2018 Northern Thailand Ride Part 2
Day 3
Started the day off with another beautiful misty morning in Soppong. From my previous travels I recall that the road from Soppong/Pang Mapha town towards Tham Lod (Lod cave) was great fun and decided to go for a detour there (forgot to include in my route map above, my bad). It's a narrow mostly unmarked road with smooth surface and little traffic with gentle flowing curves up and down a hill through a thick forest. I had great fun blasting through this road first on a small Thai made cruiser and second time on a moped flat out, this time it was also huge fun no exception. I should do it again every time I'm here.
Lost in the small town near the cave I was unfortunately reminded of how cumbersome an adventure moto can be. I somehow ended up on a small back road and reached a dead end on a downslope with uneven surface. The road was very narrow and it was difficult to turn the bike around. Now I'm far from buff/bulky so handling a 200+kg bike alone in such condition was not easy for me. Need to pay more attention on what I could get myself into!
Coming out from the detour I continued my journey along 1095. The morning that day was cold indeed, especially when riding with a mesh jacket at more than 600m elevation in cool season morning. It necessitates an additional layer of clothing without a doubt.
From Soppong towards Pai the road became very twisty. Now the Mae Hong Son loop does has 1864 curves and I'm sure that the twistiest of them are all on this 120km stretch of R1095 from Soppong past Pai to where it joins route 107. There's endless tight and steep hairpins and the road goes through so many hills and valleys I could not count them. There was never really any long stretch of straight road, the curves were truly unrelenting. Thankfully the road condition was generally great and traffic wasn't too bad either so it was great riding experience and no dramas here. Do take plenty of stops as needed.
The last time I rode this road in 2015 there was a lot of roadwork. This time round it's much less however there's this 1km long stretch of loose gravel surface that was no fun at all on these steep tight hairpins. I am still not confident in handling gravel/loose surface on this bike and its 17" wheels with road tires did not help. I'd happily take any enduro bike for such work thanks.
After joining route 107 down the boring and hot plains I made a lunch stop and had some amazing Khao Soi (northern Thailand curry noodle). Great value at less than THB100 for this bowl of noodle + cold drink at a restaurant.
I was slightly apprehensive of continuing my journey as there was still a long stretch of road over the plains with boring roads and traffic, however knew that there was no other choice and that was the reality of motorcycle touring. By the time I reach the turnout to route 1314 Mae Fang loop, I was feeling exhausted and dehydrated, the worst combination when riding in hot weather. I remember telling myself that I really needed to stop I am so tired and thought that if I continued any longer I may get heat exhaustion. But there was no shade and it was not appealing to stop under the sun for a prolonged rest without any scenery so I rode on for awhile until I reach a nice quiet spot around the hills with some shade.
Route 1314 Mae Fang loop is primarily a scenic tour on the fringe of Mae Fang national park. Road condition was average and the beginning of it was covered with potholes. The road gradually improves but I felt was never as good as the other roads around this region. That said the views were really impressive and you go high up the mountain to around 1100m with a number of very steep (8-13% gradient if I remember correctly) ascents and descents. I was surprised that there was quite a lot of orchards around this region even though it's a national park.
Completing the loop I eventually reached the pleasant small town of Thaton by R1089 (R107 has became R1089 by now).
After a few days of riding I've noticed that the iPhone XS with is facial recognition unlocking works swell for motorcycle riding. No longer I have to type the 6 digit password with my left hand gloved fingers while riding, now it's just visor up and lean forward for the phone to read my face and voila it's unlocked. Fantastic and I was doing it on the move all the time, I really appreciate this unintended benefit for riders. The old system with fingerprint unlock is just impossible with riding gloves.
Day 4
Today is the border run. In the morning I'll be riding along the Thailand-Myanmar border on the very ridge that separates both countries, reaching Golden triangle in the afternoon where the borders of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet and then follow the mighty Mekong river separating Thailand and Laos to the border town of Chiang Khong.
