Nan Notes and On the Road to Phayao

We spent a couple of days in Nan. The hotel there was perfect, as I reported in the last entry. We took one short ride about (40 miles - 60 km total) out and back on Rte 1169 but we spent a lot of time goofing off, reading, doing Photoshop stuff, but mostly trying to stay off the bike for a while. (BTW, the Blogger caption bug seems to be fixed so clicking on any photo will display it at full size. Click the back button on your browser to return to the blog.)

Nan River on Rte 1169

Later that day I waited until dusk and then went out on the hotel grounds to take some pictures of the great flowers surrounding the place. One of them appears in my previous entry. Here are a few more.

I don't know what's with this flower thing I'm into lately. I love capturing the fine detail of these blooms and will continue to post pictures of them. As you've no doubt gathered, Thailand is bursting with floral delights at this time of year -- people's yards and the roadsides are vibrant with colorful, and to me exotic, flowers, trees and shrubs. I can't resist them.

We left Nan at about 9:30 on November 16th and drove north to the city of Phayao via Route 1091 and 1251. The trip wasn't especially exciting but we did enjoy some lovely scenery along the way. Route 1091 was especially nice and I have a few photos that can better tell the story.

Hilly farm country along Rte 1091

Wildflower - Rte 1091

It was a relatively short ride ( 3 hrs 45 minutes ride time for a total of 112 miles - 180 km) made slightly longer by the fact that we missed two turns on the poorly marked highway. The weather was perfect: no wind, temperature about 90 degrees, very light traffic. We stopped for a noodle lunch in the small town of Chiang Muan. I show a couple of these roadside meals in the photo below. The lunch on the left we had in the even smaller town of Santisuk on  the day trip we made out of Nan. It's made with pork, (koi teou moo nam tok)  and was served with fresh Thai basil, one of my favorite seasonings. In the other one, you can see a chunk of congealed blood which I mentioned before as being an important  ingredient for these flavorful soups. It also has heaps of duck meat on top of a thick sauce and homemade noodles (koi teou ped). Both dishes were yummy and at 25 baht per serving (less than $1), cheap too. And you can see in both photos the holy trinity (actually four) of add-ons, called kreung prung, that are always present to season noodle dishes to your particular taste. Nut is very discerning about adding just the right amount of each of these to round out the flavor: ground chili, sugar, and two choices of items pickled in vinegar to add a sour component to play against the sweetness of the sugar. Often she will add nam pla (fish sauce) if more salt is needed.

Koi Teou Moo Nam Tok (pork noodles)   ---   Koi Teow Ped (duck noodles)

If not for the lake, Phayao wouldn't be a fabulous place to stay. The lake draws tourists and that means if you want to stay in a place with a lake view it will cost you relatively more than if you don't. The lakeside is lined with pricier places so we took a room near the market in a slightly run down hotel but at only 280 baht, we made do with the super thin towels and dingy paint. Next day we headed out to find a road that skirted the less populated west side of the lake. What we found was special, very special. 

On the road to Nan

Wildflower - Rte 1339

The trip to Nan was splendid. We went via a different  route from the one we took last spring, the "back way" that is actually more direct, a short cut in fact, over Route 1339. It runs north out of Nam Pat and crosses the Sirikit Reservoir -- actually the Nan River -- at the little fishing village of Pak Nai on a primitive ferry. DC and Al have driven this route and told me it was beautiful and a great ride. We encountered a short stretch of gravel road just outside of Nam Pat, rough and dusty, but it lasted for only a half dozen or so miles. After that the 1339 became one of those classic Thailand roads, twisty and smooth with no traffic to speak of, and hilly with some wild country slightly  reminiscent of Alaska thrown into the mix. A simply gorgeous highway, and perfect for motorcycling.

First view of the Sirikit Reservoir from Rte 1339

We arrived at the ferry landing on the south side of the Sirikit Reservoir after about an hour and a half of breathtaking views along The 1339. 

