Thai Ride - Mae Hong Son loop and more

RIDING THROUGH THAILAND - CHIANG MAI, MAI-HONG-SON LOOP AND SURROUNDING

18^th Dec – 23^rd Dec 2012

 

“Is that an air force helmet?” asked the security guard at New Delhi IGI airport when my Joe Rocket hybrid helmet passed through the scanner inside my hand bag. I passed my typical police response smile and replied “I wish, sir, but this is just a regular motorcycle helmet.” We both smiled again and I moved towards the departure gate. I was on my way to Thailand for the much awaited bike ride I had been planning.

When I started planning this trip, Chiang Mai and surrounding areas were  the main agenda but then I kept on adding things to make it more suitable to my riding acumen. After spending a few touristy days in Bangkok, it was time to head north. I had already booked a Kawasaki Versys for the trip. There are a lot of bike rental shops in Bangkok and then, of course, in Chiang Mai but Bangkok Bike Rentals (www.bangkokbikesrental.com) was the only one that responded to my email query and seemed the most professional.  They had various two wheeler options ranging from 125cc scooters, 250 dual sports to 650cc touring bikes and their motorcycles are well maintained, which is very important. For a small additional fee they can also provide helmets, bags, GPS, onboard video cameras, etc. Third-party insurance underwritten is included in their service. Indian license can be used to ride in Thailand. Most of the bike rental shops ask you to deposit an amount and your passport. Don’t worry, it’s a very normal here to deposit passport and I didn’t face any problem across the country. I did keep a copy of passport, visa, motorcycle registration papers and rental receipt from BBR. I had to deposit 6000 baht as refundable security for the motorcycle; this may vary from basis motorcycle, city you are in, etc.

BANGKOK TO CHIANG MAI

After my quick Thai language lesson, buying the map, fixing GPS on my bike, loading my bag, understanding route to the exit city & putting on safety gear, I pressed the start button. I was riding alone, just like few of my previous trip plans, this time as well, my friend backed out due to certain personal / professional commitments. But unlike last time, I was more confident about riding solo, which is strange. Riding alone in an unknown land can be daunting. Factors like language, especially in a country where people don’t even understand English…road direction, what if you fall sick, what if you get stuck…all of this can work against you. But then there is the language of human emotions and expressions which is universal. One human does understand the pain and smile of another one. Besides, it’s this unknown which makes such trips even more fun, so who the hell wants to play safe?

Fuel stop both of the ride and rider after 200 kms

 

Bangkok is known for its crazy traffic so it took me some time to get out of the city. A BBR staff member was helpful enough to guide me on his bike till I reached a point from I had to just keep riding straight to get out of the city. I crossed the Don Mueang airport and continued straight towards Ayutthaya. It’s named after the city of Ayodhya in India, the birthplace of Lord Rama. Located in the valley of Chao Phraya River. There is an interesting story about how this second Ayodhya (Ayutthaya) came into being. The city was founded in 1350 by King U Thong, who went there to escape a smallpox outbreak in Lop Buri and proclaimed it the capital of his kingdom, often referred to as the Ayutthaya kingdom or Siam. Ayutthaya became the second Siamese capital after Sukhothai. It was supposedly one of the world's largest cities by the year 1600 CE and had a population of about 300,000, with the population perhaps reaching 1,000,000 around 1700 CE. In 1767, the city was destroyed by the Burmese army, resulting in the collapse of the kingdom.

Ayutthaya was certainly on my list of places to visit but I decided to cover it on my way back because I was already late. I had to cover approx 740 kms and it was 11.30 am already. The staff at BBR told me that it won’t take more than 5-6 hours but that meant riding at 150km/h continuously for 5 hours. Nah, it’s not that I don’t like riding fast but the agenda was to enjoy the journey and not just to reach the destination.

Inviting highways seduced me to rev harder

 

 

Highway was good, not much traffic, so I was easily cruising at 120-130 km/h without any difficulties. Occasionally I would push it all the way to 200 km/h. Ya, that’s not legal but until you get caught you haven’t done anything wrong. The 650 twin Kawasaki Versys produces around 72 bhp and has enough power to zip past most of the vehicles on highway. It surprised me at times when I would think that I had peeked out but a twist of the throttle would have more power to offer.

