Thread: Mathos' trip from Chiang Mai to Laos

As mentioned the room was ok for the money! And even if I say it myself, Granny (Flobo) don't look too bad at all for coming up 63 in June.


We hired a motorcycle for a while, and covered a great number of miles on the same. It was whilst we were heading for Chiang Khong, we stopped to take in a couple of views and take a photograph or two. We spoke then about the loss of conversation on the bike, the added cause for concern of our personal safety, the state of some of the roads and some of the driving we encountered.

Maybe it was time to hand the bike back in when we returned to Chiang Mai and take a car.

Well we considered it the most sensible and more comfortable option and that is eventually what we did.

We made a decision then, that in future we would just use a motorcycle whenever we were situated at a coastal resort.

It really was a beautiful view coming along this particular road in The Golden Triangle.

The views, as I think (hope anyhow) you will agree are quite spectacular.








Sometimes, you ride or drive over the crest of a hill or even walk and come across views like this and there is a strong tendency to think you are the first person or people on the planet to have seen it.

Depending on the eye of the beholder, perhaps you are.



Both of these photographs were taken as we rode into towards Chiang Khong.

The mountain ranges to the immediate north of Chiang Mai below the massive Himalayas are commonly known as 'The Yunnan Knot'.

Here the east-west alignment of the Himalayas twists abruptly. From these mountains the three mighty rivers flow almost parallel,

The Huang-Ho, The Mighty Mekong and the Irrawaddy, as they meet they form the area commonly known as The Golden Triangle.

The northern most town and border crossing in Thailand; Mai Sai is steeped in history and events connected with the opium trade, Khun Sa and a cosmopolitan assortment of people and trading, the likes of which are commonly associated with these quite lawless border towns.

The market features with goods from China, Mongolia, Russia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Burma, India, Nepal cover anything and everything you could wish to buy, be it gold, precious stones of all types, novelties, fridges, freezers, televisions, engines, generators, plant and machinery in general, clothes, fake designer goods, from sun glasses to hand bags, to an alarming trade in human slavery. There are guns, knives, hand grenades, land mines and other weapons of death and destruction. Designer type drugs, mainly methamphetamine commonly known as yaaba, whilst not on show, are offered as under counter products. Caverta tablets, Viagra, hosts of other pharmaceutical products, be they the real product, copies, substitutes or total fakes, I have no idea, marijuana, hashish and various other plants with hallucinogenic or amphetamine type properties being assured by the vendors.

Let any reader note well, the penalties for possession of drugs in Thailand can be as severe as severe can be, death cannot be ruled out, and a life sentence in a hell hole Thailand prison can mean exactly life.

I have visited many Europeans over the years incarcerated in prisons for thinking they could get away with making a good deal of money for a pittance of an outlay in The Golden Triangle, I have seen their suffering and cannot stress strongly enough, it isn't worth it!

I'll write a little up on two of the prisons I am familiar with as a visitor and conditions there at a later date.

The risks regarding malaria have increased of late especially in Laos, Burma, Cambodia and consequently along the borders of each country with Thailand.

My main concern on a personal basis has always been Dengue Fever, I have seen people (occidentals) go down with this infection and resulting illness and it is quite a nasty episode, some don't get through it. There is no vaccine or preventative medication for Dengue Fever.

Other diseases spread by flies and other insects such as mosquito's include; Filariasis, Chikungunya, leishmaniasis, typhus, and plague.
Food and waterborne diseases are really the number one cause of travellers problems in general. Results include Diarrhea, vomiting, typhoid, cholera, hepatitis and polio.

Obviously we take the precautions of taking all possible injections, plus malaria tablets for risk areas and always ensure the water we drink is bottled. well boiled or treated, depending on it's source. It is imperative that only very well cooked food is eaten also.

We have taken rabies injections and applicable boosters for some twelve years or so now. I dread the thought of rabies.

Water should always be treated with concern, it is impossible to determine between infested and non infested water. Swimming in fresh water in rural areas should be avoided, but this is not always a rule strictly followed, especially in moments of relaxation and perhaps a hard days walk in humid conditions, any watering hole looks kind of good!
I always carry hayter (bleach) whisky, banochin and iodine, any bites, scratches or cuts are treated immediately. I also carry various types of anti-biotics for self treatment just in case an infection is apparent.

Only last year in The Takuapa area of Thailand we were strongly warned to be extremely careful of dogs in the area. Believe me, dogs are not always mans best friend! Many strays and feral packs roam in the mountain areas. Hydatid cysts can be contacted by simply stroking the dogs as the larvae eggs stick to the animals fur. There is no reliable medicinal treatment for these cysts, they have to be surgically removed from the liver where they end up being lodged. An additional infection problem is creeping eruption a nasty syndrome where hookworm larvae penetrate the skin, creating itchy red moving worm shaped trails, normally on the feet and legs. We were also warned of the adorable looking night monkey, it will definitely bite if touched, the bite is extremely infectious. Large gecko's if cornered will also bite quite severely and you would need checking for diptheria and tetanus along with the severity of the bite.

