Thailasia Tour Part 4: Glimpses of Myanmar. Chiang Saen - Mae Sot
The Golden Triangle was a name I’d lumped in my head years ago without ever really knowing where it was - somewhere vague, like the Bermuda Triangle. Yet while one was thousands of kilometres away in the North Atlantic Ocean, the other was a short distance up the Mekong River.
I considered riding to the point where Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar meet— the centre of a triangular area that was once dominant in the production and trade of opium between the 1950s-1990s. In recent years that’s been replaced by scam cities, one of which was clearly visible across the river in Laos, although many more exist in Myanmar.
The Golden triangle refers to this mountainous area of land shared by Myanmar, Laos and Thailand. While opium production is now minimal in Thailand and Laos, it has increased in recent years in Myanmar.
Photos and reviews of the Golden Triangle - memorials, museums and parks, all looked tacky and touristy, so I turned south from the river towards the town of Chiang Rai, before heading west and south again for the next few weeks —never far from the border with Myanmar.
The photos in this post cover these days and appear chronologically as they were taken (days 16–29 as shown on the map below).
It’s worth noting that while entering and travelling in Myanmar is technically possible, a long-standing conflict following a military coup in 2021 means I would have little freedom over where I could go, and many places would be closed to me on a bicycle. Perhaps one day in the future the country will see a change of governance that makes access and travel there easier.
I don’t think there was a day in Thailand when I didn’t visit at least one temple. The country has over 35,000. I cycled past hundreds, but those that caught my eye often made me stop and explore.
Whether setting out in the morning — like here in Chiang Saen — or pausing to rest, they became a defining feature of my time in the country. Aside from the most famous, many were quiet, offering peaceful interludes throughout each day.
Off-road again. When there was opportunity to connect dirt tracks in the direction I was headed, I often took them.
Cycling company in Chiang Rai. Juan and Paula from Chile had been on the road for over a year in Europe and Asia, and Ben from England - at the grand old age of 18 or 19, had cycled from Manchester to Thailand!
I met Juan several years ago in Macedonia, so it was nice to meet again. A few days of good company before saying goodbye. Both went on to cycle through Malaysia, Indonesia and New Zealand in the following months. Their journey continues through Europe as I write this, with updates on their instagram channel @juan.pablo.toro_
Chiang Rai had a few popular temples - including this blue one.
My route out of Chiang Rai headed north west along the Kok River. A peaceful and scenic day of riding on dirt tracks.
Fruit for the fridge. Ahead of checking into a guest house, I was always on the lookout for some fruit for the fridge. I lost count of how many watermelons I consumed during my time in the Thailand.
Almost all rooms in Thailand come with a fridge. This one in the town of Fang around £10 per night.
Leaving Fang and headed back into the mountains. I cycled back to the temple, noting it would have been a good place to camp for the night - scenic, green, spacious and an absence of dogs.
Chilli choice. 6 different kinds on the table with my fried rice.
Quiet roads looking west towards Myanmar on Day 19.
Descent ahead. This part of Thailand has some steep climbs - 15-20%+ gradients.
My Garmin computer would let me know all of the climbs ahead. Most days I was climbing between 1000-2000m of elevation. Anything much more than 2000m of climbing on a fully-loaded bicycle is more than I want to do on a single day.
Sweat on. Most days I was soaked in sweat with all the climbing.
Looking down to the popular village of Pai.
I had heard about Pai over 20 years ago, and had recently been recommended to visit by someone who perhaps hadn’t been there in many years.There was nothing really off-the-beaten-track about it at all; full of foreign tourists speeding around on rented mopeds - the Thailand I had successfully avoided until here.
There were some nice temples to visit.
I ended up camping beside the river that runs through Pai - probably the most peaceful spot in what is more a party place than a relaxed village escape.
Despite it being a relatively small place, there were numerous 7-11’s in Pai.
To give the place credit, there was some great food available. This is Congee - a popular rice porridge traditionally served at breakfast throughout Thailand.
Climbing high on the well-known Mae hong son loop a short distance from Pai.
Some scenic views, but I found the road too busy - largely with motorcyclists.
Accommodation in the small village of Soppong.
I met several cyclists during the short time I spent on this well-known route. This Swiss cyclist was fully-loaded and had been on the road a few years.
I met and cycled for a few days with this Belgian couple, who’d rented their bicycles in Chiang Mai.
After a few days I was able to detour off the paved section of the Mae hong son loop. Far quieter and preferable.
Showering when wild camping is a lot easier now I carry a shower bag.
Most nights during the winter months are cool and clear, making camping and stargazing much easier.
Riding close to the Myanmar border on some great forest single track.
Decided to call it an end to the day when I descended to this river and couldn’t actually find the track out on the other side until the next morning. Great place to camp, and one of only a few in Thailand where there was no mobile network.
I found the track the following morning, which widened as I rode towards the town of Mae Sariang.
No-one around here - safe to fly the drone, although the border with Myanmar wasn’t far away.
Were it possible to cross into and travel freely in Myanmar, I imagine there would be a lot more forest trails like this.
Another town, another temple. This one in Mae Sariang.
Which had some traditional old shop fronts.
Campsite in Mae Ngao National Park. Surprisingly it was free. Beautiful and peaceful spot beside the Ngao River.
Day 27 in Thailand involved riding trails that komoot/open source mapping didn’t recognise. I used satellite imagery to view tracks and guess that evidence of buildings close to the river I needed to cross would mean there was a bridge, and if not some boat option to cross it.
Always love a wooden suspension bridge. I didn’t cross the Ngao River here.
But did here. The bridge looked new and wasn’t visible on google satellite. So I guessed there would be a bridge, which was confirmed to me when I asked a few locals.
A steep climb up from the river. I found that the steepest tracks in Thailand were often paved. Anything over 20-25% steepness in gradient will likely degrade and erode quickly from rainfall if left unpaved. As always, photos of steep inclines never look so steep in pictures.
At the top. Reward for a steep climb. The elevation felt higher than it was. Around 1100m here, having climbed up from 300m.
Another spectacular clear sky at night. Camera on a tripod, ISO-1000, 30-second exposure. Taken with a Samyang 12mm F2 lens, with a little post-production editing in Lightroom.
And a fantastic sunrise the next morning as I looked down over a sea of clouds.
No rush to pack up from here.
A steep descent back down the other side.
Looking west into the mountains in Myanmar.
Postal pick-up. All the climbing, or rather descending in the first several weeks in Thailand meant I had gone through a pair of brake pads quite quickly. While I still had one more pair, I wasn’t confident it was enough to last the remainder of the trip, so arranged through some friends in country to order online and have them shipped ahead to a post office in the town of Mae Sot.
This particular pad design for hydraulic Magura brakes was hard to source in Thailand, so ordering online from Temu was the easiest option. I didn’t need to end up with about 6 sets, but that’s what I got. Brake power for many thousands of kilometres. Fortunately these are light and easy to carry.
If you enjoyed this post and would like to say thanks by way of a virtual gift, please click the link below.