 

There is not much traffic but considering this was one of the main highways in the country, it had enough rest areas and gasoline stations on the way. Unlike India, petrol in Thailand is called Gasoline or Gasohol. Not just ‘gasoline’ the term by I did notice few other things which showed some influence of American culture. Was it due to American soldiers who used to frequent Thailand during the Vietnam war? I would stop after every 200 kms to tank up and get some refreshments for myself. Versys has a tank capacity of 19 lts (5 gallons) but mileage is not so good. For a 650cc engine, it was giving me a mileage of 11-12 on the highway. Fuel prices are almost at par with Indian rates, it was around 38-40 baht per liter. Most of the gas stations accept credit cards. You can obviously withdraw cash from an ATM but every time that you withdraw cash, you pay a fixed amount as transaction charge. Thai banks charge 150 baht (on top of any other fees) per withdrawal for non-Thai cards. So an ATM withdrawal makes sense when you want to withdraw larger amounts of cash. Credit card transaction gives you more flexibility as transaction charge is around 1 percent of the total amount. So, do your calculation before you decide your mode of transaction.

 

 

GPS device in general was doing well, just that occasionally it did kind of misguide me on to some remote country roads but I did manage to get back on the route. While most of the road signs were in Thai language, a lot of it was also mentioned in English. Little ahead of Ban Tak I could smell the mountain wind and started feeling the chill in my mesh jacket. It wasn’t cold but easily around 15-16 degrees celcius. Sun was about to set and I still had to cover another 200 kms but I had begun to enjoy the ride more with the cold breeze, view of the mountains, the orange sky, green surroundings and of course, open roads. I clearly remember smiling and talking to myself while I stopped to click a few pictures.

 

CHIANG MAI, THE MOTORCYCLE CITY

I crossed the bridge over Ping River to enter the Chiang Mai city around 7pm. It certainly looks much smaller and less modern a city than Bangkok. Actually better way to look at it is, it’s more traditional in its outlook. I could see multiple boutique hotels around and stopped at one of the hotels which looked like a typical old world structure with wood work and traditional Thai / Burmese décor but the room and its rate equation didn’t make sense to me. There are various boutique hotels all over the city. I managed to pick up a city map from the hotel and realized that I was in the central part of the walled city which was probably the reason why hotels here were more expensive. So I decided to move out towards the outskirts in search of a  cheaper hotel.

 


Chiang Mai's historical centre is the walled city (city is Chiang in the northern Thai dialect while mai is new, hence Chiang Mai or New City and was so-named because it was the new capital, founded in 1296, succeeding Chiang Rai, founded 1262, in the capital of the Lanna kingdom). Sections of the wall were restored a few decades ago along with remains of the gates and corners, but of the rest only the moat remains. The moat was designed to keep the Burmese from seizing the city. Now the city has expanded much beyond these moats but these moats make the city look very beautiful and in a way helped figure out my directions easily.

Moat surrounding old city

 

Being the second largest city of Thailand, Chiang Mai is also the largest and culturally significant in northern Thailand. Various open air restaurants playing live music along the Ping River and moats give it a tranquil appeal. The whole environment almost made me believe that this city has a doped out  kind of air around it. 

As I was finding my way out of the city center, I came across the familiar sound of multiple Harley Davidsons roaring in one corner of the walled city. They had just finished their get together. HOGs for sure keep on seeking a lot of attention in every part of world by revving hard to produce the signature potato-potato noise.

Inside The Xym hotel

I eventually checked into a hotel called The Xym, thanks to the local biker girl who helped by being the interpreter between me and the boutique hotel’s night shift receptionist. I was a little tired but decided to step out and visit the night market as well. Chiang Mai has a large and famous night bazaar for local arts and handicrafts. The night bazaar sprawls across several city blocks along footpaths, inside buildings and temple grounds, and in open squares. I also got to know that there are specific handicrafts and silver market also organized in certain parts over weekends. 

 

I decided to spend the next day in Chiang Mai, exploring the city. By now I had figured that Chiang Mai was popular amongst group of bikers, especially at this time of the year (Nov-Feb). There are several motorbike rental shops. Kawasaki’s service center was packed. I just wanted them to adjust my fairing but they were booked for a week and even after pleading for long they denied as they didn’t have parts which they needed to change. I had damaged the alignment of the fairing and speedometer as I dropped the bike while I was trying to click a picture. Thankfully a local shop fixed it without any part replacement. So jugaad (alternate technique) does work out of India as well.

 
Night safari, night zoo and various other adventure activities are arranged by various local travel agents and can be booked then and there. X-center seemed more popular amongst western tourists (thanks to its claim of “As seen on AXN TV”).


Inside Chiang Mai's remaining city walls are more than 30 temples dating back to the founding of the principality, in a combination of Burmese, Sri Lankan and Lanna Thai styles of architecture, decorated with beautiful wood carvings, Naga staircases, leonine and angelic guardians, gilded umbrellas and pagodas laced with gold filigree, are all there. The most famous is Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, which overlooks the city from a mountainside 13 kms away.

