Onwards to Chiang Rai and Towards the Laos Border

So this is what it feels like to travel a destination that I had been before trice. No planning required, no stress on road conditions and no rush to go sightseeing. 

I got out of Mae Hong Son loop and headed to Chaing Rai slowly but since I had seen almost everything around this region, there was no point to explore the more difficult remote region during the bad burning season.

Burning Season where the forest is so dry an hot that it got lighted up and the Fire Truck had to put out fires all over the region.

Find a good accommodation, hide and binge watch TV series, work on the blog preparing more post since I knew once I hit China there was little time to do anything else. 

I stock up a lot of post during this free time while waiting for the right date to cross into Laos. Thats way I could release a post twice a week consistently for a few months.

In Chaing Rai there was a few places I always somehow return and even pay the ticket fee to go see the attraction. The white temple was one of them and still captivate me even the thirds time. 

Wat Rong Khun - Chaing Rai 

Singha Park - Chiang Rai

I was also hopping a bit more to cafes to find chill places to do more writing and without a doubt the few last bit maintenance on Bragge was done including the expensive but most worth it bike wash.

Life was good, and the big adventure planned so many many months ago is now on a timer counting down. How do I explain the calm and serenity before the storm. I knew it was going to be a great journey but in the meantime this momentary tranquility while waiting is not so bad as well.

Traveled on: April 2024

Redoing the Nostalgic Mae Hong Son Loop

Time flies. This idiom usually said but not really understood was what I was feeling when I decided to re-ride the Mae Hong Son Loop. 

It has been six years since I last did the loop and it still feel like it was only last year since I explored Thailand with Bluey.

This time around it was during the burning and hot season in the North Thailand during April. It was definitely not enjoyable as the smog blanketed everything lowering visibility, cause so much throat and eye irritation that all I wanted to do was find a good air-condition with air-purifier hostel to hide away. Even the nights were unbearable barely cooling off.

Mae Sariang Daily Evening Market 

This time around I did a simple loop avoiding the climb to Doi Inthanon. Riding was also faster now covering more distance in a day than I was used to previously. First day was to Mae Sariang and this time I made a point to do more side detours during the loop.

From Mae Sariang I had a daytrip to the Salawin River. The roads were different and the people as well. Just accross the Salawin River was Myanmar and it felt like this part a little more remote than usual in Thailand. 

Daytrip to Salawin River 

Salawin River the border of Thailand & Myanmar

My attempt to go through the small jungle road along the Salawin river to emerged into Salawin national park was abandon after 10km or so.

The roads was horrible becoming pure earth path and at the first larger river crossing, I decided the risk was too great and turned around to head back to Mae Sariang. 

First River Crossing and I turned around

From Mae Sariang it was then a day to Mae Hong Son where the beautiful winding roads up and down the mountain became a chore with no scenic view and no fresh air break due to fog

It was a nice reminiscence riding a familiar route. In a way I am now very comfortable just chilling in Thailand. Still there was those few detours I did not knew back then so after Mae Hong Son, I made my way to see the Chinese Regiment Settlement of Ban Rak Thai near the Myanmar border. Everything here felt fake.

Mae Hong Son

Ban Rak Thai was layered with brand new buildings built in the Chinese style architecture with more resorts construction on the way for tourist.

 A disappointment but it was in a way expected since the village had nothing much to offer young sprouts to stay and the little novelty it had was just enough to suck in tourist for some extra income.

Ban Rak Thai

Towards Pai was simple enough and after that I rode out of the loop to Chiang Rai. No more awe jaw-droppingly sightings like I had the first time doing the loop but more of a remembrance that the upcoming trip to Central Asia would be amazing like the first time I explored SEA.

Traveled on: Apr 2024

Celebrating Songkran in Chiang Mai

There is a lot of information online when one asked Google about Songkran yet there is nothing like experiencing it first hand. 

This was my second time celebrating Songkran in Thailand but the first time in Chiang Mai. The last time it was in Bangkok which felt more like a big street water fight festival.

Chiang Mai had more traditional sense to the Songkran Festival mixed with the new water fight trend. Old city was surrounded with a moat of water making the parade or a drive/ride around the old city a full scale splashing event where getting wet was not a choice but a mandatory rite of passage.

Old City Chiang Mai surrounded by Moat 

Songkran in Chaing Mai

It was hot as hell as well in Apr 2024 and the north was filled with burning season from Myanmar, Laos and Thailand making the air filled with smog that went beyond unbearable. 

So a water festival felt nice and here the city was compact enough that the water fight could be walk from one end to another alternating between dry shopping trinket streets to party bars dunking every tourist that walk by.

Temporary Cease Fire for Dinner during Songkran in Chaing Mai

Chaing Mai Tourist Night Bazaar 

I checked into the hostel and stayed anchored just outside the hostel with the crew and their water point. Set inside the old town and not really at the main party street, we still gave no quarter to anyone that dared walked pass the junction. 

I joined the locals splashing everyone with buckets of water and tourist would pause watching us and taking photograph like I was a local.

Joining the Hostel Locals at their water point station

There was a sort of unspoken order as well in Chaing Mai during Songkran. During the day in the morning it was all about the traditional Songkran where possession of Buddha taken out from the temple would parade around the old town. 

