Back in Boten the Starting Line to Meet New Friends.

I arrived Boten a good two nights before the pre-determined time for border crossing into China. The China-Tibet whatsapp group was noisy now with updates from all the other overlanders making their way to the border.

Naturally, everyone of them cursed the last 20km of bad roads to Boten but then it was time to meet up random strangers and you never know if the group dynamics would make the journey awesome or just plain horrible.

New Friends - China Crossing From Laos to Kyrgyzstan in May 2024

I also have a theory that there is a reason we all travel mostly solo without a big caravan of friends. People can be anoying and traveling a month together might be just long enaugh that smiles would crack.

It was a big group in a way. Six vehicles and Six motorcyle with a total of 19 people. Everyone was making the trip to Europe and I was the only one doing a loop to Central Asia. 

While I would like to introduce the group dynamics in this blog, I feel that it may be my bias opinion and posting without letting them know feels a bit wrong and getting consent from 19 people is just not worth the hassle.

So in simple terms, we have a group of people from multiple countries, A good few Malaysians, Singaporeans, Australians, Thailand, Denmark, Czech Republic, Germany, England and American. A good mix with at least all the Malaysian & Singaporeans able to speak the local Chinese Languege.

What I did observed however was that it was evident that my budget for this trip was not on the same scale as the rest. Luxury overland travel and tight budget overland travel comparison. They all more or less has an end goal to their travel while I was trying to drag my unemployment as long as possible.

Somehow it feels unreal sitting at the restaurant table in Boten meeting everyone and exchanging stories. I still could not belived that this time I would really cross into Central Asia. 

My little knowledge and experience of riding in China a year ago was bombarded with question from the rest of the group hungry for information.

I felt a little like a tour guide with a smile. If only I could get a job like this in the future, bringing overlanders through crazy adventures and making friends that would last a lifetime.

Traveled on: May 2024

Hiding from Tourist Police in Huay Xai and Luang Namtha

Ninja mode was activated after the dramatic border entry and somehow managing to dodge the tourist police scam. I was slightly paranoid but the amount extorted was exhorbitant for 2000 baht. 

A cross check to the whatsapp group from other China Crossing tour participant confirmed that other border entry into Laos did not have such nonsense requirement. 

Lazing around in Huay Xai

One other camper that did cross the same border a few weeks earlier got caught up in the scam but managed to negotiate the "price" down to 500 baht. Legitimate SCAM confirmed since proper documentation would not have a possibility of price negotiation. 

Still it was better to be prepared and avoid trouble instead of attracting attention so I laid low in Huay Xai just doing nothing watching TV in the hotel and after the third day when I thought the Tourist Police would have forgotten me and not work during a weekend, I made a push for Luang Namtha.

Pushing on to Luang Namtha

Luang Namtha for two nights in a familar town and I was more relax now that I was away from Huay Xai. I saw a few overlander vehicle at the guesthouse in Luang Namtha but kept my excitement to myself. It was just the beginning of the big trip so excitement was expected.

The journey to Boten from Luang Namtha was as horrible as I remembered. Stupid potholed roads of unimaginable degree. There was however a new additional stop which was a new PTT Petrol Station at Nataey with Amazon Cafe. 

A group of Malaysian & Singaporean Bikers heading to China 

A good break and as I sip my last possibly iced Thai Black Tea for a while many bikers from Malaysia and Singapore stopped by en-route to China.

Touring China was a norm now it seams but every group had a tour leader from Malaysia sucking double the money. Tour Leader from Malaysia takes a cut from the China tour guide so effectively the riders were paying more for having two tour guides but what can you do since they control the group and prevent outsider from joining without paying the price.

I had to pay the same price of information last year in 2023 when I did the test ride to China. Only 10 days round trip in China and it was more expensive than the upcoming trip in two days which would last me 27 days through Tibet and Xinjiang to cross over to Kyrgyzstan. 

This time I go direct with www.drive-china.com joining true overlanders which are all individual, unafraid of a little adventure.