This is a place where both backpackers and luxury tourists can enjoy the ultimate Thailand holiday, as the city is one of the few places in Thailand where it is possible to experience both historical and modern Thai culture co-existing side by side: the city features centuries-old chedis and temples next to modern convenience stores and boutique hotels. No wonder, Chiang Mai is the only tourist destination in Thailand to have made it to the 2012 list of "25 Best Destinations in the World" of the popular travel website Trip Advisor.

Live music in open air restaurant is part of night life

By evening, various open air eating joints come to life. Full of flavored food, most of these places have live music performance and lot of them have fresh vegetables / meat on display to choose from. I met the biker girl again who had helped me at the hotel the previous night. Girls in general are very pretty across Thailand but that wasn’t the reason for me to hang out with her. She agreed to show me around, amd took me to some good live music places and also told me about various motorcycle routes around Chiang Mai, not to miss that she agreed to let me take her CBR for a spin. I wondered if that was because of Thai hospitality or may be female riders are not so possessive about their machines. This was a slightly old machine but I loved the sporty seating posture and the sweet sounding in-line four cylinder engine that produced a pleasing power throughout its rev range.

Yet another beautiful Thai girl but this picture is about amazing english language skills they have. Read the signage on counter 'electric down'.

MAE HONG SON LOOP

I left early the next morning for Mae Hong Son loop. This is what I had really come here for. TheMae Hong Son loop is considered to be one of the best riding routes in the world. Mae Hong Son loop starts and ends at Chiang Mai, with Mae Hong Son being the center point on the loop. I could ride through either clockwise (Chiang Mai-Mae Sariang-Mae Hong Son-Pai-Chiang Mai) or anti-clockwise (Chiang Mai- Pai- Mae Hong Son- Mae Sariang- Chiang Mai). Clockwise seemed better as I could keep the interesting part of the ride for the last bit. At the beginning of a journey you are anyways excited; it’s mostly the later part that seems less exciting. 

Typically people like to ride through this 600 km loop in 4 days but I had only 2 days, which meant I had to be selective about sightseeing stops. My first stop, rather a diversion, was going to be Doi Inthanon peak, made into a national park called Doi Inthanon Sumit. From Chiang Mai, I took Highway 108 and after 57kms I turned left onto Highway 1009 and continued for another 8 kms to where the road forks. Mae Klang is 300 meters straight ahead. The summit road forks to the right, reaching Park Headquarters near Km 31 and the summit of Doi Inthanon at Km 48.

Mae Ya water fall

 

The winding road up to the peak of Doi Inthanon 2,500m above sea level is also a national park. There are some remarkable waterfalls along this route including Mae Ya and Wachiratharn waterfall. You will also pass plenty of hill tribe market stands along the roadside selling local produce. Entry fee to the national park is 200 baht. This covers entry to all sightseeing points inside the park. Charging entry fee to see natural sites seemed a little weird to me initially but I realized later that by charging they were making sure that only those really interested would go in so that makes it easy to manage crowds and the government can use the money to maintain the area.  Just before the summit there is a worthy sightseeing point where two impressive royal chedis stand majestically on the side of the mountain. Thai people talk about this mountain as if it’s the highest point of the world where one can ride to. Heard of Khardungla…anybody?

 

I stopped for a quick bite before proceeding further. Fried and grilled food is common all across Thailand. Mostly it is pork or fish but finding grilled chicken isn’t uncommon. By the time I came back again on the main highway after visiting Doi Inthanon, it was already around 12 noon. I still had a lot of ground to cover as I had planned to reach Mae Hong Son by the end of the day. Kawasaki Versys with its up-right seating, long suspension makes a comfortable naked sports tourer for such long rides. While some would like to slot it amongst adventure tourers but I didn’t think it had good off-road handling capability so it’s more of a sports tourer than an adventure tourer. 

 

I was riding through rain forest mountains with beautiful scenery around. Either there was a river flowing on one side of the road or there were small villages on the side or just thick forest with no other vehicle around me. While the scenery was nice, unfortunately my fuel meter was showing red. My need for gasoline was gradually becoming critical. Most of the highways in Thailand had fuel stations after every few kilometers but these roads didn’t get much traffic, therefore fewer fuel stations. I finally spotted a country made fuel station, which looked more like a water pump technology. If you see the picture you will realize what I’m talking about. I took enough fuel to let me reach the next fuel station which was still around 50 kms away. After tanking up, I refocused on the scenery around. This was turning out to be one amazing ride unless it started getting dark.

