Le Roux's Travels: June 2012

Northern Thailand - 12 Day Motorbike Trip Report:

Ever since reading about motor biking in Northern Thailand in online forums I was hooked. As a fellow motorbike enthusiast, it made a lot of sense seeing the remote parts of the country while getting away from all the other tourists. In Chang Mai I had two options: “Mr. Mechanic” or “Tony’s Big Bikes” and as Mr. Mechanic was fully booked, Tony’s it was! My next choice was what size and which type of motorbike to go for? Most of the roads were going to be paved (asphalt) and with so many windy roads I opted for the Honda CBR250cc. In my opinion it was a good choice as the more expensive Kawasaki ER6n (650cc) would have been wasted power with all the bends. If I had someone traveling with me however, the Honda would not have been big enough. With all the paperwork done, I felt like a very small child with a very big ice cream grinning like the Cheshire Cat! It was time to hit the road!

Day 1: After fuelling my supreme lean silver machine, I left Chang Mai and took the 107 Road north while taking the time to get used to it. Passing Chiang Dao, I left the main highway and joined the 1089 to Fang and from there Mai Ai. At Mae Chan I turned left on Highway 1 and drove to Mae Sai where I parked and completed a “visa run” at the Myanmar Border, extending my visa for another 2 weeks. It was easy enough crossing the border while pretending to "shop” in the Myanmar market and then coming back to complete paperwork which gave me another two weeks in my passport. Easy! After a quick bowl of noodle soup at a corner shop I took off again, taking smaller roads which led me onto the 1290 and ultimately the much hyped about Golden Triangle. Personally, I was not overly impressed with the Golden Triangle as it was very touristy and definitely not worth the hype. From there I rode from there to Chang Saen where I booked a room for the night.

I really liked Chang Saen as there were hardly any other tourists and it had both a friendly and laidback vibe. People sat around low tables overlooking the Mekong while cooking their own meals in clay pots, filled with hot coals. I ordered the bamboo fish (snakehead fish stuffed and grilled in a bamboo) which was served with sticky rice and a potent chilli sauce which had me reaching for my cold beer often! While having another beer in the local bar I met a Chilean girl, Eyleen, who cycled all the way from Chang Mai. She was making her way to Laos and from there all the way to Cambodia! I felt very lazy with a motorbike although didn't have any regrets whatsoever...

Day 2: Eyleen joined me for breakfast the next day after which we said our goodbyes. I took some time to visit a few ruins and temples in Chang Saen and from there took the 1129 road heading east towards Chiang Khong. Even though there was a quicker road to Chiang Khong I chose the 4007, which hugged the Mekong River. It was a nice road with beautiful views over the river and mountains. Just past Chiang Khong I missed the northern intersection with the 1155 and traveled down south along the 1020 and stopped for lunch at a local "chicken lady". I learnt through a mix of broken English, maps, drawings and crazy charades that I had indeed drove past both of the 1155 intersections - it was time to backtrack.

I had better luck finding the southern entrance on my 2nd try. It was actually difficult to see due to the road work at the time. I had read previously about the 1155 road which was meant to be amazing and wasn't disappointed. While driving along that road I leaned into a corner only to suddenly discover a huge truck blocking the whole road by driving diagonally across the bend! At the time I was maybe doing 80km/h and had to hit both brakes causing my tires to skid, making straight for the back of the truck! Luckily the truck moved just enough to allow me to skid past with a mere inch to spare! Coming to a halt I was too shocked to even give the driver the finger and just sat there, regaining my shattered nerves before being able to drive off again.

