Northern Thailand

February 11, View from the White Budda in Pai. Unfortunately, many of our Northern Vistas were affected by all the smoke from the ag burning.

After a relaxing week and a half or so of chilling on the islands, we knew we had a big travel day ahead of us to get to our next destination, Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. What was supposed to be one big travel day, turned into two when things did not go as planned.  We had an uneventful night in Sihanoukville in which we mostly just hunkered down in our hotel room; a decision guided by travel advisories for the city and some harrowing tales from the googles (who knew that blood slaves were a thing?). Our bus departed at 8am and was scheduled to arrive in Bangkok around 6:30pm (according to the booking site), plenty of time to then take a night train to Chiang Mai….However, as we rolled into Bangkok after 11pm, after multiple delayed transfers, we just grabbed the nearest hotel room rather than getting on another cursed vehicle for up to 12 more hours of travel. 

We made the most of our unexpected day in Bangkok, visiting the Queen Sirkit park and Or Tor Kor market, as well as a street full of Shawarma in Nana for Johnny. In terms of our next move, we had several levels of comfort to choose from for our overnight ride, and we decided on the second-best level bus (gold level as opposed to first class) which allowed us to catch some ZZs as we rode through the night to our destination in Chiang Mai. 

Several things we noted right off the bat were how much cooler it was here and, as much as we love the beach, how finally being in a sand-free room/bed was a nice change. It didn’t hurt that we were also now back in the land of A/C and Hot Water as standard fare. Johnny had been to Chiang Mai before, so he already knew the ropes a bit. Our time in Chiang Mai would be split by our motorbike adventure, so the first few days were just exploring and eating all the things at the night markets. One event of note was the Muay Thai fight that we were able to catch the tail end of for a major discount, but we both didn’t know what to do with ourselves when we were seated in the reserved VIP section, ringside. I had to cover my drink from the sweat spray, but thankfully it wasn’t a bloody match. 

The next big adventure would be a 7-day motorbike tour on the Mae Hong Son Loop, a 373-mile-long (600km) trek known for its 1860-something curves and steep mountain roads. With our big bags stored in our Chiang Mai hotel, we headed out with our day packs to really earn the title of backpackers. There are various ways to approach the loop, and I plan to detail our selected route in a separate post for other travelers that may want to give it a try, but I'll call out some of the highlights here. Day one of the ride had the most stops, including Mok Fa waterfall and Pai Canyon, a pretty impressive and unique land feature. A series of flattened ridges connect to make a narrow trail above a canyon, with a few spots that will make your stomach flip if you look down the side. 

The first stayover on the loop was Pai, a known hippie/backpacker community in the North where we stayed a couple extra day so we'd have a crowd to watch Superbowl with, and although the Eagles lost, we had a great day partying and playing pool with some fellow travelers, including a Dutch guy that enjoyed making up rules as we went to make sure everyone was having a good time. After a few days in Pai, which also included a visit to the Tha Pa Hot Spring, we continued on with the loop. 

The second leg took us through some mountain tribe villages and to the Tham Pla - Namtok Pha Suea National Park and its fish cave. Our next stayover, Mae Hong Son near the Myanmar border, ended up being one of my favorite Thai cities so far. A much more local tourist spot, we saw very few Westerns compared to Pai. We really enjoyed their night market, complete with a water light show and a beautiful view of Wat Chong Kham temple lit up at night. There are also a few cool day trips to do from the city, including the Su Tong Pae Bamboo bridge over a field that leads to a Buddhist temple built in the traditional wooden Burmese style. Another day trip included a visit to the Ban Rak Thai tea village, a Chinese community on the border with Myanmar. Situated on a small lake, it was really picturesque to sip on Oolong Tea while looking at the water. 

 

Unfortunately, the next two legs of the trip were a little rushed because of the weather. We woke up early and rode hard one day, skipping a national park we wanted to see to make it to Mae Chaem before the rain that was forecasted (but never really came). Early mornings were shockingly cold compared to the heat of the afternoon and we did not pack our heavier jackets (Bobbie quote "I really don't think we're going to need a coat, Johnny") so the early start on the motorbike was a little rough. The final day we decided to make the last leg back to Chiang Mai and, despite it actively raining, we set out in the morning at a much slower and more cautious speed until we could get off the mountain. After a wet start, the rain cleared for a bit and we were able to visit the Wachirathan Waterfall. After waiting out a downpour at a gas stop, we temporarily split ways as I was ready to get back while the weather held while Johnny wanted to take a quick detour to see another waterfall. That small time difference resulted in me having a dry and comfortable ride all the way back to Chiang Mai while Johnny, unfortunately, had rain most of his way back.

We have another week in Chiang Mai to enjoy the famous weekend night markets, coffee shops, and to meet up with a colleague of Johnny's before we make the long journey down to the southern island of Koh Samui, so although our time in Northern Thailand isn't quite over, I didn't want to leave my viral following of the 7 people that might actually read this blog too long without an update. In the meantime, looking forward to having a stretch of time in one spot to relax after our epic motorbike adventure.

February 14, Wat Chong Kham temple in Mae Hong Son