Back in January, Dave happened to casually mention to me that Stuart would be coming to Chiang Mai in a couple of weeks and was planning on doing a road trip on scooters around Northern Thailand. He wanted to know if we would be interested in joining him.
Having ridden around the moat of Chiang Mai on the back of Dave’s scooter at least twice by this point, I already felt like a highly advanced scooter passenger.
I knew that this road trip would be a piece of cake.
…Until I saw our planned route.
Day One: Chiang Mai to Chiang Dao: 78km.
Within minutes of setting off from Chiang Mai I knew that this adventure wouldn’t be as pain-free as I had imagined. I felt every bump in the road and within half an hour my bum was sore, my back was aching and I was wondering what the hell I had got myself into.
Fortunately, it was just a short day of riding. We stopped for lunch in the mountain town of Chiang Dao and after a few minutes of sitting down on something other than a hard motorcycle seat, decided not to move for the rest of the day.
Good decision.
Day Two: Chiang Dao to Phayao: 215 km.
For the first time since leaving London, I awoke to see my breath in a cloud in front of me.
Cold.
I hadn’t felt that sensation in months.
Wearing five layers, two pairs of socks with my flip flops and a pair of trousers as a scarf, we set off through Chiang Dao. The scenery was much more impressive than that of the previous day. We had left behind the city fumes of Chiang Mai and spent the day riding through rice paddies and mountains.
It was gorgeous.
Forced to catch up on the miles that we avoided the day before, my bum was extremely glad to arrive in the pretty lakeside town of Phayao.
Day Three: Phayao to Phu Lang Ka: 163 km.
Before leaving Phayao, we visited a couple of interesting temples scattered around the town.
Our first stop was Wat Sri Khom Kham, which featured a bizarre sculpture garden depicting various different scenes from heaven and hell. The hell section was the most amusing with sculptures showing what happens to you if you lie or have an abortion, among many other sins.
After being suitably terrified by the vision of my impending doom, I calmed myself down by visiting the gorgeous Wat Analayo.
After taking hundreds of photos of the temples, we set off back on the bikes and arrived at Phu Lang Ka by late afternoon. With fatigue setting in, it felt more like 10 o’clock than 4 and I was tempted to go to sleep right then.
I’m glad I decided to stay awake a little bit longer so that I got to witness one of the most amazing sunsets of my life.
Day Four: Phu Lang Ka to Nan: 127km.
Not tired enough from all the riding from the previous few days, we decided it would be a great idea to wake up at a ridiculously early time so that we could catch the sunrise before starting our journey to Nan.
It definitely wasn’t a bad decision.
As we sat shivering, huddled up on a bench and eating a disgusting breakfast of soggy rice porridge, I couldn’t help but smile to myself. This is a part of Thailand that few tourists ever get to see and I felt so fortunate to be able to experience it for myself.
After finishing our terrible breakfast, we hopped back on the scooters and began our trip to Nan. Our route took us down through the mist-covered valley, along the road that you can just make out in the photo above.
Day Five: Nan
By day five, my increasingly sore bum was in desperate need of a rest and as I stumbled out of our guesthouse, wailing in agony, we came to the very sensible decision of staying in Nan for an extra day to recover. A less sensible decision was that made by Dave and Stuart, who told me they were just popping out for a short afternoon ride, but instead spent the entire day riding 350km to the Laos border and back. It was a decision that almost resulted in their deaths.
In contrast, I had a very calm and relaxing day wandering around Nan Town and taking photos of the beautifully intricate temples.
Needless to say, I’m very happy I stayed behind.
Day Six: Nan to Phrae: 202km.
Today was one of the longest days of riding, due to our detour to Sao Din. We were promised a series of breathtaking rock formations that Stuart claimed would change our lives forever. I could barely contain my excitement on the drive down.
It was going to be incredible.
Magnificent.
The highlight of our road trip.
…
Or not.
Day Seven: Phrae to Lampang. 103km.
With just a short distance to drive today, Dave and I decided to spend this morning wandering around Phrae and exploring some of the temples.
The highlight was finding a small Monk Gym outside of one of them!
