So after a 11 hour flight from London
we [with Martin, my best friend] arrived in Thailand. First up we got a taxi across the city to Emma's
Motobikes, paperwork was done quickly and we were packed and ready to go to the
hotel. We have hired Honda CB300F bikes.
So after our first experience of
Bangkok traffic we made it to the hotel. Night one we explored the Khosan Road.
A bit touristy but did see a full crocodile being BBQed.
Next morning we set off north got
stopped by the police 2 minutes after leaving for being on an expressway
(bikes are not allowed).
Rode north over the next few days stopping at Nakhon Sarwan, Lampang and then Chang Mai. Stopped at riders corner
the famous bikers bar. Left my sticker for all to see.
We had a night out in Chang Mai
and sampled that Crocodile we saw earlier. Saw ladyboys and experienced a full
Thai massage which was wonderful. Chang Mai is such a great place with loads of
things to do and the night bazaar is truly brilliant.
After Chang Mai we went West, we
made a decision not to do the Mae Hong Son loop due to time limits. We stayed
the night in Mae SarIang and then went south on the 105. Oh boy what a road 225
km on mountain twisties and long swooping bends. Empty roads apart from a few
mopeds and cows. Great riding and we were running alongside the Burmese
border.
So today as I write this we are in Mae Sot and eventually heading for Kanchanaburi and the death railway and elephants.
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| Looking into Burma (Myanmar) |
Interesting evening in Mae Sot
with a number of bars close to the hotel. I think the warnings were the signs
saying all guns and knives were not allowed. The hotel was not in the best part
of town. We were back safely locked away before night fell. Next morning we
headed towards Tak and the ride down the mountains onto the plains. It was
Sunday so the roads were quiet. The farmers were burning the stubble so the air
was thick and choking. It’s a shame because we were in a part of the country
with brilliant mountain views.
The plan was to stay at a hotel
in Nakhon Sawan where we stayed on the way up the country. As we were on the
outskirts of the town I saw a number of jeeps with Budda's and people dressed
in gold. Following was a truck with a full Chinese dragon. I stopped. They
stopped outside a tyre bay who brought out an offering of fruit and incense.
Then a Shamen started whaling and setting off fire crackers...the dragon was
running around in and out of the showroom. Turns out it was the local temple
blessing a local business. Awesome.
Next morning we plan to head
cross country to Kanchanaburi, this is town where the bride over the River Kwai
is located. That day was a pleasure to ride as the sat nav took us truly across
country through paddy fields and villages. One road was 98km on a straight road
following a river. It gave us the chance to stop and take some rural pictures,
wildlife pictures and riding pictures. The further South we went the busier it
became.
We got to our hotel
(BY hotel) and it was clean and convenient. Unfortunately it was election day
and everything was closed. (first elections since the military coup). We found
a Pad Thai street vendor but no alcohol as there is a ban during elections.
The next day was
Elephant day.... We rode West to Sai Yok to a place called Elephant Haven
(https://elephanthaventhailand.org/).
As we had not seen
wild elephants or even elephants for the tourists we decided to go to a
sanctuary. We arrived early and went for a ride about finding a station on the
death railway with one of structures built around the cliff.
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| (Death railway bridge and track in the background) |
After a look around we went back
to the elephants. Dinner was served and after us it was time to feed the
elephants. We saw our first poisonous snake which the staff were quick to move
the elephants away. After a quick safety briefing we left for a walk in the
jungle elephants all around us. The elephants are free no chains or fences but
they choose to stay around the camp and jungle. We ended up at a mud pit and
the elephants like to roll around in it but a monsoon shower had started, warm
heavy rain. Strangely the elephants didn't want to go in the mud during the
rain????
After about 30 mins we walked to the river, now soaking wet we had to run down a steep muddy bank to the river. It was during this Martin dropped his phone from his pocket (his all new fangle dangle phone). To our horror as we saw it and an elephant stepped over it then kicked it with his back foot into the mud pile. Thankfully it survived with a minor scratch and mud in all the ports.
After stashing our gear and
hoping passports were not soaked through we got into the river with the
elephants. we swam with them and washed them. They sat around enjoying the fuss
and squirting water. Before we left they covered themselves in mud again. It
was one of the most brilliant things I have ever done in my life. The river
(River Kwai) was warm and fast flowing and the monsoon carried on for 30-40
minutes. we spent about an hour in the river. A walk back to the camp through
the jungle with the elephants, I fell over and face planted the floor, flip
flops and mud don't mix. The day ended with us feeding the elephants huge
buckets of water melon.
Wednesday was bike return day, we
left early and rode the 100km to Bangkok. However it took one hour longer than
we thought as we had to find our way around the motorway and overpasses that
don't allow motorcycles. Google offline mapping only allows for cars not
motorcycle only mapping, we later found out online Google mapping does cater for
motorcycle only mapping. We returned the bikes no issues and headed by taxi to
the hotel. The rest of the day was relaxing, swimming in the pool and beer...oh
and a massage.
Thursday, our last full day was a trip into central Bangkok, found ourselves in an unlicensed taxi which duped us outside the hotel. The driver was bonkers and clearly unstable...the most frighting part of the trip using the handbrake to stop. We spent some time at Asok station and the shopping mall, Terminal 21. We found an Aussie sports bar and spent a couple of hours watching Aussie rules football and taking advantage of the happy hours.
At 7pm we met Jack a friend of a
friend (ex-pat) who had very kindly offered to show us around and answer our
questions. Dinner was at a restaurant called Cabbages and Condoms and was very
good traditional Thai food. Following this a walk to Soi Cowboy, a gogo bar
area. After walking around for a while watching we went into a bar for A drink.
£18 for the round of 3 drinks but we saw the dancing girls in various states of
dress and got perhaps a little more than we expected. We left after about 20-25
minutes. Home to the hotel. (Thanks Jack your a star)
Well Friday was our flight and
the taxi turned up as expected and we arrived at the airport. All checked in
and boarded on time. Apart from a little turbulence it was a good flight and
landed at Heathrow where Martins family was waiting. I took the train home to
Kent.
Afterthoughts:
Thailand is an amazing country it
has so much to see and has excellent infrastructure. WIFI everywhere, good
hotels. I loved the Honda CB300f, it was the perfect bike. I will travel
Thailand again. Downside was the heat but going out of season meant empty cheap
hotels and cheap flights.
