By the end of this day, 27 Nov. 22, we would have departed the Magical Realm of Nan, and land at Chiang Saen.
We set out at around 8 or 9am and head west towards Magic Mountain. Stopped for coffee at Route1148 Café. It offers a good view of the surrounding hills. The dark menacing weather of days past is replaced by blue sky and pretty, billowy white clouds. We are in Phayao now. Heading north, we then cut across Phu Sang National Park and into Phu Chi Fa Forest Park. The Thai/Laos borderline actually runs across part of Phu Chi Fa and from the viewpoint at the top, you will be looking at Laos to the east. A splendid landscape, no doubt, but hardly passable. Ideal home for guerrillas or cross-border smuggling. And you are not going to get a massage for the next 100km in that direction.
The Cafe 
Phu Chi Fa Forest Park
We are back on the saddle riding towards Chiang Saen, about 100km away. I never tire of this scenery and landscape. This road is as slow or as quick as you want it to be.
Ever since Phu Thap Boek, access to nearly every hotel we check into was a challenge apart. The toughest (for me) was at Phu Thap Boek. Leading to the hotel was a narrow and uneven earth track, and slippery with a 20° incline. I nearly tipped over the edge while riding up, which would see bike and me rolling for at least 10 feet down the side. But tonight, we actually park on concrete ground just off the street, in front of the hotel. A welcome change. Don’t get me wrong. I am not whinging. If you want to ride in the mountain, you have to accept what it gives.
Dinner-Along the banks of the Mekong, facing Van Pak Len, Laos. On the opposite bank, the bright and glitzy casinos and hotels glow in the night enticingly. We are only 1 or 2km apart. Dinner was good; a mixture of meat, greens and fish. River catches, when done right, taste as good as seafood.
Back at the hotel, we sat at the patio, smoking 😉 and enjoying the cool night and the ambience along the river bank. Occasionally, the booming music from Laos drifted across, carried by the breeze, muted by the river. Good Night.
Jaywalker, 22 Dec. 2022
2 wheels and an engine 