North by Southwest

I'm back in Chiang Mai for my last evening here, and before I fight the buckets and buckets of water to go find something to eat, I'll post just a bit here.

From Fang I went north to the Golden Triangle, at one time a center for drug growing and smuggling. The road to get here, while smokey, was one of the best for motorcycling I've ever been on. Now there are several coffee farms along the road where once there were poppy farms, a much more lucrative crop.



In the foreground is Thailand, off to the left you can barely make out the casino in Burma, and across the river to the right is Laos.

Now there are hundreds of vendors selling handicrafts and other things, and hundreds of boats plying tourists around the Mekong for the thrill of getting closer to Laos and Burma. I declined the many offers to accept my money for a boat ride, but I did relent and get a couple tee shirts.



Riding along the Mekong River, I saw them setting up this stage for New Year celebration in the small town of Chiang Saen.

I spent the night in Chiang Rai, a fairly large city, and I couldn't find the hotel. I stopped to look at my map and a really nice couple came out of their store to help me out. Getting to the hotel was indeed difficult, so they hopped on their motorbike and led me there. Really nice people. Near the hotel was a very nice restaurant that served superb Massaman curry.

On the way back to Chiang Mai from Chiang Rai, I stopped for an iced coffee at a quaint shop on the side of the road and had a chat with a couple of local policemen. One was very interested in my bike, its gas mileage, what I ride back at home, gas mileage again, etc. He pointed out our precise position on the map where I took this photo.



One of the few green fields this time of year. The smokey sky is very evident here.

When I got back to Chiang Mai the Songkran madness was in full swing. This is a view of the street from my room.



On John's recommendation, the next morning I headed out Mae Sariang, near the Burmese border southwest of Chiang Mai. For part of this ride, the smoke cleared and I was able to get a couple of good pictures.



A newly planted rice field--a very rare sight this time of year.



The same field, up close and personal. The plants are now about 6 inches tall.



I stopped for a coke here on the Mae Chaem River.



A small valley nicely terraced for agriculture.



And this scary guy was in the middle of the road in the middle of nowhere.



Next rest stop, 30 km.



The evening sun reflecting off the Yuam River behind the all -teakwood hotel John recommended.



A smokey sunset.



One of the many sources of smoke.



The last 2 km back into Chiang Mai took me almost 2 hours, and this is why. Today is the actual New Year's Day and the streets are madness with people throwing water at each other. If you look closely, you can see an image of Buddha being carried through the crowd for people to pour water on (the origin and actual intent of all the water-throwing).

The madness is supposed to continue for another couple of days, but I'm hoping it's a little better at my next stop.

Tomorrow I'm flying southeast to the Northeast. Really.