Hosted at the 700 Year Stadium the event, the Real Custom Biker Show was a really enjoyable event. Don't have much to say about this really, so I will leave you with photos instead! (Sorry,
there are quite a few photos of me with the bikes, rather than the bikes. At the time I didn't even consider
blogging, so they were just meant for personal use. In future I will
attend events with writing about them in mind!)
Here is a tale to pull the heart strings and give you a little faith in humanity. My friend (an off-road tour company owner and animalistic drummer!) Alan, came across a hill tribe school when searching for new tour trails. This school was in dire need of some assistance as it was poorly funded. The main care for the upkeep was coming from the Royal Thai Border Patrol Police and the Army, with teaching carried out by volunteers. The children and their families were quite poor in the region, and there was very little in the way of facilities, including running water. So Alan, being the soft-hearted gentle giant that he is, after speaking with the staff and border police, decided that he would make an appeal to help the school out. Over the course of a few years, with the help of the local community and volunteers at the school, lots of fantastic improvements took place.
By the time I went along for the first time, some of these changes had already taken place and work was ongoing. On this particular day (14th August 2013) it was more about a celebration day for the children. Essential items were taken up in 4x4 trucks and a few riders who had donated came along for the ride. A bit of fun was organised for the children, which included a giant bag of toys for them to enjoy (which was part of the Chiang Mai ToyRide, an annual fundraiser for children in need.)
Me, not knowing what services to offer for that day, fell back upon face-painting, which I had done on a few occasions in the past with a bit of success. So, armed and ready, I waited for the children to come over and have their faces painted upon.
None came. They were super shy!
One of the volunteer teachers rounded up a couple of the children (haha, poor things!) and veered them in my direction. I had already printed out a collection of face paint designs I had gathered from the net (spiderman, butterfly face, etc), so i showed the paper to the first wary victim sitting in front of me. His eyes lit up as he pointed to Spiderman. So..Spiderman he became. This got the other boys a little excited and a low hum of whispers started circulating among them. The next brave victim took the seat and became Batman. The hum of whispers then started getting louder and the buzz of energy was starting to draw in curious faces. By the time I had finished the third face and looked up, i could no longer see the same surroundings I had before. I was now right in the center of a mob of children all battling to get a view of the facepainting going on. Haha! Great!
HOWEVER, I then realised that I had a sea of eager faces all wanted to be painted on, but only one of me. I needed to step up the pace, drastically!
I really don't think i have ever painted that many faces in such a short duration in my entire life. I just didn't want to let any of the children down. By the end of it I was hot and sweaty but I felt absolutely wonderful. I looked around and saw children playing the roles of their painted faces, whereas before they were being shy and reserved. Success! But getting back to the important stuff. Over the course of a couple of years hundreds of thousands of baht was raised. This money transformed not only the school, but paid for necessary items such as warm winter blankets and health care, such as eye testing and spectacles. I had the joy of returning again a year later to help paint the outside of the school building. Was a fun day even though I was initially teased by friends for wearing a disposable pink rain jacket (joke was on them when I had no paint splashes to worry about though!). It seemed that some of the children remembered me from before, but most were too shy to speak. They just would stand and watch a little then run away with nervous giggles when spoken to. One boy in particular though was very brave and practiced his English on me. I was very impressed!
It was a very heartwarming experience and wonderful to have had the chance to go along. Hope it gave you a nice warm feeling too :D
To end, I should give a quick plug for Alan's tour company which offers amazing tour packages. If you check his website you will see what I mean. He offers fully supported and fully inclusive, motorbike tours for off-road, on-road & enduro: Thai Bike Tours
*NOTE* A couple of these photos are from others who attended the event and not my property
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
Hosted at the 700 Year Stadium the event, the Real Custom Biker Show was a really enjoyable event. 
By the time I had finished the third face and looked up, i could no longer see the same surroundings I had before. I was now right in the center of a mob of children all battling to get a view of the facepainting going on. Haha! Great! 
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! 
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. 
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. 
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. 
hill tribe village, and visit Brichinda Cave (which is worth the visit in itself). 
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. 
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.
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. 
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...
