*MOTO TALE* - Projectile Vomit and the Importance of Hydrating...

Early this afternoon when the sky was overcast, i went to exercise at a park just down from Doi Suthep mountain.


The sun began to emerge and seeing as i had already pretty much worn myself out, i decided that i may as well hop on the bike and head up the mountain.
The sun was out.
The air was clear.
The sky was blue and filled with big puffy clouds.
Just perfect!


A bit further along i see a guy on a KLX 250 riding leisurely. Overtook him. 
But like sticky rice, he was right on my back the whole way. At the 2nd lookout i pulled over, as did he.
Ironically it turned out that the guy was someone i had been meaning to meet up with for around a year or so.

We got to chatting for a while, but in the full sun.
Suddenly I became very aware that i was getting seriously faint. I told myself to snap out of it, but myself didn't listen. (Remember that i had already worn myself out earlier from the workout (and although i drank water, it was probably not enough)). I had planned to eat lunch after working out but didn't (as i instead went up the mountain), so that probably didn't help either. So it must have been a combination of lack of food and water, and a touch of heatstroke. But really brought on by a lack of hydration (ALWAYS keep yourself hydrated!) This bad combination not only made me nearly fall off my roadside perch by fainting...it also..(thank you Murphy's Law)..made me (in front of several tourists)..PROJECTILE VOMIT over the side of the view.

No ordinary graceful vomit either (if vomiting could ever be graceful really...)..but PROJECTILE. Oh happy days. @.@ (Picture "The Excorcist" ..)

....Once recovered, i attempted to redeem myself and my embarrassment. All i could think of to say was "the only way this could get worse, is if i sh*t myself".(Classy, right..)
..and NO, thankfully i didnt (sh*t myself)..! But bloody hell after i said it i thought, 'Murphy' (Law) is a mean bugger and he may just add insult to injury!

..anyway, it turned out good in the end.
Decided to throw in the towel of my day and head further into the mountain.Thankfully it turned out to be something funny to look back on, rather than something solely cringe-worthy. But that's often about the company too. So thank you to those who help me laugh at awkward situations.

..particularly as i have so many of them.

Many many many...

*MOTO TALE* Rainy Season in Northern Thailand

I recently wrote on my Facebook timeline "Today the weather God decided that ordinary rain made of water droplets was too boring. He decided that rain made of millions and millions of tiny little razor blade needles that have the ability to penetrate the skin like lasers when riding a moto, would be far far more fun..", however, not to worry, it isn't always this way. In fact Rainy Season is a very beautiful time in Thailand in my opinion.

If, like me, you come from a standard four-season country (in my case, the UK), you will likely associate rainy days with gloomy days. In Thailand however, it is often warm rain and not uncomfortable. It usually comes in big heavy bucket-loads, rather than drips and drabs, and it usually comes in short sharp spells. Almost like someone turned a big giant tap on, or dropped a huge bucket of water down. It suddenly on, and then its suddenly off again.

The beauty of rainy season for me is how lush everything becomes. During the hot season months prior to rainy season, where temperatures can reach up to the 40+ (centigrade), the land becomes parched and dry. In truth much of Thailand's beauty comes from its stunning nature, and when dry season has sucked all the moisture out of the ground and all the leaves off the trees, it isn't as pretty a sight. There is a sorrowful amount of litter in Thailand also, and the lush green vegetation hides this sorry shame. In dry season plastic bottles and waste is revealed, exposing a nation that generally needs to be more educated in keeping its country beautiful.

But well..back to rainy season. Rainy season starts from around May and goes on for as long as five months, ending around October. Its usually a four month season. Lately the rainy seasons have seen less rain than usual, which is not good for Thailand's water resources and the vegetation. But, by the end of rainy season the beauty of Thailand is restored as it enters into the cool season and peak tourism period.

So, don't be put off from visiting Thailand during the rainy season, as you will get to experience the full glory of tropical rainstorms.



Watching a rainstorm from a balcony is one of the most joyful experiences i have here. Everything feels so alive at this time, especially the frogs, who are out in full chorus. You will see some stunning mist and cloud formations and, if you are lucky, you may even get a double rainbow! Its also low season, so everywhere is cheaper. So, that's a bonus for the budget minded!

*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!

*MOTO TRIP*: Chiang Mai > NAN > Chiang Mai (road trip with The Grinder Boyz!)

