25-Feb-2013 -- This confluence report is the final out of a series of 15 visits in Malaysia and Thailand. The previous confluence is 18°N 99°E. It is in turn part of a 4-months bicycle trip starting in Tasmania at 43°S 146°E.
On confluence day at 4:30 AM, I crawled out of my tent 30 km south of Lamphun (ลำพูน). The night had been quite cold and I was freezing, such that I longed for a hot beverage. After having a hot coffee and a big breakfast at a local market, I rode northwards to Chiang Mai (เชียงใหม่) reaching the city at 10 AM. In Chiang Mai it was already too hot, such that I enjoyed three smoothies at a tourist coffeehouse.
The normal tourist would have searched for a hotel in Chiang Mai to spend the hottest time of the day in air-conditioned environment. But I just went straight through the whole city leaving it to the north, searching for the final confluence point of this trip. The ride along the Ping River (แม่น้ำปิง) was pleasant - I only had to have a water stop every hour to cool down. I left the river valley at Mae Faek (แม่แฝก) (3 km to go) and used a concrete slab road to get within 500 m. There, I passed a former quarry that had been turned into an artificial lake. On a field track I got within a distance of 130 m. There, I started the little hike through a dry riverbed with high grass. Then I crossed a meadow smoothly. Only the last 17 m were a bit rough due to thorns. The confluence area is flat (it is located on a flood plain). Hills are all around and some houses can be seen in about 300 m distance across the main river branch.
It took me 2.5 hours to cycle back to Chiang Mai. I stayed one night in the city before my flight departed for Zurich on the evening of the next day. Interestingly, this is confluence visit no. 19000 which fits 19.0000°N 99.0000°E.
CP Visit Details:
- Distance to a sealed road: 500 m
- Distance to a track: 130 m
- Distance of bicycle parking: 130 m
- Time to reach CP from bicycle parking: 10 minutes
- Time at CP: 3:00 PM
- Measured height: 353 m
- Minimal distance according to GPS: 0 m
- Position accuracy: 4 m
- Topography: flat, but hills in the wider area
- Vegetation: High grass and thorny bushes.
- Weather: fine, 34° C (felt temperature)
- Given Name: The Thorny 19000 Confluence
The story finishes here after 4 months of travelling in Australia, Indonesia, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Malaysia and Thailand came to an end. Pictures of the trip can found at mautz.net.