The Road to Pai

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1. Fixng the Road to Pai

2. Yes the roads are really this good

3. The quick way in to Burma

4. Outskirts of Pai

5. Downtown Pai for Lunch

6. Road Hazzards

7.Sunny downtown Chiang Mai

8. Sunny downtown Chiang Mai (2)

9. Part of the 'moat' around the old city of Chiang Mai

10. Triumph ?

11. Gob (frog) with his creation

12. There really is only one number a beast like this can have

13. Triumph owners answers on the back of a post card

14. Road side trading in the hills

15. Hills and temple under construction on the road to Chiang Rai

I was back in the Oasis hotel in Chiang Mai and I had organised a trip to have a look at a local water conservation scheme called micro-damming. The tour operator tried to explain it to me but it seemed the best thing to do was to go have a look see. Unfortunately it had to be cancelled at the last minute which left me the task of finding something to do for the day. At dinner the previous night John and Jintana suggested if I get a chance to have a look at Mae Hong Son, the road is very steep and twisty but she thought my motorbike would be OK. You can get a flight there from Chiang Mai but I thought a ride out in the country would be just the ticket and give me a chance to give a firsthand report on the roads in the North West of Thailand; apparently they are very good for touring.
Mae Hong Son is about 250 Km’s from Chiang Mai making the whole trip around 500 km’s, there is one road in and the through road would take me further away from Chiang Mai, so the only option I had would be to turn round and come back. 500 km’s is doable in one day on normal roads but judging by the expressions on the hotel staff face when I told them where I was riding to today they seemed very dubious. This seems to be a common response now to any idea of going outside the city on a motorbike, but it is ways wise to take in common knowledge.
Mae Hong Son is North West of Chiang Mai which puts is right in the top left corner of Thailand again very close to the Burmese border but further over to the west than I went on my previous sojourn.
I have been in Chiang Rai about nine days in total now and started getting the hang of the road system which is not that difficult after a few runs up cul-de-sacs and not using logic for the naming convention (the outer most route you can take to get round the city is paradoxically the ‘Inner Ring Road’). It was a quick blat north on the expressway and then a turn onto the road to Fang. This part of the journey wasn’t pleasant the road was very busy and there were a lot of road works which did not help, and for some reason the driving seemed more crazy than normal. 30 Km out of Chiang Mai you come to the town of Mai Rim and a left turn onto the 1095 to take you on the road to Mae Hong Son, and the traffic vanished. I could see the mountain I was about to cross right in front of me and I must admit it looked pretty daunting, complete with the summit being obscured by clouds.
A couple of quick note which may be of value for those who may follow (I’ll leave the etched marks Arni Sachnesum style (has anybody got that reference yet?)). I had just realised that I had not brought my documentation with me and I would be crossing into another province and almost certain police check. Now I have been told a number of different things but what seems to work is to have a photo copy of all your documents which you carry with you that is your passport photo page, your international driving licence, the green book and the insurance. Leave the originals in a safe place. Secondly always be aware of your fuel situation and a small ‘top up’ might be a wise thing to do. I was pretty happy with the fact that the town of Pai had an airport which was only 180 km’s away and I would put money a town with an airport is going to have a petrol station. (I’m sorry using common sense again)
The road bumbled along quite nicely through the foothills passing through small villages and some quite interesting vegetation. The surface of the road is excellent and the bends sweep and wind
beautifully, at this point I was missing the Ducati which would have handle them better than Eddie but I was thinking there was no one bike that would be ideal for this trip. The Duc would be great in the hills; the Dragstar is just the job for the long treks between cities and a small step through to get through the Bangkok traffic. Perhaps Professor Pat Pending could get on the case. I wanted to get some pictures on the blog just to show how good the roads are, I take a few which hope give you an idea of just how good they are. It is almost imperceptible at first but there is a definite trend for the bends to get sharper and steeper and before you know it, you are traversing a mountain. Another key note is when the road sign straights in English ‘sharp curve’, believe them. The traffic is very light consisting of locals crawling up the steep inclines on their step throughs and flying down in the opposite direction. There a few potholes but nothing too dramatic that Eddie couldn’t handle and the big thumping twin is ideal for the steeper inclines. The road is to be taken with respect, it is not a dangerous road unless you choose to make it so, and it is certainly no more dangerous than the Great Ocean Road and a lot safer than the road through the Snowy Mountains.
I stopped for a coffee and distance check, since I’d got into the mountains I’d been averaging about 50 Km per hour which started making Mae Hong Son doubtful at this rate otherwise I would be coming back down the mountain at night, not a prospect I thought would be a good plan. So I though make it Pai, Lunch, refuel and then head back again.
Into the clouds the roads are wet and strewn with various forms of vegetation, just a matter of taking your time. The view is just stunning. Lots of small villages and temples, the real outback of Thailand. Right on top of the mountain, I came across a road repair crew, slicing out a good chunk of the mountain right at the top the border with the next province, if I get stopped with no papers they might not let me in so it would have to be a ride back and my fuel was starting to become marginal for that journey. The universal greeting of a big smile and the policeman gave me the thumbs up and waved me through. It would be interesting if they change shifts on the way back and the next one decides to check my documents.
I reached Pai and interesting little town, a lot of Furongse, almost exclusively adventurous backpacker types, seemed to be a lot of Swiss for reasons I will never know. There have been billboards advertising a boutique hotel by the name of ‘The Quarter’ (www.thequrterhotel.com) all the road to Pai, as I ate lunch in a small restaurant only 150 metres away from the hotel, I thought I’d check it out. It is beautiful, if you are every looking for that ‘get away from everything but still have creature comforts’ I’d put it on the list. It was a bit pricy at 2800 Bht a night ( about AUD $90) however when I told them I wasn’t planning on staying the price tumbled to almost half, so they are happy to negotiate. To be honest at the point I regretted not just loading the bike up that morning and staying the night.
With the bike refuelled there was only one thing for it that was the 180 Km trek back, should be hitting Chaing Mai about 5:00 PM.
Conclusion great road, and Pai looks like a real good place to stay, I ride through to Mae Hong Son and then south would be the better way to do it.