My GTR Dinner Ride Chiang Khong - Si Satchanalai - Return

DavidFL · Jan 18, 2022

My ride 'n trip for the GTR Dinner in Sisatchanalai. January 2022

The Dinner

GT Rider Dinner # 35 Post New Year 2022 @ CSL - Si Satchanalai.

Hi folks CSL has agreed to put on this fabulous 270 baht meal for GTR to start the year dinners in style. The date: Saturday 15th January @ CSL in Sisatchanalai. Our previous brilliant CSL Dinner in Si Satchanalai...

www.gt-rider.com

The way from Chiang Khong
Chiang Khong - R1290 Paradise Road - Chiang Saen
Chiang Saen R1063 Bypass – Chiang Rai
Chiang Rai R1 – Phayao – Ngao
Ngao R103 – Phrae – R101 – Si Satchanalai.

Return
Si Satchnalai R101 – R11 – fossicking around amphur Long back roads
Long R1023 – Phrae – R101 – R103 – Ngao – R1 – Phayao – Chiang Rai – R1063 – R1290 – Chiang Khong.

Total 990 kms from Chiang Khong.

I had an overnight stop en route to fit a totally new model Ohlins shock on the Vstrom @ Tokico Motorsports in Phayao

Phayao - Motorbike Service & Bike Wash - Detailing

Tokico Industry Motorsport Shop by Khun Dtong A small excellent bike service & cleaning shop. Run by mr Dtong, a super happy friendly, professional passionate bike mechanic. Dtong has done a 2-year Superbikes / MotoGP mechanics training course in Bkk. He also speaks reasonable English &...

www.gt-rider.com

The next day a gentle meander down R 1 heading for R103 Phrae & then 101 to Sisatch.
I had two interesting attractions to tick off on the way down.

Attraction 1 was just 40 kms south of Phayao - the Retro Film Museum, run by avid movie man Manit Worachat.

The Retro Film Preservation Center

A private museum with classic old movie projectors & 16 - 35mm films.

In addition to the old projectors there is an amazing collection of movie posters

The oldest projector in the museum is 80 years old

From Kalasin & raised in Bangkok, his family owned a cinema in Bangkok & he grew up in a movie house.
Movies became his life. In the old days with no soundtrack he did the voice over narration for the movies @ the cinema.
He still has a collection of 40-50 movies for which he can do the narration.

Location: on R1, west side. 40 kms south of Phayao.

âââââ Â· Museum

goo.gl

Attraction 2 was the stunning Wat Chongkham Phra Aram Luang, which Dave DKT had tipped me of about a few months ago, but no time to check it out; & the GTR Dinner in Si Satch provided the perfect opportunity.

Inside the magnificent chedi

There is a superb Buddha collection on display

Also in the grounds of the temple complex.

Location. Route 1. West side. 8 kms south of the R103 road junction.

Wat Chong Kham Phra Aram Luang Â· MW9G+44C, Ban Huat, Ngao District, Lampang 52110, Thailand

âââââ Â· Buddhist temple

goo.gl

More to come.

DavidFL · Jan 18, 2022

2 excellent boxes ticked & it was time to ride & blast on into Si Satchanalai.
Arrival time in Si Satch at the Ton Palm was 4.30 PM.
Departure time from Phayao was 9.45AM & 283 kms were clocked with a small wander around.

The GTR dinner at CSL was another beauty, with a wonderful diverse group of riders.
Thanks everyone who came & had a superb mellow evening.

A big thanks to Suwat at CSL for another over the top, outstanding meal.

GT Rider Dinner # 35 Post New Year 2022 @ CSL - Si Satchanalai.

Hi folks CSL has agreed to put on this fabulous 270 baht meal for GTR to start the year dinners in style. The date: Saturday 15th January @ CSL in Sisatchanalai. Our previous brilliant CSL Dinner in Si Satchanalai...

www.gt-rider.com

DavidFL · Jan 18, 2022

Next morning most people had a slow brekky at CSL & set of at various times.
The beauty of the GTR dinners is that there is no organized ride, just a meet up in a town for a meal, chat & a few tales to swap over a drink.
Riders come & go as they please.
Ughetto had been on the road for several days, coming via MHS & Umphang of all places.
Steve came from Tha Ton via Nan over 2 days.
Brian came from Chiang Mai via Phrae over 2 days & the carried onto Sukhothai & Kamphaeng Phet & wherever.
Darryl & his son came from Chiang Mai via Mae Hong Son & Mae Sot.
The GTR Dinner formula works a charm to get out riders out touring around & meeting up in "off the beaten track" places.
Long may it continue, thanks to everyone who come. A special big thanks to those who make a trip out of it with a report on GTR, your contributions are greatly appreciated. It helps maintain my enthusiasm for organizing the events.