There was no activity thereabouts to speak of so Nut inquired of a fellow lounging nearby about the ferry schedule. No problem, he replied, I'll call one for you. Pretty soon our "ferry" arrived. It was a battered aluminum double hulled barge with rough cut hardwood plank flooring. And it was being towed by a long-tail boat powered by what could only have been a lawn-mower engine. At first I couldn't believe that this tiny boat was actually going to pull us across that lake but once again the Thai's well developed ability to get along with less was amply demonstrated and before I knew it I had driven the Phantom up the rickety ramp and we were off, the tiny engine blatting loudly for all it was worth, moving us slowly but steadily across the lake.

The "ferry" that would take us across the Sirikit Reservoir

On the ferry to Pak Nai

Lakeside home - Sirikit Reservoir

Floating homes - Pak Nai Village

After an expensive lunch at a floating restaurant we took off for the final push to Nan. The restaurant charged us 30 baht for ice, 120 baht a plate for some fish that was good but not great, 20 baht a plate for rice, and 10 baht each for 3 bottles of water for a total of 320 baht, well over $10! We were a captive audience and we were half wealthy falang into the bargain. They took a large amount of money off us.

Pak Nai menu, falangs beware

We drove the rest of the way into Nan at a leisurely pace but the special scenery ended when we got off Rte 1339 and onto Rte 101. It was still nice driving but this road, the major approach to Nan from the south, was much busier and noisier. We checked into our hotel and Nut fell immediately into bed for a 2 hour snooze. Riding a moto from where she sits isn't nearly as much fun as driving one. Frankly, I think the trip is wearing on her. I warned her that sitting on a bike for 4-6 hours a day as a passenger might not all that much fun.  But then the bike trip is almost over. We go next to Phayao for a few days and then back to Chiang Mai where the motorcycling part of this visit will end.

Route 1339 scene

Farms along Rte 1339

A section of new road on Rte 1339 - perfect for motorcycling

 Our hotel in Nan, the Eurngkum Guesthouse, is a steal at 350 baht per night (about $12 USD). We're staying in a brand new building (it was under construction when I was here with the boys last spring) and it's a super good deal. Spotless, with squeaky clean ceramic tile everywhere, huge main room and bathroom, a lovely covered deck, gorgeous flowers and plants everywhere -- we even have a plant in our bathroom, another first for Thailand. Highly recommended!

Flower - Eurngkum Guesthouse

 I'm planning to put up an album on Picasaweb and/or Facebook titled "Flowers of Thailand". I don't know the names of any of these plants but it almost doesn't matter. They're beautiful and they're everywhere, lining the highways, in people's yards, in public parks. Nut knows most of them but transliterating the Thai names into English is tricky so I haven't taken the trouble. The beauty shown above she calls "Leelah Wadee". 

Stats for the trip: 4:27 time moving, 6:08 total for 98.4 miles (158 km).

Tomorrow we're off to Phayao. Why? Because it's there and Nut has heard great things about it and wants to go there for a visit. Sure, why not? I'll write more when I can. Be well.

Nam Pat

The area surrounding Nam Pat, a little town in Uttaradit province, is simply beautiful (N17.72766 E100.68595). It's in a fertile valley surrounded by mountains and the climate is friendly this time of year. Rice paddies, sugar cane and pineapple fields, and groves of teak trees line the twisty, well paved highways -- a motorcyclist's dream. Nut and I traveled here with DC yesterday. It was a long drive from Udon -- too long. We left Udon on a cloudy day after waking up hearing rain patter on the rooftop. We considered postponing our departure but it didn't look like the rain was gonna continue so off we went as soon as it quit. We hit a small patch of very light rain after an hour or so but we pushed on through it and were rewarded with sun and a balmy 75 degree day. We were on the bike for almost 8 hours of ride time in a 9 hour trip -- we covered only 241 miles. By the time we got here it was dark. Thailand is a tricky place to drive in the day time -- driving the Phantom at night with its ridiculously inadequate headlight is scary and something I always try to avoid. But when you're only 30 miles from a nice hotel and hot food you simply journey on hoping a dog won't run out onto the highway or a foraging chicken take flight and end up in your face. I intentionally followed a late model pickup for quite a while on the last 30 km leg of this trip using its bright white headlights to scope out the road ahead.