After that I decided to “lose” myself taking random roads to a random destination and ended up driving up a windy mountain pass. At the top I found a small Chinese village with signs for Doi Phatang. Looking at my map I saw it was a high peak so I decided to have a look. The view from the top offered beautiful views over the mountains, Mekong River and beyond that, Laos. I decided to stay there for sunset to take photos after which I found a room in one of the Chinese Hotels. Little did I know at the time that they were celebrating Chinese New Year’s and found myself invited to join them for a barbecue. There was a lot of food (copious amounts of meat really) on offer and I ate until I could hardly move! The food was washed down with a constant supply of whiskey after which they dragged me to Chinese karaoke in their main town hall. As the only foreigner I found many people staring at me. This didn't phase due to high whiskey levels! I had a good time laughing at all the drunken locals and bad singing, though at one point a drunken guy came over and for some unknown reason started to painfully massage my hand...and that was when I decided to head back to my hotel. I planned to get up at 5am the next morning to see the sunrise. A young guy gave me a lift back in a borrowed SUV, although he managed to knock over 3 scooters while turning his car. Hopefully for him there was no damage done…

Day 3: My alarm went off at 5am with me not feeling too fresh from the night before. I dressed in all my fleeces as it was freezing cold and drove up to the summit. After hiking to the top I had to wait a while for the sun to appear. Apart from the slight breeze and eagles calling, everything was quiet. When the sun finally rose I was amazed by the view in front of me. The Mekong River was blanketed with a layer of cloud – it was magical. I took many photos before finally heading down for a coffee at one of the stalls. From Doi Phatang I drove along the scenic 1093 mountain road to Phu Chi Fa where I was yet again rewarded with another beautiful view of a cloud over the Mekong River.

From there I continued onwards and stopped for lunch at the Phu Sang Waterfalls. After lunch I continued along the 1093, turned left on the 1210 and left again on the 1148 all the way through Chiang Kham. I continued on the 1148 and turned left on the 1097 where I found one of THE worse roads of my entire trip. There were more potholes than tarmac (asphalt) and while I had to constantly dodge to miss them! Reaching Thung Chang was a great relief and also a good time to check out the local market. From there I decided to travel north on the 1080, which I found in good condition and quickly covered a lot of ground. Rounding the top the 1080 became the 1081, although the road deteriorated. At first there wasn’t much to see although I was pleasantly surprised when a valley opened up in front of me displaying cute little villages and rice fields.

While driving along I had to keep a constant eye open for children, chickens, dogs, pigs, ducks and water buffaloes. As it was getting dark I asked a local for a place to stay. He directed me to a home stay in a small village called Ban Na Khok which I booked into. Even though my hosts didn’t speak any English they were very friendly and gave me food and a bed for the night. They even phoned the headmaster of the school to join us for dinner as he at least could speak some broken English. I shared with them the bottle of very sweet wine I bought from one of the souvenir shops at Doi Phatang while we had dinner of barbecued fish, stir fried pork and sticky rice – very tasty! It wasn’t long before I was ready for bed, especially after my 5am start.

Day 4: I was woken early by a high decibel testosterone filled rooster sitting underneath a woven bamboo cage outside my window - sleeping in was most definitely out of the question. My bucket shower was cold enough to cause my skin to steam and me to screech and hyperventilate, all the while hoping for high decibel rooster for breakfast. Unfortunately that didn’t happen, though I did happily settle for coffee and cake before hitting the road again. Even though my shower was cold and the rooster noisy I still had a nice stay with the friendly couple. The scenery along the way on this day was beautiful and I was very much enjoying being on a motorbike. From the 1081 I drove all the way south to Nan and from there continued west on the 1091 to Chun where I picked up the 1021 to Phayao – a city next to a lake. At Phayao I booked into the Win Hotel and walked back to the lake to explore.

Phayao was another one of those “happy” places where the locals had picnics while sitting on blankets next to the lake. Fishermen lined the edge of the water with two large impressive “water dragons.” At night music was being played while local women danced around a fish statue. I really liked Phayao. As an avid fisherman I decided to have a chat with the locals. Armed with two large cold Chang beers I walked over and offered one to a fisherman. He politely declined as he was already drinking whiskey but invited me to join him and his group of friends. They were a mixed group of teachers and army personnel with most speaking a little English and they sure knew how to have a good time. There was lots of laughing, fishing, drinking whiskey, eating snacks all the while a porno movie played on a cell phone – brilliant! At some point a random person with a bird appeared, which sat on our shoulders as per my photos, but things were getting a little hazy by that time. I partied with them until late, after which we went to a local market for dinner. After that I was ready for bed.

