Thailand: Pai - Return to the Land of Smiles
I think a picture paints a thousand words is true. Take a look at the smile on getting the keys to the Grey Ghost. But what you don’t see is internally I am shitting myself cause the traffic was a little heavy and the new bike well it’s so shiny and brand spanking new and I’m a muppet bike rider at best
Well fellow Meanderthal’s, it’s been a while since my little tumble down the mountain near Pai, Thailand whilst learning off road riding. I basically returned to Australia to heal up and plan my next adventure. It only took a couple of weeks lying around and feeling sorry for myself before I finally worked out in my mind what I was going to do. In true meanderthal form I pulled the trigger and set the wheels rolling on my next adventure. I simply got onto whatsapp and my mates at HiVolt Moto tours in Chiang Mai and committed to buying a Honda CRF300L with all the bells and whistles.
D Condo SIgn, located next to Central Festival the apartment has amazing facilities and Rent is about $423 AUD per month plus amenities like power and water. I have to admit that’s pretty hard to take.
Originally, I was going to buy the bike in Australia but that plan was not really viable, you see the same bike here in Australia has a waiting list of 6-9 months and then the whistles and bells also take ages to be in stock and so the perpetual headache rolls on. Those that know me know I love to grab the bull by the horns and when I say I am going to do something well I generally jump in boots and all. So a 6-9 month wait was not going to cut the Mustard. Ordering one in Thailand literally took three weeks to come into stock and a week to get all the modifications attended to. Moreover, it was the 2023 Model in Grey which is a sleek sexy looking beast that has no release date in Australia. Job, done and dusted, my trusty steed all ready and waiting for me in Chaing Mai, Thailand.
The view from the foyer on my condo floor.
However, before dashing off I opted to return to the workforce for a quick three week contract to top up the coffers and I tell you, it was the best thing I ever did. It truly was a horrible contract, filled with violence and fighting. In three weeks, I sutured up more heads and flew out more people for broken bones and assaults than I had in the entire 7 months I was in Willowra last time. The place had really gone crazy and the same was for Alice Springs it was like a combat zone. Those three weeks reaffirmed to me that there was more to life than being a nurse in the wilds of NT.
The gardens are all filled with little zen like hidey holes, places where you can just unwind and relax.
So the decision was easy and the catalytic events made it all that much easier to pop smoke and simply disappear to the land of the Smiles. The plan has modified a little because of the bike supply issue in Australia. Whilst I was here last time, I found out that at the tender age of 53 I could qualify for a retirement visa in Thailand which would open the door for exploring the region and surrounding countries with the freedom afforded to a 12-month visa. Retirement sounded like a good place to start, so guess what, fuck it, that’s what I’m doing all be it a modified version. I landed in Chaing Mai a little over two weeks ago, I now have a Thai drivers Licence, a Thai bank account and my own swanky condo with a 6-month lease. I will enrol in a Thai language class shortly and the best part I have saved for last. I have a new Meanderthal accompanying me as well. My son Tom has travelled over with me from Bali and settled in Chaing Mai, he’s also staying in the same condo complex as me which is a bonus. Tom was able to get a 12-month education visa. He’ll also be studying Thai language whilst he cracks out his game and music development
They even have a veggie garden, though im not sure if its for the staff or the residents
So, the scene is set for some good adventures. The loose plan for me is to build up my riding skills (we all know I need it) and confidence. Pick up some language skills and start to branch out for short 1–2-week trips to explore the regions and take in the scene. Who knows, meet some more Meanderthal type peeps and hopefully catch up with some established Meanderthals. After doing a big chunk of Thailand I can cross borders into Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia with my Thai registered bike. After that is done who knows maybe the Myanmar border will be open and I can push on North. If not, well I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. Life is too short to sweat the little things. I intend to adopt the Thai motto of Sabai Sabai – it loosely translates to be comfortable/relax
I’ve got to more or less hang around Chaing Mai until the retirement visa is finalised, but I’ve got a visa agent working on that. I’ll give him a plug here. Laurie is an expat Australian, former Federal Police and lived here for near on 20 years. What the man doesn’t know about the laws and visa processes of Thailand isn’t worth knowing. He and his lovely wife are machines and can move the mountains of bureaucracy with surprising ease. – look them up if you need a visa, Chaing Mai Visa shop.
Im not sure what tree this is? Anyone got any idea, but the fruit are on steroids.
The last ten days have not been plain sailing and we’ve both had our share of misfortune. It seems getting horribly lost is a daily occurrence here, Google maps doesn’t like us or it’s user error, which is probably more accurate.
Tom got fined for being a hoon, the ticket cost him 500baht (22AUD) from the tourist Police. The Christmas fund was doing a roaring trade that day. He also forgot to tighten his phone in its holder and his swanky iPhone decided it wanted to race the Grey Ghost at 80km/hr across the super highway. Luckily it survived a little worse for wear.
I didn’t get off scot free either. I managed to tear a hole in the Grey Ghost’s new seat not once but twice with my new boots. It seems shoelace loops and my inflexibility were to blame. The inflexibility remains but the boot lace loops have been removed with pliers. Oh, I also left my man bag with my passport in a Grab (that’s the local taxi here). That ordeal aged me 10 years but fortunately most peeps around here are pretty honest and after mad dashes around the city it was eventually returned. Next week will be another adventure for sure. but until then Sabai Sabai Pakwaan peeps.