The local fuel shop that saved my day

Beautiful twisted mountain roads with amazing view and fresh air turned into blind curves, daunting darkness, silence and chilly wind. After riding alone for around 40 kms I heard big bike engine noise behind me. I saw one headlight in my rear view mirror. After a while the decibel level and rhythm of the sound changed. On one of the curves I figured the reason for this change was 3 more bikes. I realized there was no point spoiling the fun for these big machine riders with my tiny 650cc Versys so I decided to let them overtake me. To my surprise, they didn’t. Maybe the comfort of chasing a tail light on the dark, twisted road was better than the need to rev the engine to speed up. Having a big machine not necessarily means one can zip through such terrain at the same pace as one would do on a race track. I continued riding ahead of them. In fact, I started enjoying being in front till we reached Mae Hong Son.

 

Bike bike friends from Thailand

I stopped once I entered the city and so did my four stranger rider buddies. They were riding some really nice bikes, Ducati Diavel was the biggest beast amongst other sports and naked sports bikes. They were nice enough to stop to compliment me on my good riding skills through the mountains (thanks to my previous rides in the Himalayas in India) and also offered to take me along to their hotel (Rimtarn Resort) for accommodation when they figured that I had not pre-booked a room for myself. Once we checked in, we decided to go and enjoy some local food. Street food served by ever smiling locals here is probably the best. Since other bikers were local I allowed them to choose from fresh veggies and meat for our meal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mae Hong Son town lies at the bottom of a valley amongst the mountain ranges that form the border of Burma and Thailand. Its remote location gives it a secluded and tranquil feel, whilst its proximity to Burma gives rise to the mix of people that reside there such as the Burmese, Shan, Thai and hill tribe groups. This interesting blend of people and cultures gives Mae Hong Son a very distinct feel from other towns in Thailand. The centre of the town is built around Nong Jong Kham Lake and temple where you will find an array of guesthouses and restaurants. A small evening market is also held here daily where locals and hill tribes come to sell their wares, it’s a great place to pick up handicrafts and souvenirs such as woodcarvings, silverware, precious stones and antiques. Mae Hong Son town also boasts of numerous Burmese and Shan style temples. The most famous of them and a ‘must-see’ attraction is Wat Doi Kong Mu which sits on a hilltop and offers spectacular aerial views of the town below.

 

One of the several temples in Mae Hong Son

Refreshing foggy morning

I left early the next morning for the final leg of the loop on highway 1285 from Mae Hong Son to Chiang Mai via Pai. The green mountain surroundings half covered in fog were soothing. Fresh cold wind passing through my mesh jacket was like a pleasant massage in some oxygen chamber. This is a feeling only a motorcyclist can understand and only when you are in the scene you can experience it. If I was impressed by the scenery earlier, then I was floored with the beauty on this stretch, but it’s also not for the faint hearted, with over 1,864 curves through it. Versys handled very well through the twisties. I have to commit that the decision to hire a Kawasaki Versys was a good decision. It’s a very practical machine as it has a good mix of power, speed, comfort and capability to handle different road conditions. While Kawasaki Ninja 650 and ER-6n are essentially the same motorcycle but Versys makes a strong case of being the most all-rounded motorcycle amongst all three.

 

 

There are various interesting places to stop on the way like Pha Sua waterfall, Tham Pla fish cave and Tham Lod or Coffin Cave in the area of Soppong. It is famous for its stalactite and stalagmite formations, ancient wood coffins and thousands of birds and bats flying in and out of the cave at sunset. A bamboo raft and guide can be hired to explore the cave.

 

one of the several view points in Pai region

 

Next break I took was at Pai. Mai Hong Son to Pai is approximately 191 kilometers and Pai to Chiang Mai is 245 kilometers.  I was told that some twenty years back Pai used to be a few dirt roads and few  shops. As tourists soon discovered the natural beauty of the Pai River and its surrounding valley, businesses and development followed not long after and it turned into the little backpacker settlement that it is today. This small town is filled with bohemian style cafes, restaurants, bookstores and guesthouses. I was informed that during high season in the months of October until February, the nightlife comes alive and the tunes of Bob Marley can always be heard. During the day, visitors take advantage of the hot spring, rafting and trekking opportunities in the beautiful surrounding countryside.

