Pai, the Backpacker’s Heaven

So continuing from the last post,I was dead set on staying in Pai for two nights and as much as I wanted to keep moving, riding every day and not seeing things was eating my soul inside and Pai was one of those places where there was so much to do. 

I AM PAI 

Two night in Pai. The day was spend going around the town, visiting places like the Pai Land split, Pai Canyon, Eleplant Camp, memorial bridge, temples, sunset, night market, massage and just enjoying Pai. I can understand the allure of Pai to the Falangs. They stay here for a month singing praise of Pai and it's because Pai is the perfect blend made for a backpacker’s long stays. 

Its a relaxing town, cheap with all the needs of a westerners and yet blended in with local’s touch that makes Pai so attractive. I would say to all the travel haters out there that spit nonsense of a town ruin by foreigners trying to prevent more tourism from going to Pai by mindf*cking them into boycotting visiting Pai, they will never win for Pai does not need any promotion initially, and if a word of mouth can make this small little northern village a falang heaven then it is definitely here to stay as a hot tourist spot.

I could easily stay here for a week or a month ... but maybe not in a hostel where young hyper western backpackers roam the area drinking and partying nearly everyday. A small cottage in a family guesthouse would be the best for a long stay in Pai in my view. 

Pai is Falling in Love ^^

Two nights were really short but alas I had not much time left before the visa run out and Bluey needed to get out of Thailand into Laos. By now I have come to understand Thailand a little bit better, there are the main tourism spots where hoards of travelers and tourist go through and spots like Pai where the more dedicated travelers pass by, yet still a fair number of them and then there is these places close to the hot-spots that is almost untouched, preserved in pristine local experience by the lack of tour operators or public transportation.

This is when having one own wheels makes the journey and exploration so much enriching.

Anyway, the few things to do in Pai 

( and by this I mean IN Pai and not the surrounding vicinity which would be too much to count )

1. Land Split
(Entrance Fee – FREE, just drop any courtesy amount into the Tips box for the free drinks and snacks provided) 

The Landsplit - Pai

The Landsplit - Pai 

Welcome to the Land Split. 

(Narrative below taken from the Guidepost at the entrance to the land split)

The land spilt is a geological feature caused by seismic activity, an earthquake in 2008. The severe separations in the ground can be seen on the hillside 100m from here. Meanwhile, here at the Landsplit we serve our visitors a country variety of fruits and drinks that are grown and produce right here on our land. Our papaya, sweet potato, banana, tamarind and rosell a hibiscus are raised the traditional way which is free from any chemical fertilizer or pesticide. We kindly encourage you to take time exploring the mystery of our land then enjoy the taste of our country treats and hospitality. 

Tip Base Tourism - The Land Split - Pai

2. Pai Canyon (Entrance- FREE)

Its hard to capture the captivating beauty of Pai Canyon as there was no way to include a good photo. The walk on the ridge of the little Pay Canyon is quite a sight although albeit small in size. 

Pai Canyon ... Free Attraction hence no safety rails ... Safety is your own responsibility  

3. Elephant Camp

There is a lot of mixed feeling on elephant camp when I talk to other tourist. Some might say animal cruelty since the elephant is tied to a barn and ride an elephant to the river is sold as a tourist attraction but when talking to the local, owning an elephant is like owning a farm animal to them no different than a cow or a sheep. 

Elephant Riding - Pai 

Apparently only the young strong elephant is used for tourist riding since they have the back strenght and the older ones are used for farming, clearing logs, pulling things that are too heavy for a normal person. There is a long history in Thailand of elephants being cultivated by civilization and when observing the Mahout attending to their elephant it was like a bond between a warhorse and a soldier. 

Elephant Camp - Pai 

4. Pai Memorial Bridge

The old memorial bridge is actually a new bridge at the same site. During WWII the Japanese constructed the bridge for their supply chain line but was later destroyed by flood. The village people of Pai grew accustom to having a bridge after WWII hence when the bridge was destroyed by flood it was replaced by an Iron bridge. 

Pai Memorial Bridge 

5. Chedi Phra That Mae Yen Temple

The white Buddha temple on a little hill mount at the edge of Pai is a beautiful place where locals and tourist alike visit especially during sunset to see the natural light-show as the sun goes down behind the mountains. 

Chedi Phra That Mae Yen Temple - Pai (Or as the tourist call it, the white Buddha)  

Sunset behind the mountain overlooking Pai 

6. Tourist Night Market 

This very large and long night market is the best place to get food. Walk walk walk .... buy some food and snack eat along the way.

