Hot to Mae Sariang

Wednesday September 27, 2017, 64 miles (103 km) - Total so far: 380

miles (612 km)

What a day!

We awoke to torrential rain, but fortunately it stopped before we set off at just after 6. The first 10K along the river are wonderful, and a good warm up for what's to come! We started the big climb.....and soon it was raining torrentially again. We stopped near the top to use the toilet at the Police checkpoint, and agreed we should bail out at the Tiwson resort, at the 40K mark.

However, a bit of downhill, and a break in the weather, saw a rapid lift to the spirits! It wasn't even 10am, so we felt like we had more riding in us. And we'd already spied lots of potential camping spots, so we were confident we'd be able to pitch the tent if it came down to it.

The rollercoaster was only just beginning, and we were glad we knew what to expect! It was really tough, but so rewarding in terms of views. Quite a lot of trucks though, some big 'uns! Lots of pickups transporting cabbages. The traffic seemed to ease after the turning to Omkoi, but it was still present.

After a lunch stop involving firing up the stove and making some cup noodles, we felt revived once again and even booked a guesthouse in Mae Sariang on Agoda. We then hit the second longest climb of the day....! But we made it. Wonderful views of mountains all around, paddy fields, and incredible mountainside farming. And we didn't get chased by a single dog.

Another journal on here mentioned a possible resort 38K from Mae Sariang. I saw the sign and stopped to read it - it says something like 'welcome to Pan House, 1hr 15mins walk'! Not sure if it's a guesthouse or not but the 'road' looked very sandy and bumpy.

The knowledge that the last 18K were downhill really kept us going up the last few climbs. The descent is fun, but the road surface isn't great, so you have to be careful. Oh, and watch out for the trucks! We rolled into Mae Sariang at about 3.30pm. 9.5 hours, but we had a good hour for lunch and lots of breaks and photo stops.

We got a good rate on the 'Above the sea' guesthouse in Mae Sariang. It's wonderful. There's a pool! Dinner at Inthira was good - this little place sounds like it's been around for years, but its still refreshingly thai despite its English menu.

Bed at 8.30pm!!