An afternoon excursion was made to check up on dear old Mae Sai and the flood damage. Rumour had it that the Sai Lom Joy market was back in business.
Steve Merchant & I agreed to meet at the Panor Coffee at Mae Chan for brunch for me & lunch for Steve.
The meal selections confirmed the different time zones that Steve & I operate on.
I'm a night person, and Steve is an early bird. Steve had spaghetti carbonara for lunch, and I had the American breakfast and two croissants.
The super lovely, bubbly Miss Nid, a sensational young Akha gal, served us. Steve noticed and commented, "This must be the girl you spoke of." Indeed, it was. A quick chat with Nit confirmed that neither her place in Mae Sai, behind Tesco Lotus, nor her parents' place in Phan, south of Chiang Rai, suffered any damage. We lingered longer at the Panor, maybe under the spell of Nid, and didn't head off to Mae Sai until 1:30 p.m.
Entering Mae Sai city, you immediately see the dust from the dried mud permeating the air nicely.
A semblance of normal life is returning, with the main street generally cleared of mud and access straight to the border bridge.
The traffic is congested like the good ol' days.
The Shan/Burmese people in the street were noticeable, sitting down with their plastic shopping bags.
I understand the situation on the Tachilek side is direr, with few supplies. Hence, the Burma crowds came over to stock up on whatever they could get.
Whilst the Sailom Joy market by the river was still closed, the Doi Wao market was operating and damn busy!
We triple-parked our bikes with the mob, and I left my helmet for safekeeping in a shop.
The underground driveway of the Wang Tong Hotel.
Note the high mound of mud out the back in what used to be the hotel car park.
My favourite motorbike car park was by the river, at the back of a Sang Lar jewellery shop, still under deep mud.
Access was impossible, but I was to take a photo through the rear shop windows.
No mud and clean in good times.
You could access the #1 tourist sign in Mae Sai via a slippery sidewalk
The river scene by the bridge.
The river still seems to be high and flowing fiercely, but you have to wonder if it is now full of mud and rubble.
The entrance to the famous Sai Lom Joy market is on the west upstream side of the bridge.
Access is still tricky - mud & snot, metres of it!
Backhoes & loaders are slowly working through the mud, reclaiming the roadway.
The mud inside the market is still metres high, with many people unable to access their homes.
Ironically, one of the issues now is not enough water to wash away the mud.
The mud is drying fast and is hard. It will be more challenging to remove as time passes.
Destroyed goods washed away from the shops in the marketplace.
Cleaning out an underground carpark that was full of mud.
A bucket brigade!
A damaged souvenir shop.
Rubble piled up in the street.
While the main street was okay, any side streets were a severe challenge due to mud.
Towing out a car that had been trapped in the mud.
Weary workers taking a break.
We met a charming, hard-working team of army rescue staff from Chiang Mai.
The team leader, a female, spoke good English and was extremely polite.
We had a very humorous moment with them.
They had been at the big cave for the rescue of the Wild Boar football team, got excited and immediately asked for a selfie photo with Steve, believing him to be Rick Stanton, one of the cave rescue team. Steve was embarrassed and declined a photo!
I didn't hesitate, of course. Thank you, Steve, for the photos.
Apologies to Julian in Mae Sai for not checking in.
My phone battery ran out before I finished.
I will post some of your pics next for an "on-the-scene" update = more to come.
Steve Merchant & I agreed to meet at the Panor Coffee at Mae Chan for brunch for me & lunch for Steve.
The meal selections confirmed the different time zones that Steve & I operate on.
I'm a night person, and Steve is an early bird. Steve had spaghetti carbonara for lunch, and I had the American breakfast and two croissants.
The super lovely, bubbly Miss Nid, a sensational young Akha gal, served us. Steve noticed and commented, "This must be the girl you spoke of." Indeed, it was. A quick chat with Nit confirmed that neither her place in Mae Sai, behind Tesco Lotus, nor her parents' place in Phan, south of Chiang Rai, suffered any damage. We lingered longer at the Panor, maybe under the spell of Nid, and didn't head off to Mae Sai until 1:30 p.m.
Entering Mae Sai city, you immediately see the dust from the dried mud permeating the air nicely.
A semblance of normal life is returning, with the main street generally cleared of mud and access straight to the border bridge.
The traffic is congested like the good ol' days.
The Shan/Burmese people in the street were noticeable, sitting down with their plastic shopping bags.
I understand the situation on the Tachilek side is direr, with few supplies. Hence, the Burma crowds came over to stock up on whatever they could get.
Whilst the Sailom Joy market by the river was still closed, the Doi Wao market was operating and damn busy!
We triple-parked our bikes with the mob, and I left my helmet for safekeeping in a shop.
The underground driveway of the Wang Tong Hotel.
Note the high mound of mud out the back in what used to be the hotel car park.
My favourite motorbike car park was by the river, at the back of a Sang Lar jewellery shop, still under deep mud.
Access was impossible, but I was to take a photo through the rear shop windows.
No mud and clean in good times.
You could access the #1 tourist sign in Mae Sai via a slippery sidewalk
The river scene by the bridge.
The river still seems to be high and flowing fiercely, but you have to wonder if it is now full of mud and rubble.
The entrance to the famous Sai Lom Joy market is on the west upstream side of the bridge.
Access is still tricky - mud & snot, metres of it!
Backhoes & loaders are slowly working through the mud, reclaiming the roadway.
The mud inside the market is still metres high, with many people unable to access their homes.
Ironically, one of the issues now is not enough water to wash away the mud.
The mud is drying fast and is hard. It will be more challenging to remove as time passes.
Destroyed goods washed away from the shops in the marketplace.
Cleaning out an underground carpark that was full of mud.
A bucket brigade!
A damaged souvenir shop.
Rubble piled up in the street.
While the main street was okay, any side streets were a severe challenge due to mud.
Towing out a car that had been trapped in the mud.
Weary workers taking a break.
We met a charming, hard-working team of army rescue staff from Chiang Mai.
The team leader, a female, spoke good English and was extremely polite.
We had a very humorous moment with them.
They had been at the big cave for the rescue of the Wild Boar football team, got excited and immediately asked for a selfie photo with Steve, believing him to be Rick Stanton, one of the cave rescue team. Steve was embarrassed and declined a photo!
I didn't hesitate, of course. Thank you, Steve, for the photos.
Apologies to Julian in Mae Sai for not checking in.
My phone battery ran out before I finished.
I will post some of your pics next for an "on-the-scene" update = more to come.
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