Day 5: I woke up the next morning needing a strong coffee badly and found a café next to the lake. The fishermen of the night before invited me to fish with them at 2pm that day and also offered to give me accommodation for the night. Not sure if they would remember the invitations and also fearing another big party I decided to head off to Pai for the Reggae Festival. Along the 120 road I stopped at a viewpoint which had dinosaur statues and stalls selling food. On one of the barbecues I spotted a rodent roughly similar to a rat, although I could only guess at what it truly was. From there I turned right on the 118 and left on the scenic 1150. Even though I had driven along that road before on a previous trip, I still liked it just as much the second time. It is a scenic road winding its way through the forested mountains - a road made for motorbikes! Finishing the 1150, I turned left on the 107 and finally right on the much hyped about 1095 to Pai. The road has 762 crazy turns, which was familiar to me due to previous visits. In Pai, I booked into Farmer’s Home and met up with an old friend. I was glad to see that the night market still sold pumpkin spring rolls as well as my favorite northern style curry, served around a low table. Even the “tea dudes” were still around selling their herbal tea in bamboo cups.

Day 6: No biking that day. I mostly chilled and went to see the reggae show later that night. As I was leaving again the next morning I didn’t party as hard as the rest of the crowd, choosing instead to look at all the many drunk/wasted people. Drunken people watching has always being a favorite pastime of mine as they are sure to entertain. While in town I bumped into another two friends of mine, Jason and Jamie. I met them while rock climbing in Ton Sai and was over the moon upon learning they were also doing the Mae Hong Song Loop the next day. We decided to meet up the next morning to travel together. That afternoon I also I met up with another climbing buddy from Ton Sai. He had a motorbike accident while in Pai which scraped off all the skin on his ankle which left him on crutches. I’ve seen so many others, especially young travellers, with similar motorbike injuries who ignored the recommendations that they wear protective clothing.

Day 7: I had breakfast in town and met up with Jason and Jamie who shared a 400cc chopper. Driving along the road I could see why the Mae Hong Song loop is so famous due to all the curvy bends, which made it an absolute pleasure to drive on. Along the way we stopped for a coffee at a viewpoint taking in the scenery from the top. There were stalls selling clothing and food while hill tribe children asked for money to pose with them in a photo. A friend of mine from Bangkok had advised me to visit a small village called Baan Rak Thai just north of Mae Hong Song. It was a great call, for all of us were charmed by the cute little Chinese village next to the lake. While having lunch of tealeaf salad, glass noodles and roast pork we decided to stay there for the night. We found cheap cabins on the waterside and spent the rest of the afternoon walking around, taking pictures and sipping cold beer. Dinner was again at one of the Chinese restaurants and a perfect way to end a day of biking.

Day 8: From Baan Rak Thai we drove towards Mae Hong Song, stopping along the way for a coffee and to see the very unimpressive waterfall. We didn’t waste much time there and made Mae Hong Song our next stop. There we rode up the hill to see the temple and view over the city and also had lunch before heading south down the 108. It was another great road and we quickly made it to Khun Yuam. Over a coffee we decided to head inland so we could visit a weaving village and also see the highest point in Thailand! We found a home stay in a small village along the way and settled there for the night. Also staying there was another biker with his Thai girlfriend who joined us for dinner that evening. It was nice to have her around as she could translate the Thai only menu for us. It was at that tiny random restaurant that I had my tastiest fried rice in all of Thailand. We were determined to head back there the next morning for breakfast!

