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| Setting off from Chiang Mai. |
Back on my bicycle again then - well, one of them anyway. The plan is for a nine day trip north of Chiang Mai, taking me out to Chiang Rai before turning back south. This is mountainous country so it should be good exercise! Not so hard on the first day though, I ride through flat plains of paddy fields, following the route I took to Phrao a few years back. This time though, rather than turn right I keep on north, with hills closing in to either side. Before long I am climbing, it sure is pretty, and actually not too bad, I very briefly push, then roll down to meet a river, which I then follow upstream. This is actually still the Ping which runs through Chiang Mai, it doesn't look navigable here, but it is most scenic. Eventually I reach flat ground again, and a little way on today's destination, Chiang Dao ('Star City'), a nice little town surrounded by hills. And why yes, there is a bar.
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| Lovely mountain riding. |
Only way out of Chiang Dao is up, and sure enough I am soon back in the mountains. It's hard work, but lovely country, although the hazy air means I don't have a great view of the hills. I guess this is due to the hill farmers clearing land by burning it, a practice the local authorities put up many signs about, but don't actually seem to be able to stop. Well, as I climb the air clears and now there are stupendous rock formations towering to either side, it's very impressive. And, the road doesn't get too steep, I manage to pedal the whole day, it's tiring though. Today I finish up in Chai Pragan, not a big place and my accommodation is a few km away. A pretty big hotel, seems to be there mainly for Chinese visitors, something to do with a nearby language school. Well, easy enough to ride back into town for a beer or three.
Onwards, mostly to the east today and more hills of course. Kind of rolling at first, and with groves of fruit trees it could almost be southern Europe, well except for the buffalo anyway. But I keep climbing, past hill tribe villages, plenty of cleared land on the hill tops. Some parts of the road are too steep for pedalling, but it's worth it for a glorious ride along a high ridge with lovely views. The roll down the other side is fun too, down to my rest stop for today, Mae Suai. From the pronunciation this should mean 'pretty river', but the second word isn't quite spelt right - maybe an archaic spelling? Tiny place anyway, there is at least a restaurant next to my resort, but it shuts early, back to my room with beer from 7-11 it is...
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| A view! |
