Another long one

From the planning I already knew that this stage was more about getting kilometers done than any sightseeing or other entertainment. This is the other part of bikepacking sometimes you just bike to get somewhere else.

78kms where on the schedule, however I realized that I set the destination one town too early during planning so we hade to add another 6km to the track and another 2 because we accidentally stayed on the main road instead of taking the backroad and a shortcut resulting in 86 in total.

We left Chiang Rai early and made good progress despite the heavy side and headwind. Our first stop was at a coffee place run by a very nice lady.

Unlike the day before there was actually a climb in there, not too long or high but again crazy steep. Once we made it on top we were rewarded with an astonishing view over the surrounding area. The descent was probably the steepest I ever went down on a bike on tarmac, we stopped in between to let our brakes cool down a bit and take some more photos.

The second stop was again at a nice cafe, this time run by a family who had a little son and Anouk was allowed to play with his toys. Great break for all of us.

The last part then when we realized we had to do an additional 10kms was tough, but at least the road turned and we finally had wind from behind instead of from the side.

The resort (RICO resort , Chiang Kham) we stayed this time, was remarkable. It was a bit out of town in the nature with 2 lakes, run by a very nice lady. It was very well maintained and totally dedicated to sports, so we found a soccer ball and Anouk and I played for quite some time outside. The lady was so nice to borrow us her car so we could get out in the night to get dinner. Which we did at a noodle soup place. This was also a very lucky draw because there were other kids Anouk who played wit Anouk