A Week of Movement but not by Bicycle - Day 1 - To Begin Again

December 26, 2022

A Week of Movement but not by Bicycle - Day 1

Day 1 - Chiang Kham to Chiang Rai by Bus

While we were in Chiang Kham we had to make some decisions. When traveling, there are always many factors to be considered before making plans for the remaining days of one's trip. Some things are written in stone such as the date your visa runs out and the date you fly home. Speaking of stone, we were faced with looming mountains.

There were three passes between us and the town of Nan, our desired destination. We knew we didn't want to ride those passes because there was no shoulder and the road was steep and busy. That road was simply too dangerous for us to tackle which meant that we would require an alternative transportation. We didn't see any buses to Nan at the Chiang Kham bus station. We could ride at least two more days toward Nan before we would need a vehicle to go over the passes. But at that point we would be in very small villages and to find someone with a truck willing to take us that far would be tricky and possibly impossible unless we were fluent in Thai. It wasn't like when we found a truck to take us over a pass from Thoen to Li which was only 40 kilometers. We would need transportation four times further than that to Nan.

Then we considered the number of days left on our trip and what we really wanted to accomplish next. If we did find a way to Nan we would of course have a wonderful time there and be able to explore around Nan but then we would have to ultimately get on a bus to get out of Nan since Nan is hemmed in by mountains on all sides. And where to take a bus to from Nan was perplexing as well. There are a lot of mountain ranges all going north-south. We were carrying too much stuff to be able to do those mountain passes.

So, we decided to end our northern Thailand exploration in Chiang Kham and take a bus to the nearest place where we could easily take another bus or truck somewhere else. That nearest place was back to Chiang Rai which would mean we would have done a big circle.

There was only one bus to Chiang Rai which tells you something about the size and importance of Chiang Kham. Normally there are loads of buses in Thailand. This lack of buses could be from the Covid shutdown and they simply haven't ramped back up yet. Or, Chiang Kham is too off the beaten path. With Thoeng only a few miles away and a major crossroads, it's quite possible Chiang Kham gets short shrift.

The bus to Chiang Rai was not until 3PM. So, we killed time by hanging in a coffee shop, going to the Tai Lue Cultural Center and returning to the Burmese teak temple one more time.

The master banana fryer. Chiang Kham, Thailand

I love the lamp posts in Thailand. Every community has a different design and some of them are quite ornate. A person could do a study of them all, which would take a person to every medium sized city in Thailand.

No, we couldn't bear to return to Mr. Popeye Cafe for bad coffee and disorienting American Western music playing non-stop. However, in retrospect we wish we had chosen Mr. Popeye. The place we chose was one of the worst places for music AND THE WORST coffee of our entire trip (in my opinion). It was Wiang Kham Cafe and the woman owner? didn't know the first thing about making coffee. She also either loved Christmas music or thought we did because she played, non-stop and on repeat, THE WORST Christmas music I have ever heard. I'm not exaggerating. Seriously. I don't know how we stuck it out for as long as we did. It was absolutely atrocious. The place to avoid in Chiang Kham is the Wiang Kham Cafe. I wish we had gone back to Mr. Popeye, that's how bad it was!

The worst coffee of our trip. But, oh, look there were flowers included. And a tiny pitcher of honey to divert attention from the bad coffee.

In the backyard of the Wiang Kham Cafe where we still couldn't get away from the most awful Christmas music.

We also went to the Tai Lue Cultural Center. The Tai Lue are related to Thais but are also considered a hill tribe. They produce beautiful cotton weavings and that's what the Tai Lue Cultural Center concentrated on. There was one woman working there who would have guided us through the whole place but we didn't speak a common language. Also, every sign there was written in Thai. I think the woman felt bad that we were not getting much of an experience there but we enjoyed seeing baskets and other artifacts as well as the weavings. There was even a young monk who was there learning how to weave on a big loom.

Weaving equipment at the Tai Lue Cultural Center in Chiang Kham.

A monk learning how to weave cotton at the Tai Lue Cultural Center in Chiang Kham.

We stopped by the Burmese temple once again and enjoyed its peace and quiet.....and bathrooms.

Finally we went to the bus station and got on the bus to Chiang Rai. It was an old bus, the kind we like. Our bikes are always a bit more safe on those old rattle-trap buses because fewer people take them which means there is less luggage underneath. They go slower too which means less rattling around for the bikes. But this time, even better, the bus driver wanted our bikes in the back seat! He strapped them in and we rode just in front of them to hold them if his strapping wasn't perfect. The bikes were paying almost full fare themselves so it was only right they had a seat. Often our bikes cost almost the same as our fares, which is only fair I guess. The three hour trip cost: 1 person $1.85, 1 bike $1.40.

The bus we were about to take from Chiang Kham to Chiang Rai.

Our bikes not tied in very well. But I rearranged them and sat nearby.

I like these funky old Thai buses with chrome ceilings and fans that might work.

We got to Chiang Rai just as it was getting dark and found a great guest house, Baramee Guesthouse, for $13.50.

Things have gotten a lot more decorated and festive in Chiang Rai during our two weeks away.

The famous clock tower in the middle of Chiang Rai.

Right in downtown Chiang Rai under a store's awning a bunch of swallows decided to sleep.

lovebruce

Today's ride: 8 miles (13 km)
Total: 762 miles (1,226 km)

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Kristen ArnimRemember your truck ride in Myanmar over that terrible road?!
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1 year ago

Bruce LellmanYes. It's been a breeze with transportation and the condition of roads here in Thailand.
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1 year ago