Chiang Mai, Thailand to Yunan, China on a Honda CRF 250 L (& back)

[KTMphil]

This will probably be the first Honda CRF 250 L to drive from Chiang Mai, Thailand to the Yunan, China / Tibet border and back to Chiang Mai.

Support pick-up is coming along carrying everyone's luggage. I'm harnessing some Wolfman Luggage on the bike for wet weather gear, camera holder (always have it easy to get to or you won't use it), small basic tool pouch & tank bag for wallet, phone, passport, money, bike docs etc... (all in a roll top waterproof bag, so step away from the bike and all the important things can be taken with you in 1 waterproof bag).

Above - Dunlop 605 tires (the same as fitted on Kawasaki KLX 250's), probably a good tire for this run.



Below are the mini Wolfman saddlebags i'm using, stuffed with rain gear. I like to use saddlebags whenever possible as it's then easy to cock your leg over the bike (top boxes get in the way) & the center of gravity of what you're carrying is lower. A couple of cans of chain lube in Wolfman holders attached too.

Array of printed maps for some route planning as well as a full set of maps on the Garmin Montana GPS

 

[KTMphil]

More to come from on-the-road.

 

[KTMphil]

Once exiting Thailand at Chiang Khong, this will be a our route north east to the Boten, Laos/ Mohan, China international border crossing. 2 months of continous paperwork to get permits for us to qualify for taking foreign registered motorcycles into China (but believe me, it's worth it!).



A couple of links below about the crazy Boten, Laos border "ghost town":



http://www.rideasia.net/motorcycle-forum/laos-ride-reports/2389-boten-laos-chinese-ghost-town.html



http://www.rideasia.net/motorcycle-...sted-things-have-changed-travellingstrom.html





Our intended route through Laos below:

 

[TB-Racing]

This will probably be the first Honda CRF 250 L to drive from Chiang Mai, Thailand to the Yunan, China / Tibet border and back to Chiang Mai.

Wish you a safe and enjoyable trip, keep the pics coming + RR updates as usual.
Only making it over to Sichuan province (Chengdu) this year by plane on a short business trip after the China october national holidays.
Next year early spring Sichuan / Yunnan will be tackled once again with either a Jialing JH600 or the Duc-MTS, time will tell and might swing by Riders Corner CM during the ride....

 

[KTMphil]

All going well so far, agents doing all the border paper work .....luxury.


The mighty Khong

 

[KTMphil]

All the way to Chiang Khong with no drama's









Then Reed leaves the lights on , on his brand new KTM 990 Adv & flattens the battery on the ferry ramp before we get on the ferry!








Don't slow down or you'll never get up the ferry ramp

& has to roll down at speed to get up the ferry ramp ---- we bump started it at the other side

 

[KTMphil]

Into the Dokchampa GH in Luang Namtha, Laos, not bad value for 350 Bht

A few BeerLao's to celebrate our arrival in Laos

 

[KTMphil]

1st Beerlao in Laos, always tastes pretty special

 

[KTMphil]

Easy 60km ride east to Boten from Luang Namtha the next day, in the rain, everyone had rain gear



The new Laos customs and immigration offices at Boten, now open

 

[KTMphil]

Our wonderful Laos agent, Miss Lah, who did a fantastic job clearing us in to Laos at Houay Xai & out the next day at Boten, first class service.

Then the China entry song and dance starts, 2 months of paperwork, lets hope everything is in order

 

[KTMphil]

Mohan, China immigration, always a little confusing but all gets done in the end, never the same procedure!

Then the last little bit before you're officially in China, motorcycle entry permit is checked and passport checked for Chinese visa and entry stamp

 

[KTMphil]

All in with no problems, but that's not the end of the red tape. Still early in the day, so time to get to Mengla police station and get the Chinese number plates and temporary Chinese driving licenses.

This time the Chinese policeman checked VIN and engine numbers on all of the bikes, never had this happen before

The mighty CRF, only a flat tire has been the problem so far

 

[KTMphil]

We thought we were all done, then the Mengla police decided they want to give us a road safety lesson in Chinese.

She was kind enough to pose for a picture with the bikes afterwards

 

[KTMphil]

Quite satisfying getting that all out of the way, time to check-in in Mengla - USD$ 36 a night, not so shabby

 

[KTMphil]

It feels like you're eating your dinner for breakfast in Chinese hotel breakfast buffets, a few days and you're used to it. 7am breakfast and 8am ready to roll.