As I've realized it to be the norm, the mornings here were always foggy and beautiful, clouds lying low like a blanket gently covering the mountains. As always I rode unhurried in the cool morning air to warm myself up, occasionally stopping to take photos of the scenery as well.
After about 20 minutes' ride I came across a local morning market right on the 1089 itself with many hill tribes selling and buying goods. Of course I couldn't miss such an opportunity so I stopped my bike and went photographing the locals for a good 30 minutes. Also had some awesome soup noodle there that I sorely missed- I do not know its name but the only time I tried was in 2015 at Soppong's Tuesday morning market which is a similar local morning market served by a hill tribe villager as well. The next time I visit this part of Thailand I'm sure to visit the morning markets to get this noodle again.
Continued on 1089 for another 20 minutes I turned off to 1130 and there it begins the windy climb up the mountain range. First up was the numerous tea plantations on the slopes of Doi Mae Salong which apparently were catered towards Chinese tourists as I see all signage were followed by Chinese translation. Big tea drinkers, the Chinese. Thankfully it's not holiday season in China right now or this area could be flooded with Chinese tour buses.
Turning off to 1338 I climbed and turned my way to Doi Tung. This whole northern mountain range seems to be developed exclusively for tourism and not much else. There's numerous tea and coffee plantations, roadside cafes and a large, modern, touristy center at Doi Tung with exhibits, gardens and cafes. I could not
see any farmland or other industries
here.
After the tourist center the ascend continued. At the top of Doi Tung there's a military checkpoint with a manual gantry. Just a quick glance after and I was waved on and there begins the best section of 1149. This road runs along the ridge of the mountain that separates Myanmar and Thailand, truly the frontier of both countries. There were bamboo fences along the left side of the road and you could see a number of Burmese soldiers and garrisons right beside the road just a few metres away you could almost smell their mohinga. The road was slightly worn for a distance while descending down the very steep ridgeline, passing by one or two villages. Take this part of the road with caution- it was narrow and very steep, and the surface was slightly rough too. Probably time for a resurface as the other parts of 1149 were superb.
After this section the road opened up to a very smooth and beautiful ride of fantastic scenery with fast flowing road up and down the ridge that made me feel like I'm James Bond in Skyfall's Istanbul rooftop chase scene. It was real good fun. A short while later I descended back into to treeline and was presented with a good dose of exciting twisty roads, it was 17km of pure bliss. Damn I almost forgot how great this road was even though I've ridden it just 8 months ago. Other bikers know it, as I saw a number of biker groups, including a dirt bike group. They must've had a blast too.
Back down the plains I came out to 1290 that leads all the way to Chiang Khong. Riding on the plains in mid day was not pleasant at all but I had no choice. I was relieved when the surroundings turned into greens and a few gentle curves later reached the Golden Triangle viewpoint, where the borders of Thailand, Myanmar and now Laos meet together.
This place was historically a big opium farming region with the infamous drug lord Khun Sa at its helm. Now it's all tourists and minivans, no opium here. After a pleasant chill stop overlooking the mighty Mekong river, it's time to say adios to Myanmar my beloved and hello Laos, good to see you again.
A final surprise before my destination awaited me. Now I had not read any trip report of this part of Thailand hence did not know what to expect. Looking at google map it didn't seem all that hilly or windy so I was pleasantly thrilled to find wide open 4 lane highway twisting up up and down numerous hills with perfect tarmac, minimal traffic and the chance to run flat out and get high on adrenaline. The 500cc engine was worked in full and did a great job at providing the fun.
I reached Chiang Khong early around 3:30pm and checked into the lovely Funky Box hostel.
Now I've heard some chain slapping noise intermittently over the past 2 days, always when accelerating when the chain is under tension. The slapping rhythm increased and decreased with wheel rotation and I think it was due to loose chain. Quick check by the hostel owner confirmed this, the chain slack was huge, and moreover we've noticed a repaired chain that is near the end of its mechanical life and looked as though it was coming off and potentially breaking the chain! Like holy shit I couldn't believe that I rode about 1000km up and down hills with this.
