I suppose no trip to Chiang Mai (CNX), is complete without doing the MHS loop.
My girlfriend Elle and I decided to do it in a clock wise direction as after the loop we were going to visit the Golden Triangle.
As reported in many other reports, the scenery is awesome, and the roads good surface. We arrived in MHS late in the arvo, and being a lazy bastard that I am, couldn't be bothered in reading up in any guide books for accomadation, and just picked the first hotel in the
main street.
Well what a dump this hotel was, 450 baht for the nite, paint peeling off the walls, (paint also peeling off walls in reception so that was a good enuf indication of the state of the hotel), squat toilet, and check out the shower plumbing below,
You need a set of instructions to work out what taps work what.
Anyway that evening we checked out the nite market and they were selling t'shirts with 1864 written on them, which is the number of curves to MHS. On reading that I said to Ell, glad that's over as Elle had a chunder on the way up, then we found out that the 1864 curves refers to the way down, we still have that to go.
so on the trip back, we found a sign which said 1548 curves to go.
316 bends done, 1548 to go......
Next stop Pai, we were in a bit of a rush so just stopped there for a bite to eat, and the mountain looked quite picturesque with the halo above it.
From there we stopped the nite at Chiang Dao, we tried to check in at Kurt and Mons Guesthouse 084 173 9975, but he was full, and Kurt recommended a Dutch guy that has bungalows for rent.
The Dutch guy, (sorry forgot his name), has about 6 bungalows to rent, all brand new, and in Chiang Dao, you turn down the side of the MP gas station and he is just down there on the left. Real friendly guy, even came out on main road to meet us, and bungalows only 250 a nite.
086 707 7018.
The dutch guys bungalows Chiang Dao 086 707 7018
After checking into the bungalow, we went back to Kurts for a meal, and the picture below is taken in their restaurant, more like being in someones lounge of their home.
(Mrs TropicalJohno at Kurts resturant, wondering if she can sneak one of the presents outside.
After Chiang Dao, we went up to the Golden Triangle, then back to Chiang Rai to stay with an aussie friend of mine.
Now to stop Pikey having a dig at me driving around in my Honda Jazz, (only joking Pikey), am hiring a 125cc wave/sonic tomorrow, riding up to Chiang Dao, and staying at Mon and Kurts. Have a friend here who is into road bicycles, and hasn't ridden much on motorbikes so its just going to be a nice slow ride up, taking in the scenery. My fiend here does the Someong Loop in 4 hours, (thats on a push bike).
Travelling around the north you almost need your camera permanently switched on, some of the interesting sights we have seen are, a guy on a Honda Wave, a cane basket hanging off either side, with a live pig in each basket, on the raod north to Chiang Dao, over half of the songathews we saw had honda waves up on the roof rack, the most we saw were 3 bikes, all upright, tied on the roof rack.
And one of the tourist buses we were behind for a while, on the straight stretch of road, it was crabbing side ways so bad, that from behind you could almost read all the writing down the side of the bus.
My girlfriend Elle and I decided to do it in a clock wise direction as after the loop we were going to visit the Golden Triangle.
As reported in many other reports, the scenery is awesome, and the roads good surface. We arrived in MHS late in the arvo, and being a lazy bastard that I am, couldn't be bothered in reading up in any guide books for accomadation, and just picked the first hotel in the
main street.
Well what a dump this hotel was, 450 baht for the nite, paint peeling off the walls, (paint also peeling off walls in reception so that was a good enuf indication of the state of the hotel), squat toilet, and check out the shower plumbing below,
You need a set of instructions to work out what taps work what.
Anyway that evening we checked out the nite market and they were selling t'shirts with 1864 written on them, which is the number of curves to MHS. On reading that I said to Ell, glad that's over as Elle had a chunder on the way up, then we found out that the 1864 curves refers to the way down, we still have that to go.
so on the trip back, we found a sign which said 1548 curves to go.
316 bends done, 1548 to go......
Next stop Pai, we were in a bit of a rush so just stopped there for a bite to eat, and the mountain looked quite picturesque with the halo above it.
From there we stopped the nite at Chiang Dao, we tried to check in at Kurt and Mons Guesthouse 084 173 9975, but he was full, and Kurt recommended a Dutch guy that has bungalows for rent.
The Dutch guy, (sorry forgot his name), has about 6 bungalows to rent, all brand new, and in Chiang Dao, you turn down the side of the MP gas station and he is just down there on the left. Real friendly guy, even came out on main road to meet us, and bungalows only 250 a nite.
086 707 7018.
The dutch guys bungalows Chiang Dao 086 707 7018
After checking into the bungalow, we went back to Kurts for a meal, and the picture below is taken in their restaurant, more like being in someones lounge of their home.
(Mrs TropicalJohno at Kurts resturant, wondering if she can sneak one of the presents outside.
After Chiang Dao, we went up to the Golden Triangle, then back to Chiang Rai to stay with an aussie friend of mine.
Now to stop Pikey having a dig at me driving around in my Honda Jazz, (only joking Pikey), am hiring a 125cc wave/sonic tomorrow, riding up to Chiang Dao, and staying at Mon and Kurts. Have a friend here who is into road bicycles, and hasn't ridden much on motorbikes so its just going to be a nice slow ride up, taking in the scenery. My fiend here does the Someong Loop in 4 hours, (thats on a push bike).
Travelling around the north you almost need your camera permanently switched on, some of the interesting sights we have seen are, a guy on a Honda Wave, a cane basket hanging off either side, with a live pig in each basket, on the raod north to Chiang Dao, over half of the songathews we saw had honda waves up on the roof rack, the most we saw were 3 bikes, all upright, tied on the roof rack.
And one of the tourist buses we were behind for a while, on the straight stretch of road, it was crabbing side ways so bad, that from behind you could almost read all the writing down the side of the bus.
