Accomodation Nam Pat ?
- Thread starter ernothai
- Start date
Thank you very much for your fast answer.
I really want to tell you, that your reports are the biggest help for planning my trips. And I really enjoy reading them. Actually you also seem to be the only one in the forum who knows about this corner of Thailand around Nam Pat, Na Haeo.
I want to make a trip in february starting from Udon Thani to Nan and back again. Reading your reports I guess you would do this in no more than 4 days, but I am an easy(going) rider with just a 125 Honda (which i hope to rent in Udon). I like to stop often and I seem to have a very weak ass. So I use to break up my trips into pieces no longer than 150-200 km.
Allow me to tell you my itinerary, maybe you have some helpful comment.
First I will go to Sang Khom and Chiang Khan for old memories, have done that before, also half of the way to Na Haeo.
Maybe I can make it from Ch.K. to the NP Phu Soi Dao in one day. Next day either all the way to Nan using the 1268 and 1083,or just going via Nam Pat to Fak Tha and stay there over night (there seems to be a hotel, too). You seemed to like the 1047 very much.
I will stay around Nan a few days, this is my absolute favourite in Thailand.
From Nan I will go to Pak Nai, the fishermen village - I stayed there already 1 night and I really liked it. But, alas for you, there is no western food around.
Then there is again a choice: either I drive via Nam Pat to Na Haeo (there seems to be a nice resort) or I stay a night in Nam Pat (ridiculous distance) and then drive the long distance to Dan Sai via Thong Saen Khan, Chat Trakan and Nakhon Thai. I remember that you were quite fond of the 1143. Does any of the mentioned towns have a hotel or so?
Eventually I will track back to Udon via Loei.
Well, I would appreciate any comment from your side very much.
And I will follow your future reports with great interest.
Thanks and best wishes
Dieter.
Thank you very much, Slash, for this detailed description, it really helps a lot. I just wonder how you found this complicated way yourself. You seem to like Chiang Khan a lot, I do, too. Stupid question: I met a young austrian guy, oliver, with a thai wife and a baby last year when I was there. He should be there by now again. Did you see him? it's a small town, isn't it?
Wish you good riding
Dieter.
Wish you good riding
Dieter.
Glad that you liked the trip to Khun Satan.
I use a map for this area which is labeled:
Prannok Witthaya Maps Center - Map of Mae Sai, Chiang Saen,..... the east of northern region.
It has a lot of raods which are not on the B&B Thailand North map. And it is in English and Thai. I guess I bought it in the big bookstore in Ch.M. (only 70 B btw.) Sorry forgot the name but everybody knows.
Of course , as usual some roads are completely wrong, but that is the problem with almost all thai maps. You have to have at least 3 maps. If at least 2 of them show the same road then there is a good chance that it exists. Of course I am talking here about the small roads.
Yeah the old B&B has become a bit dated & now to be honest even the new B&B North Thailand has a few serious errors in it, but that's not too say it is any worse than the other maps.
The problem with most of the maps, except my own, is that they never check the map on the ground (actually go out & survey) to verify the road classification - dirt / asphalt, good / bad in wet / dry seasons.
Also the routes nos. - many of these are changing. The Dept. of Accelerated Rural Development, that used to look after rural roads is no longer & we actually have the Dept of Rural Roads with new routes nos. & classifications. On the rural back roads now it is not uncommon to see old routes nos. painted out & blank spots while they wait for the new nos. to be issued! Confusing eh?
So it's very difficult for a map to be up to date & I reckon that any map older than 18-24 months will have quite a few incorrect routes nos. as it is changing so fast now.
Whilst incorrect route nos. are not such a serious problem, I think that showing dirt roads as major asphalt highways, or even roads - dirt or asphalt - that don’t exist is seriously negligent & irresponsible to your touring customers.
The data on my maps - kms & routes nos. - I have personally checked on the ground, so if it has kms & a route nos. I’ve been there & checked it for real; not sat in an office scamming info from other maps / satellite images / military topo maps.
Also in my case people track me down & give me abuse for leading them up what thought was the wrong garden path. But for the big publishing companies I don’t think anything happens or people complain direct & even if you did I honestly don’t think they'd react or care very much.
Now overall there is no one good perfect map that has it all accurately. Both the P&N, and Thinknet maps are generally good, but for fine detail you cant beat a GT Rider map for a bikers guide map - there's just not enough of them yet.