So apparently I am now a motorbike girl. Who would have thought? I absolutely love the freedom wending my way through the breathtakingly beautiful mountains of Northern Thailand.
Elephant Country!
My two months in Chiang Mai has been both instructive and restorative for me. I am so proud of getting my Thai motorcycle license (3 day Honda course, 3000B/$A1230
When I first set up my condo here in Chiang Mai, I had visions of me swimming every day, staying on top of my bl.og and getting stuck into some online courses I have signed up for. Oh well, my first few weeks here were when the famed pollution smothered the city daily. Yes, it did really affect me. It felt apocalyptic and breathing became somewhat of a chore at times.
However, an early start to the wet season brought some relief to the unrelenting heat as well as dampening the pervasive smog. The rain hasn't been too much of a worry for me. I've been caught exactly twice on my bike in a downpour but have learnt to carry a poncho in case of emergencies.
The first week or so after I got my license, I rode around Chiang Mai at my own speed and comfort level to get my confidence up. However, it was when I got to Luang Prabang and hired a bike there that I finally started feeling comfortable.
Of course, I have shared on facebook about having the front of the bike fly off as I was hurtling down the highway. No real damage done, but terrifying none-the-less.
My poor bike
Hanna, the friend I made in Luang Prabang, the friend I made at Mad Monkey Hostel works with bikes back in China, so I was riding around with a well-seasoned rider, even though we were riding on the opposite side of the road to what I am used to.
When I got back to Chiang Mai, all I wanted to do is ride! I also want to mention that the roads in Chiang Mai are nowhere near as busy, traffic-wise, as Bangkok and the other nightmare Asian traffic nightmates. It can get a bit gnarly at peak hour but on a bike you can threat through the traffic easily enough.
I decided that my first decent solo road would be to Way Thay Doi Kham, up in the hills to the west of Chiang Mai, about an hour and a half ride away. Absolutely stunning!!!!
Next, it was time to tackle Pai. It ended taking me about 4 hours ride through the gorgeous winding roads. I actually do like Pai, but I did find it a little too touristic. The old hippy in me couldn't help but be charmed but I think this place would have been more of my jam about 30 years ago.
I did, however, make two new friends, Héctor from Spain, and Maca(rina) from Chilé, and have a couple of deightful rainy afternoons just hanging out with them at the hostel.
Maca
Héctor
Back in 2004, I had the privilege of visiting Myanmar and working with some orphans there. It is breaking my heart to see what is happening there right now. I was so thrilled to be able to catch up with Titi, a young woman who I worked with there 20 years ago, here in Chiang Mai, while I am here.
The lovely Titi
I decided, whilst in Pai, that I would ride to the Burmese border. I spent a sleepness nght googling how safe this little adventure actually is. I don't want to be kidnapped! I figured that I could just ride towards the border and see what happens. Thailand has many checks throughout the provinces and I guess I was just hoping I'd be stopped before I get into too much trouble.
I actually went through 2 sets of boomgates and with a little help from Google Translate, I checked it was all safe. I rode all the way to the border and even crossed into Myanmar where the road straddled the border.
Checkpoint
I also took myself off on the Samoeng Loop and although I have run out of time this time, I am looking forward to tackling the Mae Hong Song loop. So many incredible rides around here.
A favourite activity - feeding the elephants by hand
One of the funnier things I've encountered here is pulling into a service station to fill up the bike petrol tank to have to wait for the 11 year old in front of you to finish.
I can honestly say that I will be back in Chiang Mai. At this stage, I'm thinking of coming back here for a 6 month stint next year.
I can't believe how quickly my time here has flown. This has been a good time for rest and relaxation as well as learning new skills. My next adventure now will be back to Bali for a couple of weeks. I have had this absolutely bonkers idea that I want to ride a scooter from Bali up Java and then up Sumatra. It is a journey of 3,666 klms and I have 4 weeks to complete it. I'm so excited to buy a bike (I'll onsell it when I get up to the top of Sumatra) and just meander up the Indonesian islands. Stay tuned for more upcoming adventures...
New friends at a Couchsurfing Meetup
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