Get the gdb file here …

Total Distance 121

I head south on the 1090 and after a few km take a left to visit the Huai Mae Sot reservoir

The water level is a long way down

Further down the 1090 I take a left to visit the Padaeng mine

I am invited in and the boss speaks very good English, this is a zinc mine and has another four or five years before it closes down

This was the east dump that has been successfully returned to nature

I am driven up to the top of the east dump for some better pictures

Thats the west dump which also will be returned to nature and should look the same sometime in the future

The water being used for processing is cleaned then reused and none is needed to be brought in from outside

Rainwater catchment

An interesting trip up here and I must look in again in a few years time after the mine has closed to see how it looks like then

Some views from along an unknown road leading back to the 1090

Now on the 4029 and it looks a bit dry along here

A twisty road though

After a while the road has a newish surface and goes on for a fair way before turning to dirt

The dirt section starts at N16.36.789 E098.40.669

There are absolutely loads of dirt tracks leading off of the roads I ride today

I noticed a rather pungent smell in the air, possibly this is the cause of it

The surface is a lot rockier around here but not as big as these

A potato field

After 6.5 km of dirt I reach the 1090 and turn left, almost immediately I turn left again to visit the Tara Rak waterfall.
These lads are swimming in a lake at the bottom of it

The Tara Rak waterfall at N16.34.144 E098.41.667

Now to find a way up there, my first foray around the lake ends up with me in someones garden and the second attempt off the 1090 is a dead end

Further along the 1090 there is a sign for this and its a dirt track starting at N16.33.779 E098.41.635

I ride on past the chedi for a bit but then turn back and ride back to the 1090

I turn left and just down the road I take a left onto an unknown road that turns to dirt at N16.33.195 E098.42.366

I reach a crossroads and take the right

Through a bamboo avenue now

Here the track I should be on does not exist, I ride to the end of this one but then its a ride back

I follow where the track should be according to the ESRI and come to this, I can see the 4016 not far away but cant reach it

And this is the bridge, I walk over which was dicey enough and find the track I should be on but with no way of getting to it

I walk around in a circle to see if I can find another way across then discover the problem

This was obviously once the bridge, no use in worrying about it I will have to ride back and find another way to the 4016.
I ride back and try another left but its a no go, the next attempt although not showing on the ESRI goes to the 4016 where I get back on asphalt at N16.32.332. E098.44.275 and ride home

A new restaurant for me tonight at N16.42.734 E098.33.463

A thicker crust vegetarian pizza that was tasty and filling for only 130 Baht

Get the gdb file here …

The route 105, Unknown

Total distance 182 km

I take the 105 northwards for about 65 km then take a left onto an unnumbered road to explore some border villages

I see a lot of these today, its obviously a major operation around here

The rider was going quite fast considering his load and he negotiated a pot holed bit quite well too

The first village has fuel in the drums at N17.08.328 E098.18.884

A deserted Army box on the bank of the Moei

The border and looking over into Burma

Now for a ride around the village exploring all the paved roads

I turn left at N17.07.626 E098.18.028 onto a dirt track to ride alongside the Moei

Two of those kids follow me through the corn field to the river

I ride south along the dirt track to where it finishes at this house

I am intrigued as to what the barrier in the river is for unless its to stop boat traffic apart from a narrow section near the Burmese side

Plus the two lookout posts

I look around and my two little buddies have found me

I ride back towards the 105 then take a right to explore further, along here I take a right at N17.07.019 E098.19.550 and this is a dirt track

Riding down here I see the sieve full of ants eggs lying in the road

No sign of its owner, perhaps the ants have taken their revenge this time

Suddenly the lady appears from out of the trees and helps herself to some more eggs

Then she gets some old dried leaves and lights them

I have never seen this done before

I ride on and now I am back beside the Moei

A rubber plantation here too

Nothing more here lets get back to the asphalt

On the way back I find more people getting the ants eggs that werent here about 30 minutes ago

I ride back to the asphalt, turn right and soon end up in another village

Here fuel is available in bottles at N17.06.603 E098.20.191

I ride around the village on a paved surface then ride out on another road that turns to dirt at N17.06.563 E098.19.960 and stays dirt until it meets the asphalt road at N17.06.706 E098.19.967

Further on and the Army presence is visible

I ride into another village and take a right through a checkpoint that is deserted, the surface turns to dirt at N17.06.144 E098.19.102

From here I ride down to the Moei

Lots of bags of charcoal here

I hear the sound of a bike racing around then suddenly this Soldier rides down, hes very friendly and tells me theres no danger now from any fighting

