Mon 27- Tues 28 April 2003.
ROUTES: 107 – 1178 – 1340 – Doi Ang Khang - Nor Lae – Fang – Chiang Mai.
Total distance: 350 kms. ALL asphalt. Weather is HOT.
A respectable 10.00 am start after breakfast at the Bier Stube, with mate & BMW GS1150 rider Robert & girlfriend Nang.
With the girlfriends in tow, it was a leisurely ride. There was a bit of traffic around, & we got just about every red traffic light heading north on 107. I noticed Robert chaffing at the bit, as he pulled wheelies at most of the red lights when we took off; magnificently I did not rise to the bait – must have been the girlfriend on the back (who can pack a mean rib punch when she wants to.)Even at Mae Malai, & the turn off to Pai, we got the red light, so it was one of those days.
First stop was just a minute for me to set my GPS off at the start of route 1178 and the run out to the Burma border at Arunothai. Arunothai is 114 kms out & here we took a real drink stop – 2 bots of sponsor, 2 cans of coconut juice & a half bot of water. This was just for me, it was hot & I seem recall indulging in a few Jameson & sodas the night before.
Pics below: the reason for Jameson & sodas
After the drink stop it was a short ride – 6 kms out to the Burma border to verify that the border market was not operating any more & that the Kiew Pha Wok gate to Burma was indeed closed.
The Thai soldiers guarding the gate must think the ol' farang is a bit crazy, just riding up to the gate, getting off to take a quick photo & then disappear. For me it’s all good for a laugh.
Back at Arunothai, it was still a bit on the hot side, & we did not feel like eating; so onto route 1340 it was.
Route 1340 goes from Arunothai to Doi Ang Khang. It’s an amazing little 37 kms ride - all steep & narrow,
winding asphalt right along the border, with lots of little Chinese villages & hidden valleys.
It is easy to imagine how the ol KMT stayed here for years with no outside pressure to behave & stop making money from black market activities. Some of the villages are real little gems of paradise. Then you have the amazing views & rocky scenery, just to top it all off. It really does feel as if you are in another world & not Thailand!
The closer you get to Doi Ang Khang the more spectacular the views and road get. Parts of it really do seem like your riding a roller coaster, there are so many steep dips and rises, and its all a good asphalt surface.
(Shyte, how time flies - I remember the good ol’ days tackling the dirt on a mighty Honda Wing 125cc road bike, & having to slip the clutch in & out, and paddle with two-feet down to try & make it to the top!)
Ang Khang is still a quaint out of the way place to be.
The Royal research station has a magnificent bonsai garden, that it definitely worth a look, even if you aren’t much of a green fingers.
After Ang Khang we took a run along the border to Nor Lae & the Thai army camp guarding the frontier.
There's a great view overlooking Burma & the Burmese army camp, just a couple of hundred meters away.
Weird stuff, & things must be getting relaxed again as we saw some Burmese soldiers over on the Thai side getting water & supplies!
Just a couple of kms north of Nor Lae you have the most amazing steep descent I’ve ever been on in North Thailand. In 4 kms it drops down in a series of switch backs, what you do in 18 kms coming out the main road Route 1249. You have to wonder how & why they built this road – it literally drops off the end of the mountain right down into a hidden valley, up against the Burma border. (Perhaps that’s why the road is there – access to the border?)
Anyway, from Nor Lae you can get into Fang in 25 mins – unbelievable stuff.
In Fang we stayed at the Chok Thani hotel, still clinically clean hospital type rooms, but the hot water works, and the air con’s cold & quiet.
That night we hit the new number 1 restaurant in town – The Ritzy, & Ritzy it was, at least for Fang. No complaints here – good food, service, clean & cold air con, plus some decent English language folk music from the one good guitarist. We were impressed.
After the Ritzy, it was onto the night spots of Fang, and the Cheers complex still is the place to go in town. We did the coffee shop & were impressed by all the weird waiters / waitresses, plus the usual delinquent teenagers out and about. There was also a series of odd singers – male & female – on stage, just to keep up the interest. If you get tired of this, no worries, just pop next door, via the joint toilets at the back, and you end up in either the karaoke or the café.
Robert gave up earlier, after he could not decide on the gender of one of the singers – it was a tough call. So the girlfriend & I hit the next night spot, The Hump, which is a very small quite somewhat basic pub. We lasted only 1 drink here after the girlfriend singer was recognized from Chiang Mai & asked to get up on stage & sing. Not what we were after on her night off, but she obliged & we left soon after.
The next morning at breakfast at the Chok Thani I was reminded that in 15 yrs I’ve never had a good one there. But not to complain, 2 cups of coffee washed it all down (just.)
After a quick look at a mate (Aussie Colin)’s new block & house building, it was on the road.
We were lucky, as the weather was not as hot as the day before, because of some heavy rain during the night.
41 kms out of Fang we stopped off to look at the Nam Lu spring.
This is about 4 kms from the Tubtao caves, & if you are ever in the area – check it out.
The spring is an amazing hole, probably 6-8 metres across, with cool clean water, the colour of jade, gushing out of it. It is the cleanest water I have ever seen in North Thailand, & should be about as pure as you can get. The locals claim they don’t know how deep the hole is, but it could be hundred of meters even. We hung out here for 20 mins chatting to the locals, & hit the road again.
Next & last stop was the Rim Kwan vineyard & restaurant, just north of the Phrao route 1150 turn off. The atmosphere, food & service here is good; so good that a quick snack stop turned into an hrs break. Check it out next time you are passing by.
The Doi Ang Khang roads & route 107 from Chiang Mai make this the number one overnight ride from Chiang Mai. Do it sometime & there's no doubt you'll be highly impresed, if not exhilarated on 1340 or the Nor Lae - Fang back road.