First problem of the day was Axel discovered that his headlight was pointing at the ceiling, with maybe 100 tunnels ahead of us without lighting this wouldn't be good, he's improvised with a powerful flashlight to assist in the tunnels for now







Then the next problem, approaching Jing Hong, the toll booth really doesn't want us going through, time to call the Chinese agent

 

[KTMphil]

The policeman decides he's going to come see us, this might not be good news







It turns out, he just wants his photo taken on a BMW motorcycle

 

[KTMphil]

Confusion over we get on the right road and head for Jing Hong for a spot of lunch









Through the Jing Hong city traffic, to restaurant row







Beautiful temples in the city of Jing Hong

& of course Chinese tea, we're now approaching the very southern end of the tea horse and caravan trail

 

[KTMphil]

We still have 178km to go to get to our destination for the evening & a planned stop at a tea plantation on the way north, so time to get cracking



Jing Hong

 

[KTMphil]

Kodak moment along the way, this apparently says hydro-electric station in Chinese

The locals were pretty amused by the foreigners

Hmong tribal scalf

 

[KTMphil]

Tea plantations were now all around us

 

[KTMphil]

Time looking ok, we stop at one of the tea plantations in Menghai, producers of the Pu'er tea

Pu-erh tea - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Pu-erh or Pu'er tea is a variety of fermented dark tea produced in Yunnan province, China.[SUP][1][/SUP][SUP][2][/SUP][SUP][3][/SUP] Fermentation is a tea production style in which the tea leaves undergo microbial fermentation and oxidation after they are dried and rolled.[SUP][4][/SUP] This process is a Chinese specialty and produces tea known as Hei Cha (黑&#33590, commonly translated as dark, or black tea (this type of tea is completely different from what in West is known as "black tea", which in China is called "red tea" 红&#33590. The most famous variety of this category of tea is Pu-erh from Yunnan Province, named after the trading post for dark tea during imperial China.[SUP][5][/SUP]

Pu'er traditionally begins as a raw product known as "rough" Mao Cha (毛&#33590 and can be sold in this form or pressed into a number of shapes and sold as "raw" Sheng Cha (生&#33590. Both of these forms then undergo the complex process of gradual fermentation and maturation with time. The Wo Dui process (渥&#22534 developed in the mid-1970s by the Menghai [SUP][6][/SUP] and Kunming Tea Factories [SUP][7][/SUP] created a new type of pu-erh tea, whose legitimacy is disputed by some traditionalists. This process involves an accelerated fermentation into "ripe" Shou Cha (熟&#33590 which is then stored loose or pressed into various shapes. All types of pu-erh can be stored to mature before consumption, which is why it is commonly labelled with year and region of production.




We were told the tea was formed into bricks to keep the tea moist and in tact for travel and storage.

 

[KTMphil]

Safety is priority here at the tea plantation

They've actually tried to re-create what the tea horse trail would have looked like through the Himalaya's to Lhasa, Tibet a few hundred years ago

& a decent map of where the tea horse trail lay (we're currently at the bottom on the left on this map)

 

[KTMphil]

Horse handlers

This it what the horsemen used to wear, goat skin with horse hair for insulation

 

[KTMphil]

Saddles and tea cargo bound for Lhasa, Tibet, to be traded for silk, diamonds, spices etc.....

Cooking facilities how they would have been in one of the caravan inn's along the trail

Blacksmith from times past on the tea horse trail

& Axel with a lovely Chinese girl that wanted her photo taken

 

[KTMphil]

All the tea is still picked by hand here

 

[KTMphil]

These one's go clockwise

Back on the road and none of us are liking these sections in the corners, they look slippy

All we can see is tea

& also some of the biggest banana plantations i've ever seen

 

[KTMphil]

Really fun day & into the Hua Long Da Jui Dian Hotel for the night - 196 Yuan - USD$ 32 not to bad at all

 

[KTMphil]

Drizzly start up in the clouds leaving Lancang, Oddvar having a blast also on a Honda CRF 250 L








Today we'll ride a couple of hundred KM's NW & the first time we've seen the Mekong River in China (there is actually a confluence that will feed into the Mekong a few Km's down)












Plenty of rain around to keep it pumping

 

[KTMphil]

Limestone, sedimentary rock, remnants from the ancient sea that used to engulf the region.








Dredging for sand from the river that will feed into the Mekong

 

[KTMphil]

200km north of the southern end of the tea horse trail and of course tea everywhere







You've got to love the local, modern, work horses, they do have some character










Drama free day apart from seeing a cute dog get killed. Into Lin Cang to the "L. Road Grand Hotel" & grand it is too.








We even got some VIP parking, normally they hate motorcycles in the classy hotels














Decent rooms, everyone is happy

 

[nikhuzlan]

Another fantastic ride. Be Safe Phil, and the rest too.

 

[KTMphil]

Another fantastic ride. Be Safe Phil, and the rest too.

Thanks Nik, about to read your India adventure updates now I have some time, thanks for posting them.

 

[The Bigfella]

Great report Phil. I must do one of these China rides, eh?

 

[KTMphil]

Great report Phil. I must do one of these China rides, eh?

You would love it Ian....everything so different and obscure.

 

[KTMphil]

The Mekong River sw of Dali, a beautiful sight

 

[KTMphil]

Our first serious tea ceremony....."how cher" .

 

[KTMphil]

Wei Shan.....Muslim Dali Bai ethnic groups in the region

 

[KTMphil]

Leaving Lin Cang the next morning, the big bikes caused quite a stir with the locals o their way to work, looks like this isn't the route of many touring bikes through China







Mr. R keeping them amused

 

[KTMphil]

Then our first real good look at the Mekong River SW od Dali








& a beautiful suspension bridge too














A couple more, looked like a beautiful place to live













Lunch stop further north, the chickens saying "please don't point at me"

 

[KTMphil]

Time looking ok after lunch for ending up in Dali, so a quick stop in Weishan.