpy suprises and some sharp corners going through the villages . not very easy to spot some in the dark.opposite the turn off too chiang khong , found a nice kareoke , truck stop, flashing light spot(you know the ones!?!) after some quick liquid refreshment headed too chiang khong (with an 8 girl good bye commitee, waving us goodbye!)
1020 - as far as i remember in good condition.
paid for our leaving late, as tonight was Laos loy-kratong.we could see all the floats and kratongs from the guest house , hear the singing and smell the beer Laos, but alas could not get over too join the party.
had too go the following morning with the whole town in a hungover state (at least they had left us a few "Beer Laos" for lunch!
1155 - joined from the 1020 towards wang kaen(careful how you say this!) great scenery as you follow the mekong and road in pretty good nick.as we left late again only get as far as the turn off pha tang before sun begins to come down on us again(far too many food and photo stops.)
do not reccomend this road at the moment(should have listned to your advice David) very wet, slippy, rutted and very, very steep dirt road and with it getting dark was a very foolish idea! made it to a little village part the way up and gave up(luckily the others had aswell)
had some lao khao to steady the nerves and stayed the night . spent the night sleeping with half a ton of fertiliser and a generater!
1093 - got up at 5.30a.m. (a record for me) to catch the sun rising and get to phu che fah. this road not in great nick. some wet dirt road , mixed with downhill slopping brocken asphalt. it does get a lot better before p.c.f. the first turn off is through a little village, up a steep road. there is some very dangerous wet dirt road at the end and met a pick up sliding back towards me! also on the way down had too literaly walk the bike down as far too slippy and steep. best way is to by pass this village way and keep going for 10kms or so and a left turn off will take you to another entrance.
spent a few hours waiting for the mist and clouds to disperse, but the views worth the wait!
1021 - the road too chiang kham good nick.
1148 - this road too tha wang pha is in good nick and has some great views, with enjoyable twisting roads.
1097 - friend took this way and said the road is in good condition and probably more enjoyable, time permitting.
1080 - good , straght road , can open the throttle all the way too pua.
1256 - took this road for abou 30kms too a great g/h "bamboo huts" with very friendly and knowledgeable owners. very narrow mountain road , fairly wet and twisty, best to slow right down for this road.
on the way too the salt wells in boklua the road is under construction and is dirt and rocky.
if you make the mistake of heading back after 6.00pm you will find the road blocked with very large machines pulling rocks and dirt across the road and just over your head. we had to wait until he stopped for a minute and then rock riding (with a very steep drop too the left)
1080 - down towards nan, is good .
1091 - a good road towards pong. seemed to be just missing the rain all the way from pua, but it finaly caught up with us!
1021+ 1 - last 7/8 kms are under construction, going into phayao. managed to get some after hour drinking in a pub , the resident band helped us out here!
left the next day and stopped at the view point just outsidwe phayao as it was hacking it down. got accosted by a songthaew full of drunken Thais who wanted to share all their "lao khao" and get the falangs dangerosly drunk, before they had to complete the last 150 km back too c.mai.
120 + 1 - i think this road was in good nick , I WAS NOT!
118 - back too chiang mai for a little nap!
« Last Edit: Nov 21st, 2002, 10:28am by Admin »
pirip
« on: Nov 12th, 2002, 5:25am » Quote Modify Remove
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
back from a nice long visa run.
3 mates on our varioused yeared and conditioned 250cc xr's (luckily mine the newest , even though mates 10 yr old xlr still going strong) luckily all had time off together for a nice week off visa run.
main stops chiang khong , phu che fah , pua , nan and phayao.
lost my notes so will try and remember road conditions from my bad memory.
118 - heading out of chiang mai- chiang rai , the road is still in crap condition, but has improved later on, with new tarmac making a better ride.
stop before joining route 1 , for ususal stock up of " khao lab" .
1152 - bit of a tough road to find , starting to get dark as left late as usual. head towards phaya mengrai , have to stop for great sunset. road is in fairly good nick , although some fairly bumpy tarmac , mixed with some potholes.
1174 - again fairly good road , although some bumpy suprises and some sharp corners going through the villages . not very easy to spot some in the dark.opposite the turn off too chiang khong , found a nice kareoke , truck stop, flashing light spot(you know the ones!?!) after some quick liquid refreshment headed too chiang khong (with an 8 girl good bye commitee, waving us goodbye!)
1020 - as far as i remember in good condition.
paid for our leaving late, as tonight was Laos loy-kratong.we could see all the floats and kratongs from the guest house , hear the singing and smell the beer Laos, but alas could not get over too join the party.
had too go the following morning with the whole town in a hungover state (at least they had left us a few "Beer Laos" for lunch!
1155 - joined from the 1020 towards wang kaen(careful how you say this!) great scenery as you follow the mekong and road in pretty good nick.as we left late again only get as far as the turn off pha tang before sun begins to come down on us again(far too many food and photo stops.)
do not reccomend this road at the moment(should have listned to your advice David) very wet, slippy, rutted and very, very steep dirt road and with it getting dark was a very foolish idea! made it to a little village part the way up and gave up(luckily the others had aswell)
had some lao khao to steady the nerves and stayed the night . spent the night sleeping with half a ton of fertiliser and a generater!
1093 - got up at 5.30a.m. (a record for me) to catch the sun rising and get to phu che fah. this road not in great nick. some wet dirt road , mixed with downhill slopping brocken asphalt. it does get a lot better before p.c.f. the first turn off is through a little village, up a steep road. there is some very dangerous wet dirt road at the end and met a pick up sliding back towards me! also on the way down had too literaly walk the bike down as far too slippy and steep. best way is to by pass this village way and keep going for 10kms or so and a left turn off will take you to another entrance.
spent a few hours waiting for the mist and clouds to disperse, but the views worth the wait!
1021 - the road too chiang kham good nick.
1148 - this road too tha wang pha is in good nick and has some great views, with enjoyable twisting roads.
1097 - friend took this way and said the road is in good condition and probably more enjoyable, time permitting.
1080 - good , straght road , can open the throttle all the way too pua.
1256 - took this road for abou 30kms too a great g/h "bamboo huts" with very friendly and knowledgeable owners. very narrow mountain road , fairly wet and twisty, best to slow right down for this road.
on the way too the salt wells in boklua the road is under construction and is dirt and rocky.
if you make the mistake of heading back after 6.00pm you will find the road blocked with very large machines pulling rocks and dirt across the road and just over your head. we had to wait until he stopped for a minute and then rock riding (with a very steep drop too the left)
1080 - down towards nan, is good .
1091 - a good road towards pong. seemed to be just missing the rain all the way from pua, but it finaly caught up with us!
1021+ 1 - last 7/8 kms are under construction, going into phayao. managed to get some after hour drinking in a pub , the resident band helped us out here!
left the next day and stopped at the view point just outsidwe phayao as it was hacking it down. got accosted by a songthaew full of drunken Thais who wanted to share all their "lao khao" and get the falangs dangerosly drunk, before they had to complete the last 150 km back too c.mai.
120 + 1 - i think this road was in good nick , I WAS NOT!
118 - back too chiang mai for a little nap!
« Last Edit: Nov 21st, 2002, 10:28am by Admin »
pirip