RIDE NORTH 2011 - Discovering Northern Thailand

[cheriemrrr]

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9 - 28 Dec

4 regular joes and one scruffy jane, getting by in the 9-to-5 trenches with the same brutal bosses as anyone else. No fancy gear, no classy uniforms and no bullshit - just a shared, unreasonable hunger for journeys in the saddle... and maybe some fried tarantulas? Only two of us had ever ridden across onto Thai soil before, but the air in december has a way of smelling like adventure!

 

It was a mixed bag of bikes - Yamaha TDM900, Suzuki Vstrom 650, Kawasaki Versys, Honda Fireblade 929, a rented D-tracker - that chased down the horizon to northernmost Thailand, and we were amazingly fortunate to slip in through a brief window of time when the flood waters lay low.

 

We took the highways, low-ways and no-ways. 7000km over 20 days, over a largely tarmac route with some punchy off-road trail segments which the Fireblade bravely soldiered through.

 

 

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In the spirit of countless travellers before us, who so open-heartedly shared their maps, stories and resources (thank you especially to Joemac, Goh Mia Chun and Samantha!), here's a rundown of noob insights from the trip that hopefully makes itself useful to somebody else:

 

 

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COSTS

- We each spent around SGD1.2k on food, petrol, lodging and some shopping.

 

- Guest houses in Thailand are cheap, and get even cheaper if you arent picky. A night in each town cost us 600 - 700 baht total for two rooms/one big room, except for Hat Yai, Cha Am, Krabi, Mae Sai and Phayao, where we paid about 1000 baht.

 

- gashol 95 (which is about as good as you can find, with big PTT petrol stops every 50 - 100km on major roads) costs slightly more than the equivalent in singapore.

 

- We kept our cheapo asses out of restaurants and ate mostly from street hawkers, which were often ridiculously cheap and bloody delicious (20 baht for a bowl of beef noodles!), if you dont think too much about how it's prepared or what sort of living thing the meat used to be. We ate frequently and well, testing the stretch limits of our riding gear.

 

- A full-body thai massage will set you back about 250 baht for an hour, and that's fair tax to sore muscles after a punishing ride day. We indulged almost every other night!

 

- 2500 baht from each of our pockets went right into bungee jumping and go-karting at chiang mai's extreme sports park - a roaring treat you shouldnt miss.

 

 

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USEFUL STUFF TO PACK

 

- Maps, because nothing truly works like old-school ink-on-paper, and because GPS always screws with your mind and tries to lead you into bangkok city. You can pick up updated and detailed maps of thailand from major PTTs along the southern and northern highways.

 

- Black tape & cable ties. these hold a variety of sins together! The expedition rolled home mostly held together by ties & tape - my boot straps, Joshua's improvised gear shifter after a bridge-crossing disaster, Victor's saddlebag after a villager's kupchai t-boned him... and the Fireblade lost a couple of fairing screws that werent taped over before we left!

 

- Handy cleaning essentials from our friends at Motul, which helped make the long roads kinder:

a) Chain paste: this one's thicker, easy enough to apply and stays on even through dusty trails.

b) Insect remover and visor cleaner: mighty useful on the long highways up, where you will get face-bombed by anything from bees to big juicy butterflies. We used these to clean our bike windshields too!

c) Hand cleaner: we got the grime off our fingers easy with this rub-out formula - saves the inside of your gloves too.

 

 

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LODGING

We did it the cowboy way - just rolled into town and started scouting! Found some real gems, and all of them have safe parking and free wifi:

 

1) Hat Yai

Winstar Hotel

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g297921-d1789992-Reviews-Winstar_Hotel-Hat_Yai_Songkhla_Province.html

 

Park your bikes behind the lobby, and slip the security guard about 50 baht to watch them all night.

 

2) Nakon Sawan

Shanya Guesthouse

http://web01.hotelsguidethailand.com/home/fulldetail.php?l=en&code=30358

 

Resort-style decor for budget inn prices, and free use of their water hoses on your grubby bikes. Keep your mosquito repellent handy though.

 

3) Chiang Mai

a) Lanna Discovery Guesthouse

http://www.hostels.com/hostels/chiang-mai/lanna-discovery-guesthouse/41297

 

Park your bikes on the slope at the entrance. there are other backpackers here to trade stories with, and the landlady will teach you a handy Thai phrase or two if you'd only ask!

