{"id":1288,"date":"2018-07-20T05:57:33","date_gmt":"2018-07-20T03:57:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cyclefoodfun.com\/?p=1288"},"modified":"2018-07-20T05:57:33","modified_gmt":"2018-07-20T03:57:33","slug":"farewell-thailand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cyclefoodfun.co.za\/?p=1288","title":{"rendered":"Farewell Thailand"},"content":{"rendered":"

By the time I left Chiang Mai I was keen to get to Laos, to see a new country and enjoy different food and experiences.\u00a0 I determined that I’d ride as quickly as possible, spend little time in Chiang Rai and cross into Laos as soon as I could. I expected to complete the 190 km ride in two days of roughly 95 kms each.\u00a0\u00a0Ha! What came as a surprise to me was a 55 km steady uphill that took all day and I still had 40 kms to go to my intended stop in Wiang Pa Pao.\u00a0 I stopped for the night and rigged the hammock at a National Park at the top of the climb.\u00a0 I was very pleased to be there even if I was the only person in the park.<\/p>\n

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The next day I had an easy downhill ride into Wiang Pa Pao.\u00a0 I stopped for breakfast at the hot springs on the way.\u00a0 The traders sell you a basket of eggs and you can boil them in the spring.\u00a0 I could not persuade them to let me have just 2 eggs for my breakfast.<\/p>\n

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Hot Spring<\/p><\/div>\n

The next day’s ride into Chiang Rai was fairly easy, quite a bit of downhill and some rolling hills which I enjoy.\u00a0 I checked into the hostel for just one night and my first thought was “what can I go and see?”\u00a0 \u00a0Then suddenly I felt mentally and physically drained and I realised that for 4 months I have been on the go every day.\u00a0 Even if I was not riding I was up early to explore and often late into bed.\u00a0 I had not had a single day of doing absolutely nothing.\u00a0 So I added another night to my stay, went to a second-hand bookshop just 100 metres from the hostel, bought a nice thick book and, apart from venturing out for food, I spent two days just reading and relaxing.\u00a0 No sightseeing at all.\u00a0 Heaven!<\/p>\n\n\t\t