Triumphrat

Rhodie

After a cup of tea at a chinese teahouse



We headed on down to Mae Hong Song



Where we met up with biker legend Dr. Gregory Frazier.

packing his boxes to head back to Chiang Mai.

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The Dogs bark, but the Caravan moves on ... Eastern Proverb

Rhodie

That night we made the mistake of buying some food off the street vendors.
Though delicious we were all overcome by severe food poisoning the next day.

Early morning mist and the monks doing their daily chores.


But we had to head back and had I been fully lucid/conscious I would have been scared!

By the following day we were feeling a bit better to ride up Doi Inthanon


It is truly a great feeling to ride with your son, who is as passionate about biking.

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The Dogs bark, but the Caravan moves on ... Eastern Proverb

Rhodie

Back in Chiang Mai we were involved with the Chiang Mai Toy Ride.



Riding the Samoeng Loop


This couple had started their trip in Canada and were on their way through South East Asia - great guys!

Richard had a ball


Whilst I tested out the side-saddle configuration on a private road where the post-ride party was held at a lake.

__________________
The Dogs bark, but the Caravan moves on ... Eastern Proverb

Rhodie

The cops who had given us an escort had decided on their bike of choice among many of
Milwaukee's finest.


Richard said goodbye to a friend

Sadly he had to fly back to school in the UK the next day.

Now the Scrambler has been reshod with fresh Karoos,

levers trimmed


Tomorrow, we head up to the Golden Triangle, where Thailand, Laos & Burma meet on the Mekong River.
Word from Vientiane, the Laos capital, says that all border crossings are now closed to foreign motorcycles!!!
But a group of us from the GT Riders, are attempting to sneak in on a ferry across the Mekong,
hoping that the jungle telegraph has not quite reached the northern most crossing ....
more to follow...
Once in Laos I hope I can ride its length down to Cambodia and finally back to Bangkok.

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The Dogs bark, but the Caravan moves on ... Eastern Proverb

daytonacharlie

Thanks for the update Rhodie. If Triumph would produce a Scrambler just like yours they'd sell a million of them. It is great when your son enjoys the same things as you do. Good luck on your ferry crossing. Keep us posted.

dc

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Rhodie

So finally after a few weeks laid up over Christmas the Tri-Nation rumble is back on.



David Unkovich the man behind www.gt-rider.com, a site which has brought many adventure riders together in South East Asia, was coming with me part of the way on his venerable 1994 Africa Twin.



We left Chiang Mai mid morning and rumbled north stopping at the Charoen resort for the best cakes in north Thailand. [see earlier pix]. I had new rubber on but the vibration through the footpegs was a real problem – especially in the corners.



It turns out the centre-stand was catching on the left edge of the tyre which necessitated a quick fix with a grinder – Thai style. They had wanted to use a blowtorch at first!



Then on up to the Golden Triangle where the borders of Burma, Laos & Thailand meet on the Mekong.

__________________
The Dogs bark, but the Caravan moves on ... Eastern Proverb

Rhodie

A few pix in the golden light and then on down to Chiang Khong where the ferry crosses the Mekong to Thailand.




The evening ride was magical over rolling hills and sweeping corners, past emerald green paddy fields and colourful temples before reaching the border town.



We were too late to cross over as the ferry had already stopped and paperwork on the Thai side takes about an hour to complete.



It was a full moon and the moonrise over the Mekong looking at the People’s Democratic Republic of Laos [read communist] was spectacular.

__________________
The Dogs bark, but the Caravan moves on ... Eastern Proverb

Rhodie

The next morning we were up early to be at the Thai customs at 8am, then immigration



before we finally rolled onto the ferry and waited for trucks before the barge would depart.



Our fears of the border being closed were assuaged by friends having crossed over a few days before – but you can never can tell as Asian bureaucracy can be opaque and inconsistent at the best of times.



So we hoped for the best and turned up at customs to find a junior clerk holding the fort, and after some time we were processed & stamped in.



Immigration was simpler and after an hour we were in.
Unfortunately the insurance shop was out to lunch delaying us for a further two hours.

__________________
The Dogs bark, but the Caravan moves on ... Eastern Proverb

Rhodie

Then the road to Luang Namtha was initially racetrack quality sweeping us past thick jungle, steep mountains and paddy.



However a section was under repair, with freshly laid tar that stretched the width of the road with potholes. Little traffic except for a hardy pair of Dutch cyclists on their way to China.



David showed them the way on the map he has produced – the best road map of Laos.

In Vieng Phouka, I topped up with 91 octane gas $1.25 a litre.



We reached Luang Namtha just before dusk.

__________________
The Dogs bark, but the Caravan moves on ... Eastern Proverb

Orpheus

Wow! Great ride report, Rhodie. Glad to see your bike is finally getting a chance to do what it was made for.