At the recommendation of the owner I went to a nearby motorcycle repair shop and a grumpy old man who couldn't speak English or Chinese checked out my bike and started to point this and that. From what I gathered he was saying that the chain was hopeless and the rental company was insane to have rented out this bike to me. Uh oh. Also he did not have a replacement chain so he welded the chain tight and it looked much better after. After tightening the chain and lubing it it was work well done and cost only THB50 or USD1.75. Crazy inexpensive I know, I'd have happily paid 10 times that amount. I felt so bad giving him the meager amount of cash as it seemed like a one man workshop with him looking in his 60's or 70's doing all the hard labour lifting the bike here and there and welding the chain together etc. Anyway he warmed up after the fix and we even had a photo together.
As a token of gratitude I've marked his workshop on google map so feel free to pay him a visit if need be.
After that I was just riding around the riverbank enjoying the beautiful scenery and local life.
Spent a great evening there drinking at The Hub Pub beside my hostel (same owners) with other fellow travelers. Good times with interesting people.
Day 5
Today's route brings me to one of the steepest road in Thailand and the beautiful Phu Chi Fa mountain bordering Laos, before riding past the famous 1148 to Nan.
In the morning 7:30am I had some roadside breakfast (porridge is popular as breakfast here) and 7-11 coffee before setting off. The first part of my journey brought me through a short section of route 1020 and it felt surreal riding in the fog with rows and rows of tall electric poles stretching to nowhere that made it seem like a post-apocalyptic scene from Inception, beautiful and dystopian at the same time.
Turning into 1155 and following the Mekong for awhile the sun started shining through today's thick fog and once again the scenery was amazing.
Continuing down 1155 the road passed through a valley with lots of farmland and nice gentle curves. The road surface wasn't too bad either and there were almost no car.
The sky has cleared by the time I reached the turnout to 4018 up Ban Phaya Phipak. This is one of the steepest road in Thailand at 18% gradient and is also known as "The Big Dipper" as on the elevation profile you can see a huge dip where the road is at its steepest. Looking at the road from the start of 4018 I could only describe it as "a wall of road" and could not wait to ride up the top.
They should've used this sign instead:
More views of the road. It is very hard to convey the steepness or how incredible a road is on such photos simply because the scale is way too small on a web image. Feel free to click and enlarge it to have a more accurate feel of how steep this road truly is.
It was one hell of a steep road and thankfully the surface was perfect and traffic minimal. No time to take in the scenery when riding as high level of concentration was needed on this road.
Finally reached the top where the village is. Incredible how the villagers have to take this road almost everyday to go anywhere else. I should mention too that there's another road at the back that joins to 1020 that is less steep.
Going down the same road is a little bit more scary and exciting. With care I reached 1155 unscathed and made my way to the popular Phu Chi Fa mountain off route 1093.
The hike up the top of the mountain was slightly more tiring than expected. Because one could not see the peak from the parking lot I did not know how far, high or long the hike was and was expecting around 5 minutes of easy walk. Turn out the walk was at least 15-20 minutes long and a little steep. Normally that would be no problem to me however after riding in the sun and feeling slightly tired it was slightly more difficult.
Still, 2 or 3 short rest stops later I reached the beautiful peak with its expansive vista overlooking the valleys and mountain ranges of Laos. Truly incredible view that has to be seen to be experienced.
Some panoramic views, click to enlarge:
Back at the parking lot I've secured my bike using a simple laptop cable, as suggested by Warren at Motorcycle Paradise:
Some yummy Tom Yam cup noodle and drink later I'm off to continue my journey on R1093. I did not have a great time on 1093. Firstly the roads were not as good and secondly it was past 12 and getting rather hot now, due to the lack of shade on farm roads. Then I got stung by a bee. While riding. The bee flew into my right sleeve and in midst of struggle decided to do the honorable act of stinging me and thus martyring for its colony. Damn.
