60 kms.
I had to spend the night at Huay Xai due to Thailands stupid rule about giving only a fifteen day visa exemption at the border to all arriving overland. My flight out is at 0200 on March 2nd and I do not want to risk any hassle at the airport even with only a two hour overstay. I have a lot of experince with immigration officers from all over the world and know that they are not recruited from the upper half of the IQ scale.
Once across The Mekong, for the umpteen and last time of this trip, I headed straight for roads out of Chiang Kong in a Southerly direction, aiming for Bangkok on smaller roads. As previously I had regrets about leaving Laos and decided to stay near her western borders. This took me between the river and a range of hills, a road I am sure not many farang ever goes. People stared at me more than Thais normally do. It is a beautiful area, very rural and at first smooth cycling. Eventually though I ran into uphills.
With the aid of my GPS I found a guest house at Wiang Kaen and decided to cut the day short to do some laundry. For 300 Baht I got a nice little bungalow with cold water only, and a fine terrace overlooking a clean stream.
Thailand's economy seems to be in fine shape. I see farmers being busy in their fields everywhere. The already good roads are being widened and improved in many places. I pass by many good looking schools. But many Thais speak only limited, if indeed any, English. Then there are the exceptions, sometimes where you would not expect it. I stop by a small shop to buy an ice cream, and the lady there greets me with a 'good morning sir, what can I do for you?' We talk about where I have cycled and where I am going etc. Later on, in Wiang Kaen, right near my guest house, a man in his thirties has a simple half barrel grill where he barbecues meat. He asks me what I am looking for and offers directions. His English is nothing short of excellent from what I can gather from our short conversation. This is in the back of beyond and I could well be his first ever encounter with a foreigner. I praise his language skills but apart from a 'thank you sir, I am glad to hear that', he offers no explanation. He barbecues only pork and I am not having any of that. On my return back home he asks if I found what I needed and wishes me a good nights sleep. Thailand is a good place!
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