The Chiang Mai loop

During my trip I’ve received some great travel tips from other travellers who told me that the Northern part of Thailand is very beautiful. I decided to do a loop on a scooter and find out for myself. I first had to travel from Chiang Mai to Mae Sai which was a 6 hour bus trip to get me there. Mae Sai is a border crossing into Myanmar that is used for many people as a ‘visa run’ as only a small river is in between the two countries. This is a one street city with many little shops, food carts, a massive day and night market and at the end there’s the big blue building which is the immigration office which leads you into Myanmar. By night this place is very quiet as the food carts leave by 8pm - you have to get your food elsewhere or eat early- . Along the river is the tourist area with many guesthouses and restaurants and bars to keep us busy in the early hours if needed. With my rented Honda I set off on day one slightly anxious as the border route isn’t signposted and heard it could be a hairy road to take you there. But everyone was raving about it as it has beautiful views of Myanmar and the mountains. Leaving Mae Sai behind and heading for the hills was my first task till I hit the first check point. The police man asked where I going and if I was on my own, he said be careful as the road is quite steep but there are 2 more check points along the way. I felt a bit more comfortable knowing that I was noticed but not about the steep hills? Well the rest of the journey went well; I had stunning views of the mountains which are very green and change from a jungle scenery to a patchwork of colours and fields with different crops. The road was now and then steep but my Honda got me up and down the hills so my first stop was Doi Tung which is a busy strip in the middle of nowhere with many tourist busses to visit the royal palace, botanical gardens some eateries. I had a rest there and continued to my destination Mae Salong. I stayed 2 nights in Mae Salong which is a mountain village and gives you a good impression of China as most of the people are from China, many signs are in Chinese and they speak it as well. The place is very quiet but a good base to explore the Aka, Luha minority villages, tea factories, Chinese museum and a couple of temples. One day I went to Tha Ton which is a town along the Mekong river and was 50 km ride away but worth the views and experience. From here you can take a boat to Chiang Mai over the Mekong river too. The last day I had to travel the same way back but this time I know where I was going. I met a French fellow traveller in the morning so we drove back together in no time and had a late lunch in Mae Sai. . I agree that the North Thailand is beautiful and you could easily spend more time traveling in this part of the country which is very different then the partying or beach life in the South.

Me and my bike

Tha Thon views

ThaThon