By the time I got to the famous 1148 I was feeling hot and tired and not exactly in the right form. That said the road itself was perfect and smooth with wide and fast flowing roads, endless great turns and curves unlike the section of 1095 near Pai that was full of switchbacks. Definitely a better road than my other favourite, the section of R105 from Ban Tha Song Yang joining R108 to Khun Yuam, however subjectively I felt that the other ride was even more enjoyable.
By late afternoon I reached the road leading into Nan which was really enjoyable too now with more shade and slightly cooler temperature, albeit with heavier traffic.
Riding from the northwest to northeast of Thailand I've noticed that the temples and stupas gradually changed and look very different here. Gone are the highly decorated, broad based and bell shaped Burmese style stupas with their Burmese style temples, now this region has more thin and narrow, square-based Laotian style stupas with Laotian temples. I love religious architecture and this fascinates me.
----------
Continued in part 3.
Started the day off with another beautiful misty morning in Soppong. From my previous travels I recall that the road from Soppong/Pang Mapha town towards Tham Lod (Lod cave) was great fun and decided to go for a detour there (forgot to include in my route map above, my bad). It's a narrow mostly unmarked road with smooth surface and little traffic with gentle flowing curves up and down a hill through a thick forest. I had great fun blasting through this road first on a small Thai made cruiser and second time on a moped flat out, this time it was also huge fun no exception. I should do it again every time I'm here.
Lost in the small town near the cave I was unfortunately reminded of how cumbersome an adventure moto can be. I somehow ended up on a small back road and reached a dead end on a downslope with uneven surface. The road was very narrow and it was difficult to turn the bike around. Now I'm far from buff/bulky so handling a 200+kg bike alone in such condition was not easy for me. Need to pay more attention on what I could get myself into!
Coming out from the detour I continued my journey along 1095. The morning that day was cold indeed, especially when riding with a mesh jacket at more than 600m elevation in cool season morning. It necessitates an additional layer of clothing without a doubt.
From Soppong towards Pai the road became very twisty. Now the Mae Hong Son loop does has 1864 curves and I'm sure that the twistiest of them are all on this 120km stretch of R1095 from Soppong past Pai to where it joins route 107. There's endless tight and steep hairpins and the road goes through so many hills and valleys I could not count them. There was never really any long stretch of straight road, the curves were truly unrelenting. Thankfully the road condition was generally great and traffic wasn't too bad either so it was great riding experience and no dramas here. Do take plenty of stops as needed.
 |
| Endless hairpins. |
The last time I rode this road in 2015 there was a lot of roadwork. This time round it's much less however there's this 1km long stretch of loose gravel surface that was no fun at all on these steep tight hairpins. I am still not confident in handling gravel/loose surface on this bike and its 17" wheels with road tires did not help. I'd happily take any enduro bike for such work thanks.
After joining route 107 down the boring and hot plains I made a lunch stop and had some amazing Khao Soi (northern Thailand curry noodle). Great value at less than THB100 for this bowl of noodle + cold drink at a restaurant.
 |
| Great taste and only THB80-90. |
I was slightly apprehensive of continuing my journey as there was still a long stretch of road over the plains with boring roads and traffic, however knew that there was no other choice and that was the reality of motorcycle touring. By the time I reach the turnout to route 1314 Mae Fang loop, I was feeling exhausted and dehydrated, the worst combination when riding in hot weather. I remember telling myself that I really needed to stop I am so tired and thought that if I continued any longer I may get heat exhaustion. But there was no shade and it was not appealing to stop under the sun for a prolonged rest without any scenery so I rode on for awhile until I reach a nice quiet spot around the hills with some shade.
 |
| This road was way steeper than it looks here. |
Route 1314 Mae Fang loop is primarily a scenic tour on the fringe of Mae Fang national park. Road condition was average and the beginning of it was covered with potholes. The road gradually improves but I felt was never as good as the other roads around this region. That said the views were really impressive and you go high up the mountain to around 1100m with a number of very steep (8-13% gradient if I remember correctly) ascents and descents. I was surprised that there was quite a lot of orchards around this region even though it's a national park.
 |
| Small gym at Thaton. |
After a few days of riding I've noticed that the iPhone XS with is facial recognition unlocking works swell for motorcycle riding. No longer I have to type the 6 digit password with my left hand gloved fingers while riding, now it's just visor up and lean forward for the phone to read my face and voila it's unlocked. Fantastic and I was doing it on the move all the time, I really appreciate this unintended benefit for riders. The old system with fingerprint unlock is just impossible with riding gloves.