DC and Nut on the road to Nam Pat

Nut and I were in Nam  Pat a few days ago on our trip to Udon and yesterday we basically retraced our journey back here and right back to the same little hotel. From here we'll head north to Chiang Rai maybe, and Phayao for sure because Nut really wants to go there. We like the Nam Pat area and this hotel so much we stayed an extra day. We visited a teak tree forest preserve, the Sak Yai Forest Park, (sak = teak, yai = big) to see a giant and very old teak tree that is ensconced safely in the park. The Nam Pat region is, or was, all about teak. Almost everything in this hotel is made of teak which is a heavy, weather and rot resistant hardwood. How heavy is it? It doesn't float. In the old days when logs were floated out of the forest on a river, teak logs had to be chained to other lighter logs to keep them afloat until they reached their destination, usually a lumber mill.  World demand for this wood has reduced its abundance to the point that the Thai government has designated forest reserves to protect and preserve the remaining trees for future generations, somewhat akin to our redwood groves I imagine. The Sak Yai Forest Park is one of those reserves.

Nut posing with the majestic Sak Yai - it is 1,500 years old
( N17.65659 E100.56854)

The area abound with caves so we headed west for another 10 miles past Sak Yai to visit the Chan Cave. The day was warm, the sun bright as we ambled through the pretty farm country. We hiked up a small hill to get to the trail junction and then another rocky path up to the cave itself. It as impressive, and refreshingly cool I might add. Naturally, we took a few photos.

The trail head - it helps to have a translator. Chan Cave is to the right.

Chan Cave (N17.58449 E100.41969)

Forest scene near Chan Cave - Nam Pat

Aside from the beautiful country, Nam Pat doesn't offer all that much for the tourist. It doesn't have a 7-11 store, and believe me they are everywhere in Thailand, or much in the way of regular restaurants. We eat at the market or at small mom & pop places. The food is good but Nut complains that it isn't actually Thai food but Lao food. (But then she's a south Thailand chauvinist.) It's generally much spicier and not as sophisticated as Thai food in her opinion. Sheesh, I don't care -- I like it just fine. It's super cheap too. Our breakfast this morning was a tasty pork and noodle soup, rich and dark, spicy of course, and flavored with blood, a common ingredient in the dishes here, and actually, all around Thailand. Breakfast for two, including some coconut custards and a waffle, was about 60 baht -- 2 bucks!

BTW, the Phantom is running just great. It's amazing what a difference the new chain is making. The little thumper has considerably more power on the hills and shifting has improved noticeably as well. I'm thinking now that many of my problems with last year's bike had to do with its chain which was, like this one, badly worn to the point of being noisy. And the new sprockets no doubt play a role too. As they wear, the gaps between both sprockets' teeth get deeper and thus the chain rides lower than it should. This generates increased friction and extra heat. Due to that increased frictional resistance such a chain steals significant power from the Phantom's already small engine, and this in turn demands more shifting. The increased heat causes the links to stretch and ride even lower on the sprocket which in turn causes more friction, more resistance, and more power loss. It's a vicious cycle. Anyway, long story short, I'm enjoying the bike much, much more now. Even riding 2-up it climbs hills in 5th gear where before it required a downshift into 4th.

In a closing note I want to add that my search for a motorcycle is narrowing in and is now focused on the Suzuki V-Strom DL650 twin. (While I still love the Beemers the costs of buying and maintaining one are significantly higher than for most other bikes.) I hadn't really considered the 650 before, focusing instead on its big brother the DL1000, because its engine is smaller than my old Honda CB750 -- a purely academic (and admittedly stupid) argument at this point because engine technologies have changed greatly in the years since 1975 (gasp!), and today's 650 cc engines (4 valves and 2 spark plugs per cylinder, with fuel injection) probably outperform my old 750cc Honda. Many owner's reports and forums I've read on the Internet indicate that the smaller V-Strom, nicknamed wee-Strom, is a very capable bike. It's lighter and more maneuverable than the bulkier DL1000 and gets much better gas mileage, in the neighborhood of 55 mpg. Having ridden a 200cc bike for many miles now I was forced to ask myself, what's up with this need for a bike with a 1000cc engine? A 650cc engine is more than three times the size of the engine on the venerable Phantom. Do I need a bike that will go 125 mph  (DL1000) as opposed to the 650 which will top out at 115? WTF am I thinking here?

