Motorcycle Diaries Chapter 2: Counter-Clockwise in NW Thailand
I’m at the age when it doesn’t seem to matter what time I go to sleep at night as I always wake up early. Througout SE Asia, even in most large cities, the roosters start the process around 4:30 or 5:00 AM. Earplugs can only block out so much.
So, it wasn’t suprising that my eyes were wide open at 7 on a cold and misty new year’s day. I was still in my bunglaow in Pai however and checkout wasn’t until noon. Plenty of time for the sun to cut through the haze and warm the day.
The agenda until that time was coffee and pastry (banana bread instead of a mystery turnover this time), supplemented by a good book and the morning music playlist from the Ipod. The water in the shower had plenty of heat and pressure – a rare double-combination in my travels here. Aside from sleeping alone, the morning couldn’t have been much better.
I had returned to my room just before 12 on New Year’s Eve. I was on a hillside overlooking the town and had a great view of the fireworks, which were OK. What I liked though, were the hundreds of kite-lanterns that were released around midnight. Built of a light-weight wood frame and a translucent covering, these were sent airborne by the heat generated by a burning candle. It was meditiative to follow a particular one until the candle burned out – or until the kite itself caught fire and super-nova’d.
Sop Pong
My next destination was the small town of Sop Pong – up near the Burmese border. The road there was a bit narrower, but it continuted to be motorcycle friendly with plenty of gorgeous mountain views, tight turns, and very little traffic.
I had heard but the Cave Lodge from several travelers – a guest house that an Aussie ex-pat caver had started some 25 years ago when this place was way off of the map, when the opium trade flourished, and when the Thai military was dealing with rebels, the burmese, and drug-lords.
The lodge was some 15 K or so north of the small town, and just a few Ks from Burma (Myamar) . And yes, I was able to ‘unofficially’ able to walk across the border as there are many trails and back-roads that serve the local folks.
I stayed at the lodge for 3 nights as there were plenty of hikes to take, caves to explore, and time to relax. I didn’t find it necessary to even start up the motorcycle for 2 days.
One of the people staying there was Miguel, a 39-year-old Spanish man. He began traveling when he was 21 – and was into his 18th year on the road. We spent a day getting lost on the nearby trails the evenings sitting around a fire chatting about life and such. I don’t think I ever met someone as free and peaceful as Miguel. He lived as completely in the moment as one could. Decisions were based on what was presented where he was, and sometimes tempered by the need to earn money, and for three times in his life, fall in love. But as he approaches middle-age, he is thinking of settling in NW Thailand for a bit – teaching English, learning more Thai, helping out in the community, and maybe letting some sort of root system take hold for a bit of time.
Once again, I waited until the morning sun burned through the mist before pointing the motorcycle down the road. My next destination was Mae Hong Son, about a 3 hour drive. But there were several side-roads to explore, one in particular took me to the Burmese border and offered some stunning views of forests, mountains, and cliffs. The dirt road took me past several Shan communities and I could tell by the looks I was getting that faraang sightings were a bit more rare than in most places in Thailand.
Mae Hong Son is a pleasant place with a lake, park , and a wat in the center of town. My guesthouse overlooked the lake and the wat. There was a night market with some of the nearby by Karen tribe people selling crafts. The market food was some of the best I had in Thailand. I took a day trip and visited the long-necked women at a nearby Karen village…a tradition that now exists simply because tourists want to see it.
When I left MHS, I couldn’t decide if I should go to Mae Saering or cut across to the east and tour several national parks on the way back to Chiang Mai. So , I pulled over on the side of the road and unfolded my now-raggedy map of the area. Not a minute later, this aussie guy, David, on his motorcycle parks next to me and pulls a brand-new version of the map out of his pack and gives it to me. He suggests that I will really enjoy the eastern route – and then blasts away. I take his advice – and really enjoy the ride!
Tags: motorcycle, thailand, Travel
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