Adventure Touring in North Thailand - Fang to Chiang Mai

Ride Day 6. The last day of our north Thailand ride. Mixed Feelings. Lots of memories.

A lot of things were playing in our heads as we sat on our motorcycles one last time. Next morning, we would be in Bangkok at this time. The primary reason why this epic trip fell into place- motorcycling our way across the northeast and northwest part of Thailand, would be over. The sixth day had arrived in a jiffy, or so it felt!

Anyways, coming back to ride day 6, the first and only halt before we returned our motorcycles was the Chiang Dao cave in the quiet little mountain town of Chiang Dao, located north of Chiang Mai. A beautiful 80 km ride consisting of both straights and steep sweeping curves await you once you exit Fang. With nice scenic stretches and mesmerising countryside views, this ride brought a lot of flashbacks of the previous days we were on our motorcycles. 

After spending about a couple of hours exploring the caves and refreshing ourselves for the hot sunny ride ahead, we were back on Route 107. The ride from Chiang Dao to Chiang Mai is pretty easy because the road is wider and has very few curves. You have got to blindly follow Route 107 for about 70 km before you see signboards of Chiang Dao cave. So there is nowhere else to go and no chance of getting lost!

The temperature was in the range of 38-40 degrees and despite the ride being so comfortable, it completely sapped our energies! However, we had safely made it to Chiang Mai without any damage to us or the machines. Well, our original passports were deposited, so we didn't really have any choice but to ride very very cautiously. Jokes apart, the discipline of tourists and locals alike made each day of our ride extremely stress-free. The motorcycle too didn't break a sweat!

After returning our motorcycles, we checked into our hotel, dumped our bags and without wasting any time, set off to make the most of our remaining time in Chiang Mai! 

The exotic country of Thailand with its stunning landscapes, rich culture and ever-smiling people without doubt brings a smile on your face. This land of smiles has much more than just beaches and resorts. Way beyond the islands of the south lies Thailand's true charm- the temples, the jungles, the waterfalls, the mountains, the caves, the rivers, the elephants and last but not the least, the roads that make north Thailand a paradise for motorcyclists! 

After 6 days and 1700 km of riding and successfully completing the Mae Hong Son Loop and the Golden Triangle Loop, we flew back to Bangkok with infinite memories. A couple of days of relaxation as normal tourists sans the motorcycles in Bangkok was on our mind before we head back to our home country! 

2 motorcycling loops, 6 days, 1700 km and a lifetime of memories!

That's all about the 6-day ride in the northern part of Thailand. Keep watching this space for more details on the next big ride! 

Riding Distances:-

1) Fang - Chiang Dao cave: 85 km

2) Chiang Dao cave - Chiang Mai: 75 km

Adventure Touring in North Thailand - Golden Triangle to Fang

After an extremely relaxed ride that saw us make our way to the Golden Triangle, a room with a view of Laos and Thailand separated by the Mekong River was like an icing on the cake. 

We were looking forward to ride day 5 that would take us beyond the mountain town of Tha Ton to Fang. Just about 220 km to cover for the day, but a whole lot of scheduled stops enroute meant we were in for a long, long day on our motorcycles. Moreover, this day would be unlike the rest because of long patches of narrow and poor roads. However, as long as the ride made us fall in love with Thailand even more, we had no problems!

For a change, we had breakfast in our own hotel before starting our ride because the restaurant had an incredible riverside view.

Restaurant with a view!

The first scheduled halt for the day was the 1988-established Hall of Opium museum, the brainchild of the Queen of Thailand who visited the Golden Triangle and wished to educate people about the background of opium trade and its ill-effects.  

A result of over 10 years of extensive research, it certainly seemed as though a fortune was spent setting this place up- yes, even the landscape surrounding the museum was a delight to watch.

Entrance of the Hall of Opium

Getting to the Hall of Opium

While the entry fee of THB 200 did initially seem to be high, we anyways bought the tickets. Once you enter, a brilliantly illuminated entrance tunnel, 300 – 400m long leads you to the area where the actual exhibits are present.  