2007 Suzuki wee-Strom DL 650

Next stop, the small city of Nan. We'll take a ferry, visit a small fishing village and drive on some gravel, all firsts for me. Talk to you soon.

In and around Udon

I guess I'm writing this in part to express my disappointment that the big ride I had anticipated since the end of last year's trip isn't going to happen. Everybody is on a different schedule, and well, things just didn't work out. Al left Udon a few days ago to travel alone. DC is here but says he has at least a week's worth of chores to do before he can leave, Andy doesn't even arrive in Thailand until mid month. The trip of last year was a rare event -- the other riders like to travel solo -- so I was very lucky to have had such a fine group to travel with last year. I was prepared to send Nut back to Bangkok so I could travel with the boys. The plan, at least my plan, was to send for her again to meet me in Chiang Mai after the trip and before I returned the bike for another few days of biking together. But now with the boys opting out of the group ride, I was unsure of exactly what I wanted to do next.

Nut and I at Phu Foi Lom park

At first I thought, okay, I can make my way around north Thailand on my own. It will still be a great trip. But Nut, always protective as a mother hen, said, "No way. You cannot travel alone. You don't speak Thai. How will you buy food, etc."

I replied, "I'll get by. I need to learn how to travel on my own anyway."

The discussion went back and forth for a few hours. She was adamant. I wanted to do some solo riding on those fabulous mountain roads. I was adamant. We see-sawed back and forth. She clammed up. I went out for a walk alone. As soon as I returned to the hotel, she went for a walk -- something she's never done before.

Finally, by using the full compliment of women's tricks and persuasions she won me over to her point of view. The only real drawback to traveling up north riding 2-up is the the lack of horsepower on the Phantom. We'll be crawling up those hills in first gear some of the time. OTHO, the benefits to traveling with Nut are many. We can go at our own pace and stop to smell the flowers whenever we like. She can bargain for rooms and help me keep the Honda running; in short she will remain my traveling companion and expert interpreter for the duration of the motorcycle trip. I'm sure it will be a great experience.

Ah, the Phantom: I've come to the sad conclusion that renting a bike is a crap shoot. I thought that this one with its low mileage would serve me well for a month of riding. Well, since the brake caliper seized (and has been replaced) I've taken a much longer look at the bike I've rented. I learned that it does not have just 6K kilometers on it-- it has a new speedometer, replaced when someone dumped the bike and broke the original. I wonder how many miles this bike really has traveled? The chain is badly worn and should be replaced along with both sprockets, a fairly expensive repair. The front tire has seen better days, etc.

I called Tony and was prepared to give him hell for sending me off on a one month trip with a machine that needs so much. He replied immediately I could go ahead and get the work done and that he would reimburse me. Phew! I went to a nearby shop and had the chain and sprockets replaced. Then yesterday I had a new front tire mounted. The entire bike feels better. It runs quiet, shifts cleaner and without any clunking. And the new front tire feels cushy and inspires confidence that it won't slip on a turn. We're ready to travel.

Nut keeps the repair guys honest

I'm going to close with a little talk about driving in Thailand. I know I've complained often about the drivers here and with good cause. Motorcycle drivers especially don't obey the rules (do they even have rules here?) and many drive at great speed, weave in and out of traffic, and come out of nowhere when you least expect it. As I was driving along the "super highway" (in Thailand this is a four-lane divided highway with bike.moto lanes on the left) the other day, and pulled left onto the bike lane (Thailand is like England - one drives on the left) to escape the truck that was attempting to pass me. You would think this lane would be one-way, correct? It should be because after all you're on a divided highway. But you'd be wrong.

Here comes your friendly tuk-tuk driver, heading right at you, in your "lane" and driving like he owns it. Or the moto with three young girls coming at you as they drive a short distance to the market or to school. This used to make me furious until I understood their thinking in these situations. If the tuk-tuk driver needs to go a kilometer or two back the way he came (let's say it's to the south on a highway running north-south) and he were to do that according to our laws, he would have to drive north until he came to a legal U-turn, perhaps 4 or 5 km away, make the U-turn across 6 lanes of traffic, drive south past his intended destination until another U-turn is possible, perhaps another few km, then make the turn across 6 lanes of traffic for the second time. Now he's heading north again and his destination is a few kilometers away. It just doesn't make sense to go though all of that when he can simply drive the wrong way for a kilometer or so on the same side of the highway he is already on. Got it? Good, you're all set to drive the super highways in rural Thailand.

