The Loop

Just previous to last weekend, I told you that I would have a noteworthy post for you guys after the weekend passed. This is that post.

On Friday morning, while trying to decide what was going on during the weekend, my friend Carl suggested our small group rent some motorbikes and go on a short trip to some sort of nearby attraction. Luckily, hostels are full of information on interesting places to go and things to see, however most of these things were too touristic or out of our price range. Even more luckily, hostels are often full of employees that know the MOST interesting places to go and things to see, so we got a tip from one of the guys that works here that we should do the Mae Sa Loop, a 100 km (whatever that is in real distance) loop through the mountains west of Chiang Mai. It can be done in an afternoon, but this fellow, Dave, told us that he and his friends had gone a couple weeks previously and stayed at a hot springs resort in the mountains, about 25 km north of the midway point in the loop. He said it was great fun and relatively cheap, and told us if we were planning on spending 2 days on the loop, we should definitely stay at the hot springs.

So we were convinced, and it was settled: We would head out around 11am on Saturday, get to the hot springs by dark (around 7), and finish the loop the following day, with aims of being back around 11 so we wouldn’t have to pay late fees for our bikes. Carl’s teaching friend, James, was due to arrive around 6am Saturday morning, so the crew would be Carl, James, Jack, and me. We were like children on Christmas eve.

James, a bro from Luton, England who had been teaching outside Bangkok for about 5 months, arrived early in the morning, as planned (though I slept through his arrival, as planned). Once we did all get up, Dave was sweet enough to lend us his copy of the map, which saved us a cool 200 Baht ($6.50), and we planned out a bit of what we wanted to see. This involved less planning, and more just saying things out loud that sounded interesting. We were just gonna wing it, so long as we arrived at the half way point on the loop, a town called Samoeng, by 5:30 so we could easily be at the hot springs by sundown.

All packed up and ready to get going, we head over to one of the millions of motorbike rental shops here in Chiang Mai, Mr. Mechanic (we just say “Mechanic”..). We opted for automatic bikes rather than manual, supposing that we’d have enough to concentrate on without having to think about changing gears and all that business. So we pay 250 baht each, (about $8.50) 200 for the bike and 50 for insurance, which seemed prudent given our general inexperience with biking through mountain roads full of blind curves, switch backs, and whatever wildlife might be wandering across the road at any given point. Contracts in hand and helmets chosen, it was time to meet our bikes. It was love at first sight:

My Bike: The Enforcer

Yeah, my bike was neon green. It's ok to be jealous.

We stopped to get some gas and then we were on our way, heading north toward the suburban city of Mae Rim, about 15-20 minutes north of Chiang Mai. Even on the tame, run-of-the-mill highway, we were feeling the freedom of riding a motorbike, or, in our case, glorified hairdryers with wheels and a muffler. Once we made it to Mae Rim we began seeing signs for Samoeng and the various tourists attractions that lie between there and Mae Rim, and had no trouble finding our way, a luxury that would not hold true for the entire trip.
As we embarked into the mountains, we thought it would be nice to have a cup of coffee and actually decide where we wanted to stop first, with no shortage of options on this attraction-rich stretch of mountain road. The first place we happened across turned out to be a coffee shop/restaurant fully devoted to The Beatles; memorabilia, pictures, records, and of course a constant loop of great music. We thought it would be a nice setting for a group pic:

Everyone agreed that we had neither the money nor the inclination to stop at the tourist attractions along the way (ie a snake farm, a monkey show, a butterfly/orchid garden, an elephant camp, an animal ______,blah blah blah), so with a bit of caffeine in our respective systems, we headed to Mae Sa Waterfall, one of the most well-known falls in the area.

We arrived at the falls shortly after, and were made to pay an entry fee at the gate, as is common at most natural parks and attractions in Thailand. Not uncommon for national parks in general to charge entry fees in most countries, but things work a bit differently here..  The entrance fee for Thais: 40 Baht. The entrance fee for Foreigners: 200 Baht. It’s a frustratingly large difference, and a pretty big turn off, but there isn’t much to be done, and we were told the passes would be valid at any of the parks we went to in the next day, so we bit the bullet and paid the fee grudgingly.

It was worth it. Mae Sa Waterfall is actually made up of 10 separate falls, each varying in size, but all beautiful. A sample:

We spent a while frolicking in the water and exploring the falls from top to bottom, but after a couple hours decided we should really be moving on. We hoped on our bikes and made our way, stopping to take the occasional picture, and generally enjoying the drive.  I use the word “enjoying”, but that’s really like saying one “enjoys” their 8^th birthday party at Chuck E Cheese’s, or would “enjoy” a kiss from Charlize Theron.. We (or at least I) we were in bliss; being on smooth, winding road littered with stunning views, nothing but clothes and a helmet separating you from the cool mountain air rushing past you, it’s a life-affirming experience, sensually and viscerally stimulating, and vividly so.