The brilliantly illuminated tunnel inside the Hall of Opium

We spent about 2 hours inside the museum- complete with photographs and a couple of short films that depicted daily life in the Golden Triangle during the days of opium trade and how this drug dominated life even elsewhere across the world. With numerous authentic paraphernalia such as weights, tools, scales, pipes and storage containers pertaining to opium production and consumption, it was sure enlightening. If not for anything, we at least read facts worth THB 200 related to opium and its trade! 

This sight is definitely not to be missed when you are in Chiang Saen!

Well said! :)

After somewhat enhancing our knowledge about the Golden Triangle region, we proceeded towards Mae Sai, the border checkpoint of Thailand and Myanmar, as well as the northernmost point of Thailand. The ride, as usual, is bound to make you fall in love with Thai countryside. The border town of Mae Sai (Thailand side) and Tachiliek (Myanmar side) are very busy in terms of the heavy trade that takes place between people across the border.

Choose among 2 roads to reach Mae Sai- we chose the countryside route (right turn here)

Welcome to Thailand from Tachiliek, Myanmar

With the border police who were excited to see us

Busy border town of Mae Sai

We then headed to capture some quick snaps of the famous 2^nd Friendship Bridge before making our way to the Wat Tham Pla, the monkey-temple.

2nd Friendship Bridge between Myanmar and Thailand

2nd Friendship Bridge entrance

Entrance of Wat Tham Pla

Inside Wat Tham Pla

Inside Wat Tham Pla

Inside Wat Tham Pla

Inside Wat Tham Pla

Inside Wat Tham Pla

Some narrow and winding curves took us to the Doi Tung Royal Villa, which has a hill-station type vibe to it. This picturesque town has a royal villa which serves as a holiday home to the royal family, mostly during the winters.

Just before Doi Tung

Entering Doi Tung

Botanical Garden at Doi Tung

Doi Tung Royal Villa

Doi Tung city centre

After Doi Tung is where the tricky bit started. Roads started getting narrower and the road started getting rougher. Our next destination, Doi Mae Salong, was just about 45 km away from Doi Tung but still took us about 75 min to reach. But boy oh boy, the views were simply mesmerizing!!!

Entering Doi Mae Salong

Klang Village 

Vistas at Mae Salong

Mae Salong is a Yunnan village whose inhabitants are known to speak both Thai and Mandarin. It was in this village that the Thai government had granted refuge to Chinese anti-communist refugees. However, none of those refugee-signs are visible now because the immigrants started tea cultivation to earn their living that has resulted in a self-sustaining economy. With an ancient and authentic feel to it and some incredibly beautiful tea plantations, we were in awe with the great valley views that this place offered.  

And not to forget, we got to see an amazing sunset. All in all, the purpose of visiting Mae Salong was met- tea plantations and sunset, we got to see both!

Beautiful sunset at Mae Salong

Curves to die for! :P

The ride from Mae Salong to Tha Ton is also along fantastic mountainous roads. With panoramic views all throughout, this place will leave you spellbound.

Welcome to Tha Ton!

We decided to halt for the night at the small buzzing town of Fang. It was about 8.30 pm when we checked into our hotel at this town, but nevertheless was an immensely satisfying ride day because we managed to cover everything that had been planned. The best part of our ride was over now with the last day was just going to be a highway stretch all the way to Chiang Mai.  

Crazy roads, mad bikes, immense fun

Fortunately, we discovered a superb place to chill with some live music and a fantastic bunch of friendly locals. It was the penultimate day of our Thailand ride, and it was now time to party hard. Not a bad way to bring in your 26th birthday! ;-) 

Party time at Fang!

Riding Distances-

1. Golden Triangle – Hall of Opium (2 km)

2. Hall of Opium - Mae Sai Border (30 km)

3. Mae Sai Border – 2^nd Friendship Bridge (15 km)

4. 2^nd Friendship Bridge – Wat Tham Pla (15 km)

5. Wat Tham Pla – Doi Tung Royal Villa (20 km)

6. Doi Tung Royal Villa – Doi Mae Salong (45 km)

7. Doi Mae Salong – Tha Ton (32 km)

8. Tha Ton – Fang (55 km) 

Adventure Touring in North Thailand - Phayao to Golden Triangle

Since day 3 was an extremely long one, we were pretty glad to have made it to the lakeside town of Phayao comfortably. Of course, that meant a visit to the Phayao Lake would take place next morning.  