This was a really fun trip, but the boys (who normally ride bikes with much more power ) found the trip a bit of a slog on 250cc bikes. It was great that they did this trip on bikes that matched mine, though. Very grateful for that! As an aside, the guys on the trip became affectionately known as "The Grinder Boyz", mainly because one of them decided to play a trick on another of the guys by uploading his pic on the Grinder app. (Grinder is the equivalent of Tinder, but for those interested in the same sex). Yes, childish I know, but pretty funny all the same.

The guys on this trip are experienced riders, really experienced. So for them the pace was a doddle, and thus the antics that came about were pretty fun. Had a giggle the whole trip.
The 1148 is known as one of the best roads for riding in the province, and although I enjoyed it, I found it not quite as twistie as I normally like. Or maybe my bike just doesn't have enough power for these kinds of sweeping curves. Would be a good one to try on a bike with more power.

We started from our usual meeting point before heading off. I had a small bag, the guys seemed to take kitchen sinks... ^^

The pace was around 120/130km and so we did ok. But of course, that's because we cant go any faster! We kept going till we hit Sabaai Dee Coffee shop for a break and a cool down. A couple of other riders had joined up with us at this point, and would head to Nan with us also.

Fab ride, fab weather (Jan is cool season and is really great for riding at this time), fab company.
 
We hung up our helmets at S.P. Guesthouse in Nan. A nice friendly inexpensive guesthouse. Seems to be a favorite with riders due to the secure parking.
Headed out for a bit to eat and went along to the HUGE night market. Was a bit too overwhelming for a few of us, including me, so half went around the market and the rest of us headed off for a quiet drink at a local biker bar. I pretty much called it a night fairly early and headed off back to the guesthouse with the only other girl on the trip, my good friend Tik. Boys will be boys, as they say, and the guys stayed up late drinking. As I was in bed at a more reasonable hour I was up very early (as planned), and had already packed up. 
The boys were no where in sight. Haha.

I posted this on my facebook that morning "Good morning from S.P.Guesthouse, Nan. I've been up since 7:30 am, bright-eyed and (not so) bushy-tailed (only because it's first thing in morning.). The guys were up late drinking. I suspect when they emerge from the rooms they will be red-eyed and groggy-tailed ^^^ Som nam na ^^" 

But actually, although they were up a little later than planned, they didn't seem worse for wear. I guess they are just used to it! Haha. So, after a little later start than planned we headed off for breakfast, packed and ready. P.S, I find the photo that was taken at the breakfast place pretty funny.. because the tallest man in the group on the right, was standing next to the shortest lady in our group. Haha.
So this time we headed back via a different route (at a later date I will update what this route was), which I was enjoying much more than the more famous 1148 route. It was much more twisty. We hit an area of roadworks with lots of gravel and sticky tarmac, but apart from that section the rest of the route was absolutely stunning with roads in great condition. At one point we were all low on fuel (spitting feathers!) and had a bit of a panic to find a fuel pump. I spied one on a roadside thankfully, and were saved.
 
We made a pit stop in Phayao and ended up meeting a group of friends who were just back from a lengthy tour. Had no idea they would be there, so was a nice coincidence. We had lunch together and shared some stories, and then headed off back to Chiang Mai. We arrived as dusk was setting and was really quite beautiful.

This trip will stick in my mind as one of the most fun I have ever had.

Thanks Grinder Boyz! 

*MOTO EVENT* - REAL CUSTOM BIKER SHOW 2014

Another fab Real Custom Biker Show event. Lots of bikes, lots of people, lots of "pretties" ( shame we girls don't get anything for us!), and lots of smiling faces. I had a great one this year and enjoyed seeing many kinds of bikes.

Bumped into various friends at the event also.

The host venue was the the 700 Year Stadium, and this year they had a great layout, with a large stage and seating area surrounded by food and drink vendors, for those looking to spend time at the event.

The easiest thing to do is just let you watch the video and see for yourself.

 

 Looking forward to next years show!

*MOTO TRIP* *DAY RIDE* - Pai Sandwich : Chiang Mai > Pai < Chiang Mai

 Pai sandwich.
Riding 150km for a sandwich, eating it, then riding 150km back again. ^^^

*MOTO TRIP* *DAY RIDE* (scooter): Mae Ngat Dam area (not the dam itself)

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.