The 1864 curves of Mae Hong Son.

A Few years ago a group of mates from work with an interest in motorcycling decided to buy bikes with a view to doing some touring and the odd weekend blat through the black spur or Great Ocean road.  Us all being in our 40's with significant work and family responsibilities it seemed like quite a pipe dream at the time.

However with the support and in my case the proactive urging of our partners, we ended up with the two wheeled objects of our respective dreams and over the next few years the Australia adventures began.  First there was the Great Ocean Road  (South Western Victoria), followed by Tasmania and then the Great Alpine Way (Northern Victorian).

Two of the main group then took overseas postings and were forced to sell our rides.  Pete also sold up to fund a family trip around Aus, leaving the Murphster as the last man standing on two wheels.

The allure of the mate ship and freedom that a motorcycling week away with the boys held was too great to be destroyed by the minor setback of no bikes and the group being spread throughout SE Asia, so planning commenced for the first of the overseas adventures.

As you can imagine a fair bit of date swapping and diary shuffling was required until week could be agreed on around three guy's busy schedules and travel commitments.  But eventually last week was settled on and carved in stone.  A last minute conference temporarily threatened plans but some extra planning and minor compromises saw things back on track.

The Mae Hong Song Loop has been described as the road of a thousand hairpins.  In fact there are 1864 curves on a scenic mountain route that takes you from Chang Mai in Northern Thailand towards the Golden Triangle, near the Burmese border, before passing through  the Doi Inthernon national Park (highest point in Thailand) and then back to Chang Mai.   There are a number of different options and side trips, but our chosen route took us over 725 kms of some of the best motorcycling roads any of us had experienced.

Filling up at Shell servo Chang Mai- day 1

Kawasaki ER6N - 650cc from Mr Mechanic Chiang Mai.

Quick blat up to a nearby waterfall to get a feel for the bikes.

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The first of many eye glass incidents.  Capt. Hook is off to the bat cave

Doing it tough in Pai (Chill Out city).  

Not exactly camping like in Tassie !!

Beer, Pizza, mates and motorbikes ....need I say more?

Bamboo bridge leading to eco resort in Pai.  Found many hippy type backpackers and a few local Rastafarians here.

Our Chips formation.

Endless curves.....

Great road surface and local traffic not crazy as we were led to believe.

Action on the move.

Entering the township of Mae Hong Son.  About half way around the loop.

One of the many coffee stops.

Beautiful Wat (Temple) in Mae Hong Son (MHS).

Hot springs just outside MHS.

Turbo.

Rounded a corner to find this guy crossing the river.  He didn't seem too keen on the bikes but his 'driver' held him up long enough for a photo before he took off at pace into the jungle.  

Might has right on Thai roads ...... so the elephant had to get out of the way!!!! 

One of the many river crossings on the way to the Karen long neck village.  Bloody slippery due to moss under the water.

We all got to practice some reverse lock riding as the rear ends stepped out  going thru the rivers.

Meet Karen.  She has a long neck!

Actually come to think of it .....its the Karen tribe's village.  The Karen tribe are known for the ritual lowering of their clavicles by gradually adding more rings as they age.  There is no practical application for this,  its done for the aesthetics  and in more recent times the tourists. 

Thailand has the most picturesque urinals....

Nothing like a wizz with a view !!!

The quintessential Murphster

The view from our cabins in Mae Saeng.  

After some pretty warm weather, the ride up to Doi Inthernon was a little fresh.  In fact with the fog and low visibility it was suggested we may not want to brave the 9 k ascent to the summit as there would be limited view.....

However ...... it was then pointed out that Sir Edmond Hillary didn't have his Sherpa carry him all the way to the Everest summit for the view.  He did it because it was there....

So we went !!!!!!!

Men of peace and tranquility....with a couple of monks !!

The Doi Inthanon national park is about 100km from Chiang Mai and consists of a number of beautiful waterfalls and the highest point in Thailand at about 3,500 metres.

Mae Ya water fall.  The largest in Thailand.

Lets rock hop for a better photo Murf ........

Murf explaining how he chose a slippery rock to hop onto causing him to slip waist deep into the drink.  Its going to be a cold ride back to Chiang Mai for the Murphster.

And a nice little bang on the shin for good measure.

But at least it attracted all the sympathy and concern from his mates !!!

