Took a quick daytrip to the Mae Ngat Dam area via a back road. Unfortunately this trip was taken well before i had any notion about blogging about my trip, so the exact details are ..well...lost really. If I retrace my trip at some point, i will post an update.
Anyway, when people think of the dam, they usually think of the famous house boats. These are houseboats on the dam that you can rent for x period of time and stay on. Citylife Magazine (Chiang Mai's staple English language magazine), has a good article on the houseboats here.
Instead of heading to the most well-known zones I took a look at an off-the-beaten-track route that went through a zone that was overgrown and had pretty much zero vehicles. On this route there was even a rural hilltribe local lady who was gathering something from the ground excitedly. Stopped to chat to her, but her Thai was quite broken (obviously not her native tongue). Turned out she was gathering some ant eggs. She had laid down bate and had been waiting for the larvae. She was looking
forward to cooking them up that evening. She told me they are very delicious and even invited me to join her! This is something i love about people here; the generosity and kindness of spirit. This lady looked like she had so very little in the way of material anything, yet was willing to share her prize with me. I was so humbled...even though i declined politely saying i had no time.
This route was very enjoyable and eventually came out at a more established road and I progressed towards Mae Ngat Dam. A little before the dam there was a wonderful scene of people getting wet and playing in canal-ways. Obviously connected to the dam. There were food vendors and the water was nice and flowing. Decided to stop there to eat and enjoy the water, rather than head on to the dam area. Lots of bbq dishes around including some kind of larvae/pupae. Not really my style if im honest, haha.
Ordered some typical bbq food and a cool drink at sat by the water. Ended up being entertained by some (slightly inebriated) local Thai guys. Chilled for a while and then headed back home. Excellent day!
I did actually visit the dam again some time later and it was completely bone dry! No people around and no bbq. That was around late November.
If i visit again, i will document the location as well as my findings.
Mon Cham (often spelled as Jam) is a scenic day trip from Chiang Mai city center. You can always stay there if you prefer, but i usually just make it a day trip.
Located on Mong Nong Hoi village, Mon Cham is part of the Royal Project, growing herbs, fruits and vegetables. Due to it's cooler temperatures, a great deal of products are grown which are not often available elsewhere. Strawberries are particularly sought after from this area (you can also do your own strawberry picking). The flowers are really quite stunning and attract a great deal of butterflies, some of which are very unusual looking.
Viewpoint, Restaurant & Camping
The main destination at Mon Cham is the mountain viewpoint which has a Royal Project restaurant, serving fresh dishes made from local ingredients. You can also camp just down from the restaurant area, which I'm sure must be quite beautiful, especially early mornings and sunset/dusk periods, but i haven't experienced that, so cannot comment (if i recall the prices are between the 700 - 2000 baht range)
Restaurant Opening Hours:
9:00 - 19:00 (August - September)
9:00 - 21:00 (October - February)
The photos are from
March period (when it is less scenic than other periods, yet still a
lovely trip). March in Chiang Mai region has burning/pollution issues,
which often restrict views. It is also the hot season, so quite parched.
The good thing about this period though is that there are less tourists
around. Peak periods during the cool season (Nov - Feb) attracts
visitors to the viewpoint, sometimes excessively. If you visit during
the peak cool season period, i recommend you go on a weekday rather than
at the weekend.
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.
Doi Inthanon is a fantastic day ride from Chiang Mai. At 2,565 metres above sea-level Doi Inthanon is part of the Himalayan mountain range, and is the highest point in Thailand.
There
is also overnight accommodation available in the National Park, but as i
haven't stayed overnight I cannot comment on that. Definitely might do
this one day though.
One thing to note about Doi Inthanon though
is the double tier pricing, which is common across Thailand. Thai
citizens pay a much lower price than foreign tourists to enter the National Park. This may seem
fair enough, but this rate is supposed to include those with documentation proving they live in Thailand. Unfortunately, it isn't quite as clean cut as it should be. For, even if you hold the correct documentation (work permit etc) and live in Thailand but have Western features, you will likely find yourself being refused the local rate. It's a bone of contention for many... but lets leave that one for now.
If you do decide to pay the 300 baht entry fee (150 for children, 50 for Thai) then you wont be disappointed. It really is very scenic. I was lucky the day I went to the mountain, because they accepted my Thai driver's license and gave me the local rate. I think this has all changed now though.
When you do get there you can explore the mountain via walking trails, visit waterfalls, visit a local hill tribe village, and visit Brichinda Cave (which is worth the visit in itself). If you do decide to visit, would love to hear your stories and reviews also. So please comment below.