The riders came and go all heading to Boten before entering China. I pushed off after all of them left and made my way through the last horrible 20km of mud roads to Boten for the night. Finally back at the starting line proper after two years.

Traveled on: May 2024

Border Crossing Chiang Khong (Thailand) to Huay Xai (Laos) with a Malaysian Registered Motorcycle in 2024

The famous Thailand – Loas border in the north where the shortest route through Laos to China border every overlander on a time budget would take. 

I had crossed this border three times now so I thought everything would be simple enough. Twice I crossed from Thailand to Laos in 2018 and 2023 and one from Laos to Thailand in 2023.

In 2018 I crossed this border alone with Bluey and there was no tour guide required for a solo traveler. In 2023, due to the Malaysian group biker crossing together, the team leader arranged for a Laos Tour guide to ease the process. 

In fact the rules goes as ambiguously such as, anything more than 2 to 5 foreign vehicle travelling together would require a Laos Tour Guide.

Chiang Khong Border - Surrendered Temporary Import Permit to Customs Thailand 

Chiang Khong Border - Stamp Out Immigration Thailand 

This time I was crossing alone again and armed with prior experience I thought the process would be simple enough. Exit from Thailand went smoothly with no drama and I surrendered the TIP and stamped out immigration with the whole process barely spending more than 15 minutes.

Previously the TM2 form was stamped out and a copy made for me to pass onto the Laos side but this time the immigration officer told me to take a photo and that it would be sufficient. 

I rode across the Thai-Lao friendship bridge 4 and at the Laos immigration, they insisted for the TM 2 stamp out form hardcopy.

I had to ride back to Thai side and request a copy which they grumbled of why this Laos Immigration kept changing their minds every time. Still the copy was produced immediately and back I went again to Laos Border.

Huay Xay Border - Immigration  Customs 

Immigration requested 200 baht coffee money for the entry stamp which I gave and then it was insurance and the D53 Custom import papers for Bragge. 

Insurance at the usual place was closed and I had to walked out of the entry border and crossed over to the exit border of Laos to find a insurance office. Once I found them it was simple to purchase and then back to customs.

Buying Laos Insurance for Motorcycle 

Before I could get to customs booth, a Tourist Police waved me over.

THIS WOULD BE THE START OF THE BORDER TOURIST POLICE SCAM.

The tourist police asked for my passport which I gave and then brought me into a small room flanked by three other officers. One barely spoke English and delicately explained to me that I needed a paper to ride my motorcycle in Laos.

I asked to see sample of the paper and it was utterly rubbish written in Laos Language with no English and suspiciously informal. I don't need this I told them and they broke the façade insisting that this was mandatory and that it would cost me 2000 baht for them to prepare it for me.

Stood firm and act brave yet still be as polite and non-aggressive was a delicate balance as I told the Tourist Police that this is not my first time entering Laos with a motorcycle and I have done this through multiple borders throughout the years and know the rules and regulation. 

A letter to explain to other Tourist police that I am riding though Laos is not required period.

I asked for my passport back which they refused to give and I refused to give them money. It was fine I told them. If you don't let me in I’ll just turn around and go in through Vientiane anyway. 

I had time and there are more than one border. I knew the subtle threat of going through Vientiane means I could also lodge a formal complain there.

The Tourist Police asked me which border I would exit Laos. No idea I told them trying to hide as much information as I can. China, or back to Thailand via Vientine or Vietnam or maybe Cambodia, I’ll decide later depending on how friendly Laos is I told them.

In the end face with no choice, they gave me back my passport after recording it down into their so-called blacklist. I would be permitted entry but I was to only leave through the same border and that if I tried to exit though Boten to China, they would not let me out. 

It was complete bullshit.

Border Crossing with motorcycle only needed two things which was immigration stamp and Customs Temporary Import / Export Permit. Still I smiled and said ok just to retrieved back my passport.

After the good one hour Drama with the Tourist Police, I headed to the customs booth to get the D53 Temporary Import Permit which took a minute and another small coffee money of 40 baht which reasonably I paid. 