Here's a few shots form one of our several trips in the area of Udon. The weather's been perfect. Temperatures hover around 80 deg F day and night. We made a day trip to Nong Khai last week with Al. Most of the photos below are from that trip.

Lotus - Nong Khai

Flower - Nong Khai

Garden sculpture - Nong Khai

Amaryllis - Udon Thani

 We've been spending a lot of time with Albie, who arrived the other day, DC, and an old friend of mine, Scott, who we will be visiting in Lao next month. But the other day we went to the market, bought some chicken and sausage, a baked yam, some sticky rice and watermelon. We had a picnic in our hotel room.

It appears we'll be leaving Udon tomorrow. DC is finished with his chores earlier than anticipated, the Phantom is in as good shape as it's gonna get, Nut and I are eager to be on the move again and to get back to the countryside we left 10 days ago. We will hang with DC for a day or two until we get to Nan. Then our trails will probably split. He likes to go much faster on his Honda CBR 150 than we can comfortably travel 2-up on the heavier, slower Phantom. We'll catch up to him tomorrow night in Nam Pat. He has a different hotel there to try. He says it's nicer than  the one we stayed in one the way here, at 250 baht costs the same, and has wi-fi to boot. As we know, DC is a bargain hunter. I'll file a report when I can.

Our last night in Udon with (L to R) Scott, Albie, Nut, me and DC

We travel to Udon

I'm writing this four days after arriving here in Udon Thani, a medium sized city (pop. ~150,000) in northeastern Thailand, and the place my Homer riding buddies store their bikes and gear. Last year when I arrived here in early February it was uncomfortably warm. Then the air conditioners were humming full time as the long, hot Thai summer began. But this is November, the start of winter and the high tourist season. The weather is pretty near perfect with temperatures both day and night hanging right around 80 degrees (26 C). Two Homer bikers are here already, Al and DC, and Sean is due in next week. Last night we ate at one of our favorite spots to celebrate  DC's first full day in Thailand, a place we call Chicken Smoke Corner. Charcoal fires in sawed off 55-gallon drums burn hot all day cooking slabs of chicken and pork ribs, fish and sausage, and sending plumes of fragrant smoke out onto the street -- hence the name Chicken Smoke Corner.

At left: Nut, DC and Al finishing up our meal


So what have I been doing for the past few days? My motorcycle has a frozen front brake caliper so we're more or less stuck at the hotel. As if that isn't bad enough the new part must come all the way from Bangkok, a four-day wait. The situation was made worse when a local mechanic broke off part of the caliper when trying to free the piston. With such a badly weakened caliper the bike is not all that safe to ride. From now on I'll have all my work done at the Honda dealerships where they have trained technicians. The up side to the repair is that the new caliper will set me back only about $40 and that I'll get reimbursed by the owner when I return the bike.

Nut and I left Chiang Mai last Friday, October 29. We took our time once we left the busy 4-lane Route 11, the so called Superhighway, that points southeast out of Chiang Mai. Our destination was the village of Nam Pat, a town where I overnighted during my memorable first bike trip last February (more here...). I turned  onto a smaller road as soon as possible and the choice proved a particularly good one: route 1105 is a short, twisty, sweet ride through banana groves and rice paddies. I stopped several times to take photos of the beautiful countryside.

 

You can see me checking out the rice crop in one of the photos above. I had really never seen rice in this form before, that is to say, still on the stalk and close to harvest time. A couple more shots of the rice fields lining  Rte 1105 follow:

We arrived in Nam Pat after a 7 hour ride (5 hr 35 minutes actual ride time) that covered only about 190 miles (310 km). Riding two-up is more challenging for both the driver and the bike, consequently the maximum speed attained on this leg was only about 60 mph. 