Have a great trip! :) Additionally: This trip was just a few months after my accident, I remember feeling rather manly in my new gear and a little silly having such hardcore gear for a scooter ride. This gear was a gift and I am very grateful and helped give me confidence to get back on my bike. I have since upgraded the jacket to something a bit cooler and more feminine. Will update with links to a gear review when I have it.
November 18th ...2011... a day I will never forget.
I was on a scooter trip, on my Yamaha Fino 115cc, a cute little retro looking scooter, when i found myself on a pothole-y craggy gravely road; the 1263. Now resurfaced.
I was too confident on my scooter. I had begun to believe I was infallible.
I would often fly past bigger bikes on downhills, bouncing around without a care in the world.
I was very naive.
The combination of a better stretch of road on the 1263, thinking that stretch would continue, aiming to keep up with a faster companion (who is now well-known as one of the fastest riders here), wearing an ill fitting open faced helmet, with little body protection, on a bike with the suspension of a brick.... culminated, and I crashed.
I recall nothing of it.
My riding partner with me said all he saw was a cloud of dust, then me lying on the ground a distance from my bike. My bike was lying on the ground in one direction, i was lying on the ground in another. When he got to me he was met with an unconscious body with a face full of blood. He said to me later that he didn't at first know if i was alive, or even if i had a face left.
Although i was unlucky, Karma was good to me, because a couple driving a Hilux crossed our paths. They took me in their vehicle all the way back to Khun Yuam, to the hospital. This was on a road that very few vehicles were using. Then, as my partner was moving my bike off from the road, a pickup truck saw him and stopped to ask about what happened. When he explained the situation, the driver (and the laborer occupants), hauled up my bike and took it back to the hospital at Khun Yuam also. I feel very thankful indeed..and i don't know who to thank.
As the wounds were washed my body convulsed. I felt like I was having an epileptic fit. My head was still swimming and I was still in and out of consciousness. X-rays were taken and i have to say I'm very saddened and regretful that they either took the x-rays incorrectly or read them wrong, because they said nothing was broken, which turned out later to be untrue. The most problematic broken area was my nose..which had to be re-broken and which is still giving me issues...but more on that later. I was bandaged up and told to rest. I declined to stay in the hospital and went to rest in a hotel room instead. I don't recall if i was in the room for one night or two. I remember being helped at one point by my partner to wash the blood out of my hair in the hotel room. Everything hurt.. really hurt. Everything seemed to be in slow motion. I had no idea what the damage was going to be, but all i could do at that time was try to get through the pain.
The next day i went back to have the wounds redressed at the hospital. They sounded positive and said I would have only a small amount of scaring and no issues. They were only partially right.
When I felt a little stronger one or two days later I rode pillion on my partners scooter. That ride seemed to take forever. I felt each and every bump and jolt. The pain was so searing that my vision was swimming. I was worried about passing out and falling off the bike. I concentrated on getting through the trip, and said nothing. I tried to meditate and force the reoccurring step-retracing far from my mind. I kept trying to remember the events leading up to the accident, but i couldn't. I tried to push worrying thoughts of "how damaged will i look now?" far from my mind.
At Ob Luang we stopped off at a wooded area. I have fond memories of this area. I feel it offered me some sanctuary and a comfort. It was as if the tall trees were shading me from prying eyes and enveloping me in a caring embrace. I got off the bike and crumbled to the ground to rest for a bit.
My face and tongue were beginning to swell..and the pressure was intense.
I don't recall much after Ob Luang and getting home to Chiang Mai. Maybe i closed my eyes. Maybe i faded out. I don't know. I just don't remember it. When i arrived in Chiang Mai i kept the helmet on whilst I walked to my apartment, to avoid anyone seeing me. I recall at the front door of my apartment that my neighbour called out to me, but i held up my hand in a kind of acknowledged wave before rushing in to the apartment without saying hello. I needed time to adjust and i was just too vulnerable and sad to speak with anyone.
I don't recall much again after that, except numerous hospital visits and lots of smoothies (i had a lacerated and bit-through tongue which had a lot of stitches, so i couldn't eat properly).
It was a rather dark time with a lot of meditation going on to get me through it. It was during the healing period at home, when the swelling was finally
subsiding, that i realised there was something not quite right with my
nose and my breathing. Taking a cotton bud I attempted to get it up into
my nostrils..and was unable. My septum was smushed...and had begun healing in that smushed way. I took myself back to the hospital in Chiang Mai and asked to have my x-rays re-done. As suspected my nose was broken and my hand was fractured. Both had begun to set.
