Introduction

Simone and I toured around northern Thailand on motorcycle for a week.  The weather was cool with some light rain - a refreshing break from the tropical heat we experienced in Indonesia and Bangkok.

Our Ride

Our ride was a brand new Yamaha X Max 300cc.  There was ample storage under the seat for our luggage (two day bags), a low center of gravity, auto transmission (nice for all the turns) and antilock brakes.  It was a sweet ride and had plenty of power when we need to pass or sail up a long hill.

Our Trip

Out trip took us through lush mountains with waterfalls, temples, caves and hot springs.  We covered around 500 kilometers, mostly wending our way along jungle ridges and canyons with hundreds beautiful banked turns.

Our first stop was Wat Tam Doi Toan where our good friend Byron Meador was finishing up a 3 month rainy season meditation retreat.  He was no longer in silence, so we were treated to a vegetarian lunch and he showed us around the grounds.

Meditation Hall - pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. 

The entrance to this cave had a steady draft of cool air.  Byron liked to meditate here when the temperatures outside were torrid.

Back on the bike, we headed to Mai Chaem and spent our first night.  On the way, we passed just under Doi Inthanon peak.  At 2,565 meters it is Thailand’s highest mountain.  We were a bit soggy by nightfall and had dinner at our hotel.  

Pha Sua Waterfall - Image courtesy of Sebastian Graf

The next day was cool and misty.  Before heading out we purchased some rain suits in the market.  Now we were bomb proof!  Later in the afternoon we soaked in the Pha Bong hot springs before stopping at the delightful town of Mai Hong Song.  

It has a picturesque Wat next to a lake in the center of town and there happened to be a night parade celebrating the end of Buddhist lent, which is another name for the rainy day retreat season.  We meet Sebastian and Sarah who were also travelling by motorcycle.  

Images courtesy of Sebastian Graf

The next two nights were spent at Cave Lodge by the massive Nam Lod cave.  The lodge was built by the remarkable John Spies who had 30 years of escapades in north west Thailand.  He lived with local tribes, established adventure tourism in the area and discovered many of the region's world-class caves.

We floated on inflatable kayaks down a river that passed through 300 meters of the cave!  With headlamps for light we got out on a dark beach and explored two different side caverns.  The main cavern was immense and the side caverns were spectacular.  After exiting the cave, we were treated to a dozen class 2 rapids as the river coursed through a tight and twisting valley.

Our final night was at the tourist mecca, Pai.  We stayed at a delightful guest house along the river and, as usual, enjoyed walking, dining and hiking up to the local Wat and even fit in another hot spring soak.  The next day we sailed back into Chiang Mai.  A fine trip was had by all.