leopardracing
Junior Member
Having spent a couple of weeks in Chiang Mai buying a bike (KLX 250), getting it registered in my name, doing a trip out to Nan, Pua and Phayao with Aussie John, then sorting out a few little niggles with the bike I was nearly ready to hit the road to get my south east Asia tour properly under way.
But on return from Phayao the Kwacka started cutting out and doing strange electrical things, the main issue turned out to be a faulty battery and I got a new official Kawasaki one which was still cheap, had the bike fully serviced at Kawasaki inc air filter, new front sprocket and valve clearances, the push-cancel function on the indicators broke but they didn't have a switchgear unit in stock and the indicators still work so I left it at that and will pick one up if the opportunity arises. Only remaining issue is that the bike does not pick up the last 1.4 litres of fuel (I know the exact amount because of the number of times I have run out of gas just before a petrol station!).
So finally got away from Chiang Mai last Saturday and went to Mae Sot which I liked very much, partly because of all the young NGO and charity volunteer workers who are there helping out with the Burmese refugee problems, so plenty of interesting people to talk to and an excellent coffee shop with free PC, it's called Hazel and close the Police HQ.
Very close to that is a remarkable little restaurant run by an ex-pat Canadian, that serves the widest range of food I think I've ever come across, Thai and Western, the impressive thing is that they seem to be able to cook such a range of food styles to a uniformly high standard - I think it's called the Krua and when you suddenly want some old fashioned comfort food just for a change, they deliver the goods.
Because I got so staggerly, unbelieveably and possibly dangerously hot in my full leathers on the six hour ride to Mae Sot I was fit for nothing the next day, so that's exactly what I did. Which meant I stayed there 3 nights in a very pleasent hotel (First Hotel on Sawanwithi Road) with a very large twin bed room, full aircon, fridge with the all the water you could drink, TV with plenty of Farang channels and a big bathroom with very good shower - all for 450 baht a night. Thanks to Aussie John for the recommendation to take in Mae Sot while I was over this way.
Following day did a run down to Umphang, the first third of the road is as dull as you can get, but the rest of the ride is excellent and probably more suited to trail bikes as they bounce without drama through unexpected potholes on corner exits, similarly skitter and fishtail happily through equally unexpected slews of gravel - making it sound worse than it is, but you can really wring the neck of a little 250 although I suspect something like the Suzuki DRZ 440 would be the perfect tool for the job with a bit more oomph to get up the hills. Still, the best day of fooling around on a bike I've had in a long time.
Now in Mae Sariang where I have been stranded for two days by heavy rain! Ride here varied from lovely open sweepers to horrible pot holed lanes through the trees - and lots and lots of flat packed mud waiting for some tarmac, then it started to rain! Grabbed pretty much the first hotel I could when I arrived as I was cold and wet, it was dingy and overpriced and a long walk from the centre of town. Walked into town and met up with a bunch of Americans the folks back home can be proud of, at the NorthWest Guest House, which is definitely the coolest place in town to hang out, saw some of the Americans at the bus station next morning while I was wandering about, had breakfast with them and this guy walks up and says "anyone need a free room for tonight I've paid for this one have to rush off" it was for the NorthWest guest house and here I am happily chilled waiting for the rain to stop.
Last night we had a new bunch of American's some of whom were as uncool as previous one's were charming, intelligent and delightfull. Evangelical Fundementalist Christians who run their own charity which seems to enable them to travel around Asia on holiday from their day job's being sincere, meaningful, charitable, shallow and arrogant. I went with them this morning to see them donate a wheelchair to a local orphange - I know, I know, why did I detest them so much? (and it wasn't just me, every other european and the remaining Yank from the previous night could hardly believe the tosh they came out with about God's Will).
Sunshine forecast for morning so I will set off again tomorrow to Mae Hong Son, maybe by the long route that runs back toward Chiang Mai and take two days over it, then onto to Pai for a couple of days to stay at the tumbledown Natural Mystic Lodge run by an amiable middle aged Italian Hippy called Pietro.
Then to Chiang Rai where I know there are some Farang owned bike workshops I can use to check out the fuel tank, I will be more comfortable in Laos and Cambodia knowing I can get every drop out of the tank - will probably buy a 1 or 2 litre fuel bottle as well.
