*MOTO TRIP* (Scooter): CM > Phu Chi Fa > Chiang Khong> Mae Sai > Chiang Rai > CM.

Setting off early on scooters, on the 118 to Chiang Rai, we took a right turn at Mae Khachan onto route 120 towards Phayao. We then took a left onto the main highway Route 1, and a few kms later a right turn onto the 1021 to Wiang Kiang. We continued on past Wiang Kiang on the 1155 which takes you to Phu Chi Fa.

On this particular trip my riding partner and I met with a couple of riding friends, one was riding a Lifan and the other a Honda Phantom. In all honesty I would much prefer to be on my brick-suspension Fino than a Honda Phantom..but maybe that's just me.

*Additionally* The rider of the Phantom confessed to me later that when he saw me on my Fino he was thinking it was going to be a slow ride. But it turned out that I left him for dust. Haha. "Don't Judge a Book by its Cover", comes to mind. Or in this case "Don't Judge a Rider by Their Bike". ;)

Phu Chi Fa was worth the ride. There is a steep climb up the famous viewpoint and then you are met with a wonderful scenic vision. You feel like you are right in the clouds, which you are really!

After Phu Chi Fa we all headed onto the 1020 to Chiang Khong. By the time we got there it was dark, but thankfully had pre-booked a room at (Arghh..i have to fill this in later, sorry, because i forget the name). As an aside, you can actually take a boat from Chiang Khong over to Huay Xai, Laos. 
 
That evening we all headed out to the river area for a bite to eat, and we found ourselves slap bang into a Loy Krathong Festival. There were fireworks and Krathongs (the floating items) and lanterns being lit and launched..everywhere!
So much so that a stray small firework cracker landed slap bang in my hair.... ! Seriously, I wonder at my luck sometimes. It was just a short while back that I had my accident and this was my first big ride since the accident, and now a firework is setting me on fire! Let me tell you one thing about this, that I'm glad i do not use hairspray! I knocked the firework out from my hair and patted it down, hoping I wouldn't find a bald spot..haha.

Anyway, dinner was lovely. The company was nice. It was an enjoyable evening. Headed back for a rest (and, as is normal in cheaper places, the walls were very thin, making it a little on the noisy side). The next morning we parted company with the other two riders, who were going off another way, and headed towards Mae Sai to do a visa border crossing.

Nearing Mae Sai my partners tire had a puncture. Thankfully he is pretty much "Mr. Fixit", and is never without tools, so as it was a slow puncture, he intermittently pumped up the tires until we got to a mechanic in Mae Sai. Turned out that just a small metal shard caused that drama. Anyway, crossed over the border, came back through into Thailand and headed for shelter when the heavens suddenly opened and torrential tropical rains came down. Never mind, the bikes were good to go and when the rain stopped, so were we.

Rode on the pretty boring stretch of the main highway route 1, until we got to Chiang Rai and stopped for the night. At Chiang Rai we stayed at the rather comical Red Rose motel. I say comical, because the Red Rose is a themed motel, and you can choose rooms such as "boxing ring room" (yes, your bed is a boxing ring..) and "Star Wars room".

We choose the Star Wars themed room. Now before you start thinking this place is family-friendly, it isn't really. These motels are geared towards "short time" stays, which basically means they are sex-motels. You can pay by the hour or by the night. Was certainly fun to stay there though. The room had a lot of chrome and space-ship style lighting and even a mirrored ceiling..haha.

In Chiang Rai we ate at a recommended Italian Restaurant, but i will need to find the name out of this later as well (sorry!). Was ok. Not the best ive ever eaten, but im a bit of a food snob sometimes.

After a good nights sleep we headed off back on Route 1 to Chiang Mai. Just a busy main highway, so nothing much to say about that really.

All in all a good trip and have been meaning to revisit Phu Chi Fa for some time now.

Happy Trails!

