Thailand: Chaing Mai to Pai road trip- Google lies and getting lost is half the fun.
Take the nature trail to the waterfall via the cave. it’s worth the 10 minute stroll.
I think Google deliberately tries to get you lost to mess with your mind and increase your dependency on the bloody thing. I mean who hasn’t had the monotonial voice cry out “in 100m turn left here”…only to arrive ... what fucking left, that’s someone’s driveway you idiot and sure enough you turn down it anyway to stop and reassess. I wonder can any of my older meanderthal friends remember the day when we did everything by Referdex maps and the good old mud map. What ever happened to that??? Anyway, my point being whilst google maps can be a pain it can also give you some amazing adventures. Like this weeks adventure.
Not sure if this bridge was built for Fat Farang. whilst it held my weight I was pretty sure it was not going to pass structural engineering codes any time soon.
After three days or so of running around Chaing Mai doing admin stuff, waiting in cues for almost six hours to get my bike registration swapped over and a healthy dose of Thai government efficacy, I was craving the open road and some wind in my face. So impromptuly that is exactly what I did. I woke up one morning packed a bag and found my bike just steered me north towards Pai. Now I’ve written about Pai before and it’s where I had my bike accident about three months ago. Whilst I wasn’t a fan of the number of Farangs there were there (incidentally it has got worse) I was a fan of the surrounding mountains and the national parks and this is what drew me back.
Pha Na Khon cave, a chilled little side trip to the waterfall
The road from Chaing Mai to Pai is almost folklore around here. It’s like the holy grail of rides on a scooter for Farang (western tourists). It’s 130km of scenic winding and twisty roads up through sleepy villages, past waterfalls and national parks with the end destination being a hippy stoner village of Pai. The ride itself is pretty amazing with scenery and you can throw the bike around the corners and feel alive, just watch out for trucks and cars on the wrong side of the road. I lost count of the amount of times I nearly browned out on a blind corner to be greeted with an oncoming truck. So what’s not to like about it, one recommendation. Don’t be an idiot farang and go shirtless and no helmet like I saw many times on the ride. Not only will the tropical sun roast you but the bitumen will have a field day on your skin if and when you come off. Think I’m joking. Nope, happens, and on this trip I witnessed a silly woman, no helmet with a singlet top and thongs crash her scooter with a side car. She was ok but the gravel rash is definitely going to remind her that she was foolish.
Well worth a visit, just off the main road to Pai
The first stop of the day was of course for coffee and cake. It wouldn’t be a road trip if that wasn’t a feature and the road provided about 40km out of Chaing Mai in the form of a little sheep farm and bakery café (the name escapes me but it’s at the turn off to the waterfalls). It seems sheep are a big novelty here and very instagramable so they dress them up and sell the sizzle complete with barns and Americanism. But the coffee and cake were Aroi Muak (delicious) so I won’t complain about that.
Zen and Mok Fa waterfalls go hand in hand, next trip its a swim for sure
The last time I was here I managed to drop the hire scooter in the loose gravel. Sadly I didn’t learn from that and yes the Grey ghost took her first dirt dive in a undignified topple in the carpark. I just laughed, my pride and joy got her first scratch and I can’t even say it was from spectacular fashion just mundane loose gravel in a carpark. After coffee I diverted a couple of kilometres to see a very nice Mok Fa waterfall and the Pha na khon cave. The waterfall was very Zen like, you could sit down at the base of the falls and let the spray cool you. The Caves were nothing earth shattering but afforded a good view of the waterfall and worth the divert. Do yourself a favour and take the path to the caves first, it‘s just off the right of the carpark. It‘s labelled nature trail and Pha na Khon cave. It‘s probably a 10 minute walk through the jungle but is very picturesque and there’s a quaint little dodgy bamboo bridge to cross. This walk takes you to the cave, but it also links back with the trail that takes you to the waterfall. If you want to relax and swim at the waterfalls it‘s probably worth while doing this as a separate day trip and not as part of the trip to Pai.
Pai Night markets, very colourful, very hippy and very touristy, you can get all your Thailand Curios here.
Arriving at Pai about three hours later I was tired and saddle sore. I forgot it was tourist season, so the Pai hotel was booked out and so were all the other cheaper places. But bookings.com came to the rescue and found a nice little bungalow about 5km out of town. It cost a whopping $35AUD but it was clean, had hot water and included a nice breakfast. That evening the Pai night walking street markets turned it up again and I had a never ending walking feed. Its no wonder Thailand is not good for weight loss the food is so cheap and plentiful.
The local weed street vendor, right next to the Farang food stalls. very clever marketing. i did say Pai was a hippy town. Weed is legal here. In fact the govt was giving residents plants to grow in order to offset the drug trade and contribute to economy. it’s a booming business anywhere Farang frequent.
No im not stoned, but the food is amazing, plenitiful and cheap
Farang Food in Pai Night markets - nachos of the vegan kind. Hippies, vegan food and weed seem to be the flavour of this town.
The following day I fuelled up and headed for a hot spring to relieve the saddle soreness. I’m still not used to riding the bike again after my fall and this was a welcome relief. There seems to be quite a few hot springs dotted around Pai. As always, I try to avoid the masses and found a lovely little spring called Sat Ngham natural mineral springs. It was picture perfect and the water was lukewarm, which suited the cooler mountain air. One word of advice I will give for this place and probably all springs around Pai. Get there early, its better for photography, peace and quiet etc.
On the way to the Hot Springs, I got blessed by a pretty high up monk. The road was closed until he passed, he had walked from Laos and comes down out of the mountains every 3 years or so. A moving experience to be accepted and included in this important part of Thai culture.
Sai Ngam Natural Hot Springs, its about 18km out of Pai but is less farang focused as its harder to reach. Just be sure to get here early before the crowds
I had been there for about an hour and then it was like a switch had been flicked and all the tourists turned up. This was my cue to hit the road. On the ride home I stopped off at a World War 2 bridge that was built by POW’s and Thai labour at the brutal hands of the Japanese. The trip home wouldn’t have been the same without a stop at my favourite coffee shop in the mountains. The Me coffee shop (I have written about this place before) turned it up again and the ladies there remembered me, and I was welcomed like a long lost son returning. Which felt nice.
World war 2 bridge built by the Japanese by forced labor from POW’s and Thai local villagers.
The grey ghost on her first Mini Road trip, went like a dream. Nearly due for her first service already.
Overall it was a good couple of days getting back on the bike and getting back into the saddle after my tumble. I can feel some dirt trails calling me soon, but I promised a lot of people I’d be careful, and condition up so Sabai Sabai it is until next week. Stay safe and live the dream.