One could splash water onto the Buddha statue symbolizing bathing the Buddha and all was civilized. In the evening or rather after lunch, everyone slowly sets up their water stations and by 4pm, the water fights would get so intense that the whole city was drenched. 

Traditional Songkran Festival Parade in Chaing Mai 

Traditional Songkran Parade in Chiang Mai

Songkran Parade in Chiang Mai

Then there was the slow period for dinner and the party continued at night all the way to midnight.

On the third Day of Songkran which supposedly the water festival would die down, I took a risk and make for a day-ride to do Doi Suthep loop. 

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep - Chiang Mai

I was obviously wrong and while riding the countryside roads, the festival was alive as the local indigenous tribes set up watering points along the road to stop cars and bikes before pouring buckets upon buckets of water like a toll fee to pass the road.

It was one of the most authentic part of Songkran that I experience doing the loop as there was no tourist in play and everything was part of the local community. 

Long Neck Tribe girls would be lining up to splash passerby followed by the Hmong and many other tribes. Usually motorbikes are exempt from the splashes base on unwritten and curtesy rule due to the danger of bike skidding out.

The locals however knew how to perfectly splash a bike without hurting them which I experience first hand. A road block. I was forced to slow down all the way to a stop where I was greeted by the unofficial traffic guide and then ten buckets of water would unload on me and Bragge while we were stationary. 

Blessing and cleansing completed, the traffic guide then open the road block wishing me a Happy Songkran for me to go on my merry way.

Few hundred meters later another I would encounter another road block and repeat the cycle.

Traveled on: Apr 2024

A Quick Run to Chiang Mai from Siam Reap in Four Days

I think I was possessed. I left Siam Reap heading straight for the border of O’Smach. There was not much to be said about this border crossing since it was just another repeat. 

Exit Cambodia. Customs TIP Surrender on Right Building then Immigration Exit on Left Building

Only new thing was that the new Cambodian Temporary Import Permit for the bike was surrendered to customs and after stamping out Immigration it was then onwards to Thailand side to repeat the same procedure to stamp in and get a new TIP.

The plan was to stay a night near the border in Surin Province. Riding though the city of Surin at early afternoon since the border crossing was way faster than expected, I decided to push on since I still had four hours of sunlight. 

I actually aimed for a small little village near the Mun river under the municipal of Thatum but upon arrival, all the guesthouse was full.

Roi Et Tower Landmark 

Annoyed that there was no place to stay, I continued on and by the time I settle back into a familiar hotel in Roi Et, it was already sunset and I had done a good 500km from Siam Reap + a border crossing on the same day. 

It would probabaly be the fastest distance covering journey I had ever done with a motorbike in SEA. The momentum and pace continued for the next few days since I was in the zone.

Skip hop to Petchabun to camp a night in Phu Thap Buek mountains before riding through Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park and staying in yet another small little village called Pa Daeng Sub District in Phitsanulok.

Camping in Phu Thap Buek 

Staying at Pa Daeng Sub-District 

Riding Through Uttaradit Rice Fields 

One more day and I was in Lampang within a stone throw of Chiang Mai already. It took me only four days to get here to Lampang covering more than 1000km and I did not even feel exhausted. 

It was the 11 April 2024, and Thai New Year which is also known as the Water Festival would start on 13 April 2024 but what I did not realized that the pre new year festival had already started.

Pre-Battle Songkran in Lampang 

Lampang was already in pre-battle mode and I was skirting very close to be bombarded with water shots before I could even reach Chiang Mai. I took a long detour through smaller road to Chaing Mai going north first near Chae Son National Park and managed to stay dry all the way to the hostel in Chiang Mai.

Just in time to see the biggest festival in Thailand in one of the most cultural city in the North.

Are you Ready for Songkran ? 

Traveled on : Apr 2024

Passing Time in Cambodia

I went though Cambodia this time round as a primary Visa run. I had to stay in Cambodia long enaugh so that once I re-entered Thailand, the one month entry would last me all the way to the begining of May.

So once I got to Pailin and stayed the night, it was a day of gambling in the Casino and then a dash to Siam Reap where I booked a room for a few nights and stayed in to escape the heat. 

If I had never mention this before, Pailin is my fav Gambling Border Town in South East Asia. Easy going, chill, currency accepted in Cambodian Riel or Thai Baht, low limit tables, best hospitality and never too crowded. 

Pailin Flamingo Casino 

Pailin Palace Casino

Yep it was blazing hot during the day in Apr and I just stayed inside the air-condition room every day for three nights only surfacing outside for food and water.

New 361 Cafe just outskirts of Siam Reap

Night time was usually spend just drinking and watching the Pub Street crowd and while I would always come back to Cambodia for the easy access to comfort and ammenities, there was not much left for me to explore in this country.

Pub Street at Siam Reap 

Cambodia became a mandatory stop to get some chores done mainly :

1. Withdraw USD currency for emergencies

2. Extend Visa for Thailand

3. Replenish or Deminish my Bank Acc depending on Casino Luck

After time was up in Siam Reap, I rode in a single day to O’smach border and crossed over to Thailand.

Traveled on: Apr 2024