Day 4
Today is the border run. In the morning I'll be riding along the Thailand-Myanmar border on the very ridge that separates both countries, reaching Golden triangle in the afternoon where the borders of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet and then follow the mighty Mekong river separating Thailand and Laos to the border town of Chiang Khong.
As I've realized it to be the norm, the mornings here were always foggy and beautiful, clouds lying low like a blanket gently covering the mountains. As always I rode unhurried in the cool morning air to warm myself up, occasionally stopping to take photos of the scenery as well.
Continued on 1089 for another 20 minutes I turned off to 1130 and there it begins the windy climb up the mountain range. First up was the numerous tea plantations on the slopes of Doi Mae Salong which apparently were catered towards Chinese tourists as I see all signage were followed by Chinese translation. Big tea drinkers, the Chinese. Thankfully it's not holiday season in China right now or this area could be flooded with Chinese tour buses.
 |
| Tea plantation at Mae Salong. |
Turning off to 1338 I climbed and turned my way to Doi Tung. This whole northern mountain range seems to be developed exclusively for tourism and not much else. There's numerous tea and coffee plantations, roadside cafes and a large, modern, touristy center at Doi Tung with exhibits, gardens and cafes. I could not
see any farmland or other industries
here.
 |
| Saw a centipede in one of the exhibits. Dangerous things. |
After the tourist center the ascend continued. At the top of Doi Tung there's a military checkpoint with a manual gantry. Just a quick glance after and I was waved on and there begins the best section of 1149. This road runs along the ridge of the mountain that separates Myanmar and Thailand, truly the frontier of both countries. There were bamboo fences along the left side of the road and you could see a number of Burmese soldiers and garrisons right beside the road just a few metres away you could almost smell their mohinga. The road was slightly worn for a distance while descending down the very steep ridgeline, passing by one or two villages. Take this part of the road with caution- it was narrow and very steep, and the surface was slightly rough too. Probably time for a resurface as the other parts of 1149 were superb.
After this section the road opened up to a very smooth and beautiful ride of fantastic scenery with fast flowing road up and down the ridge that made me feel like I'm James Bond in Skyfall's Istanbul rooftop chase scene. It was real good fun. A short while later I descended back into to treeline and was presented with a good dose of exciting twisty roads, it was 17km of pure bliss. Damn I almost forgot how great this road was even though I've ridden it just 8 months ago. Other bikers know it, as I saw a number of biker groups, including a dirt bike group. They must've had a blast too.
Back down the plains I came out to 1290 that leads all the way to Chiang Khong. Riding on the plains in mid day was not pleasant at all but I had no choice. I was relieved when the surroundings turned into greens and a few gentle curves later reached the Golden Triangle viewpoint, where the borders of Thailand, Myanmar and now Laos meet together.
 |
| The triangle. |
A final surprise before my destination awaited me. Now I had not read any trip report of this part of Thailand hence did not know what to expect. Looking at google map it didn't seem all that hilly or windy so I was pleasantly thrilled to find wide open 4 lane highway twisting up up and down numerous hills with perfect tarmac, minimal traffic and the chance to run flat out and get high on adrenaline. The 500cc engine was worked in full and did a great job at providing the fun.
I reached Chiang Khong early around 3:30pm and checked into the lovely Funky Box hostel.
Now I've heard some chain slapping noise intermittently over the past 2 days, always when accelerating when the chain is under tension. The slapping rhythm increased and decreased with wheel rotation and I think it was due to loose chain. Quick check by the hostel owner confirmed this, the chain slack was huge, and moreover we've noticed a repaired chain that is near the end of its mechanical life and looked as though it was coming off and potentially breaking the chain! Like holy shit I couldn't believe that I rode about 1000km up and down hills with this.