 

TRAIL BIKING

I managed to reach Chiang Mai by 12.30pm, checked-in at another budget but nice hotel called B2 and rushed for my planned trail bike adventure. There are various options in Chiang Mai if you want to enjoy trail biking. I had never ridden a trail bike, so was really excited about the experience. Jumping from a 650 cc tourer to 250cc trail bike was a very different experience. It’s interesting how a rider and motorcycle become one body irrespective of what kind of motorcycle the rider is riding; it’s only the role of different parts of this fusion that vary. It’s this integration that makes motorcycling such an amazing single person activity. Like all other bikes used for trail biking, Kawasaki KLX 250 is designed more for better maneuverability than riding comfort. Actually comfort and trail are opposite terms when it comes to motorcycling. Narrow seat and wider handle bar and long suspension are typical features of such bikes. I kick started the bike to hear the engine grunt and revved it twice to tell my guide that I was all set for action. It took me a few minutes to adjust on the new bike and handling it on the trail, but soon I was jumping around. Obviously not as well and comfortably as my younger guide was doing on his KLX 150 but not bad for a starter either. For those who have never done it, let me assure you that trail biking is a physically tiring motorcycle sport. Your shoulders, arms, knees and thighs, allplay a role in maneuvering the bike. I did fall a couple of times but there was no damage to the bike or me, thanks to the protective gear I was wearing. Not just the rider’s body but the bike also goes through a lot of rough handling and this is what makes trail biking one of the most exciting motor sports. Heavy usage of brakes sometimes makes discs over heat. My guide poured some water on his disc brakes to show how hot it was as water would immediately turn into steam.

 

 

Most of the trail bikes are bikes meant for real hooligan fun. From lofting wheelies, sliding rear tire, or riding through tight lane going up the hill with troughs and crest on it, all made it an intense and very engaging ride. Once we reached the hill top, we stopped to enjoy a panoramic view and few clicks. I was sweating hard by this time. After few hours of trail biking I returned back to the hotel and took a quick nap. That evening I decided to roam around on foot rather than the bike. 

 

Next morning I left on my return journey to Bangkok. This was the end of an amazing motorcycling trip. I had just finished 5 days of good motorcycling on different kinds of bikes, on different kind of roads and terrains. Of course, there is lot more motorcycling yet to be done in north Thailand and I plan to return for sure.

 

After I came back to India, a lot of colleagues asked me how Thailand was, with a cunning smile, which meant we know what lots of men do in Bang-kok. When a single guy travels to Thailand then the general perception is that he must have gone to satisfy his basic urge and relieve his frustration. Of course this was true for me as well. I did manage to satisfy my urge for a motorcycle road trip in a new country. And now that I had lost my virginity with respect to riding in a foreign land, my lust for riding in other parts of the world has increased.  However, my standard reply to my colleagues was – I had a lot of fun “riding!”. I hope they interpreted it in the right manner.

 

 

Distance covered - 2350 km

Bangkok – Pathum Thani – Bang Pa In – Bang Pahan – (route 32 AH1 / AH2) - Sing Buri – (route 32 AH1 / AH2) - Nakhon Sawan – turn towards Kamphaeng Phet (route 1 AH1) - Kosamphi Nakhon - (route 1 AH2) -Wang Chao – (route 1 AH2) -Tak – (route 1 AH2) - Ban Tak – (route 1 AH2) - Thoen – (route 1 AH2) - Sop Prap – (route 1 AH2) - Some Ngam – (route 1 AH2) - Ko Kha  (much before Lampang turn left towards route 11) – Hang Chat – Mae Tha – Lamphun – (continue on route 11) - Chiang Mai – total distance around 740 kms  (1500 round trip)

(Alternate route after Thoen – Turn left to Route 106 – Turn left on Route 3027 – turn to route 1031 – turn to route 1156 – turn to route 108 – turn to roué 121 – continue on route 1269 – Chiang Mai)

Mae Hong Son Loop:  Chiang Mai – (route 108) - Hang Dong – (route 108) - Doi Lo – Doi Inthanon –Chom Thong -  (route 108) - Wiang Nong Long – (route 108) - Hot – (route 108) - Mae Sariang – (route 108) - Mae La Noi – (route 108) - Khun Yuam – (route 108) - Mae Hong Son –(route 1095) -  Pang Ma Pha – (route 1095) - Pai – (route 1095 – turn to route 107) -Mae Rim - (route 107 – towards route 121) - Chiang Mai – total distance of approx 600kms

With few deviations, lost routes and local roaming around I clocked 2350 kms on the speedometer.

 

Cost :

Rs. 18500 Delhi to Bangkok – return airfare

Rs.1900 - Visa on arrival

Rs.25270 – Bike rental. 1950 baht per day for Kawasaki Versys – 9500 baht for first 1500kms (or 5 days) + 3800 baht for 2 days worth of extra kms

Rs.6650 - approx 700 baht a day for hotel accommodation

Rs. 9690 – Gasoline

Rs.5200 - Food n beer

Rs. 4900 – Off-roading charges

Total – Rs. 72,110

Refundable deposit of around Rs. 11000 was made to motorcycle rental shop