Two days in a row
16 februari 2017 - Leiden, Nederland
Dear readers,
The fish of today is wrapped in yesterday's news(paper).
Yesterday I went from Phrao to Wiang Pa Pao. Straight from the start I had to resort to my lowest gear which turned out to be my best friend for the day. Really struggling to get over these seemingly forever rolling Thai mountain tops. At two times I had to walk. I guess over 12% is yet a little too much of the steep stuff for now...
You were right, Mr. Somsri! Hilly, steep climbs, but also a very quiet and beautiful road. It was worth the effort I put in, and you did say I could do it, so win win hey!
After 35 km's of this hard labour it finally went down for a bit and I called it a day in Wiang Pa Pao. Nice little roadside town. Had a bit to eat at the local diner and a team of 'Chang' salesmen- and women were also having a meal and a brewsky. I guess they developed a taste for the stuff, well I can't blame them. It kills the thirst like an animal and calms down the nerves at the same time. Just what the doctor ordered! Hahaha!
Next day, which is today...
Target city for today was Chiang Rai, not to be confused with Chiang Mai...
At first some of the old 'yesterday' stuff emerged in front of my little wheel. Nasty steep, but short climbs. But that smoothed out quit soon. The rest of the day was breeze. Slowly descending... Until I noticed every 200 meters a cop posting in uniform and every other 200 meters there were these national flags waving, each time three in a row. I suspected some statesman was catching up with me...
Lowe and behold, the King was coming! (I felt deeply honoured, but this was a bit over the top, even for me.. :D) By the time the king was about to arrive, I was pulled over and ordered to place myself out of sight where others were already waiting patiently . The cops watched the people at the shoulder, like stewards do a crowd, at a football match. An endless motorcade went by, and the cars all had dark stained glass... So, did I see the king? Or did he see me...? We'll never know peoples.
Cheers Paul!
Fired up!!!
Great to see that you like the way with beautiful roadside and natural fresh air. As per your request some details of Myanmar so I sent to you via FB messenger and your e-mail already. Please check.
Choosak S.
Gr nol