Wednesday, 13 November 2013
We set off from Chiang Rai this morning after a quick stop at the morning market for breakfast and supplies. We had a 60km ride ahead to Chiang Saen and it ended up being almost entirely flat the whole way.
(Chiang Rai is famous for its gold clock)
(Cycling over the Kok River, which we caught the boat down on the previous day)
We arrived into Chiang Saen at 11.30am. We had booked a hotel room online the night before and found it without difficulty. Chiang Saen is a small town that is only a short ferry ride from Laos but it's not a legal border crossing for foreigners so we can look at but not touch Laos for now. Chiang Saen is the farthest north we've been since arriving in Thailand.
We had an interesting experience at the hotel today. Paul asked if the hotel's restaurant was open for lunch and was told it was not so he asked if there was a restaurant open nearby. The receptionist's English is limited (although it is much better than our Thai) and she suggested we try the 7/11 down the road. He tried to explain that we wanted proper food and asked where the local market was. When we walked out of the hotel, we found a little cafe run by a Thai woman right next door to the hotel. We pointed to a few ingredients and a couple of pictures on the wall and ended up with a great lunch for about $2.50. We were unsure why the hotel didn't mention this option but wondered if it has something to do with what they expect westerners to eat. Or maybe just a miscommunication. Most of the places we eat at here probably wouldn't pass western health and safety regulations but the food is freshly cooked and the ingredients are simple and clean and they definitely beat resorting to two-minute noodles and a bag of crisps from 7/11.
Later in the afternoon, we made our way into the town to catch our first glimpse of the mighty Mekong River. And just on the other side, we could see Laos. We bumped into the two French women we had shared cycling tips with in Lampang who were both looking happy and healthy. It was a brief chat but nice to see some friendly, familiar faces.
(The Mekong, Laos and we think perhaps Myanmar in the far distance)
(Our last night in Thailand)
After a wander along the small night market and some dinner, we made our way back to the hotel. Tomorrow we will ride to Chiang Khong where we will catch a boat to Huay Xui in Laos. This will be our first border crossing. We have already got our 30 day Laos visas so we hope for a straight forward entry. We've had a fantastic 20 days in Thailand and it's certainly been a great introduction to cycling through this part of the world. The Thai people have been incredibly warm, kind and welcoming. We're a little unsure of what's ahead in Laos but no doubt it'll be fun and a little character building.
(Farewell to the technicoloured rainbow that is Thailand)
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