You might appreciate, you have to be cautious, especially with jungle squirrels entering your tree house during the night time, I have been stung by a large black scorpion, stung by wasps and large bees over the years. Numerous insect bites etc etc. I have experienced very bad sickness etc on occasion.

I have been stitched up in an odd clinic or two over the years, last year included, I think I have a snap somewhere of me being treated in a clinic.

You have to realise, neither my wife or myself are not getting any younger, we will both be 63 years of age on our next birthday. Insurance cover for the type of undertakings we both undertake is not an issue. We take our chances in other words.




The Doctor was a real beauty!

There is some outstanding scenery in this particular area of Thailand, the roads aren't too bad either, but care has to be taken especially in the mountains. There is a natural human tendency to relax when you feel the freedom that two wheels and a rather powerful engine give as you coast up and down the sides of mountains. The reality can be abruptly brought back into focus though when you round a bend at some 60mph and find a heavily laden pick up coming towards you as he's overtaking an old Mercedes bus, not a care in the world, no regard for safety or what might be out of sight around the next corner, it can be a lottery at times driving in Thailand, be it two or four wheels.

In the mountain regions especially, progress and development go hand in hand with getting the job done or getting from A to B. Most motorists have never had a driving lesson. They learn the basics and off they go. It's nothing to see farmers coming off the land onto dual carriageways and regarding them as two roads, taking their pick as to which lane they decide to use for the moment in time. Alongside these skills you may just come across a mahout sat astride his elephant which can be dragging a colossal teak log, probably illegally as well. Children as young as ten or twelve years of age can be riding old motorcycles, bare feet, or a pair of flip flops if they are lucky.

Some old girl and her off-spring think nothing at all of setting up a stall selling hardware on the central reservations!

After Mai Sai we were cruising down alongside the Mekong towards Chiang Khong a river/border town with Laos and our intention to spend some time in the area as well as take in an extended boat trip down The Mekong. The Border Police appeared quite interested in seeing a couple of Farangs riding a motorcycle in these parts and we were stopped twice at check-points, the communication between us on both occasions was not so good, dialects change quite dramatically in northern Thailand, but once they had a look around the bike, and peered into our ruck-sacks, prodding around rather aimlessly, they waived us on with a smile and a look of confusion, being no wiser than when they first stopped us. You get used to them over a period of time and normally when they stick their hands up to wave me down, I give them a big toothy grin, wave heartily towards them and carry on, I've never been chased following this response.


Namkhong Riverside Hotel, in the sleepy little town of Chiang Khong sitting right on the banks of the Mekong, and what a nice little hotel it was. We stayed for a few nights, it was from this point that I was originally attempting to get into the jungle canopies of Laos. The hotel had pleasant guest rooms, forty in total we were on the top floor with unrestricted views across the Mekong to Laos. There was a pleasant little balcony attached to the room, and we would sit outside about seven in the morning taking in the views of life on the river whilst enjoying a hot mug of Liptons tea, complete with a teaspoonful of condensed milk utter bliss! The cocks crowing, pigs grunting, dogs barking and the aroma of food cooking from the the street below us and the kitchen breakfast room of the hotel.

The room was pleasantly furnished, wardrobe space, colour television with cable channel, (we didn't turn it on to be honest with you) refrigerator with mini bar bathroom with full amenities and air conditioning which was certainly a requirement! Not bad for some £7..50p per night including breakfast for the two of us.

The town itself was quite beautiful, little more than one main street with a few side streets. Several homestays and very small guest houses, but very few tourists of occidental origin. There were several Thai and Malaysian tourists who apparently made trips into Laos for amazing savings on various goods such as blankets, towels and carpets which certainly appeared very colourful in their presentation and one can only assume there must have been a reasonable level of profit to be made judging by the quantities going across the river to waiting pick up trucks! Either that or it was an easy point to smuggle across alternative matter, which didn't concern us anyhow!

The main street was very clean, houses and small shops well presented and several bar b q points of a late afternoon cooking mainly freshly caught river fish which tasted delicious.

It was a nice walk from the hotel down to the immigration point on the river at Chiang Khong, the crossing to Laos was short, certainly no more that six or seven minutes on a long tail. The immigration point at Huay Xai in Laos, was total chaos, obviously the country wanted the good old pound sterling, USA dollar or Thai Baht, their own currency was not an issue to be considered. I seem to recall the entry fee at Huay Laos consisted of a passport size photograph (we always keep a selection handy with our passports) and about $30 for the two of us to gain entry.

We had put enough clothing toiletries etc into one rucksack for the both of us to cover our requirements for two or three nights, plus you can always rinse simple clothing like underwear, thin shorts and T shirts through a room wash and rinse and hang out to dry.

There were two separate stages for the boat trips down to Luang Prabang, one was a slow boat station the alternative a faster long tail 'speed boat' as they put it down river. The slow boat consisted of an old long multi seat boat with a timber roof supported by thin uprights. There were a few life jackets, a toilet, a table, cups, spoons, boiled water available, hot and cold drinks, fruits and snacks. There was opportunity to call into tribal villages on the way down river and overnight accommodation for the first night of the trip could be arranged in a guest-house in Pakbeng. From Pakbeng the boat would depart early the following morning taking the rest of the day to reach Luang Prabang.