Then into Laos although I don't yet know if it is the Chiang Saen or Chiang Khong border crossing that is the best to use - I guess it will be either one or the other.
But on return from Phayao the Kwacka started cutting out and doing strange electrical things, the main issue turned out to be a faulty battery and I got a new official Kawasaki one which was still cheap, had the bike fully serviced at Kawasaki inc air filter, new front sprocket and valve clearances, the push-cancel function on the indicators broke but they didn't have a switchgear unit in stock and the indicators still work so I left it at that and will pick one up if the opportunity arises. Only remaining issue is that the bike does not pick up the last 1.4 litres of fuel (I know the exact amount because of the number of times I have run out of gas just before a petrol station!).
So finally got away from Chiang Mai last Saturday and went to Mae Sot which I liked very much, partly because of all the young NGO and charity volunteer workers who are there helping out with the Burmese refugee problems, so plenty of interesting people to talk to and an excellent coffee shop with free PC, it's called Hazel and close the Police HQ.
Very close to that is a remarkable little restaurant run by an ex-pat Canadian, that serves the widest range of food I think I've ever come across, Thai and Western, the impressive thing is that they seem to be able to cook such a range of food styles to a uniformly high standard - I think it's called the Krua and when you suddenly want some old fashioned comfort food just for a change, they deliver the goods.
Because I got so staggerly, unbelieveably and possibly dangerously hot in my full leathers on the six hour ride to Mae Sot I was fit for nothing the next day, so that's exactly what I did. Which meant I stayed there 3 nights in a very pleasent hotel (First Hotel on Sawanwithi Road) with a very large twin bed room, full aircon, fridge with the all the water you could drink, TV with plenty of Farang channels and a big bathroom with very good shower - all for 450 baht a night. Thanks to Aussie John for the recommendation to take in Mae Sot while I was over this way.
Following day did a run down to Umphang, the first third of the road is as dull as you can get, but the rest of the ride is excellent and probably more suited to trail bikes as they bounce without drama through unexpected potholes on corner exits, similarly skitter and fishtail happily through equally unexpected slews of gravel - making it sound worse than it is, but you can really wring the neck of a little 250 although I suspect something like the Suzuki DRZ 440 would be the perfect tool for the job with a bit more oomph to get up the hills. Still, the best day of fooling around on a bike I've had in a long time.
Now in Mae Sariang where I have been stranded for two days by heavy rain! Ride here varied from lovely open sweepers to horrible pot holed lanes through the trees - and lots and lots of flat packed mud waiting for some tarmac, then it started to rain! Grabbed pretty much the first hotel I could when I arrived as I was cold and wet, it was dingy and overpriced and a long walk from the centre of town. Walked into town and met up with a bunch of Americans the folks back home can be proud of, at the NorthWest Guest House, which is definitely the coolest place in town to hang out, saw some of the Americans at the bus station next morning while I was wandering about, had breakfast with them and this guy walks up and says "anyone need a free room for tonight I've paid for this one have to rush off" it was for the NorthWest guest house and here I am happily chilled waiting for the rain to stop.
Last night we had a new bunch of American's some of whom were as uncool as previous one's were charming, intelligent and delightfull. Evangelical Fundementalist Christians who run their own charity which seems to enable them to travel around Asia on holiday from their day job's being sincere, meaningful, charitable, shallow and arrogant. I went with them this morning to see them donate a wheelchair to a local orphange - I know, I know, why did I detest them so much? (and it wasn't just me, every other european and the remaining Yank from the previous night could hardly believe the tosh they came out with about God's Will).
Sunshine forecast for morning so I will set off again tomorrow to Mae Hong Son, maybe by the long route that runs back toward Chiang Mai and take two days over it, then onto to Pai for a couple of days to stay at the tumbledown Natural Mystic Lodge run by an amiable middle aged Italian Hippy called Pietro.
Then to Chiang Rai where I know there are some Farang owned bike workshops I can use to check out the fuel tank, I will be more comfortable in Laos and Cambodia knowing I can get every drop out of the tank - will probably buy a 1 or 2 litre fuel bottle as well.
Then into Laos although I don't yet know if it is the Chiang Saen or Chiang Khong border crossing that is the best to use - I guess it will be either one or the other.