Bikes and bodies safely returned to Mr Mechanic after 4 fantastic days  riding.  Planning underway for next year 's Northern Vietnam, off road adventure. 

The Great Taxi Scam(s)

OK, every blog about this city eventually has a post discussing this most unfortunate of topics.  A sad fact of life here but the power of the almighty dollar can never be underestimated.  So here is my 2 cents worth on the matter.  If you are a visitor or planning to visit soon, don't let this taint your view of this wonderful city.  It just always pays to be aware and forewarned is for armed!

MaiLinh

I had a fascinating discussion with my "source" the other day.  He drove taxi's around this city for 7 years so it is fair to say he's pretty much seen it all.  First and most importantly choose your taxi wisely.  The 2 main reputable companies are Vinasun and Mai Linh.
As you can see these cars are branded with more stickers than a formula one racing car.  The phone number is clearly displayed along with the cars individual number.  When you get in you will see the fare clearly displayed on the front console.  The driver should be wearing a white uniform shirt and a tie.  They come in both sedan and 7 seater Innovas.  The taxi driver should have his id card clearly displayed on the dashboard.  Don't count on a seatbelt in the back.  You can always dig your hand down the back of the dirty seat and fish for it but do so at your own peril!

Vinasun

This is a fake Mai Linh taxi.  Note it is actually called M Taxi and has no where near as many stickers.  Quite often the windows have a very dark tint.

Ok, so here is the problem.  Over here, when you are on a good thing, people will take advantage of it.  Fake taxi's abound and they will blatantly copy the livery of these too companies then proceed to rip you off blind. Living here it is easy enough to spot a fake but for visitors it can be a bit more difficult.

It is worth noting that Mai Linh also have green coloured Innova's.  These are not necessarily fake, just from a different area my guy tells me. Now I am not saying that these guys are always 100% but they are usually pretty good. You could still get the odd dodgy one who wants to take you the "long way" to get to where you want to go.  He might be profusely sorry and have to stop and ask directions several times.  He will be so upset that he does not know where to go, getting out and banging the roof in frustration.  This actually happened to friends of mine. (It's not hard to find An Phu buddy!).  You will end up paying for a scenic tour you did not ask for.  If this happens I suggest cutting your losses if you can and get out and find another taxi.

Always insist on using the meter.  Some may insist on setting a price before you set off.  This price will always be way more than what it really costs.

Note that the fare is clearly displayed and there is actually a meter!

Note also that if you are getting in to a taxi just as someone is getting out and they close the door on you before you can get in, they are not being rude.  This just re-sets the meter.  The meters.....ahhhh...the meters....Always try to keep an eye on it.  If you see it rolling over like a poker machine, ask the driver to stop and get the hell out of there.  Some of the other tricks that have been confirmed is enough to make even the most happy go lucky commuter paranoid.  They may have a button that they press that puts extra small amounts of money on the meter.  This button can be hidden anywhere but common places are in the shirt pocket of the driver, on the gear stick and on the indicator stick.  Now this one kills me.  Some people have rigged up the meter so that every time they blow the horn more money goes on.  Seriously!  Trust me, there is a lot of horn blowing going on on the streets of Saigon!  Now I know you are feeling quite overwhelmed and thinking there is no way you will make it around in the city without being scammed for your hard earned dong.  There is often no way you can see these things coming so my best advice is use a reputable company but then still keep an eye on the meter.  If you get in an argument, which has been known to happen, it is often safer to just cut your losses.  I have heard of some situations where the driver locks the door and demands the full rip off fare before he will let you out.  If he tries to pull up before you actually get to your hotel don't let him.  Insist he pull right in and then ask the hotel staff to help you sort it out. Try to take down their car number if they have one.  The companies are actually quite responsive to complaints as they have a reputation to uphold.  I have even tired to take a photo of one guy but in hindsight that was pretty silly as it is going to make him VERY angry and then you might risk him stealing your phone/camera!

Having said all of the above, it's not really that bad.  Crime here tends to be more opportunistic i.e. bag snatches etc and violence seems to be uncommon.  These are just my personal opinions but I think the most important thing is your safety.  I am happy to loose a few thousand dong and chalk it up to experience rather than put myself or my family at risk.  Trying not to sound flippant, but you can replace money....safety should always come first.  So there it is, a little info that might come in handy one day.