Not much left of this tree and its completely burnt out on the inside

Riding through the village and these are busy with the tamarind

Fuel here at N17.06.144 E98.19.168

Poor chap, I wonder if he trod on something nasty

At the end of the village at this checkpoint I am asked for my ID, I leave my Thai driving licence with them and ride off down to the Moei, they tell me to not take too long and not to cross over into Burma.
The road here turns to dirt at N17.06.093 E098.19.166

I cross the first water crossing but that was a mistake as its loose on the middle section and the KLX just bogs down, I leave it and walk from here

The Burmese Army post across the Moei

Now to go back and retrieve the KLX, its easier to walk alongside it until I get back to the water crossing

Now to get my licence back and try out a dirt track heading south from this village

I ride back through part of the village on the paved surface then take a road that turns to dirt at N17.06.109 E098.19.279

Not far and a water crossing

This has turned into a great fun dirt track and the ESRI shows it going south for a while and I am hoping it will link up with another dirt track that leads back to the 105 south of where I turned off it this morning

The track turns to a narrow single track that I have no desire to explore and I ride back to the water crossing then see this track heading east that the Esri only shows as going for about 3 km but I give it a go anyway, it turned out to be a very wise decision too

Lots of burnt trees here

I am wondering where this track will lead to as its now gone off the GPS but to get to the start of the one that leads to the 105 means crossing those cliffs

I ride on a very rough rocky section for a while but the track is heading south east and if it continues this course it should join the track I need

Just past here I reach the track I need but south of its start point and I am now back on the GPS

All of a sudden I emerge from the trees and I see people again

Not far along here and I reach a village

Fuel here in bottles at N17.04.150 E098.22.715

Just past the village and an Army checkpoint

A bit further on and I am right on the border again so I walk down to the Moei

About 1 km before reaching the 105 there is another checkpoint and I noticed the opening times, sod getting to here after it was closed and having to ride back the other way.
I think getting a bike through would be easy enough anyway

After 21.8 km of fun on the dirt I reach the 105 and ride back to Mae Sot, on the edge of town these two were causing mayhem in the road

I watched them for a few minutes then rode on, it was funny watching the traffic swerving either side of them

A lovely Lasagna for 75 Baht at SP Kitchen on the Asia Highway at N16.43.070 E098.33.619, the garlic bread was 30 Baht

Get the gdb file here …

The route 105, 1175, 08033/3114, 3047,

Total distance 134 km

I took the 105 north to Mae Ramat then a right onto the 1175

A few km along the 1175 I take a right onto this funny numbered road but the ESRI gives it as the 3114

I discovered this road about three years ago on the Phantom but gave up on it after a few km as its was so potholed and I had no idea where it was going, today I want to find out

The ant egg thiefs are on the prowl here

The only problem with getting near to these people is the fact that the surrounding road is crawling with angry red ants that quickly climb up your clothes, I notice they are both wearing wellingtons, perhaps the ants dont climb up them

I reach the end of one piece of asphalt at N16.59.410 E098.36.890 and according to the Esri the track finishes here

I ride on offroad

Its a pleasant scenic ride

At this point here I am on another track that shows on the Esri

I am guessing this is where the Monks shower and do their washing

Going by this

This is lovely out here and there are loads of these offroad tracks showing on the Esri around here

I follow this track and it brings me back to the asphalt of the 3114 at N17.00.245 E098.36.349

I ride through a few villages and notice that fuel seems to be widely available, not that I am far from the 105 where theres two fuel stations near the 1175 junction

When I first turned on the 1175 this morning it looked dull and colourless but now its turned into a great scenic area

I reach another end of the asphalt at N16.59.568 E098.38.717 and the Esri shows it going on as an unpaved track for less than 1 km

I am hoping it will carry on and join up with the 1175 but it needs to deviate to the left as those hills dont look too inviting

The track peters out here at a water crossing

This man and his dog come along and I am told that this is the end of the track

The dog crosses first

Then his master

Time for me to ride back

At the end of another side road through a village is this deeper water crossing that I have no desire to try

Now on the 3047

In a village I see a newish looking dam and take a left onto dirt at N16.55.404 E098.37.758

The surface returns to Asphalt at N16.55.452.098.38.221 and remains paved for the rest of todays ride

The Huai Mae Lamao

Next stop is this lake which I didnt realise was next to the Mae Ka Sa cave which I visited a few years ago but this asphalt surface wasnt here at the time

This lake is at virtual capacity

I walked across but I am not a fan of these swaying bridges

A quick look around the hot spring then it was back to Mae Sot after a fun day exploring some new roads and dirt tracks

