Chiang Khong to Wiang Kaen

December 22, 2022

Lingering Along the Mekong

Reluctantly we left one of our favorite guest houses in Thailand. We originally hadn't even planned on going all the way up to Chiang Khong on the Mekong and the border with Laos. Somehow we found ourselves back at Maleewan's guest house which we hadn't visited in six years. It was a good decision to return once more. The guest house is so mellow and the guests all were so interesting. We instantly became family and had wonderful evenings together in the amazing dining room perched high above the river. In Thailand it's common that travelers from all over the world find themselves in the same guest house. What is rare is that the group all get along so well. I've only experienced this a handful of times in years of traveling in S.E. Asia.

This was one of those times of happy togetherness, like family. Four European countries were represented but actually more than that because two of the people had lived for many years in other European countries as well and in the States too. The Scandinavian had lived in India so long that she spoke perfect India-English. There were Thais too and then us. Just as randomly as we had all descended on this particular guest house almost all of us departed it this morning. Random. It's good that just about everyone was leaving at the same time because then none of us felt bad about parting ways.

Some went across the river to Laos to catch the slow boat down the Mekong to Luang Prabang. The Thais went to Chiang Rai. I guess the Italian was staying a day or two more to then go across to Laos to do the Gibbon Experience which is to live far up in some really tall trees in treehouses for a couple of days to observe gibbons. Of course zip lines are involved as well as other fun things in the trees. The Finn will no doubt be going back to her beloved India soon. The Brit with the broken foot will soon be able to walk again and will return to Chiang Mai where he has lived for 20 years. And on and on. Everyone will be replaced by a new set of interesting world travelers and the only constant will be Maleewan who gets to experience them all. But I will continue to think our group was quite special. I should have asked Maleewan how we ranked but knowing her she would have said that everyone who stays at her guest house is wonderful. She is the most wonderful of all. Maybe it is she who somehow attracts the certain kind of nice people.

Yes, everyone scattered back out into the world and we, too, embarked on new territory. We set out to follow the Mekong downstream until the boundary with Laos disallowed us to keep going. Darn international boundaries! Just as everyone at the guest house tried to linger with their goodbyes we tried to linger along the Mekong. I love looking at the Mekong River but the road we were on, next to it, was not going to last more than a few miles before it bumped up against Laos and we would be forced to turn straight south. Strangely, the Mekong does not form the entire boundary between Thailand and Laos. There is quite a section where the river is fully within Laos, on the other side of a mountain range. The top of the range forms the border between Laos and Thailand.

This is a tributary to the Mekong not far from Chiang Khong.

Another roadside attraction. I didn't get off my bike for this one since we had just started out, the temple was up a bunch of steps and Andrea was taking off out of sight.

I'm not sure what they are getting ready to support. My guess would be tomatoes.

Burning season has begun but so far the air isn't too bad.

I have no idea why they burn any of the rice straw. I would think it would enrich the soil if they plowed it under.

Even though the distance was not great on the Mekong road it was spectacular. It was mostly well above the river which afforded great views and we got to watch the many Lao wooden boats plying the Naga infested waters. In places the river was pretty narrow which meant it was deeper in those places and the way the water welled up you just know that Nagas were down there in the depths swishing their massive tails. The captains of the colorful wooden boats no doubt were tossing sticky rice into the swirling water to appease the serpents. Above the waters and up the rocky banks to where we were riding on the road, were shrines at certain steep and dangerous curves, shrines devoted to Nagas or snakes. Inside the shrines the most cautious of travelers had left statues of cobras and Nagas. Lots of them. I, of course, had to stop to photograph them. I thanked them as well.

The river was narrow and fast at this point. This boat was moving! It's always good to pass over Nagas quickly.

A roadside shrine called Nakkha Rat Nakha-Nakhi Shrine, at a dangerous curve and a nice viewpoint for the Mekong, thus all the Nagas left there.

There were lots of matches left at the shrine so people could light incense and candles. I shook every one of these boxes to find ones that were empty for my collection.

There were several viewpoints that we stopped at for photo after photo of the river. Mostly I was trying to linger so I could be in sight of my favorite river as long as possible. At the biggest and highest viewpoint there was a very cute little restaurant with a few outdoor tables that had the best views of any dining tables I've ever seen. We thought long and hard about having something to eat but it was only 10AM and even though lack of hunger has never stopped me in the past, we rode on.