Our day’s journey was brief and uneventful – the majority of the ride was via a main road, which is never very interesting. However, when we arrived in Lampang I was extremely excited to discover the streets filled with horse and carriages, offering scenic rides of the town.
Strangely, nobody would agree to a horse and carriage ride with me so I celebrated the final night of our road trip by watching Dave and Stuart eat one hundred plates of pork. Each.
Day Eight: Lampang to Chiang Mai: 155km.
I awoke on our final day feeling sad that the adventure would soon be over, but excited to get back to my apartment in Chiang Mai. There were two options for our final route back: the shortest distance along the main highways, or the much longer option through the backroads and mountains.
We chose the latter.
With the mountains being so steep on the way up that I actually had to jump off the back of the scooter just so we could make it to the top, we knew we were going to have problems on the way down.
After five minutes of squeezing tightly on the brakes, the inevitable happened.
All of a sudden, a disgusting smell filled the air and we started speeding down the mountain at scarily high speeds. Clinging onto Dave for dear life, he thankfully thought to put his feet down, creating enough friction for us to slow down and safely jump off the bike.
Eight days of driving and we almost died a few km from the finish line.
—-
As we arrived back at our apartment in Chiang Mai, I was sad that the trip was over, relieved that I would now be able to rest my aching bum, and excited to have a hot shower for the first time in a week.
As we reluctantly removed our helmets and tied them onto our bike for the final time, we looked over at the odometer to see how far we had travelled.
1385 kilometres.
… And my butt had felt every single one of them.
This road trip was one of the best things I’ve done on my travels to date. I can’t even begin to describe just how amazing it was and the next few weeks will be filled with lots of stories, photos and adventures from my time on the road in Northern Thailand.
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In July 2011 I left England for what was supposed to be a one year trip around the world. Within a few months of leaving I knew that a year would never be enough. I now work online and travel permanently, seeking misadventures in unique, beautiful and fascinating places. Read more.
I'm here to show you how not to travel. Since I've been on the road I've been "poked" during a massage in Bangkok, punched a scammer in Shanghai, been attacked by monkeys in Bali, sat next to a dead woman on a boat in Laos and so much more. I call these The Incidents and you can see a full list of them here.
This sure was exciting! Glad nothing too bad happened at the end. You know, judging from your history, something like this had to happen :D
Someday I’ll Be There – Mina recently posted..Why Walk El Camino de Santiago?
Haha, you know me so well! I’m sure there will be a highly dramatic post in the future about my near-death experience! ;)
Looking forward to it!! ;)
Someday I’ll Be There – Mina recently posted..Why Walk El Camino de Santiago?
Hello:
I found your site by accident. I too am a world traveler. My wife and myself were choking to death with laughter over your adventures at “Roach Motel” and your tea ceremony. But please let me know where you are going next, as we don’t want to cross paths with you as you are “jinxed”. We don’t want to have any of your karma rub off on us. Best of luck, keep up the laughs.
Orin & Margarita
Amazing pics, specially of the gorgeous Wat Analayo.
Laura recently posted..A Photo Essay Of This Year’s Best Fallas
Thanks, Laura! I can’t wait to write an entire post about that temple! :)
Indeed breathtaking sunset! I love that photo, and it looks like you’ve had a good roadtrip :-)
It was the highlight of my time in Thailand :)
Lauren! That sunset and sunrise photo along with the other misty road one is GORGEOUS! Like, truly amazing, definitely my favourite photos of yours up to now! You’ve inspired me to try out a road trip when in Thailand. I’ll just need to get my butt in gear haha!
Thanks, Caroline! Those sunset/sunrise photos are some of my favourites too.
Definitely go for a road trip in Thailand, it’s been the highlight of 6 months spent here!
What an awesome road trip. I loved Northern Thailand but I chickened out of riding a scooter because I’ve never ridden one before. Next time I’m going to have to give it a try.
Dean recently posted..In Luang Prabang, Laos, Photo Opportunities Are Everywhere
That was the reason I sat on the back and didn’t ride it myself – I was too scared that I’d die! After the road trip I had a few attempts at learning but was pretty terrible. If you work up the courage next time, I highly recommend doing a road trip of some sort!
Beautiful! One of my dreams is to drive a motorbike through a country in SE Asia. Loving the pics!!!!
