Adventure Touring in North Thailand - A prelude

Two of the best riding routes in Southeast Asia (perhaps even the world) await you! Is that a big statement to make? Yes, but now that I have done it, seems 100% true!

A motorcycle ride across North Thailand’s incredible roads was on top of my list ever since I returned from my ride to the Himalayas in July. What started as a desire to celebrate my 26th birthday doing something I loved doing most - motorcycling through the mountains of North Thailand, ended being one of the most memorable 10 days of my life. As I write this, the famed Mae Hong Son Loop and Golden Triangle stand checked off the wishlist!

Being my first international ride, every aspect of the ride was planned meticulously (in stark contrast with my rides here in India, where most things are unplanned!). Finally, as 2018 began, it was time to embark on the first ride of the new year.

The Crew – 

Since we had booked separate flights from Mumbai to Bangkok and from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, we had to get our passports stamped at Bangkok, collect our luggage and check-in to our second flight. Our connecting flight was within 1.5 hours of landing in Bangkok and understanding our situation, a lady-officer told us to go straight to the express counter, which also had a queue and token system. Luckily, for us, helpful folks ensured there was no token, no queue and no extra fees and 5 minutes is all it took to get our Visas and passport stamped!

  

Note: - In case you fly the same airline all the way to Chiang Mai, you can get your Visa on arrival at Chiang Mai too!

The straightttttttt highway as seen while landing in Bangkok!

As we landed in Chiang Mai, the second biggest city in Thailand, we saw lots of amazing sounding tuk-tuk’s (local auto rickshaw) and motorbikes all around that made us feel we had indeed arrived at the right place! 

Welcome to Chiang Mai! A beautiful sight with those mountains in the background

Getting used to some MotoGP style rickshaw drivers!

We checked into our hotel and headed straight to collect our motorcycles that were booked 3 months in advance ;-)

With Pop, you can immediately tell by the vibe of the place that he is one of the most genuine people around in the business and for good reason is widely regarded as one of the best by everybody in Chiang Mai.

With the man himself, Pop!

Big Bikes for the ride – 2 Suzuki VStrom 650 (2017) and 1 Yamaha FJ09 (2016)

2016 Yamaha FJ09

2017 Suzuki VStrom 650

We collected our motorcycles and headed straight to our hotel, getting a hang of our motorcycles and the different settings and controls. Kept our luggage at Pop’s place who offered to take care of our belongings. We transferred the essential luggage into the top case mounted on each of the three bikes. With this, we were ready to rock the majestic mountains of Northern Thailand!

Though Day 1 was full of travel, it was a relaxed affair with lots to look forward to from next morning, when the actual ride would start.

I have detailed out some specific logistical information that will help anyone who plans to ride this circuit in the future-

Reaching Chiang Mai – 

Air Asia, Lion Air and other airlines operate multiple flights daily to Chiang Mai from Bangkok, so getting here is extremely convenient.

Visa Issuance- 

Effective Sep 1, 2017, the Thai tourist Visa costs THB 2000 (payable only in Thai currency and in cash) and issued on arrival for a period of 15 days.

Documents required-

1) Arrival Card (available at the airport)

2) Valid Passport

3) Valid hotel/apartment address in Thailand that can be verified (hotel booking printouts work just fine)

4) Confirmed return ticket to show that you will be flying out of Thailand within 15 days of entry

5) Atleast THB 10,000 cash per person that serves as proof that you have the necessary funds for stay in Thailand

Motorcycle Rentals in Chiang Mai –

There are tons of motorbike rental shops in Chiang Mai. You can rent out all kinds of bikes, scooters and cars depending on your budget and comfort. As for us, we rented our motorcycles from Pop Big Bikes, situated in the heart of Chiang Mai. This guy has an amazing collection of motorcycles and is considered the best in Chiang Mai. Though more expensive than every other motorcycle rental shop out there, the bikes he owns are in top-notch condition, very well maintained, periodically serviced and look brand new. Riding gear too can be rented, but we carried our own helmet, riding jacket, gloves and touring boots.

POP Big Bikes for Rent

Scooters, Bikes, Superbikes, you name it and he has it!

What an incredible number of bikes this guy has!

Cost – 

Having booked the motorcycles for a week, we got these amazing motorcycles at a discounted price of THB 1700 per day for the VStrom and THB 2000 per day for the FJ09. Good things here is that rentals here apply for 24 hours, not just during daylight! 

Insurance- 

Even though the bikes come with third party insurance, you are expected to pay up for damages in the event of a crash or fall. Therefore, it is wise to ride responsibly and with proper riding gear on.

Unlike the scenario with most renters, Pop Big Bikes is absolutely okay even you return the motorbike with an empty tank! No hassles of checking the fuel level at all, which is a huge relief. As there is no dearth of scamsters in India, I have this habit of capturing a video by slowing moving across the bike from front to back. This essentially is a recording of the scratches on the bike, if any, and is a lifesaver in case there are issues while returning the bike! Again, nothing of this sort ever happened. Both, renting and returning the motorcycles, were hassle-free.

Deposit –

You will be asked to leave either your original passport or a THB 10,000 as a deposit if you are renting a superbike. There are no two ways about it. Photocopies DO NOT work. You will get a scanned copy of your passport (that also displays the visa stamp). In case you do get pulled over by cops, this is the copy you are expected to possess and show. Luckily enough, such a situation never arose for us! Additionally, no International Driving Permit (IDP) is required to ride in Thailand so your Indian DL will suffice.

Gasoline – 

Well, nobody understands “Petrol” but they sure know what gasoline means. You will see gas stations everywhere and gas is extremely cheap (91 octane fuel costs about 29 THB per litre)

Stay tuned for the next few posts, where I will take you through each day of our incredibly exhilarating journey!!