August 26, 2013, Monday, Sop Moei-Bo Luang 90km total 9110km
This post leaves off from me collecting food with the Monks, and eating breakfast.
I said my thank yous/goodbyes and hit the road at 9ish. A few lulling hills at the beginning and then finally, finally I came to a basically flat 8k stretch into Mae Sariang. I was so appreciative. And it wasn’t even that flat. I went into town and scouted out a wifi spot to catch the last hours of 8/25 in the USA and wish my sister Maggie “happy birthday”. Bought some fruit, found wifi, chatted with my Mom and sister and looked up the route. I was expecting an 80k flattish ride to the base of a mountain climb.. instead I found out I had 2500m of climbing, whoops! Looks like I’ll be sleeping on the mountain tonight.
The climb wasn’t bad, though I did spend a fair amount of time slogging up through the rain. During, a downpour, I met eyes with a farmer selling fruit, and we both couldn’t help but laughing at my determination. Yes, I really am dragging my ass up the mountain in the pouring rain. A motorcycle tourer(westerner) cocked his head questioning the sight of me heading up the mountain and then threw out a thumbs up. Thanks dude. The rain let off for a good portion of the climb, then came down in full force at the top, where I sat in shelter and ate a snack.
Despite topping out.. Yes the road dipped down, and then back up again, but thankfully this road’s cross section is more of an ‘s’ or cosine curve, and not a series of v’s. The road bottomed out in a mountain valley where I had a big late lunch composed of what food the monks gave me, and I decided to keep going to the next town, only 15km away and it was 4:30. 2 hours should be enough time..
It was! I climbed higher and higher, away from jungle into Pines, and found the town of Bo Luang. Got the okay at the local Wat, went back out to eat BBQ pork with fresh grown-in-the-field-next- door tomatoes and lettuce. Oh man it was good! I made little tacos with rice, pork, tomatoes and Thai sauce all cupped in a lil’ lettuce taco shell. Great way to end the day.
Day 203, August 27, 2013, Tuesday, Bo Luang-Chiang Mai 185(187) total 9295
Up by 6:30 a.m., packed up, ate some more food I had, and got an early start. I was again surprised by the topography. I thought I may have one more climb to do, but found myself on an hour and half long descent to Hot district. 35k’s done in a snap.
The ride from Hot to Chiang Mai was so different than the route I’d been on for the two prior weeks. I couldn’t find an easily navigable alternative route, so I cruised along the highway. It was a flat, urban ride/ It certainly balanced out all my experience going through farmland and villages, mountains and hills. I was finally going fast again. Whoa.
The road transitioned from outskirts to urban center, and finally I’d made it to Chiang Mai. I’d heard so much about the place, I just kept riding around, making a loop around the city center, seeing hoards of fare skinned folk. I bought a replacement phone(mine broke in Khao Yai), and I found the coziest spot I could to hop on the internet and touch base Andres and Raj. Turns out they’re not coming into town tonight, they’re staying one more night at their hosts house 15 km outside of the city.. Damnit,
I packed up my things and got effing lost trying to find this house. My attempts to avoid the highway were successful: I did. But I failed to find the correct turn, getting stuck on a rural road going about 9 km too far south, then headed north along the train tracks, being able to see the highway but not turn onto it. Finally a road came, I took the turn and made it to the highway at km 18, understanding the house to be 15 km outside of Chiang Mai, I headed towards the city. Till about 10km from Chiang Mai and turned around, going passed the intersection I’d started at and finally finding the 7-11 landmark Andres had referred to, but his directions were too vague and I got lost in the village. Eventually, finally, after forever and a half, I came across Raj and Andres right after we’d agreed to meet at the 7-11. I ended up riding 110+ miles today. Wooey.
Robert’s house was a great place to rest the legs, a super clean, neat second story to his guesthouse, where I caught up with what Andres and Raj had been doing and snacked on the patio.