But we sure didn't get far because we quickly came to an adorable little rustic bamboo hut coffee place also hanging out and over, also with great views. We pulled in there and had yet another cup of great Thai coffee. I think I am fully addicted to coffee now - you know, full on headache if I don't have it every morning! But the setting for this cup of coffee was a must and linger we did. We saw the slow boat go by - the boat that takes tourists to Luang Prabang every morning. Going downstream it was zipping along at a good clip.

This was a very cute coffee shop but the flooring on the outside deck was dangerous.

There was an inside area where the floor was fine.

After a while in the coffee spot and fearing that each step taken on the bamboo deck would take us through the rotting bamboo, we didn't linger any longer. We flew down the big hill to a small sleepy settlement. In an effort to river-linger some more I turned us down a street that headed towards the river. Having never been to the settlement before I didn't know what to expect at the river. It turned out that a possible reason for the town's existence is because it is a border crossing point only for Thai and Lao nationals, not us. There's no bridge but lots of long, narrow, wooden boats were tied up at a dock. There was also a policeman. Normally we never see police but near the border areas we have actually seen a few. It's just too easy to smuggle drugs across the Mekong into Thailand and the Thai police and border police do what they can to stem the tide of drugs entering. I doubt they catch more than a very small percentage since the border is along such rugged country.

An example of how Laos disregards the environment. If they need rock or gravel for road building they just take down a hillside. I've noticed there is little thought about consequences in the future in Laos. They live for today.

If you bring drugs across the border this is what's going to happen to you.

The settlement was so sleepy it was hard to leave, even after the coffee. But eventually we had to get back on the main road and that's where it departed from following my beloved Mekong River and headed south in between two ranges of very high mountains. This is the road we will be following for the next few days towards our goal of the town of Nan.

The hills, or mountains as they call them, are the highest ones we've seen on our trip and it was nice to view them as we rode. We stopped in a small town to eat some pad krapow and then just outside of that same town we came across what looked like a resort that would be too expensive for us. Lanna Thai Resort and Spa. It was the "and Spa" that made it sound too expensive. We pulled in anyway to ask the price. It turned out to be totally within our budget so we stopped after only 18 miles. The grounds as well as the bungalows of Lanna Thai Resort and Spa are very beautiful. Someone obviously spends a lot of time grooming the grounds. There are beautiful plants everywhere and the place was super mellow with nobody else staying. This has been the way it's been wherever we have gone on this trip. I feel bad for the owners of the resorts way out in the countryside because they can't be making much money. I want them to succeed. As we walked around to explore the vast gardens we noticed that the spa part is most likely gone which is why the price for a bungalow probably dropped recently.

The welcome mat at Lanna Thai Resort and Spa.

Our bungalow for yet again less than $13.

The resort had this very large area for coffee and most likely had been used for wedding receptions.

These resort cats were very suspicious of something. Don't they look like they are about to bolt?

Since we had eaten late there was no need for dinner. Instead we enjoyed the gardens, peace and quiet and the sunset light. Another lovely day spent in the north of Thailand. I can't complain about anything. Even the tiny ants that decided to make an expressway through and not around the outside of our bungalow were fun to watch. It seemed it was rush hour for them and they had no intention of bothering anyone. They were so busy they made us tired and we fell into bed.

lovebruce

Today's ride: 18 miles (29 km)
Total: 689 miles (1,109 km)

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Rachael AndersonYour stay at Maleewan's guest house sounded wonderful! How great to meet up with so many fellow travelers. And what a great ride you had after leaving and great lodging for the night. I love the 2 cats!
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1 year ago

Bruce LellmanTo Rachael AndersonMaleewan's guest house is like the old days when there were few backpackers. To go anywhere was a big adventure and if there were other travelers there we automatically had a lot in common and bonded. There was an exchange of valuable information and a cohesiveness. The group at Maleewan's this time was very much like that - a rare treat.
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1 year ago

Chris WeeWiang Kean to Chiang Kham, or slightly nearer Thoen is going to be a long slog. Almost 100km if I recall. Then onwards to Nan will be mountainious.
A friend living in Pua had a nice new Hilux and generously said, don't ride, I bring you up to a high pass, that was Phu Langka. He was right.
It was all a 45km slog to Chiang Kham back then in 2019.
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1 year ago

Andrea BrownTo Chris WeeTrust me, we were praying for a Hilux rescue. Stay tuned for the next chapter of this story.
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1 year ago