Sayaburi to Nan (Tony’s Place) Nan to Chiang Khong

bsacbob

Administrator (Retired)
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Jul 1, 2012
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Chiang Rai
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Honda CRM-AR 250, Honda CRF 250-L, Suzuki V Strom XT 650 Honda XR250 Baja BMW F650GS
Day 13-14 Sayaburi to Nan (Tony’s Place) 271 Km Nan to Chiang Khong 283 Km

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My final night in Laos was spent with my Thai friend "Bank" and his two pals who just happened to be in Sayabouri at the same time as myself after riding the 4B from Luang Prabang, a nice relaxing evening ensued and large amounts of beer consumed













Suitably adorned KLX









The following morning i agreed to get them over to Hongsa and then the border crossing since they were unsure of the route, but not before i watched them make heavy work of eating some hard boiled egg’s for breakfast.











The chosen route from Sayaburi to Hongsa is a very pleasant ride and paved the whole way although many of the corners are broken up and care needs to be taken due to oncoming vehicles cutting the corners to avoid the pot holes.







We arrived in Hongsa in good time and a sprint finish along the beautifully paved highway is always a joy to ride to the border point, crossing was a breeze and i bid my goodbyes to my buddies.














Soon headed to Nan for a late afternoon beer and chat with Tony.








The following morning i headed up towards Chiang Khong to meet up with Mr Deeks mid way, an uneventful ride apart from the previous night a small colony of small red ants decided to make a home in my helmet.

I had conveniently stopped outside a police box, where the nice police officer gave me some water and sprayed the inside my helmet to rid me of the little blighters.







A fun filled evening in Chiang Khong exploring the various watering holes had me waking bleary eyed but ready for a nice easy ride home.

Sadly the green machine decided otherwise and the rear wheel locked up as i was leaving town, which turned out to be a worn out cam chain tensioner causing the cam chain to jump a tooth locking up the engine.







So after 14 trouble free days and 3,500 Km my adventure had come to a sad conclusion and i awaited for my friend to come rescue me and take me back to Chiang Rai, but not before sampling Platypus (think it was duck) from the menu at the BBQ restaurant perfectly located where my bike came to rest.
















Another enjoyable trip to Laos had come to an end bitter sweet in some way’s but never the less the place will always draw me back to explore newer trails that await closer inspection.




 

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Nice report Bob, thanks again for taking us with you.

Glad it was the bike that gave out & not you ! ;)

Ally
 
'Platypus'? Fantastic!
Very nice report Bob, thank you.

(Let's know how the locked wheel repair went).
 
Thanks Ron, turned out to exactly as i thought so needed new rods, pistons rings, sleeve and cam chain and tensioner. Total cost of repair 4,500 baht !!!

Very happy it was not a KTM :lol3
 
Great reports and very good photos !

I will go back often to read them again and also advice other riders that are heading for Laos to read your reports first to get some very good information!

Looking forward to your next ride and reports from that one!
 
Great reports and very good photos !

I will go back often to read them again and also advice other riders that are heading for Laos to read your reports first to get some very good information!

Looking forward to your next ride and reports from that one!

Thanks Sven but you will have wait until I get a new bike unless your gonna lend me back my old one :-)

Sent from my SM-G900F using Forum Runner
 
The entire trip is just awesome Bob...this is what it's all about isn'it...and by the way, thank you for writing this trip report, it is just absolutely great. Your report and Phil's are the two I saw and show a great example how to do it.
 
Thanks for your kind words Alex, but your right it is what it's all about, sharing usable information with others good or bad without the politics others what to bring to the table (interestingly day's 1 & 2 drew little attention on another forum). I enjoy doing them even though it can be a pain in the arse putting it all together, one of the reasons i enjoy my riding alone is because i like to stop when and where i want take a picture or two and try to get closer to the real people of Laos, although it's getting harder every trip. As for my writing, other's such as Gnasher and 2Wheel's are far more wordy than i will ever be, but i try my best.

Till the next time.
 
…wait until I get a new bike …

What are you thinking of Bob?

Mate, being 'wordy' isn't necessarily a good thing in trip reports.
Sometimes I think mine are too wordy and wonder if anyone reads the details.
Maybe good and interesting pics with a sentence or two is all that's required, as with yours and some others.
Well, I'll try that in Ireland in July/August (knowing I'll fail!) :RE
 
Well Ron, like many i hanging on hoping for a 350-400 to Appear from Honda, or the KLR (although a great bike it would be a handful for the type of riding i do with my short leg's). Other option is to get a CRF-L to accompany the M model i already have and fit a good rear shock (ohlin's maybe) stick a B&B 305 kit in the motor and i think it would tick most of my boxes. But like alway's i will make the purchase just before a nice new model is launched.

Looking forward to your forthcoming Ireland trip, i am sure it will make for very interesting reading, just make sure you have a fat wallet, since the Euro it's not a cheap destination ...
 
... I'll try that in Ireland in July/August ... :RE

Don't do it like I did the first time...15 days from one Pub to the next...and there was still Guinness on the island when I headed home, that says something about them Irish :DD
 
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