Here's a real "oldie" 1986
R1129 Chiang Saen - Chiang Khong, on the "new" dirt road going over Kiu Khan Hill.
The guy on the right still rides & lives here - Art is the longest serving English teacher at CMU.
The watchtower on the hill was manned by the army in those days & they liked to know who was coming & going.
1989. R1290 Mae Sai - Golden Triangle....
before the "super" highway.
The old road was flat, straight through the rice paddies & they were forever repairing it cheaply. It was years before it was finally done properly, so in the wet season it was always a mess after heavy rain. Some politicians & karachagans must have made a lot of money from all the repair contracts they gave out. Too much was always siphoned off & there was never enough left to do the job properly? They once tried brick paving & it only lasted half a wet season. Ha. Ha. What a joke that one was.
R1290 today:
www.gt-rider.com
R1129 Chiang Saen - Chiang Khong, on the "new" dirt road going over Kiu Khan Hill.
The guy on the right still rides & lives here - Art is the longest serving English teacher at CMU.
The watchtower on the hill was manned by the army in those days & they liked to know who was coming & going.
1989. R1290 Mae Sai - Golden Triangle....
before the "super" highway.
The old road was flat, straight through the rice paddies & they were forever repairing it cheaply. It was years before it was finally done properly, so in the wet season it was always a mess after heavy rain. Some politicians & karachagans must have made a lot of money from all the repair contracts they gave out. Too much was always siphoned off & there was never enough left to do the job properly? They once tried brick paving & it only lasted half a wet season. Ha. Ha. What a joke that one was.
R1290 today:
R1290 - Riding the GT Mekong - Paradise Road.
R1290 - Paradise Road - Riding the GT Mekong. R1290 starts @ R1, south of Mae Sai & ends in Chiang Khong, 95 kms away. From Mae Sai it generally follows the border & Mekong river east to Chiang Khong. There used to be an old road R1290 that started downtown Mae Sai & more closely followed the...

Last edited: