SG - China - Kazakhstan : Part 2

Thailand and dipping into China

We weaved thru mountain roads towards Pai & Doi Angkhang, with Philip picking an Instagram worthy resort called Pai Family House.  

Situated downhill on a lane flanking the Pai river, this resort tempted us to stay an extra night! 

We ALL agree the picture perfect setting by the river was a great place to sit & chill, sit & read, sit & veg, sit & be still. The riverside showed us the serene side of the hippy main street with dreadlocked tourists and banana pancakes.

We rolled onwards to Doi Angkhang on cold, misty mountain roads, stopping over at a home-made ferris wheel for four in a look-out point rest park. 

Our second visit to Doi Angkhang since 2002, all things seemed well-preserved, especially since it holds one of the many Thai royal projects.  

Angkhang Nature Resort still stood proudly on the mountain.  This is an award winning eco-resort, part of the experimental crop station set up by the former Thai king in his way of showing the hill tribes people there is more than just growing opium in the hills.

After Doi Angkhang, it was time for us to part ways with Philip & Yu-Beng.    For local meet ups, one might say “Let’s meet in Changi Village”.  For a China ride, we arranged to meet up in the edge of Thailand 😊.  We were now heading towards Chiangkong, the last Thai town before the Laos border to assemble with the other 12 bikers who were doing the China trip together.

On 4 June, we woke up in Thailand, passed across 200km of Laos soil and slept in China.  That would be 2 border crossings, getting our China driving license & passing our highway code, bikes inspected for road-worthiness + lunch & dinner as well!  

This was just a hint of what was going to become life for the next 26 days.  Eat, Sleep, Ride, rinse clothes & repeat!  

SG - China - Kazakhstan : Part 1

"When will you ever do the long one?"

This was a statement uttered to me by more than one friend; seeing how we had done so many motorcycle trips, but not wandered northwards past the Land of Smiles.

So this adventure came about from a combination of chances...  a meeting with an acquaintance in a hotel corridor, a close call with cancer and huge changes in the 2017 work environment (something which many of us have almost no control over).

By the time all the details were detailed and plans laid out, this is the sequence of venues for the ride we had mapped out...

May : North Thailand = 14 days

July : China, ride into Lhasa & Everest Base Camp, exiting into Kazakhstan = 26 days

August : Kazakhstan & Kyrgyzstan = 14 days

Unplugging from routine...  so many things have to be organised...  getting leave from the office, cancelling broadband plans, arranging contingency plans, not least of all, emptying out the fridge!  Months of prep leading to our last night in Singapore, made us sleepless and we prob only slept 4 hours the night before setting off!  Special mentions to Muhd, Mikael & Kin, who each made their own efforts to send us off in special memorable ways :)

As per usual, it was breakfast in Gelang Patah, dinner in Hatyai, where we met up with Philip who was already on the road earlier in the week.  The grand plan was for us three to take the first class train to Chiangmai, with the bikes loaded on-board as cargo.  This would save us time, while keeping expenses the same.  Despite buying the train tickets in advance, the station officials would only allow 1 bike onto the train, so Phil would go ahead and meet Yu Beng, while we would attempt to train up North the next day.

Phil's bike getting loaded up 

No such luck for us, despite two attempts on separate days

So we on 24 May, we hit the road, Hatyai - Chumphon - Nakhon Sawan - Mae Sariang, arriving in Above The Sea.  A small guest house owned by a bike lover, so there were rooms totally designed for motorcycle travellers + an in-house pool for lazy dips in the afternoon!

The whole team is finally assembled and planning where to go next!  

Mae Sariang - Mae Hon Song (+Ban Rak Thai)

We ride on to Mae Hon Song, where we booked The Point Villa, a collection of impossibly spacious rooms that seemed to be set up by a millionaire that has earned enough and just carried renting them out for 1980's prices :)  We chilled in MHS walking some of the back lanes and came across murals.

  Phil trying his hand at being a street vendor

Mae Hon Song Lake, the spot of choice for dating couples in North Thailand

Staying a couple of nights in one place does give the option of making day rides for exploration... so we did... heading out to Baan Rak Thai, a village with Chinese styled architecture and it's 800 residents being direct descendants from the Kuo Min Tang in China.

It's not Chinese New Year.... this Chinese restaurant looks like this everyday!