I eat here tonight at N16.42.932 E098.34.197

A fast food outlet thats a mix of KFC and Pizza Hut

Extremely packed as I walk in but the food doesnt take long to arrive

119 Baht for that lot and very filling

99 Baht for the small pizza but as a set its 199 Baht for the lot, I just about found room for the pizza

Get the gdb file here …

The route 105

Total distance 258 km

A shot of the Yuam river as I ride out of Mae Sariang

I have never seen elephants along here before and at first though it was elephant trekking but these are working elephants and the other westerners here stopped for a look the same as I did

Part of the old surface, I encountered a badly pot holed section for a bit but otherwise it was a good surface with lots of new asphalt since I last rode here in march

Now for some of the lovely new surface

The KLX gets a rest from the dirt today, I dont think my legs could take another days off road riding so todays asphalt was a nice change

The banana being gathered, I was told it was food for their pigs

Another section of old that is being widened and then resurfaced

I climb up to get this scenery shot only to see some huts down below

Nearby is this sign

I am now riding alongside the Moei river so go down for a closer look

I have not noticed this place along the 105 before

A new restaurant I think

Just before reaching Tha Song Yang there is this new fuel station at N17.14.350 E098.13.559 but despite having a benzine and a gasohol pump both of them only contained benzine, diesel was sold here too.
A few metres along was another fuel station that again only had the same fuel choice

A good road and great scenery

At Mae Ramat there are a couple more fuel stations and this PTT with a 7-11 redresses the balance by only selling gasohol and diesel at all its pumps, no benzine sold here.
This used to sell benzine but since it was refurbished a couple of years ago has only sold gasohol, I wonder if this is what the future holds for Thailand as the rumour that benzine is going to be dropped still persists

I check in at the Smile House but instead of being virtually the only guest I find there is only this double room left for 150 Baht, apparently Mae Sot is very busy at the moment

I get my own private veranda

As I have enough time today I ride to the border and cross to get a new 90 day visa, over in Burma I see this Yamaha DT 125,
I had a few of the 175 versions years ago and thoroughly loved doing offroad riding on them, in the late 70s and early 80s they were the bike of choice for green laning and that sort of thing

Sitting in the Immigration office in Myawaddy while waiting for my passport I suddenly notice there is a time diffence between Thailand and Burma but of only 30 minutes, something I had not noticed before

Now time to eat

The fajitas and a big tasty meal that completely fills me for 140 Baht

Get the gdb file here …

Total distance 236 km

A dry start on a lovely sunny day

Outside the large refugee camp

Its already overloaded but yet more get on

And off they go

Its been a while since I managed to photo a snake crossing the road

It doesnt seem to want to get off the road and as I have no desire to see it squashed I try to move it by lightly touching it with a stick but this seems to make the snake a bit aggressive

Finally it slithers to safety and climbs up off the ground making me think its the harmless tree dwelling rat snake

The Moei is nice and slow with no signs of any recent rain here

At N17.31.993 E097.56.956 I spot this which I dont remember from my last ride along here

A small village just behind it

Looking down on the monument from a tower

Now for some of the lovely curves along the 105

Its much less hazy than I expected today

I ride some new asphalt thats been put down since my last ride here then an unsurfaced section where road widening is being carried out before getting onto the old narrow section

I am a fair way towards Mae Sariang before I see a fire burning

This river usually has more water in it then this

Not far from mae Sariang and I can feel rain coming plus hear thunder in the distance

With only 10 km to go the heavens open and I take shelter behind a wall from the driving rain and hailstones that suddenly come down

This lad stops and joins me, I felt sorry for him as he was shivering uncontrollably all the time, he rides on before it stops, I wait until it nearly stops then ride on.
I only get about three km before it chucks it down again and its a sodden ride to Mae Sariang where I check in at the Mae Sariang Guest House at N18.09.645 E097.55.756 and get a room with a shared toilet/shower for 150 Baht

I was looking forward to trying out a pizza from this place after hearing some good reviews about it, its right next door to Bengs restaurant Sawaddee but sadly it closed down about a month ago so no pizza for me today

A plate of pork, fries and onions at Sawaddee N18.09.709 E097.55.776 for 200 Baht suffices tonight
Get the gdb file here …

Total distance 522 km

I was on the road by 6.30 this morning as its a longs days ride between these two towns plus I was told last night to expect rain today

7.15 and the workers are already busy

A bit further along the road and at 7.30 the kids are on the way to school

This can be seen from a way and its the Sralongrue Temple at N14.21.157 E099.44.743

A fire is burning and a sugar cane crop is blazing away

I have seen this crop ablaze many times before and often wondered if its deliberate as no one seems concerned about it

A good road surface and some bends too

I was expecting haze and smoke today but no theres new grass growing, theres been some rain here recently thats for sure