The doctor said my hand would be ok (advice i now regret because i get a lot of pain with it). He advised that there was no point in causing further trauma to reset it. My nose though, would need to be re-broken. He offered one of two ways; in surgery where they would put me to sleep and i would be required to stay in the hospital, or with Novocaine injections as an outpatient. I choose the Novocaine, and what a horrible idea...
I was scheduled to have my nose re-broken the next day. My nose was injected multiple times (which was insanely painful in itself) with Novocaine. Eventually, after about one hour, the area went numb. My doctor then arrived and taking a set of tools similar to a hammer and chisel, she re-cracked/re-broke my nose in about three sections. Let me tell you, if i had any idea it would hurt that much, i would never have done it. I also have a VERY high pain tolerance level (ie: i am the kind of person that LIKES the feeling of being tattooed, even when i had one on the top of my foot..)
Sadly the procedure was not successful and I ended up with not only the need to have a second general anesthetic operation, but also gained dorsal bumps. I was beginning to lose a little of my faith by that point..
Anyway, the initial damage incurred was as follows:
Tongue split and lacerated - i dont recall how many stitches but i still have no feeling in the tip of my tongue
Nerve damage - mainly my tongue
Nose broken and deviated - Even though the hospital at Khun Yuam said nothing was broken - ongoing issues with my nose..
Hand fractured - my right hand too. Hospital in Chiang Mai said it would be ok, but its not. |
Facial scaring - a fair bit of scaring, which i have had various treatments for (see below). I also had my nose bridge completely concave on me, but i resolved that... (again, see below).
Scar tissue on my hand - nothing i cant handle really, occasionally gets itchy still
When the first surgery for fixing my deviated broken nose didn't work i was scheduled for another surgery, this time via general anesthetic. This required me staying in the hospital. Given that i has spent weeks in hospital just a few months prior to this accident (read about my first accident here), i was filled with dread. I was able to book myself into a private room though, which made things easier. My spirit was breaking at this point if I'm honest. Prior to the operation I had been fairly strong and getting through it. But by this point i becoming weak and miserable.
It turned out that the surgery had helped a little, but it really didn't fix the problem. By that point i decided enough was enough and i will not go through anymore procedures on my nose for now. I decided to let it heal and deal with it later on down the lines. 4 years on and i still need to fix it properly, but I'm just plain scared..
-----
Post accident..healing..
Well, once the stitches were out and i could see the scaring, i wasn't happy really. Initially i was warned against doing too much too soon, so my plan of action was to load up on vitamins and a lot of healthy eating. I also used Bio Oil and would massage the scar tissue gently and regularly to help break up the tissue underneath. I started using silicon gel patches, which I found out ISN'T good for my style of healing. I didn't initially realise. Silicon is good for someone who produces TOO much collagen and prone to keloid scaring. This is not my make-up. I am prone to concave scaring so restricting my collagen was a bad idea. Thankfully I found this out only a few weeks into using the patches.
Down the line, when the scaring had healed for nearly a year, something like that, I began to have dermaroller treatments on my face. I had maybe around 4 treatments. They were painful but i believed helped very much. I also had two laser treatments (the same kind of laser they use on tattoos) to remove the odd blue discolouring from the scar tissue on my forehead (the scaring here was caused by my helmet rather than the ground, so maybe some kind of dye or debris got in). The laser significantly reduced the blue and the second treatment removed it enough for me not to worry about it.
To end, i had one cosmetic treatment. A filler. On my nose (and on the forehead indentation).
The filler was called Juvaderm and was used to fill out my capsized nose bridge and indented forehead scar. I didn't want to have anymore nose surgeries until down the line, so having this treatment meant that i would (hopefully) be more comfortable with my nose until i finally did get the surgery. Conclusion on that? Best decision ever! Right before my eyes my nose (and forehead) improved. The juvaderm took away the concave area and helped reshape my nose back more like how it was. I was over the moon. (Something rather odd about the whole thing though is, the Juvaderm was supposed to last around 2 years max. However, it is now over three years and my nose is still fine. I dont know if somehow my own natural collagen has filled in this area or that the Juvaderm is just lasting really well with me. I'm not complaining though!
So there we are... so far.
I do still need to get my nose fixed (i cannot breath properly), but i am hesitant.
I do however feel quite lucky that it is not as bad as it could have been.
I also feel lucky to be alive.
..and grateful to the people who helped me.