Day 9: We were woken early the next morning by grunting pigs and chickens scratching underneath our cabins. Coffee was served at our home stay although we went back to the previous night’s restaurant for their delicious fried rice. From there we took off on the bikes, again dodging potholes along the very bad road. At Mae Chaem we took a short detour to visit the weaving village of Ban Thong Fai where we found it interesting seeing how hard the women worked, weaving intricate designs for clothing and scarves. We backtracked to Mae Chaem, turned east on the 1192 and left up the 1009 to visit Doi Inthanon – the highest point in Thailand! The mountain is 2590m high and offered nice views of the temples lower down the mountainside. The top, however, was covered in cloud and we couldn’t see anything further down. It was a good place to stop for snacking on the fruit we bought earlier at a market.

From there we headed back down the steep mountain and along the 1009 all the way to Chom Thong where we stopped for lunch. It was a sad part of my trip as it was time to say goodbye to Jason and Jamie, whose company I really enjoyed. They were continuing to Chang Mai whereas I still had more days of riding left. Saying our farewells we joined the 108 with them turning left and me right, towards Hot. Along the way I stopped to take photos of large statues on the mountains outside of Chom Thong. From there I drove to Hot and took the 1012 road, hoping to find somewhere to stay for the night. My optimism of finding somewhere to stay, especially since there was a river, proved wrong and forced me to turn around. As Doi Tao was next to a lake I was sure to find a guest house or hotel there – wrong again! I had to continue on the 1103 driving in the dark to the small village of Mae Tuen where I finally found a small hotel outside of town. At least the 1103 was a good road with very few bends so I could drive fairly fast. After checking in I drove into town for dinner. I bought a beer and joined 5 farmers from Doi Tao at a table who were drinking Thai tequila. Honored by their new guest they were keen to ply me with tequila shots. When they then took the initiative to try and hook me up with random Thai girls walking past, I knew it was time for a tactical escape back to my hotel room.

Day 10: After coffee at my hotel I drove south down the 106 for a short while before turning left on the 1219. From there, I turned right on the 1184 and then left along the 1274 towards Some Ngam. Along the way I could see bamboo huts thatched with leaves, rice fields, chickens, dogs, food vendors selling chicken skewers, fried rice and Pad Thai. I stopped at an artisan workshop where they made pottery, carved wood, wove baskets and silk. It was interesting to see how they made all the various things - a worthwhile stop. Not too far past the artisan workshops I actually backtracked slightly to stop to take photos at a small lake. Floating on the water were huge structures looking almost like medieval siege machines. Upon nearer inspection I found that they were indeed large floating “fishing machines” equipped with big dip nets for catching fish - I’ve never seen anything like it! From there I did another double-take while passing a woman on a scooter with baskets strapped to the back. At first I couldn’t work out what was in the baskets although upon getting closer I saw they were filled with tiny piglets. All I could see were tiny feet, noses, ears and curly black tails – very cute!

Passing through Soem Ngam I headed up the 1034 and right on the 1035 to Lampang. I continued through the city and joined Highway 1. From there I turned north on the 1335 stopping at Kiu Lom Dam and Chae Hom Dam. I couldn’t find a place to stay at either so travelled onwards to Chae Hom and left on the 1252 to Mueang Pan. Not finding a place to stay there either I asked a local shop keeper who directed me to Raiya Chaeson Resort where I struck gold. I was lucky as I had the whole resort to myself and they were expecting a large group of 200 people the next night! Raiya Chaeson Resort is a farm with fancy rooms and I did well to barter the price down from 1500 Baht to 500 Baht. The farm produces passion fruit and rice while they also have pet peacocks, rabbits, ducks, geese, chickens and water buffaloes. I discovered that the peacock liked the bar just as much as I did and I was able to feed it bread while sipping my beer. I ordered food from their fancy menu which was served outside next to a big bonfire and overlooking a lake. Listening to the soft music in the background I sat with a big grin on my face feeling like a king. Their service was impeccable with the bar girl filling up my glass after every few sips. Even though potentially expensive I would highly recommend the resort!