I was good to go and after leaving the border, the first thing I did was find another hotel that was not what I wrote on the immigration papers and hide the bike least they find me later at night to cause trouble.

Huay Xai Overlooking the Mekong River to Thailand 

A week later I would exit Laos at Boten to enter China without any issue which re-confirmed the Border Scam that the Tourist Police was trying to pull.

Traveled on: May 2024

Onwards to Chiang Rai and Towards the Laos Border

So this is what it feels like to travel a destination that I had been before trice. No planning required, no stress on road conditions and no rush to go sightseeing. 

I got out of Mae Hong Son loop and headed to Chaing Rai slowly but since I had seen almost everything around this region, there was no point to explore the more difficult remote region during the bad burning season.

Burning Season where the forest is so dry an hot that it got lighted up and the Fire Truck had to put out fires all over the region.

Find a good accommodation, hide and binge watch TV series, work on the blog preparing more post since I knew once I hit China there was little time to do anything else. 

I stock up a lot of post during this free time while waiting for the right date to cross into Laos. Thats way I could release a post twice a week consistently for a few months.

In Chaing Rai there was a few places I always somehow return and even pay the ticket fee to go see the attraction. The white temple was one of them and still captivate me even the thirds time. 

Wat Rong Khun - Chaing Rai 

Singha Park - Chiang Rai

I was also hopping a bit more to cafes to find chill places to do more writing and without a doubt the few last bit maintenance on Bragge was done including the expensive but most worth it bike wash.

Life was good, and the big adventure planned so many many months ago is now on a timer counting down. How do I explain the calm and serenity before the storm. I knew it was going to be a great journey but in the meantime this momentary tranquility while waiting is not so bad as well.

Traveled on: April 2024

Redoing the Nostalgic Mae Hong Son Loop

Time flies. This idiom usually said but not really understood was what I was feeling when I decided to re-ride the Mae Hong Son Loop. 

It has been six years since I last did the loop and it still feel like it was only last year since I explored Thailand with Bluey.

This time around it was during the burning and hot season in the North Thailand during April. It was definitely not enjoyable as the smog blanketed everything lowering visibility, cause so much throat and eye irritation that all I wanted to do was find a good air-condition with air-purifier hostel to hide away. Even the nights were unbearable barely cooling off.

Mae Sariang Daily Evening Market 

This time around I did a simple loop avoiding the climb to Doi Inthanon. Riding was also faster now covering more distance in a day than I was used to previously. First day was to Mae Sariang and this time I made a point to do more side detours during the loop.

From Mae Sariang I had a daytrip to the Salawin River. The roads were different and the people as well. Just accross the Salawin River was Myanmar and it felt like this part a little more remote than usual in Thailand. 

Daytrip to Salawin River 

Salawin River the border of Thailand & Myanmar

My attempt to go through the small jungle road along the Salawin river to emerged into Salawin national park was abandon after 10km or so.

The roads was horrible becoming pure earth path and at the first larger river crossing, I decided the risk was too great and turned around to head back to Mae Sariang. 

First River Crossing and I turned around

From Mae Sariang it was then a day to Mae Hong Son where the beautiful winding roads up and down the mountain became a chore with no scenic view and no fresh air break due to fog

It was a nice reminiscence riding a familiar route. In a way I am now very comfortable just chilling in Thailand. Still there was those few detours I did not knew back then so after Mae Hong Son, I made my way to see the Chinese Regiment Settlement of Ban Rak Thai near the Myanmar border. Everything here felt fake.

Mae Hong Son

Ban Rak Thai was layered with brand new buildings built in the Chinese style architecture with more resorts construction on the way for tourist.

 A disappointment but it was in a way expected since the village had nothing much to offer young sprouts to stay and the little novelty it had was just enough to suck in tourist for some extra income.

Ban Rak Thai

Towards Pai was simple enough and after that I rode out of the loop to Chiang Rai. No more awe jaw-droppingly sightings like I had the first time doing the loop but more of a remembrance that the upcoming trip to Central Asia would be amazing like the first time I explored SEA.

Traveled on: Apr 2024