I also finally retraced my steps and something quite interesting happened, which you can read about here
Chiang Mai> Pai> Mae Hong Son > Khun Yuam > Ob Luang > Chiang Mai
Another trip on my Yamaha Fino 115cc, which sadly had a bad ending (serious motorcycle accident).
You can read about that here, but for the purpose of this trip report i will leave the details of the accident out.
You will notice the map is not a neat loop. That's because it was on the 1263 that the accident happened, and there was a turn back to Khun Yuam Hospital.
Anyway.... this trip had planned to be a 3 day, 2 night trip, but i think was 3 or 4 (or 5!) nights due to the accident.
Day 1:
Chiang Mai to Pai (stopping off for coffee at our usual stop-off point, 32 Coffee Hill) . Checked into a resort called PaiLanna Which was ok, if i recall, but a little chilly and the beds were hard. This was the scene outside in the morning.
Brr! Day 2:
After a bit of a look around Pai (which at that time was nowhere close to as popular as it is now. It still had a hippy vibe, but it felt much less touristy), checked out of the accommodation and headed off towards Mae Hong Son, planning to stop at Fish Cave on the way.
I really loved Fish Cave. It felt like something out of avatar:
At Mae Hong Son, I was lucky with the accommodation. I went looking around and found a big hotel. When I inquired about the price and said it was too pricey (in a nice way, in Thai), the lady at the desk told me to wait a moment. She got on a walkie-talkie and then when she came off it she said she had something to show me for (i think) 400 baht (im sorry, i don't quite recall). Anyway, someone came and led around to the back of the hotel..which was under development, but STUNNING! The accommodation was a beautiful bungalow that was next to a man-made lake area. Accepted the room and was happy as could be.
Thankfully the room also had a bath, for to be honest i was aching. I suffered terrible pain in my kidneys from all the bouncing around on a bike that is like a brick to ride. Since then i always wear a kidney belt and that has really helped the issue ten-fold.
Had a quick look around MHS and then headed to bed early. To be honest my concussion from the accident has kind of wiped out most of my memories of this day..so i don't have a lot to share.
Day 3:
Found out that a friend from Chiang Mai was planning on staying a night at Khun Yuam (taking his family to see the famous Sunflower Festival), so ended up heading that way and staying an unplanned extra night in Khun Yuam. I really dont remember much sadly. I remember having dinner with them, but that's about it.
Day 4:
My friend had told of the lovely sunflowers via route 1263, although warned the road was very pot-holey. So, changing plans (unfortunately), i headed down route 1263 instead of the established MHS loop route. It was indeed extremely pot-holey and lots of gravel (this has now been resurfaced, as i retraced my trip 4 years later, which you can read here). Unfortunately around an houror so into the route, i crashed. I was wearing an open faced helmet and no gloves. My face and hands took damage. You can read about this accident here. I was concussed. Luckily a kind Thai couple picked me up and drove me back to Khun Yuam hospital...and a pickup truck took my bike back along to the hospital too. I had good Karma that day, even though unlucky to have the accident in the first place. I was lucky too in that on the whole 1263 route there were rarely any vehicles at all. So to have two vehicles pass within moments (im guessing moments) of my accident, was nothing short of miraculous. So i spent another night (or two) in Khun Yuam.
Day 4:
I was not riding solo on this trip and so i decided to load myself up on strong painkillers and wrap up my face (which was already bandaged), and brave a pillion trip back to Chiang Mai via Ob Luang. This was a lesson in mind-over-matter, for I said nothing on this trip, but i was in horrific pain. Each bump sent waves of searing pain through my body and face. It felt like days passed, rather than hours. I also had a lot of thinking time and kept replaying the hospital and the small flashbacks i had. Trying to recall the actual accident, which i couldn't. I was also extremely sorrowful and didn't know how bad a mess my face was in or what the outcome would be damage and scar-wise. Not an easy trip....
However, the trip itself is quite wonderful..and the MHS loop is very enjoyable.
Took a quick daytrip to the Mae Ngat Dam area via a back road. Unfortunately this trip was taken well before i had any notion about blogging about my trip, so the exact details are ..well...lost really. If I retrace my trip at some point, i will post an update. 
This route was very enjoyable and eventually came out at a more established road and I progressed towards Mae Ngat Dam. A little before the dam there was a wonderful scene of people getting wet and playing in canal-ways. Obviously connected to the dam. There were food vendors and the water was nice and flowing. Decided to stop there to eat and enjoy the water, rather than head on to the dam area. 
Lots of bbq dishes around including some kind of larvae/pupae. Not really my style if im honest, haha. 
some (slightly inebriated) local Thai guys. Chilled for a while and then headed back home. 