As we got closer to our 5:30 checkpoint location, Samoeng, we decided it would be best not to stop for anything but pictures for the rest of the journey to the hot springs, in order to ensure that we got there before nightfall. It was raining a bit now, and though cool mountain temperatures are a welcome respite from the heat of the midday sun in the valley, they make for a rather cold evening when combined with rain. We reached Samoeng without difficulty, but there was a long way to go yet. 25 Km is not that far of a distance to travel, especially when you are on a legit road averaging 70 or 80 Km/hour. We were not in that situation. Once we were in Samoeng and beyond, roads got smaller, eventually turning in to what was essentially a one-lane road split into 2 lanes, and the terrain became even more winding and hilly. Between navigating the terrain and attempting to not get lost despite nearly every road sign being written exclusively in Thai, we were certainly putting our map-reading skillz to the test. We fared well though, and with a bit of good luck, intuition, and sense of direction, we were able to make our way north up to the hot springs, which we were looking forward to all the more, having spent the last 2 hours driving through a gentle but persistent mountain rain shower. As we rode victoriously up to the hot springs resort, the rain worsened and the sun had set, so our timing was just about perfect in terms of avoiding prohibitive driving conditions.

The only problem: the place is deserted. There is not a single person or vehicle in sight as we drive up, and that “oh shit, were in the middle of the mountains in North East Thailand, it’s raining and nearly dark, and we may have just stumbled into the perfect setting for a horror film..” feeling started creeping up. The noise of our bikes must have sounded pretty out of place, because an older Thai woman emerged from nowhere and beckoned us down to an open-air restaurant-looking structure. Relieved to see a person who might be of help, we followed her direction and joined her, eager to be out of the rain, but truly confused about what we had gotten ourselves into. She was joined by another Thai woman, and we started trying to communicate with each other. Did not go smoothly. Carl and James knew a bit of Thai, having spent several months living in Thailand already, but it seemed they only knew enough to confuse the old ladies even more, and be confused by them in turn. We went back and forth not understanding each other, and we were starting to lose hope that this was going to be a good night. At the very least, we knew we couldn’t leave, and that no halfway decent person would send us away into the rainy dark, so we figured we could at least pay them to let us sleep on their floor for the night.

We got way more than that. An older man showed up at some point, jangled some Thai at us, then drove away, another in a string of baffling events since we arrived at the resort. We were unaware at the time that he was actually driving in to town to gather a few of his employees, who made us some delicious food, brought us beer, and pitched tents for us to sleep in on the “restaurant” floor:

It was surreal. One minute we thought we were totally screwed, the next we were drinking and eating and being given shorts and towels to use in the large hot spring pool, which was of course empty aside from us, as was the resort in general.  After we ate our fill of soup and fried rice, we got changed, got a drink, and headed for the pool:

So good. Its like a giant hot tub, and the naturally mineral-rich water just makes you feel happy, inside and out. And the Thai whiskey certainly didn’t hurt either. They gave us a few packs of candles earlier, and we were unsure what we would use them for, until they turned off all the power around 10… so we hung out by candle light, completing one of the most memorable days of my life in comfort and style. With plans for an early morning the next day, we headed to the tents around midnight, and slept like babies.

The next morning we woke up around 8:30, and had another short hot spring session. After looking around the resort a bit we decide it was time to head out, meaning it was also time to settle the bill. This was the part I was dreading. Our friend at the hostel told us that the price was around 300 Baht ($10) a night per person, which obviously seemed an incredibly reasonable price given the experience. But we were unable to confirm this price when we arrived, and we were never told how much any of the food or drinks would cost, so our final total was a mystery to all of us. I am on a pretty tight budget these days, so I was getting a bit worried – then I saw the bill. 2500 Baht. Total. About 625 Baht per person. So we had food, alcohol, lodging, a private natural hot spring pool, and an unforgettable experience all for $21. I love this country.

As we headed out around 9:30, we got a better look at the scenery we had passed so hastily the evening before in our rush to get in out of the rain and dark. I had to record it. The video is a bit Blair Witchy, but I think you’ll get the idea despite the unsteadiness of the camera:

The  video couldn’t possibly do it justice, but driving through these little mountain villages in a remote area of a country that most Americans never get/take the time to visit, it makes you feel like a real person. A real person doing real things. These places are untouched by tourism (despite being about an hour’s drive from touristopia), and they’re better for it. This is what I was looking for when I decided to move to Thailand, and experiencing it was a thrill I can’t quite describe. It’s Real Life.

On our way back to the loop we stopped in a village to get some noodle soup and affirmation that we were going in the right direction, and we got both. The soup was better than the directions.. but both were appreciated. (Note: I never worry about getting good food in Thailand. It’s everywhere. It’s cheap AND good, a novel concept in the states) As we continued on our way, we passed a soccer field across from a general store, so we decided to stop to get some coffee and try to play some footy. This is one of the benefits of traveling with English guys: they like soccer, they place soccer, they talk about soccer. I fit in. We did end up kicking the ball around with some locals after much convincing, and we were soon again on the road, bobbing and weaving through the mountainous countryside.

I’ve just realized how long this post is getting, which is probably less a function of the number of things we did than of the impression the trip made on me. But to be more to the point, we continued on through the mountain roads, with even better roads and views than the previous day. We took a side road that went up through yet another mountain village, took some pix, met some Thai kids that liked our bikes, and eventually made it back to Chiang Mai by 1:30, sad that the short journey was over. But the icing on the cake: we weren’t charged the 40 Baht per person that we should’ve been charged for bringing the bikes back 2 hours late. What a world.

So in summary: An unbelievable experience that I will never forget, and would never have had if we hadn’t decided to get out of town and off the beaten track. Also: doing a motorbike trip would be the best bachelors party/vacation ever. So everyone who thinks they should be involved in my bachelors party, start learning to ride a motorcycle.