*MOTO TRIP* Samoeng > Wat Chan > Pai> Chiang Mai

Feb 2016 - Tail end of cool season. no rain.

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.

*MOTO TALE* : Jacket Lost / Jacket Found

Mini Adventure Drama...with a magical twist. 
 (...involving "homing pigeon" shoes, a beloved moto jacket, an orange shopping bag, and a dizzy female > me)

Day 1 (2 days ago):
Took a quick motorcycle trip around the Samoeng loop, only to stupidly lose a bag i had (obviously) tied badly onto my bike. In that bag was an awesome pair of beat up flip-flops and my prized motorcycle jacket that fits me like a dream (we women of various shapes and sizes don't find this easy to come by!). So..tracing back my route 3 times and finding nothing, i eventually gave up. Handed in my number to a local policebox and returned home despondent. 

Day 2 (yesterday): With a renewed resolve of at least ATTEMPTING to find my jacket, i made up some posters and flyers in English and Thai (thanks to help from my friend Tik). I went back over the area and painstakingly got on and off my bike on a hot day to hand people the posters and flyers and explain the situation. I figured that if i didn't at least try, i would end up kicking myself. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. If i didn't get the bag back, it wasn't meant to be. The nice part of the whole thing was that it forced me to interact with people (which I'm normally quite reserved about), who all turned out to be lovely and helpful. A bonus being some mahouts with baby elephants that i stopped to chat with.

Day 3 (today): Well officially last night really. I received a phone call around 7pm last night. My bag was found! I was to meet at the local police box at 9am. I arrived at the box before 9am, (and as is the way of Thailand in general haha), when I arrived, I was told that the lady who found it had gone to work and forgotten to bring the bag in. So, I had to ride back 80km or so home and wait to return later. Around 2pm i received a call to say the bag was handed in and to make my way back to the policebox.

I arrived to find all the contents intact! The policeman (although not smiling in the photo) was lovely. I left an envelope with a finders fee for the lady who found my bag, and a bag of home made treats for the policeman. Really amazed and happy about the outcome.
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The magical twist...
..ok. The flip-flops that were in the bag are really old beat up things that i have had for approx 8 years. In that time they have been washed down a fast flowing river and retrieved (which i actually have a comical video of) ..fallen off on a road... fallen down a mountainside... and well, a number of things. Yet, they somehow let themselves be found. Because of these magical homing-pigeon flip-flops, my bag and jacket came back to me. HAHAHA.
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To end..
Most people do like to return things. I could have made it easier for them to do so if i had put a number in the pocket of the jacket or used a marker on it etc. Its a good heads-up to me to do this to my motorcycle gear and anything important to me. So...might be a good tip for you to do so too. ^.^

*MOTO TRIPS* *DAY RIDE* : The Samoeng Loop - a mini scoop

Samoeng Loop Map

image: GT.Rider.com

Anyone who rides in Chiang Mai will know the Samoeng Loop, and likely know it well. The loop is pretty much the base staple for any riders in Chiang Mai for a quick ride around on a nice day. Its also the one that many tourists on scooters will want to pay a visit to.

Scenic-wise it is pretty, so there are photo ops (*Shamless selfie alert below* :p) and stop-off points for those who wish to do so, but enough twists and curves and dips to keep a rider, who is out purely for the road, happy.

Today i had a quick ride around. Its rainy season and the roads were wet and slippery. But hey, i got to see 4 snakes, (2 dead, sadly :( - not by me, although i narrowly avoided a cobra - at least it seemed to be a cobra as it reared up), a tiny squirrel dashing across the road in front of me narrowly escaping from being squished, frog hunting thrashers when i stopped to avoid the bulk of some rain (locals out with sticks, poking around in the grass to find tasty frogs for dinner), chickens-crossing-the-road galore, and ..would you believe...a Mclaren 650!

I topped the day off by stopping at "The Doi" resort for coffee (love this place and highly recommend it)..which is where i took this shameless selfie.

That's what you call a blissful day..at least in my books.

One good thing about posting an update like this on Facebook is that you find out you werent the only one who spotted the Mclaren (these are really REALLY uncommon to see here). I didnt get a photo, but my friend did.
Fantasic! He also happens to be the owner of a really great bike rental shop and tour company. Highly rated. So if interested take a look at TONY's BIG BIKES.

Now dont ever say i dont help you guys reading this out. I link you to the best places and resources.
..well, so says I. :p

Lastly, get yourself a GT.Rider Mae Sa Valley Map. Fantastic map for the loop and Mae Sa Valley. You can buy online or via these outlets.

*NOTE* I never recommend any product or service or place that i do not have faith in or have experienced. Everything on this blog is my personal account and recommendations. I take pride in writing about what im passionate about!