Alas, the mental and physical anguish of pushing up a 15-20% gradient hill in the tropical weather with no wind. For the cyclist, climbing a steep hill goes something like this: one more turn, then it's the top...ok the next turn, then it's the top...breath, breath, urgh! my legs ache, keep pedaling, just because I'm in granny gear doesn't make me weak...right? no, of course not. It's hot.
So, why do we do? For the wicked awesome downhill, duh!
This was not our experience for the
entire leg, but the beauty of Northern Thailand will forever be etched into our minds. But first, we had to get there.
The flat expanses of Southern Thailand seemed to extend until just shy of Chiang Mai. For hundreds of kilometers from Bangkok, north on Hwy 1, there is nothing but flat roads and rice paddies interlaced with some of Thailand's most extraordinary ruins. Matt and Alyssa appreciate the cultural significance of these ruins, but got a bit bored after a couple of days; unfortunately for the pair, that's all there is to see in the area. Therefore they decided to kick it into high gear (literally) and cycle 100-130km per day to get to Chiang Mai as quickly as possible.
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| Just a normal Toyota Pick-up and a normal load. |
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| RICE PADDIES! Now you know what we saw...for 5 straight days |
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Flooding washed out the road just north of Bangkok.
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| Ruins of Ayuthhaya. |
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| Some more ruins of Sukothai |
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| Ruins of Sukothai. |
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| More ruins of Sukothai |
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| At this stage we were getting a bit bored of ruins. Although, they are pretty impressive. |
Northern Thailand began to show it's true colors near Lampang, when three hills, two of which were stretching out over 8 km, slowed Yours Truly right down to a crawl. But of course what goes up must come down and Matt and Alyssa careened into Chiang Mai elated, if not a bit shaky in the legs. And their timing couldn't have been better because the 'Rose of the North' was celebrating it's largest and most colorful festival. The Flower Festival!! Upwards of 40 floats, all made out of plant material, move around the city and compete for the best float. And what festival is complete without the crowning of a local beauty?! Crowning 'Miss Flower Festival' is a highlight if the night (we didn't watch, lame!)
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| Parade Chaing Mai Style! |
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| Around 40 floats travel the parade route and they are all made entirely of plant material |
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| Alyssa can't get enough of those bugs!! |
Besides the stunning scenery, the temperature is cool and comfortable, the road weaves through agricultural lands, hill-tribe villages, national forest and of course, hills! One of the most memorable spots was Fang, where a brisk 13 degree morning beckons one for a soak in a mineral hot spring. Breakfast included half a dozen eggs hard boiled in a spring a few meters away.
The further north we went, the more humbling the hills became, as Thais don't waste time with switch backs. Their roads go straight up the damn hills, on occasion challenging even the newest 4WD vehicle. Alyssa wanted hills, and she got them. After a tranquil stop over in Mae Salong, the pair decided they punished themselves enough, and chose a route that was less demanding and cruised into Mae Sae ready to cross into Myanmar.
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| Our breakfast! Hard boiled in hot springs! |
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| Matt riding on some hill |
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| I hope this chubby Buddha makes you laugh as much as it did us |
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| Inside a cave near Chiang Dao |
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| YEAH!! Cruisin' over 3000km! |
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| View of Mae Salong, the hardest cycling of Alyssa's life |
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| We climb them for the downhill |
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| Entering Myanmar, but only for one night |
The last few days in Thailand came and went like any other day. We got some hills, enjoyed a giant golden Buddha statue and ate pad thai for dinner with 5 fellow cycle tourist. Thailand was good to us, but we were ready for a change. Laos was just over the border, and we were preparing for a leisurely float down the Mekong River.
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| The Golden Triangle. Alyssa's bike is in Thailand, across the river on the left is Myanmar, and on the right is Laos |
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| The Mighty Mekong! |