View of the Phayao Lake

Phayao is a small town with only 20,000 inhabitants and a very relaxed atmosphere. The main attraction here is the Kwan Phayao, one of Thailand’s biggest lakes! Fun fact- it is an artificial lake. The lakeside promenade is home to countless guesthouses, restaurants and bars which meant our evening was sorted!!

I’ve got to admit that after the second day, luck was on our side as far as weather was concerned. The rain had disappeared, albeit temporarily and that meant it was a great time to embark on the second loop of our ride- the Golden Triangle, which had already begun when we bypassed Chiang Mai on the way to Phayao the previous day.

Entering the province of Chiang Rai

Golden Triangle, the point where three country borders converge, is another classic motorcycling loop in north Thailand that takes you all the way north in the Chiang Rai province to the border area with Burma and Laos.

Mandatory picture!

Our ride today, an extremely relaxed 160 odd km, was predominantly going to be on Route 1 (also known as Route 1208), the super highway that connects Bangkok with the northernmost parts of Thailand. As the name suggests, this highway is just droolworthy. With about 2 hours of ride time to our final destination, we decided to take it easy and left Phayao at 11 am!

My ride for the day- the Yamaha FJ09

The first scheduled halt for the day was at one of the top 10 wondrous temples of the world- The Wat Rong Khun or White Temple as it is popularly known, 65 km from Phayao. With its extravagant and unique architecture, the temple reflects visions of heaven, hell and nirvana (that’s just some trivia I had read :P)

Majestic!

Gorgeous, isn't it?

Wat Rong Khun is a true masterpiece and very unique- the temple differs from all other, colorful Thai temples, because it is completely white. The temple’s walls are covered with a special plaster mixed with tiny particles of glass that create a beautiful glittering effect. Moreover, it turned out to be one of those really bright sunny days, which meant we could get some really kickass snaps of the white temple!

Another cool thing that we saw here was a tree decorated with the heads of well-known comic characters. Something like this -

                                 

                                          

After spending about an hour here, we left for our final destination- the Golden Triangle via Chiang Saen, a busy trade centre in the Golden Triangle region. About seven kilometres after Chiang Saen you reach the renowned Golden Triangle. Indeed a super-relaxed ride!

Thailand

Our hotel room was overlooking Myanmar and Laos by the mighty Mekong river. Basically, we were staying in one country and were able to see the other two through our balcony! 

The Mekong River separates the three countries that form the Golden triangle. Fun fact- This is the world’s 12th longest river and the 3rd longest in Asia with an estimated length of 4,350 kilometers. Mekong originates from the Tibetan Plateau and runs through China’s Yunnan province, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam before finally meeting the South China sea.  

If you see this statue, you have arrived at the Golden Triangle!

Without wasting any time, we decided to go and check out the famed Donsao Island- the Laos island at the Golden Triangle which is a free-zone meaning no visa is necessary to enter this territory. A speedboat ride (one of the highlights of the place) at the confluence of the Mekong and Ruak rivers brings you to this island. 

Again, a mandatory picture!

Enroute Laos in a speedboat

Laos looked beautiful!

In the distance you also get a good glimpse of the rumored to be shut, Myanmar casino which was built to cater to Chinese gamblers. 

Must be a crazy casino! (Burma)

The Golden Triangle was once a dangerous land of opium, drug lords and rebel militia but today is known for some of finest Thai roads. The road network built during the region’s dark past now serves as a paradise for motorcyclists across the world.

If you want to pamper yourself or your loved ones by exceeding all your limits, you can stay at supposedly the world’s best resort, Anantara Golden Triangle, complete with baby elephants that roam around freely inside! (it would cost you only 75000 THB per night!!! :P)

I wish someone sponsored a night's stay here for me!! :(

Stay tuned as we learn more about the dark past of this region and make our way to the northernmost point of Thailand!

Riding Distances:-

1) Phayao- White Temple – 80 km

2) White Temple – Golden Triangle – 85 km