Day 11: As breakfast was included I opted for the Thai Breakfast of rice soup which was served with an egg that was boiled in a hot water spring of Chae Son National Park. I finished my coffee and the farm fresh passion fruits and headed to the National Park to see the hot water springs firsthand. At first I hiked up to see the waterfall (which was average) and then on to see the springs. Egg vendors sold either quail or chicken eggs served in baskets which you could then place in certain hot water springs to boil. As I’d already had breakfast I sidestepped the egg vendors and drove towards a home stay recommended by the owner of Raiya Chaeson Resort. That road (4025?) was another one of my all time favorites in Thailand. It was small and windy, going all the way up a mountain and covered in a thick forest. Yet again I had a big grin on my face while enjoying the beautiful scenery.

The home stay was called Ban Pay Doi Homestay and owned by a very friendly couple. Pa Meang Village was situated on top of the mountain and offered great views over the surrounding area. Pay (the husband) took me for a walk to see the school, temple, forest and a local woman weaving. From there we hiked back and soon they served snacks and beer which seemed bottomless, as more and more kept appearing! Tu (the wife) roasted peanuts with salt and honey and cooked delicious Thai food. It wasn’t long before Pay’s guitar came out and soon my harmonica. He was filling up his shot glass from one of the biggest bottles of flavoured vodka I’ve ever seen while I kept to drinking beer. It was another one of those unplanned parties which made for a memorable night.

Day 12: Breakfast was again a Thai breakfast of rice soup served with a much needed coffee. I really liked my stay there and it is another place I can highly recommend. From Pa Meang I backtrack along the 4025 and made my way back to the 1335 where I headed north. As I previously had such a good time in Phayao I decided to go back and search for my fishing buddies. I was lucky to find the teachers again although the army boys had left since my previous visit. At first we caught a few fish, although it wasn’t long before they started on the beers and snacks. It was almost like déjà vu from the last time - the only thing missing was the porn on the cell phone. As it got dark the teachers told me to join them for their friend's birthday party. It was one of their friend’s birthday parties and after phoning him I was told I was also invited. The party turned out much bigger than I thought with rows and rows of tables facing a large stage decorated with photos of the birthday boy from various ages in his life.

Dinner and alcohol was on the house while people sang karaoke on-stage. I knew then that I was in for yet another big night of partying, especially with free whiskey on offer. After dinner a girl dressed in authentic silk Thai clothing performed a dance followed by speeches of either loved ones or other important figures. With the formalities out of the way it was back to karaoke, eating and drinking. The teachers were determined to get me to sing karaoke and my excuse of “I can’t sing Thai songs” proved unworthy upon learning that the DJ had English songs as well. Maybe it was the whiskey but I thought “what the hell” and chose Cotton Fields to start with. Thai karaoke is usually very mellow (almost depressing sometimes) music and I was surprised to see the crowd get up and dance! Inspired by this I chose another two songs: “Have you ever seen the rain” (CCWR) and “Country Roads” which really got the crowd to their feet! By then the alcohol consumption was at an optimum and I was pleasantly surprised when the only other foreigner (an old German gunsmith) walked over and shook my hand. I was even more surprised when I discovered a 1000 Baht note in my hand with him saying “thank you very much and have a good trip”. With that party coming to an end the teachers took me to yet another karaoke place. It was many whiskeys later that they dropped me back at my hotel.

Day 13: I woke early the next morning still not feeling completely sober. I promised the teachers that I was going to join them fishing that day and joined them early that morning. It took me many coffees before feeling human again and our success rate at catching fish that day was sub par...basically equal to how I was feeling with my hangover. It was my last day of biking and I had to return my motorbike to Chang Mai so decided to call it a day. I said goodbye to my fishing buddies and headed south on Highway 1 where I picked up the 120 and finally the 118 back to Chang Mai.

Summary: I biked for 12 days covering a total of 2948km’s through northern Thailand and absolutely loved every minute of it! The locals were very friendly and extremely helpful while the scenery was just beautiful and the food good. Leaning into corners on my Honda CBR250 was great fun even though I did sometimes wish for the Kawasaki 650cc. I can highly recommend a trip like this to anyone! Somehow I have a feeling that I will be heading back to Thailand soon...

The end.