Davidfl
Keep the power on
ROUTES: 107 – 1178 – 1340 – Doi Ang Khang - Nor Lae – Fang – Chiang Mai.
Total distance: 350 kms. ALL asphalt. Weather is HOT.
A respectable 10.00 am start after breakfast at the Bier Stube, with mate & BMW GS1150 rider Robert & girlfriend Nang.
With the girlfriends in tow, it was a leisurely ride. There was a bit of traffic around, & we got just about every red traffic light heading north on 107. I noticed Robert chaffing at the bit, as he pulled wheelies at most of the red lights when we took off; magnificently I did not rise to the bait – must have been the girlfriend on the back (who can pack a mean rib punch when she wants to.)Even at Mae Malai, & the turn off to Pai, we got the red light, so it was one of those days.
First stop was just a minute for me to set my GPS off at the start of route 1178 and the run out to the Burma border at Arunothai. Arunothai is 114 kms out & here we took a real drink stop – 2 bots of sponsor, 2 cans of coconut juice & a half bot of water. This was just for me, it was hot & I seem recall indulging in a few Jameson & sodas the night before.
Pics below: the reason for Jameson & sodas
After the drink stop it was a short ride – 6 kms out to the Burma border to verify that the border market was not operating any more & that the Kiew Pha Wok gate to Burma was indeed closed.
The Thai soldiers guarding the gate must think the ol' farang is a bit crazy, just riding up to the gate, getting off to take a quick photo & then disappear. For me it’s all good for a laugh.
Back at Arunothai, it was still a bit on the hot side, & we did not feel like eating; so onto route 1340 it was.
Route 1340 goes from Arunothai to Doi Ang Khang. It’s an amazing little 37 kms ride - all steep & narrow,
winding asphalt right along the border, with lots of little Chinese villages & hidden valleys.
It is easy to imagine how the ol KMT stayed here for years with no outside pressure to behave & stop making money from black market activities. Some of the villages are real little gems of paradise. Then you have the amazing views & rocky scenery, just to top it all off. It really does feel as if you are in another world & not Thailand!
The closer you get to Doi Ang Khang the more spectacular the views and road get. Parts of it really do seem like your riding a roller coaster, there are so many steep dips and rises, and its all a good asphalt surface.
(Shyte, how time flies - I remember the good ol’ days tackling the dirt on a mighty Honda Wing 125cc road bike, & having to slip the clutch in & out, and paddle with two-feet down to try & make it to the top!)
Ang Khang is still a quaint out of the way place to be.
The Royal research station has a magnificent bonsai garden, that it definitely worth a look, even if you aren’t much of a green fingers.
After Ang Khang we took a run along the border to Nor Lae & the Thai army camp guarding the frontier.
There's a great view overlooking Burma & the Burmese army camp, just a couple of hundred meters away.
Weird stuff, & things must be getting relaxed again as we saw some Burmese soldiers over on the Thai side getting water & supplies!
Just a couple of kms north of Nor Lae you have the most amazing steep descent I’ve ever been on in North Thailand. In 4 kms it drops down in a series of switch backs, what you do in 18 kms coming out the main road Route 1249. You have to wonder how & why they built this road – it literally drops off the end of the mountain right down into a hidden valley, up against the Burma border. (Perhaps that’s why the road is there – access to the border?)
Anyway, from Nor Lae you can get into Fang in 25 mins – unbelievable stuff.
In Fang we stayed at the Chok Thani hotel, still clinically clean hospital type rooms, but the hot water works, and the air con’s cold & quiet.
That night we hit the new number 1 restaurant in town – The Ritzy, & Ritzy it was, at least for Fang. No complaints here – good food, service, clean & cold air con, plus some decent English language folk music from the one good guitarist. We were impressed.
After the Ritzy, it was onto the night spots of Fang, and the Cheers complex still is the place to go in town. We did the coffee shop & were impressed by all the weird waiters / waitresses, plus the usual delinquent teenagers out and about. There was also a series of odd singers – male & female – on stage, just to keep up the interest. If you get tired of this, no worries, just pop next door, via the joint toilets at the back, and you end up in either the karaoke or the café.
Robert gave up earlier, after he could not decide on the gender of one of the singers – it was a tough call. So the girlfriend & I hit the next night spot, The Hump, which is a very small quite somewhat basic pub. We lasted only 1 drink here after the girlfriend singer was recognized from Chiang Mai & asked to get up on stage & sing. Not what we were after on her night off, but she obliged & we left soon after.
The next morning at breakfast at the Chok Thani I was reminded that in 15 yrs I’ve never had a good one there. But not to complain, 2 cups of coffee washed it all down (just.)
After a quick look at a mate (Aussie Colin)’s new block & house building, it was on the road.
We were lucky, as the weather was not as hot as the day before, because of some heavy rain during the night.
41 kms out of Fang we stopped off to look at the Nam Lu spring.
This is about 4 kms from the Tubtao caves, & if you are ever in the area – check it out.
The spring is an amazing hole, probably 6-8 metres across, with cool clean water, the colour of jade, gushing out of it. It is the cleanest water I have ever seen in North Thailand, & should be about as pure as you can get. The locals claim they don’t know how deep the hole is, but it could be hundred of meters even. We hung out here for 20 mins chatting to the locals, & hit the road again.
Next & last stop was the Rim Kwan vineyard & restaurant, just north of the Phrao route 1150 turn off. The atmosphere, food & service here is good; so good that a quick snack stop turned into an hrs break. Check it out next time you are passing by.
The Doi Ang Khang roads & route 107 from Chiang Mai make this the number one overnight ride from Chiang Mai. Do it sometime & there's no doubt you'll be highly impresed, if not exhilarated on 1340 or the Nor Lae - Fang back road.
Davidfl
Keep the power on
]