The only water here now is whats flowing in from the recent heavy rains

The reservoir is nearly empty

It should be easier to catch the fish now as theres not much water for them to hide in

For a good way today I see evidence of recent heavy rain

Theres more water in this river today than when I rode here two months ago

I have been looking forward to GPSing this short cut of mine as lots of people ask about it and to my embarrassment I took a wrong turn today, I must have been on auto pilot.
I took a left onto the 4048 at N16.16.688 E099.21.122 onto this nice new asphalt road thinking that I was on the 1139 and it was a few km before I realised my mistake but as it loops round and joins the other end of the 1139 it didnt really matter, plus at least I now know where the 1139 goes to

Some good roads along here and a much better route than hwy 1

A bridge is being rebuilt/repaired

I wonder if it was a casualty of the rainy season

Its been a nice day so far and only looked like rain a few times but once on the 105/12 it rains about halfway to Mae Sot and stays like it until I get there, I check in at Smile House as usual for 100 Baht at N16.42.772 E098.33.601

Then its off to Krua Canadian at N16.42.943 E098.34.169 and the beef fajitas for 140 Baht, a great meal and my first Mexican food for four months, I must put that right once back in CNX

Followed by this for 65 Baht also at Krua Canadian
Get the gdb file here …

Total distance 250 km

I started out along the 105 at 8 am on a clear morning

Once the other side of Mae Ramat the traffic quietens down and the road gets bendy

About sixty km out from Mae Sot where the big refugee camp is the smoke suddenly descended and it was patchy from there on

The smoke has cleared a bit now and its a brilliant ride as usual

I stop along side the Moei and its low

Everywhere that I look virtually everything has been burnt

Nothing can detract from this brilliant road though

Some day it will be a surface like this from Mae Sot all the way to Mae Sariang

Back in late december I could plainly see that hill

Another excellent series of bends

I reach the current road widening section

Then its on to the old narrow section

Theres a massive fire in the distance

The smoke is really spewing into the sky

The same fire from a bit further on

The sun can barely shine through the smog

At least theres still some water in the rivers that I cross

As I get nearer to Mae Sariang it suddenly gets a lot smokier and as I stop here for this picture ash is just falling from the sky all over the place

I ride on in to Mae Sariang, very smoky in places and a little less in others. I can honestly say that I have never seen it this bad before, I rode along here on 22nd april last year and it was green then compared to this which shouldnt happen, heres that trip report for comparison
http://www.gt-rider.com/thailand-motorcycle-forum/mae-sot-mae-sariang-april-09-t5663.html

Looking downriver from the Riverside guesthouse

Upriver from the same spot

Chicken steak, chips and onions at Northwest guesthouse tonight for 220 Baht

Total distance 281 km

First stop this morning was at Cockpit to try to get an annoying slow puncture finally fixed. It went flat on me going into Buri Ram a week ago today and the Michelin shop that plugged it for me didnt do a very good job and they needed three different dog shyte patches before it was deemed fixed. It lasted for three days before going down with a slight leak from around the dog shyte plug and needed pumping up twice a day during my rides. Cockpit didnt seem to have the dog shyte plugs and instead took the wheel out then burred a large area inside the tyre before glueing an internal patch on. This took over an hour and at times there were three of them doing the job but when the bill came it was for only 80 Baht. Once again thanks Cockpit and it now appears to be fixed

I took the 102 west out of Uttaradit for about five km then took a left onto the 1046, some greenery along here even if it was only rice growing but still better than fires though

Then it was the 1198, 1180, 1195, 1308 and the 1113, all dried up along here

I reach hwy 12 and turn right onto it for a boring seventy km ride to Tak, as the road narrows to single carriageway theres actually a bend in it. Good thing I hadnt nodded off or I would have gone in the hedge. At the junction with hwy 1 I turn left onto it for a few km

Then its a right onto the 105 and once along a few km theres some decent bends along this road

This is more like it and easily the best road that I ride on today, apart from the 105 the journey between these two towns is pretty boring but I rode it purely for the pleasure of riding the 105 from Mae Sot to Mae Sariang tomorrow

Oops I guess this driver didnt enjoy the curves along the 105 as much as I did

Are petrol tankers that safe that they dont explode when on fire?

That stuff leaking out smells like petrol and when I ask I am told benzine, I noticed that none of the recovery workers were smoking

I get into Mae Sot early afternoon so I take a ride to the border and see that the Moei is rather low

A bit further along the Moei away from the bridge

I walk to the middle of the river and its only about 20 cm deep, plus warm water too

Fajitas at Krua Canadian tonight for 140 Baht, hot and spicy too