*MOTO TRIP* (Scooter) -One Hell of a Trip on a Fino: Chiang Mai > Fang > Mae Sa Long > Doi Tung > Mae Sai > Thaton > Doi Angkhan > Chiang Dao > Chiang Mai

My first big trip (well it seemed MASSIVE at the time) on a bike. 3 days and 2 nights.

I had only been riding for approximately 8 months or so, and I was riding a Yahama Fino 115cc.
If you know anything about this kind of scooter, you will know it merely chugs along on any kind of incline and has the suspension of a brick. So, basically you get thrown about on any uneven road etc.. and Thailand absolutely has its share of potholes, gravel, poor roads....

Regardless, this trip is firmly implanted as one of my most amazing trips of all time. Purely because i felt like i was on a mammoth adventure. I felt like a true explorer. At the time there were less foreign tourists in these zones also, so it felt like being from outer space..haha.

I loved every moment..even the mini crash i had, due to having no idea about how to break on gravel. Found myself on the ground with my bike on top of my ankle..which later on became the size of a small grapefruit. The perils of being a self-taught moto rider, with absolutely no idea....

Mae Salong. I couldnt believe how different this place was from the rest of the Thailand i knew. They speak Yunnanese. I felt like i was in a whole other country.


Thaton, which thankfully hasn't changed much over the years. The well-known Naga serpents had just been built.

 Doi Ang Khan

Doi Tung

 Ouch............

So...what was your first motorcycle trip? How did it feel?

*MOTO TALE* How I Got Into Motorcycles...

As a young woman I had always liked the idea of a bike. My father had been a motorcycle rider up until his later years. He didn't, however, like the idea of me riding one (nor a car for that matter..!).

I remember the first time i clasped my eyes on a classic Triumph. I was spellbound by it. I was around 12 years old, something like that. It created a lifelong admiration of Triumph in particular.

Fast forward many many years later to sometime in 2009 in Thailand. After having lived in Thailand for roughly two and a half years, i became bored of my bicycle and frustrated at relying upon public transport for bigger trips (or, at the time, my ex, who owned a Hilux). I wanted more freedom. I had one stint of trying out riding a scooter in 2006 with a friend i had met on a course i did in Thailand, but within moments i had crashed into the wall (softly) and scraped my legs. This broke my confidence and i got him to return the bike right away. I decided not to try again. ..but by 2009 my feet were itchy to try again.

Additionally i should note that in the UK i had taken lessons for driving a car, but never took the test (i had a city life and always used public transport or a bicycle). So, i had never ridden a scooter or motorbike before.

In 2009 i hounded my ex to help me learn and eventually he relented. So, I rented a small automatic scooter 115cc (in those days no one ever checked about licenses...as bad as that is.. or maybe my ex rented in his name, i don't recall anymore) and over time (with a few lessons from him and then left to my own practice) i became more and more confident. I remember well the first time i took the scooter out onto the streets of Chiang Mai by myself at a stupidly early hour (something like 5:30/6am), so that there would be little traffic around. My heart was beating so fast i thought i would faint. Funny now thinking back to it.

So.. i began riding a scooter around (unlicensed and carrying my provisional license), for the next few months. It felt fantastic.(I do not advocate driving without a license btw...this was just my experience)

Eventually, in March 2010, i purchased my own scooter. A beautiful brand new gleaming Yahama Fino 115cc, that looked retro. I was in love. I also finally got myself licensed.

 

I had been riding it everywhere around the city and up and down the mountain for about six months, and (as arrogant as this sounds), i was a natural. My ex and I had broken up and I made a friend (who eventually became more than a friend) who had been riding motorcycles for years and owned a small manual bike. Over time and through riding slightly further afield in areas such as the Samoeng Loop, we eventually decided it would be a great idea to set off on an adventure and head out of Chiang Mai on our bikes. You can read about this trip here
This trip was the beginning of a true love and desire of exploring more on two wheels.

I had gotten the bug...and it was onwards (but not always upwards) from there.