Ok..so, you will notice on a few of my blog posts that I've mentioned GT.Rider maps. These maps are a staple of most riders exploring the northern territory of Thailand and Laos regions.
David Unkovich aka Mr GT Rider, has been exploring Thailand for decades and his maps are well-respected guides. Teamed with GPS, these maps have got me back on track, and offer insightful and interesting routes. They also include recommended places to visit and to stay etc.
So, they are definitely something i advocate as part of your riding "gear".
Conclusion (yes, im starting with a conclusion): Sore bum.
lol.
As a foreigner in Thailand, if you wish to stay for any length of time, you will usually get acquainted with visa trips. These can be frequent, depending on your visa type. For this particular trip i headed to the Thailand/Burma border (more info on how to do a border visa trip here). I decided, unwisely maybe, to set off early. Like 6:30am early. Now i know that i am of Scottish blood, but i have lived in Thailand long enough to have acclimatized. I have also always hated the cold and been able to cope with the heat. So, at 6:30am riding in cool season temperatures, i did not find it fun. In fact, i had to slow my pace right down because the wind and cold was going straight through me. Wearing three layers, a jumper, a jacket
with a windproof jacket on top, just didn't cut it and body was shivering so violently that i thought my bike was having issues! Really!
Thankfully there is a great little spot for warming up just before you hit the city of Chiang Rai. The Hot Springs at Mae Khachan. I parked up and nipped into the coffee shop where they pump in hot spring water into troughs. Here you can soak your feet, whilst drinking your coffee. My hands in particular reveled in the heat, as they had gone quite numb.
After warming up (wasting a good hour or so doing so), i carried on up to Mae Sai, the border town into Burma. Report on that here.Visa sorted i grabbed a bite to eat and started off back to Chiang Mai.
Except i didn't.
Now i didn't actually intend to head to Phayao, my plan was a quick trip up to the border and back again. However, me being me (aka - stupid), i missed the Chiang Mai road turn off and found myself heading towards Phayao. I decided i may as well just go into Phayao and make it a day trip.
Phayao itself is a pretty town. Some find it a little boring, but i find
it peaceful. I love the Naga serphants on the water.
Ive done a couple of day trips to Phayao here and here (to be fixed) and also a bit of a dancing video at the Naga, which caused a few smiles. (I intend to do something with this video down the line. One day...one day..)
After a quick view i headed back to Chiang Mai, arriving a couple of hours later. Turned out to be a happy accident and enjoyed the trip :)
Route: Samoeng, route 1349 towards Yang Ha, continue onto Ban Wat Chan.Turn right on to 1265 to head to Pai.
The Rough Stuff: Resurfaced sections with intermittent rocky patchy stretches. Approx 60km between Yang Ha and Wat Chan the road gets progressively worse, with around 30km of bumpy dirt ridges. (see video )
Note: Im nervous on dirt and gravel. Particularly as i had a
terrible accident on gravel. So this was pretty much nerve-wrecking for
me in sections. I enjoyed the route, but the rough stuff took it out of
me, mainly because of my nerves. My body was stiff and i was sweating,
so it felt like a mammoth trip, when it really wasnt. It was good for me
to work on building up my experience and confidence on dirt and gravel.
The route to Pai:
Stunning scenery and wonderfully quiet from when you get out of Samoeng and head to Pai. At the time of this trip the main Pai route (the 1095) was a mess of construction, so this route seemed like an interesting alternative. I just wish i had done the trip with blogging in mind, because i would have been more accurate on the details etc.
Battery says no...
Unlike me, I hope you don't find yourself with a dead battery on this route. As if i wasn't nervous enough already! To cut a long story short, getting to Pai involved clutch starting the bike and then going without stopping until the battery gave up (which
was thankfully not too far from Pai). By then I was low on fuel
as I had decided to wing it..because if I stopped to fuel up, I may not have got the bike going again.
When i reached the outskirts of Pai i was towed into town by rope..lol! Ho Ho. Strangely I had no indication prior that the battery was about to pop it's clogs.
In Pai the mechanic shop then tried to put in a really small battery, and
after a bit of explaining, they went and found the correct sized one. Anyway...thankfully the situation didnt turn out as bad as it could have. Phew ^^
At Pai I was unable to stay at my usual place; Pairadise, as I had not booked in advance. So I went to a resort just down from them called Pailanna, which was ok. No big complaints and the food was really good in the restaurant there.
Had a really quiet night in Pai, had a coffee in the morning and a small ride around, then headed back on the main 1095 route back to Chiang Mai. At this point the construction was maybe around 80% complete, so the ride was pretty nice. Just a few sticky tarmac areas, but overall great..and looking forward to riding it when completely finished.
Ok..so, you will notice on a few of my blog posts that I've mentioned GT.Rider maps. 
