Mae Hong Son to Chiang Mai
Heyya,
Alright.. i'm back to continue posting ride report of my second ride of Mae Hong Son.. We left Mae Hong Son for Chiang Mai as early as 6.30 am local time after we had breakfast at the hotel.. My GS Adventure still had another 300 km of fuel in tank so I didn’t need to refuel at Mae Hong Son.. As we left Baiyoke Hotel, the morning was still dawn and visible was very misty and cold..
On the way to Chiang Mai on Route 1095, I have already planned to have a break for coffee and desserts in Pai.. The distance from Mae Hong Son to Pai takes only 160 km.. Yes, it is a short ride and I always love the road from Mae Hong Son to Pai… it has blind corners, sharp steep hilly corners, where u even need to pull the clutch lever on 1st gear when taking the sharp steep corners… I always make a stop at one of the hilly corners for a photo session… the photo below shows how steep the corners can be..
As we left early in the morning, the road was still empty on Route 1095.. it was hardly to meet any road users at this time.. hence we had great time enjoying the corners.. there were many areas in mist and visibility was only 50 meters especially on top of mountains... The ride on the mountains was great as we were riding higher than clouds..
Pai
Pai is a small town in Northern Thailand's Mae Hong Son Province, near Myanmar border and it lies on Pai River.. it is well known among backpackers for its relaxed atmosphere, the town is full of cheap guesthouses, souvenir shops and restaurants.. In the proximity of the town are spas and elephant camps..
We had couple of desserts and cafe latte at one of the resorts in Pai, facing padi fields and mountains... i told my mate Laurence to have desserts as they would provide us energy for Pai - Chiang Mai ride.. We shall arrive in Chiang Mai by noon...
After the break, we continued our ride to Chiang Mai.. The ride to Chiang Mai from Pai (on Route 1095 and Route 107) would take only 2 hours and half for merely 130 km and very challenging... there were more sharp corners and there were many road users especially tourist buses, lorries and trucks...
Finally we reached Chiang Mai and i went to Royal Lanna Hotel, along Night Bazaar to get a room while Laurence sent his Versys for service.. I always love to stay Royal Lanna Hotel because the staff were still remember me and she would give me a special rate for double Deluxe room, facing the Night Bazaar..
As usual in the evening, i've called my Chiang Mai girl friends for drinks and dinner at Hua Lamphong.. I really love the bars along the JJ Market because they are hang out bars for the locals, where they serve cheap Leo & Singha with great Thai food and each bar has its live-band performance.. but unfortunately, Chompoo could not join us that night.. she was celebrating her birthday at different place...
Retreat? Hell, we just got here!