Sheryll recently posted..Nervous Energy: One Week Until I Move to South Korea
Thanks, Sheryll! You’ll have to take a trip over here while you’re in Korea! ;)
Dirt biking in SE Asia was one of my highlights too!
Those sunset and sunrise photos are amazing! Looks like such an untouched area, which makes trips like this even more amazing!
Tash recently posted..Changing Colours of an Uluru Sunrise
High five for being badass! ;)
Thanks so much for the compliments! It was really untouched – I didn’t see another tourist for the entire time!
Wow – the pics from Phu Lang Ka are unbelievable! Thanks for this post – I feel like I just took a little mini escape to northern Thailand.
Thanks, Anis! It was definitely one of my favourite spots on the road trip :)
The things you do.. always an epic ending. That’s a lot of km.. and pork! Haha. LOVE IT. Hope your bum’s healing. :)
Kieu ~ GQ trippin recently posted..Cruising Whitsundays with Whitehaven Xpress
Hahahahaha, I know, right?! My bum is much better now, thanks! :D
Cool! so many kms in such a short time!You should be completely drained! Congratulations for your picks as they’re so bright and coloured! I love most that of the Monk Gym Temple!
I was absolutely exhausted afterwards, Francy! :) Thanks so much for the compliments on my photos. The monk gym was hilarious!
It does sound like a great trip, but I don’t think I could’ve handled riding a scooter for that long. That sunset photo is amazing! Glad you survived the trip!
Ali recently posted..The Great Ocean Road in Photos
At times I felt like jumping off and I spent most of the time whimpering and sobbing quietly on the back. But it was worth it! :D
Wow, what an adventure, and what incredible photos to go with it! Looking forward to hearing more :)
Laurence recently posted..In photos: Australian beaches
Thanks, Laurence! I’ll be writing about it for weeks!
This sounds like so much fun! What a great experience. I’m going to have to read the post about the scooter ride to Laos now. :/
Christy recently posted..Kuang Si Waterfall Tips and Photos – Laos
It WAS so much fun… Apart from when the guys nearly died!
Wow, got agree with everyone else… this sounds & looks amazing. I just finished highlightign where I wanna go in Thailand in my SEA LP & umm yeah I didn’t highlight just about any of these places & now I wanna go. So glad you are seeing off the beaten track over there. A I get jealous when I see you post a beach photo though. I hope you are still over there when i get over there so we can drink buckets & buckets…lol!!!
Jaime recently posted..Visiting the one thing I knew was in India the Taj Mahal.
Yep, I didn’t see another backpacker for the entire time I was there. In fact, I didn’t even see another white person, so it’s REALLY off the beaten track!
I’ll probably still be here when you FINALLY get over here as I’m never leaving haha!
I’m glad that your butt lived to tell the tale! By the way, that first sunset photo is AMAZING! :)
Waegook Tom recently posted..5 Ideas for Gdansk
Me too, I’d be lost without it! And thanks :D
Dang, over a thousand kilometers on the back of a scooter?!? My bum hurts just thinking about it. How did you manage to get down that mountain after you hopped off the run-away bike?
Christy @ Technosyncratic recently posted..Koh Nang Yuan: The Most Beautiful Island in Thailand?
We had to sit on the side of it for half an hour waiting for the brakes to cool back down and then slowly rode down dragging our feet on the floor! Scary!
I always thought that I didn’t spend enough time in Northern Thailand and you’ve just confirmed it. I went to the usual backpacker hotspots but didn’t go to any of these amazing looking places – definitely inspired me to go back there some day!
You must go back! I didn’t know anything about Northern Thailand (except there were 5 million travel bloggers in Chiang Mai), but I’ve now realised how amazing it is!
So many great photos but Day 4 is my favourite.
Ayngelina recently posted..Food Friday: A Chef’s Cozumel
Thanks! Day 4 was one of my favourites :)
What a great way to experience northern Thailand. The open road and freedom to do and see what you want, the best way to travel!
It truly was! I want to go everywhere on a scooter now! You see so much more that way.
That sounds like an epic week – I’m heading to Asia in a few months, so scouting out some ideas at the moment.
