Monday 12 January 2015
We expected a challenging ride today. The first of the day's 6 climbs started just 5km after Soppong. Our legs felt better after last night's massage. A particularly difficult section on the second col led us to the Pang Ma Pha Viewpoint. We stopped to take photos and catch our breath and were joined by another cycle tourist, Billy, from the U.S. He had been travelling in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand and will continue into Laos after finishing the Loop.
Perhaps there were long lovely sections of downhill, perhaps the climbs happened when we expected them to and there were no nasty surprises, it did not seem as difficult today as we heard it would be. The ride was very scenic through ancient forests, with impressive karst formations in the background. As we approached Mae Hong Son, Route 1095 descended into the narrow and winding Pai Valley and it was an easy run into Mae Hong Son.
The next large town, Mae Sariang, is 165km away. We agree to take a rest day tomorrow and explore Mae Hong Son.
Distance: 64 km
Total ascent: 1390 m
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| Pang Ma Pha Viewpoint, with hills and Burma in the background |
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| Karst formations |
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| Beautiful roofs of Wat Ban Huai Pha |
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| Unfortunately, we had already made our hotel booking elsewhere! |
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