As a token of gratitude I've marked his workshop on google map so feel free to pay him a visit if need be.
After that I was just riding around the riverbank enjoying the beautiful scenery and local life.
Spent a great evening there drinking at The Hub Pub beside my hostel (same owners) with other fellow travelers. Good times with interesting people.
Day 5
Today's route brings me to one of the steepest road in Thailand and the beautiful Phu Chi Fa mountain bordering Laos, before riding past the famous 1148 to Nan.
In the morning 7:30am I had some roadside breakfast (porridge is popular as breakfast here) and 7-11 coffee before setting off. The first part of my journey brought me through a short section of route 1020 and it felt surreal riding in the fog with rows and rows of tall electric poles stretching to nowhere that made it seem like a post-apocalyptic scene from Inception, beautiful and dystopian at the same time.
Turning into 1155 and following the Mekong for awhile the sun started shining through today's thick fog and once again the scenery was amazing.
Continuing down 1155 the road passed through a valley with lots of farmland and nice gentle curves. The road surface wasn't too bad either and there were almost no car.
They should've used this sign instead:
 |
| Credit: unknown |
More views of the road. It is very hard to convey the steepness or how incredible a road is on such photos simply because the scale is way too small on a web image. Feel free to click and enlarge it to have a more accurate feel of how steep this road truly is.
 |
| Notice the pickup in the foreground to get a sense of scale of this road. |
It was one hell of a steep road and thankfully the surface was perfect and traffic minimal. No time to take in the scenery when riding as high level of concentration was needed on this road.
Going down the same road is a little bit more scary and exciting. With care I reached 1155 unscathed and made my way to the popular Phu Chi Fa mountain off route 1093.
The hike up the top of the mountain was slightly more tiring than expected. Because one could not see the peak from the parking lot I did not know how far, high or long the hike was and was expecting around 5 minutes of easy walk. Turn out the walk was at least 15-20 minutes long and a little steep. Normally that would be no problem to me however after riding in the sun and feeling slightly tired it was slightly more difficult.
Still, 2 or 3 short rest stops later I reached the beautiful peak with its expansive vista overlooking the valleys and mountain ranges of Laos. Truly incredible view that has to be seen to be experienced.
Some panoramic views, click to enlarge:
 |
| On the way up. |
 |
| Overlooking the valley of Laos. |
Back at the parking lot I've secured my bike using a simple laptop cable, as suggested by Warren at Motorcycle Paradise:
 |
| Simple and secure enough for Thailand and many other countries. |
Some yummy Tom Yam cup noodle and drink later I'm off to continue my journey on R1093. I did not have a great time on 1093. Firstly the roads were not as good and secondly it was past 12 and getting rather hot now, due to the lack of shade on farm roads. Then I got stung by a bee. While riding. The bee flew into my right sleeve and in midst of struggle decided to do the honorable act of stinging me and thus martyring for its colony. Damn.
By the time I got to the famous 1148 I was feeling hot and tired and not exactly in the right form. That said the road itself was perfect and smooth with wide and fast flowing roads, endless great turns and curves unlike the section of 1095 near Pai that was full of switchbacks. Definitely a better road than my other favourite, the section of R105 from Ban Tha Song Yang joining R108 to Khun Yuam, however subjectively I felt that the other ride was even more enjoyable.
By late afternoon I reached the road leading into Nan which was really enjoyable too now with more shade and slightly cooler temperature, albeit with heavier traffic.
Riding from the northwest to northeast of Thailand I've noticed that the temples and stupas gradually changed and look very different here. Gone are the highly decorated, broad based and bell shaped Burmese style stupas with their Burmese style temples, now this region has more thin and narrow, square-based Laotian style stupas with Laotian temples. I love religious architecture and this fascinates me.
----------
Continued in part 3.
LY
Enjoyable!!!
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