Night Market - Pai 

Night Market - Pai 

Night Market - Pai 

Night Market - Pai 

Traveled on : Dec 2018
#Pai #painightmarket #iampai #paicanyon #pailandsplit #paimemorialbridge

Riding the Famous Mae Hong Song 1864 corners Loop – Thailand

The famous north of Thailand Mae Hon Song loop which has a total of 1864 corners of varying degree, climbing up to the highest mountain in Thailand also known as the Rooftop of Thailand - Doi Inthanon and then curving in unbelievable terrain from lush rain-forest to steep nerve wrecking continuous U-bends downhill passing by many nature reserves, small towns and colorful minority tribes only found in these secluded northern parts of Thailand sounded like a fairy tale ride that I could not ignore and had to experience it myself despite how popular it was as a tourist loop.

The usual recommended route would be to start from Chaing Mai city, which is understandable since most travelers would need a starting point to rent a bike. Bluey’s modified loop was just slightly over 600km.

(Usual Recommended Route – Can be done either direction)
Chiang Mai - > Doi Inthanon -> Mae Sariang -> Mae Hong Song -> Pai -> Chiang Mai

(Blueys actual route skipping Chiang Mai alltogether)
Chom Thong -> Doi Inthanon -> Mae Sariang -> Mae Hong Son -> Pai -> Chiang Dao

Doi Inthanon as per the previous two post (Riding & Camping at Doi Inthanon) and (Riding Log – Route 1192 Mae Hong Song Loop – Thailand) was one hell of a journey itself and I thought that the rest of the loop would be more relax, more straightforward countryside sightseeing where I could slow down and enjoy the more secluded part of Thailand. I was definitely wrong.

Mae Sariang

By chance, I would arrive Mae Sariang on Christmas eve checking into the cheapest hostel 200 bath a night with good comfy beds. The idea was to escape Christmas to a small town where it was cheaper and one has lesser probability being dragged out by dorm-mates to go out drinking. All the other like minded travelers decided to stop at the hostel too.

Mae Sariang

Christmas Eve and there was only me and Simon which was from England doing a bicycle tour of Thailand and eventually will explore Malaysia too. Towards the evening Jeremy from France joined in and he was on a motorbike rented in Chaing Mai and doing a motor trip going south headed to Mae Sot after Mae Sariang.

Still end up drinking on Christmas Eve .... Notice Bluey at the background ? 

The second night, the hostel helped us organized a steamboat feast to celebrate Christmas and two more bikers rocked up in the evening (Wada from Japan and Stephen from Finland) joining us straight for the Christmas party. Good company with lots of discussion from politics to religion, culture view points and anything under the sun and the gibberish went on all the way late into the night.

Christmas Dinner at Mae Sariang 

It was one of those moments, that somehow fitted perfectly.

In between those two nights, we explored little town Mae Sariang, with bikes it was really quick to spin around town and also the outskirt countryside surrounding it. Like I imagine it to be, this little town was a gem lost in time. We did got a little tip from the hostel staff and explored one Buddhist temple / cave / unfinished temple that was so intricate it was like no other temple I had ever seen in Thailand.

A Cave Temple at Mae Sariang 

A very Intricate Traditional Thai Temple but still in Construction - Mae Sariang 

Riding Around Mae Sariang Town

Mae Sariang outskirts 

Towards Mae Hong Son

It was time to parts ways in Mae Sariang but me Wada & Stephan was headed for the same direction towards Mae Hong Son. The ride was an easy 165 km but very winding and slightly hilly up and down going around mountains after mountains. It was a good ride and we stop at Kaeo Komon Cave Forest Park. Wada was in rush of time to get to Pai and decided to split at the cave continuing on without us while me and Stephen visited the cave. Nothing spectacular but it was worth a visit.

Stephen, Me & Wada at Mae Hong Son

Kaeo Komon Cave Forest Park

Countryside from Mae Sariang to Mae Hong Son 

Hot Sping Pit Stop 

Hot Sping Pit Stop 

The highlight of the day was visiting the long neck village near to Mae Hong Son. The Long Neck Village where the women wear brass rings around their necks since young and gradually add rings over the years to allow their neck to be long was interesting to see. Most of the girls are actually normal but wear the ornament for the tourist to see and only maybe 2 or 3 elderly lady really had long necks which was beautiful to see.

Visiting Long Neck Village Karen - Mae Hong Son 

The whole area seam to be focus on tourism, it was not like a zoo display but instead more of shops selling scarfs, clothes, trinkets, oilmen and anything they think the tourist would but at their village. The shopkeepers were all long neck tribe women and the curious tourist would walk around shopping while sneaking glance at these girls and their long necks covered with brass ornaments.

