Weapon of choice

February 19, 2007 Andy 0 Comments

The following are the top five cars I’d select for driving Highway 1090 between Mae Sot and Umphang:

  1. Twin bike engined Mini
  2. Lancia Delta Integrale Evo II
  3. Ford GT
  4. Porsche 911 (996 turbo)
  5. TVR Tuscan R

Let me explain. I’ve arrived in Umpang after four hours in a Songtheaw (Pickup truck converted into a taxi with two bench seats in the back – see pic below) on the ultra smooth twisty mountain road from Mae Sot. Talking was out due to the wind noise, reading was out due to being thrown around, so there is not much else to do other than watch the stunning scenery and let the mind wander. Of course, mine wandered off to the fantasy land of driving beastly cars along that very road. Hence the above list. Four hours is a long time, trust me.

Anyway, back on track, we left Bangkok after a rather heavy, but excellent celebration of Claire’s birthday. I’m really glad we were able to meet up with Claire and Mat, and it was even better being able to celebrate with them. Good company, good food, good music and good drinks. It, as you can see from the last sentence, was all good.

After Bangkok we spent a day and a bit in Ayutthaya, Thailand’s old Capital. There is not a great deal to do there apart from take in the many impressive temples and ruins. Given how spread out they were we spent a day on bicycles cycling between them in the intense heat. Sweaty, but well worth it.



The last day and a half has been spent on the long journey from Ayutthaya to Umphang. 8 hours in a bus, 2 hours in a minibus and the afore mentioned 4 hour Songtheaw ride. So much time on public transport enabled me to finish “Kane and Able”. A very well told story, and one I’d recommend, especially to my Polish friends.

The next three days will see us venture into the jungle. Rafting, trekking, waterfalls, village tribes and elephants await…

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