Photograph of Flobo here in the restaurant of the hotel overlooking the Mekong. It really was a superb little spot on this beautiful planet of ours.




Talking about roads, earlier on, this was one particular section of downright dangerous hold on to your hats as we banked around a left hander at about 65 mph.

I just had to stick this beauty on of the butcher shop in Laos.. It really stirred up my appetite!






This is a street photograph of the beautiful little town of Chiang Khong,

The latter shows one of the alternative guest type houses available.

I think I mentioned the street cooking, great food, especially the river fish of which there were plenty.







There was simply something rather special regarding the street food, the cleanliness of the town and everything on offer helped too. Superb!!




A street bar, pleasant and fair prices all round.

OK That will do for today (it's getting late here) next time on I will show you some great photographs from Laos and give you a bit more of a write up.

I hope this is going down OK with you all!

Only had one comment regarding the eerie looking piece of beef from DD.??

Enjoying it Mathos keep going and some great photos, thanks.

Cheers Jizzybloke.. Nice Avi that too!

OK I have a few photographs first of all of the Triangle area I'll put those on this evening and it may well get to weekend before I manage the Laotian assortment,

We were in the country side and there was a Hill-tribe wedding taking place locally, we spoke briefly with a group who were going to the wedding , they kindly allowed us to take a few photographs.



The colours the Hilltribe people merge together in their special clothing always looks attractive.

The lady here in a small shop in Chiang Saen had her hands full looking after the premises and baby too. I thought at the time, baby was particularly beautiful.





The town also had a pleasant welcome sign.






There is quite detailed introduction and description here, well worth reading.

Sometimes, you may be lucky enough to have the camera in your hands when a particular face comes into view. I happened to think the chap on the bike towing his home made trailer looked a very interesting character.




The children here were also part of the wedding group, likewise the lady below, the children, whilst not dressed in the 'celebration type clothing' was certainly there to make sure everybody was correctly attired.





The two young chappies to her rear looked interesting too!

The photograph here was taken from the hotel balcony early morning, just catching sunrise. Happy memories too.





The lady and young girl, as on the photograph below were walking off into the hills, with a specimen collection of pampas type grass.


This particular map was well displayed on the banks of The Mekong. Quite beneficial too.

This was a very attractive display on the river bank.





There are always a tremendous amount of these particular vehicles in the Laotian, Burmese and Cambodian border towns. This particular one was rather old and was being used to convey five gallon plastic drums of water from the Mekong.



They all have a little plaque stating 'Made by The Democratic People Republic of China' around the engine compartment.

A simple house photograph from the area, but I thought how well it looked. Well constructed too. I wondered if it had one time simply been the top section on stilts and had had the under-carriage so to speak, built around and utilised, or had it originally been constructed in this manner.







The lady with her son and the hen, I don't know why, it simply interested me and she allowed me to take the photograph.

Another of those scenic shots, you simply feel the desire to take and hold onto every now and then.





The photograph below was one we took during the evening of our hotel by The Mekong






Leaving Thailand and heading across the river into Laos.

It certainly didn't take more than a few minutes to do the crossing over the stretch of The Mekong.


Here we are in Laos.






The couple and small child, which we assumed to be their own, certainly didn't look the happiest of souls!

I really like the far north of Thailand. Apart from the spectacular scenery, I find the people up there quite the nicest in Thailand.

Isaan folk are very nice too, but a little more coarse.

It is indeed a beautiful area Sabang, I have quite a bit more to add and no doubt will be busy over the weekend.

Cheers.

do the cops still run the local bordello employing under age burmese?

Great stuff Mathos...enjoy your sense of humour and excellent report...not many comments by TDers but plenty reading...carry on please...

Obsidian.. The bordello is another story, I'll let you have some detail on that little lot at a later stage.

Klongmaster;- Thanks for your comments. Appreciated.

I'll be entering some photographs from Laos, later on, it just happens to be one of those weeks, you no, nothing runs how you want it too.

No worries though, in my book the only thing that matters is staying here as long as I can.

Catch you shortly.

Laos is strange country, I have crossed The Mekong many times over the years! Apart from Vientiane, which has slightly improved over the last twenty two years or so, the remainder of the country appears to have no ambition what-so-ever to pull itself into the modern world. Obviously there are factors which influence how and when a country progresses, there are many tales of woe attached to Laos and it has this habit of reflecting such in it's people, towns, homes and just about any and every atom of it's being.




It's different to look on photographs like the one above, but the scene represents so much sadness in life, why should the four middle aged ladies look so pathetically poor, three of them don't even have a pair of flip flops. There sense of being is perhaps satisfied on a regular basis of passing round the pipe of marijuana. It is indeed a great pity, if not an injustice in 2008.

I visited several villages during my time there, the country is somewhat peculiar indeed. The Hill-tribes of northern Thailand can be lacking in modern facilities but there is a sense of being and direction of their choice. Laos does not appear to have any choice or direction. Maybe it's Communism, I rather think I would lay the blame in this category.