My return trips was almost tracing my steps in reverse, except for a meander riding the Yom in the back roads of Long / Phrae.

Wat Phrathat Laem Si

The temple has some magnificent architectuire & old chedis

This ancient wat is located in a big oxbow of the Yom river

Wat Phrathat Laem Li Â· 3030 Rural Road, Pak Kang, Long District, Phrae 54150, Thailand

âââââ Â· Buddhist temple

goo.gl

More here: Riding the Yom & the rail line

DavidFL · Jan 18, 2022

5 kms further up the road was the delightful little coffeeshop / kwiteo restaurant of Rimtarn Cafe.

The atmosphere is excellent beside the Kang river & the place was damn busy.

The place filed up while I was there. Only coffee, cold drinks & kwiteo on the menu.
The old GTR fellah ordered a kwiteo & 2 soda manaos.
The kwiteo came, medicore it was in the extreme & the sodas never appeared.
With my kwiteo well & truly finished, I asked for the bill & a look of alarm appeared on the cashiers face, Oh oh the soda! Yes well, never mind now. So sorry sorry & hey presto 2 ice cold soda manaos appeared in a flash. Jai yen yen lung, back to my seat & savour the refreshing drink. It was an easy going beautiful day to dawdle & take your time fossicking around.

DavidFL · Jan 19, 2022

The master plan then was to find my way through some back roads to the other side of the Yom river & hit the Kaeng Luang railway station one more time, pick up on R11 & then Phrae & home again via Phayao.
It didn't quite work out & my "nose navigation skills" saw me miss the bridge to cross the Yom & link up with Kaeng Luang, & end up back on R1023, totally in the opposite direction where I planned to be.
It was a delightful series of back roads though.

Gently undulating, with some coffee farms along the way.

Some fabulous timber houses, still being built.

and some cute modern country homes out in the fresh county air.

The error of my ways crossing the railway line, kms away from the planned Kaeng Luang railway station.

I ended up here

18°03'59.3"N 99°55'15.4"E · 18.066472, 99.920944

goo.gl

and should have been here

Kaeng Luang Â· Mae Pan, Long District, Phrae 54150, Thailand

âââââ Â· Train station

goo.gl

The bridge I missed

Kaeng Luang Â· Mae Pan, Long District, Phrae 54150, Thailand

âââââ Â· Train station

goo.gl

With the aim to check out this cave temple

Wat Tham Â· Phrae 2007 Rural Road Ta Pha Mok, Long District, Phrae 54150, Thailand

âââââ Â· Buddhist temple

goo.gl

Oh well next trip.
There is an interesting rural backroads network to be explored in there between Kaeng Luang & Long city.

However all was not lost.

There's another wat on a hill to check out next trip.

Wat Pa Phutthabat Utthayan Tham Chakkraphat Â· 4W2W+4MG, Ta Pha Mok, Long District, Phrae 54150, Thailand

âââââ Â· Place of worship

goo.gl

Who wants to hike up first?

As close as I got, in the car park

DavidFL · Jan 19, 2022

To wrap up the end of the day & trip.
It rained in the mountain twisties on R103 between Rong Khwang & Ngao.
With all those trailer trucks in there the road was a treacherous nightmare. Traffic built up & the road foaming.
That twisting slippery mountain crossing is about 12 kms & I counted 10 cars that had crashes & spun out.
The first rains are a killer for poor drivers, & not wanting to get stuck in the traffic I gently powered on overtaking everyone with great care.
If you needed to stop urgently there was probably no chance, & you slid off or spun out. Being ever so smooth & gentle on the throttle is the way to go.
It rained for about 80 kms all the way to Phayao, & entering Phayao I thought that the new concrete they have put down between Mae Tam & Phayao city was also like ice in the wet! Watch out for it when it rains, zero grip, it is as smooth as ice.

Enjoy the ride folks. It is great to be alive, riding & going to friendly GTR dinners in all the little towns up country.