Nan Floods & Coffee Shop updates

[DavidFL]

The 2025 August flood in Nan superseded the 2024 100-year flood, so they had a 101-year flood.
The devastation is tragic everywhere.
Wiang Sa seemed to be hit harder than Nan.
At Pong on the Yom River in Phayao, the flood was absolutely massive and 4 metres deep at the Amphur office.

With a new front tyre after a long wait for some financial replenishment, the rain stopped for a few days, and I did a quick overnight run to Nan to check up on Hot Bread & the Chang Coffee Art Gallery in Wiang Sa.

It was a glorious day for a ride, but my start was delayed by a flat tyre.
Yep had a piece of steel in the rear.
Sunday of the 4-day long weekend saw me "endlessly" looking for an open tyre shop to put a plug in.
There are multiple truck bays and service centres out near the bridge, but everyone I was directed to was closed up.
Eventually I lucked out, got a quick plug for 100 baht.
NO complaints. I was on the road an hour late for a Pong PTT rendezvous with Dave DKT.

For the record, it took me an hour to ride from Chiang Khong to Chun, via Thoen & 4068 the new Thoen-Chun bypass & then R1091 to Pong.
The distance was 122 km & I was on the gas all the way.
I chose the new Thoen - Chun bypass, as the road is flat and deserted, but the asphalt is already crumbling in places.
Shoddy contractors!

Arrival time at the PTT was 10.45AM, and it was time for an Amazon brunch while I waited for Dave DKT.

Dave rocked up in a few minutes, and after a lengthy chat, we got mobile.
Stop # 2 was not far away, in Chiang Muan, to check on friend Tiew and her streamside restaurant to see if it had survived the latest flood.

And it did, just!

Tiew is one of the tiniest, sweetest ladies you can find to meet.

(Chiang Muan Restaurants)

See also
(Riding the 2024 Floods R1155 & R1091)


More to come.

 

[Franz]

Sorry for Tiew at Chiang Muan, happens to her now too often, can remember she just was also hit severly last year.

David why don't you carry a repair set with plugs and tire-cement with you, also a small 12V pump? With the kms you do should be standard, i quite frequently use it, once got a real bad one on the FJR1300 in the middle of nowhere between Khun Yuam and MHS, just imagine loading this 285kgs bulk onto one of the few pickups passing by or only pushing that heavy weight down the road..... available everywhere, pumps at LAZ or SHO.... inexpensive.

 

[DavidFL]

REceived from Nan today & posted on their FB page yesterday

Gin's Restaurant & Bar Nan City.

 

[DavidFL]

Sorry for Tiew at Chiang Muan, happens to her now too often, can remember she just was also hit severly last year.

David why don't you carry a repair set with plugs and tire-cement with you, also a small 12V pump? With the kms you do should be standard, i quite frequently use it, once got a real bad one on the FJR1300 in the middle of nowhere between Khun Yuam and MHS, just imagine loading this 285kgs bulk onto one of the few pickups passing by or only pushing that heavy weight down the road..... available everywhere, pumps at LAZ or SHO.... inexpensive.
View attachment 160381

Indeed, I do carry a pump for checking my tyres on rides; plus, I do have a kit somewhere in my house that I have never used, but I thought it would be quicker and easier to just pop into a truck tyre centre & let a pro do it in a few seconds.
But alas, they are extremely rare to find open in Chiang Khong on the Sunday of the Queen Mother's Birthday long weekend, as I found out.

 

[DavidFL]

From Chiang Muan R1091 soars up over the mountains & down to Ban Luang.

A distance of 21 kms.
Then from Ban Luang it is a repeat, a rapid ascent into the mountains, then along the ridgeline to drop down into Nan city.

A distance of 45 kms.

Sitting in Nan enjoying a brilliant meal & service at the OM Dao 2. Dave DKT & I agreed the Chiang Muan-Ban Luang section is a nicer, smoother, more flowing ride than the Ban Luang-Nan sector, although there's absolutely nothing wrong with Ban Luang-Nan. This R1091 is my favourite ride to Nan!

 

[DavidFL]

The next morning we struggled for a breakfast in Nan city.
Hot Breas was closed, of course, as was Erabica Coffee that I wanted to introduce Dave DKT to.
The damage at Erabica Coffee is massive, & their recovery will cost hundreds of thousands of baht.

The Erabica Coffee Machines pre flood.

(Nan Restaurants)

Hot Bread should reopen in a couple of weeks.

Fortunately for me, Agape, 150 metres away from the Hot Bread, was open.
I had a coffee & croissant.

Cha Na Agape · 26 3-4 Suriyapong Rd, Nai Wiang, Mueang Nan District, Nan 55000, Thailand

★★★★★ · Coffee shop

maps.app.goo.gl

Dave DKT ducked out to 7-Eleven for some nourishment.
I've noted that it is an interesting challenge travelling with non-coffee/bakery riders.
I know two, Dave DKT & Heineken, but we all have patience and respect for our foibles, and I enjoy riding with both of them!

After pottering around the dusty debris-lined streets of Nan it was time to motor off & head to Wiang Sa to check up on Yok at Chang Nan Art Coffee Gallery.
Yok had suffered badly but managed to save his coffee machine plus a few grinders.
They lost a coffee roaster, an important pastry machine for their bakery.
However, they were able to reopen & start selling coffee.
The bakery machines should arrive in two weeks, and they will be in biz, going full speed to catch up.

The flood level at the Chang Nan Coffee Gallery.

Back in biz selling coffee

Yok & his missus, Gung. Happy to be back in biz. They've survived.

(Wiang Sa Restaurants)