Here we found a welcome retreat from the bike world by strolling around the markets, the Mediterranean style waterfront and the vicinity of the town. On one of these walks we got drenched by a hefty rain, the beginning of a bad weather spell which lead us to decide to short cut and take a boat along the Mae Kong to get back to Thailand.
Nightmare boat
This turned out to one of the biggest mistakes of the entire trip.
Not because the weather actually stayed dry, but because the organization turned into absolute mayhem. With 0 communication between the tour organizer and the captain, a massive language barrier once we set off on our 2 day tour, unexpected extra payments etc. etc. – Top Tip: Don’t go on these boats if you have a bike! 
We did however finally make it to the border town where we thought to have ended in the next hole with bad expensive accommodation. Quite by surprise however, we did meet a lovely Korean family that invited us into their home for dinner and to stay. They must have been some of the kindest and most selfless people I have ever met in my entire live. They were working for the Korean government as aid workers to provide their help in Laos. The wife was a nurse and the husband a builder, making playgrounds for local schools. They didn’t have much themselves either – only a near empty house they rented and an electric bike.
Thailand
With mixed feelings we finally entered Thailand. On one side we were really happy to return to places and things we already knew, but on the other side we felt a bit sad that the trip was nearing its end. It felt bizarre. After Vietnam and Cambodia the traffic seemed very organized, it all was so civilized and easy – one might say boring. After having lived through a saturation of extremes, something we really learned to appreciate.
4 Sale
Although we weren’t in a hurry, after a loop through Chiang Rai we quickly arrived at our final destination – Chiang Mai. A spot we were well familiarized with and consider an Asian home away from home. It was a nice break where we could regain some energy, clean our clothes, edit photos and sadly organize the sale of our now beloved bikes.
They carried us and our belongings over tracks most would only attempt on proper cross bikes, through slippery mud, water holes, creek crossings and sand over a distance of 10.000 KMs. We maneouvered them through the insane traffic of Cambodia and Vietnam, across long flat plains and up to 2200m’s of altitude. And even though they have given us a good bit of pain either by breaking down or us crashing, they found a place in our hearts.
With a few last trips around the area and the bikes eventually sold it was all over.
Thank you Asia for being such an epic adventure!
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