 

b) Rider's Corner

http://www.riderscorner.net/

 

Even if you dont stay the night, at least pop by for a beer and steak! A must-go meeting place for international motorcyclists, and you'll meet some real inspirational people there. say hullo to Philip for us, and ask him to show you some good riding routes around the area.

 

4) Pai

Pai Klangdoi Resort

http://www.facebook.com/paiheaven

 

After the insane, blustery cold, rollercoaster turns of Mae Hong Son, there's really nothing, nothing like warming your toes by campfire - I swear, these parts will have you wishing for heated throttle grips! Prepare a set of thermals; temperatures drop to 4 deg at night.

 

5) Doi Ang Kang

A Chiang Mai local told us, "you haven't really experienced Doi Ang Kang until you camp out there for a night."

Truer words have never been said. Rent a tent at the mountain's military base, endure the bone-grinding cold with thermal layers and locally-brewed strawberry wine (hardcore stuff, but you've got to make friends to get this!), and be rewarded by a sweepingly poetic sunset and sunrise. Hot showers can be bought at a nearby public toilet for 50 baht, but expect no other amenities.

 

6) Chiang Rai

The North Hotel

http://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/Hotel_Review-g297920-d1102268-Reviews-The_North_Hotel-Chiang_Rai_Chiang_Rai_Province.html

 

Charming and cosy enough for its small price tag, and within walking distance to the supremely awesome night market - the main entertainment stage is shared by tranny dances and bizarre gyrating children; go figure.

 

7) Phayao

Roll into any of the inns facing the lake, prices are competitive and you can park your bike right outside, unmolested.

 

8) Krabi

Pak Up Hostel

http://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/Hotel_Review-g297927-d1945884-Reviews-Pak_Up_Hostel-Krabi_Town_Krabi_Province.html

 

A designer hostel in main Krabi town that's walking distance to many little eateries and bars, and much cheaper than staying at Aonang bay, although that's where the action is. The bay is a good 20min, scenic ride away from main Krabi town. The other backpackers had a good chuckle at the sight of us riding back in neon beach shorts and full riding boots...

 

 

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For a complete ride log, join us at facebook.com/ridenorth - more photos and videos to come! To those who have wandered wilder paths, please post up your own stories and tips, because our adventures dont end with this one

 

Keep the rubber down!

Cheers,

Cherie

[pipipapipu]

bungee jump sounds so fun..

but I'm scared..

[Chinny159]

Hi,

 

When are you guys organising the next one. Certainly would like to join you all and meet more adventurous people. Cheers.

[nikonll]

Nice Sharing Cherie!

[Al-Simmons]

 

was at chiang mai on 10-11 dec spending a night at Rider's Cafe....was hoping to meet fellow singaporean bikers but throughout our journey didn't bump into many....

 

care to share more about Phayao...never stayed there before...

u mentioned there's lakes...sound interesthing...

[cheriemrrr]

al-simmons> you just missed us by a hair! we were in chiang mai at rider's corner on 12 dec. did you meet philip's adorable kid allysala? she goes mad for orange juice and big bikes

 

phayao is a really charming, chill lake-side town about 400+km south of chiang rai, and a day's ride away from pui chee fai and the scenic highway 1148 (pretty much like a mini maehongson). this town wasnt on our original itinerary, but then again we'd already said 'screw the plans' about 5 days into thailand, because there were simply too many curiosities and distractions.

 

so we rolled into phayao after chiang rai, saw the lake and a kickass little playground, hopped off our bikes and onto the seesaw in full riding gear, helmets and all... made a general giggly embarrassment of ourselves, and then decided to check into the first guesthouse we saw.

 

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there's a detailed outline of phayao in the GT map at mtechnik's, if that helps?

 

chinny> we mostly hang out at Wheels&Weiners at 25A Perak Road, plotting harebrained adventures on weekday evenings after work. free parking for bikes, and they make a mean milkshake. plenty of good thosai down the street too. pop by and say hi, or catch us at facebook.com/ridenorth ?

[Paul Low]

its exciting.......looking forward joining you all exciting chaps one day!