Not sure that I can do a week on a bike, but I definitely love the idea of some sort of road trip
You’ll be very sorry if you spend a week on a bike… But you get to see much more that way! :)
Great trip! You’ve definitely introduced me to some Thai towns I had never heard of. On to the travel bucket list ;)
Maria Alexandra @latinAbroad recently posted..#Travel without a plan: My #Curacao experiment report
Of course :)
That’s quite a ride. Not sure how you racked up so much milage though. We did a similar tip AND went all the way up into the Golden Triangle and I didn’t think we had that much milage.
Eric @ Trans-Americas Journey recently posted..Inside the Sculpture Museum of Copán – Copán Archaeological Site, Honduras
The 350 km trip to the Laos border and back added up the miles significantly!
Wow that sounds like an amazing trip!!! Although I don’t know how you managed it…. motorbikes sure arn’t desined with the passengers comfort in mind. Your butt must have been black and blue! lol
Jade – OurOyster.com recently posted..I Want To ‘Go With Oh’ To Prague
I KNOW! Why is it impossible to find scooters that are comfortable at the back?! Damn, it was painful…
Glad everything worked out for you! Seems like such a really fun and beautiful experience. :)
cheryl recently posted..Roman Architecture At The Girona Cathedral.
Lauren, what an amazing experience and such beautiful photos! What a great way to see Thailand.
Mary @ Green Global Travel recently posted..DESTINATIONS: Meeting the Local Wildlife On Kangaroo Island, Australia
Your adventures are truly amazing, Lauren, and your photography is excellent. Having lived in Thailand for 13 years and Chiang Mai for 7, I can tell you that you were extremely lucky to have the adventure you did on your road trip. This year, particularly, has been really bad with the smog from burning rice fields. I took a similar trip recently (but have a much softer bike seat :-)), and I could hardly see anything. I’ll be doing it again soon.
Best of luck on your continuing adventure. If you ever get back to Chiang Mai, let me know, I have a bigger bike with a better seat.
Thanks for the insight, am planning my trip for next year…cant wait..
Chiang Mai here I come…
Love it! I’m considering something like this when I arrive early November. But when you “just go out” like this, where do you stay? Did you just happen upon hostels or inns or whatever along the way? Did you do some pre-research? Or perhaps you camped?
Hi Gregory,
We were travelling with Stuart who owns travelfish.org so he knows the region extremely well :) We stayed in guesthouses everywhere, but Stuart obviously knew where there would and wouldn’t be places to stay.
So, Lauren, if I wanted to do something similar, do you think that if I had a tent with me that I could just wing it and be okay? In other words, I could just go (on this route or another) and assume I will find lodging. But, if I don’t, then can I assume it would be pretty likely that I would find a place to bivouac for the evening? (I guess I’m asking if impromptu camping is common or discouraged.)
Hi Gregory,
I don’t think I’m really qualified to answer that question! I can tell you though that I didn’t see a single person camping over the week, so it’s definitely not a common thing to do in Thailand. I’m not sure whether it is discouraged though…
All of the places we stayed and wrote about in this post were reasonable sized cities with a load of accommodation. The only exception was Phu Lang Ka, which was just one hard to find lodge in the middle of nowhere.
Sawatdee Krab, Gregory. I live in Thailand and can tell you that camping is not something Thais do, although it is available in the national parks. You cannot “wing” it and camp along the road or in the woods. Accommodations are cheap and plentiful, but my advice is to get a Lonely Planet guide. Also, advice from people you meet along the way. Outside the main cities, no one speaks English, but they enjoy helping you nonetheless. A few words in Thai will go a long way. Listen to audio pronunciations, don’t try to sound out words from written transliterations because it’s impossible. As one last bit of advice, dress more or less normally, not as a 60′s refugee or wondering guru. No one dresses like that in Asia and everyone just thinks you’re crazy, except other like-dressed Westerners. Choke dee le sabai sabai.
Thank you, Lauren and Stuart; very helpful.
Stuart, I tried running the Thai in your message through Google Translate but it was stumped.
Basically it means, good luck and be happy!
:-)
Thank you very much for sharing your experience through this post, which I found accidentally. Me and my spouse are also thinking of an epic travel either through Thailand or Vietnam.