Nut and me on a teak swing at our NamPat hotel - morning Oct 31st

Next day, the 31st, started out cool so I wore a long sleeve shirt atop a sleeveless one under my motorcycling jacket, and long pants. Amazingly, I was totally comfortable in this outfit all day. As you can see, Nut wore a poly-fleece jacket and, although she gets cold much easier than me she was able to stay out of the wind and stay warm by hiding behind my large carcass for most of the trip.  

We drove north on Rte 1047 out of Nam Pat. Although we were going out of our way the object was to make a swing through some of the pretty country, enjoying the ride and the scenery. Eventually we looped back southward on Rte 1241 and then in Ban Khok picked up Rte 1268 south. This is another of Thailand's great motorcycle roads. I'd ridden it going in the other direction last spring but now it is green and verdant, seemingly an altogether different road. Some photos follow:

Excellent motorcycling can be had on Rte 1268 in northern Thailand

Nut holding some longkong, another of her faves - Rest stop Rte 1268

 Nut at the Phu Soi Dao waterfall - Rte 1268

As the day wore on into evening the temperature dropped near 70 degrees, however, and both of us started to feel chilly. My new jacket, a Joe Rocket Phoenix, is designed for hot weather and is made from a very open weave mesh material that allows air to flow freely through it. That's fine as long as you're talking 80 degrees or so but in 60 degree temps, it's not so good. Our goal that day had been the small city of Loei but we decided to stop in Phu Ruea to escape the chill. We had driven 170 miles (274 km) in 6 hr 20 minutes on the bike; 8 hr 27 minutes door to door.

After a quick supper in the market Nut asked a local cop if he knew where the resorts were located. He pointed to a tiny street next to the market and indicated he owned a resort up there and that, surprise, surprise, it was a very good one. We drove off looking for his resort but we turned into the driveway of the first resort we saw, not his we soon learned, but it turned out well. Except for a couple of things. As we were unpacking the bike the cold started to get to Nut -- she began shivering and her hands turned icy. The night time temperature was way lower than what she's used to in Bangkok. The little old lady who ran the place, by the name of Lek, offered to build us a warming fire. Nut excitedly encouraged her to go ahead. Lek promptly hustled her over to a little gazebo and started building what turned out to be a very nice fire. (As far as I can tell, all the wood in Thailand is hardwood, which burns hot and with no sparks.) Her husband, Witthaya, brought out snacks and later drove into town for some wine.

Before long Nut was grilling bananas and sausages over the fire while Witthaya cooked up some strips of what I took to be fish at first but which turned out to be buffalo skin. I tried it but didn't think much of it -- it was tough, very chewy --  basically grilled fat -- but Lek and her husband wolfed it down.We shared some tasty local wine that night too. But the reason we were wined and dined, at least one major reason other than the fact that we're both likable and friendly, is that Nut is a massage therapist and I am a "wealthy" falang. They were seeking investors for Lek's struggling massage business in town and in their developing campground/resort. Apparently, much of the conversation Lek was having with Nut (and which I couldn't understand) around the campfire had to do with encouraging us to throw in with them. 

We turned in at about 11 pm after eating and drinking practically everything they brought out to share -- except the buffalo skins of course. When we went to take showers it turned out that, unfortunately, the water heater simply wasn't up to the job. Nut came out of the shower with the shakes. We laughed together until she crawled under the covers and began warming her hands on my back. We slept under 3 blankets that night, a first for my time in Thailand.

Next day we were up early and after saying good-byes to our friendly hosts were soon on the road to Udon. It was a short ride of 127 miles which we did in about 4 hours. I had called ahead to reserve a room at the Top Mansion, a hotel conveniently located near the night market, the Robinson's shopping mall, the bus and train stations, as well as other attractions.All my Homer buddies stay there and for obvious reasons.  At 370 baht per night (~12 bucks),  it's cheap and well appointed: A/C, hot water, balcony, TV, Wi-Fi, and it's kept super clean. Nut's happy because she's a clean freak and some of the other places we've stayed have fallen far short of her standards. LOL (I think most women are in agreement around this issue.)  We have no need for the A/C this time of year but it's essential in the spring or summer. Very nice accommodations!

I reckon I'll sign off for now. Be well ,wherever you are, and we'll be talking again soon.