Entrance to the long neck village was 250 baht to support the community

Long Neck Village - Mae Hong Son

Long Neck Village - Mae Hong Son 

Exiting the village I notice two motorbikes parked next to Bluey. Malaysian plate. It was two crazy riders from KL that was doing a two week stunt riding 1 week up all the way to the Golden Triangle and 1 week back home. An average of 400km a day. Don't think they will see much and I guess they are just in it for the ride.

Toward Pai

The ride from Mae Hong Son to Pai started late in the morning after first visiting hilltop temple viewpoint getting a bird eye view of Mae Hong Son city including the airport. I decided I wanted to ride the small town going round and round then finally hitting the main road onward to Pai.

Mae Hong Son City 

The northern route or the Mae Hong Son Loop is a truly bikers heaven or road trip heaven where one gets to experience hairpin curve after curve and with beautiful scenery and lots of stops along the way. It was never a dull moment riding this route

Stephen became my travel partner, the last sole surviving one after the gang gathered for Christmas at Mae Saraing. He would continue with me all the way to Chaing Dao 5 days together travelling and riding together. He had a 300 cc Honda bike which always left me in the dust going up hill. Downhill however I was the crazy one catching up to him and overtaking and leaving him some smoke but once even a tiniest hill climb begins, Bluey begins his lazy climb.

Just To Bikers Tacking the Mae Hong Son Loop 

First stop was the bamboo bridge in a small village en-route towards Myanmar. Su Tong Pae bridge which has a beautiful Buddhist temple at the end. Riding on we ended up at the National Park Thampla Fish Cave. Interesting thing to see for the large fishes were all trying to squeeze into the small little cave enclosure.

Su Tong Pae Bridge 

Su Tong Pae Temple 

 

Su Tong Pae Bridge 

Thampla Fish Cave 

A Cave Pack full of Fish - Thampla Fish Cave 

The loop was more about the ride and not so much about sightseeing things along the way yet I cant help feel a little regret on not being able to see every little things along the rural northern Thailand. That said, I also know that if I were to try and see every little attraction, i would be broke as well since Thailand has double pricing for locals and foreigners and with each waterfall or each cave or hot springs along the way entrance fee would chalk up 300 baht for each attraction.

Pang Ma Pha Viewpoint

Pang Ma Pha Viewpoint 

Regret of not being able to do everything properly, but at the same time I know it was the right choice to skip all the waterfall and hot springs if the only idea was to see and not to swim in it.

Towards Chiang Dao

I was dead set on staying in Pai for two nights. As much as I wanted to keep moving, riding every day and not seeing things eats my soul inside and Pai was one of the places where there was so much to do. I’ll have to write a separate post for Pai itself I guess.

The ride downhill from Pai to Chaing Dao was very mundane other than the ride itself which was beautiful and challenging. Slopes were ok but the curves were quite sharp and up and down the mountain hill when the clouds today seams like it could rain at any moment just makes the whole riding journey cold even at 2pm.

I somehow missed the first pre-determined scenic pit stop with Stephen and also missed the second one and had to wait for him at the Witch Cafe. The Witch Cafe was interesting and as a marketing strategy. I would say they had done a very good job by the number of people stopping for coffee. The house of the witch was a picture stop moment for all travelers to Pai or from Pai

Bluey At the Witchhouse - Pai 

Coffee We / Witch's House 

Coffee We / Witch House 

We took a detour on the way to Chaing Dao seeing all the elephant camps which was in the valley surrounded by mountains. Eco tourism for all the elephant camps but we just ride this small road seeing the countryside and occasionally elephant roaming beside.

Detour - Follow the Signboards that has pictures of Elephants 

Free Roaming Elephant Sanctuary 

By nightfall we had reached Chiang Dao and marked the end for Mae Hong Son loop on my part. Steven would continue on to Chaing Mai the next day while I headed further north of Thailand. The loop took a total of 9 days for me and even so I felt it was too rushed. It was slow enough to appreciate the still moments in time but so fast it felt like a riding adventure where everyday is a new challenge.

Traveled on : Dec 2018
#maehongsonloop #maehongson1864 #blurtravels

Shipping a Motorbike from Port Klang to Kuching Via GIGA Shipping Sdn Bhd.

This started one year ago in Jul 2018 when I first resigned and decided to go motorbiking South East Asia and had no idea where to start yet. I eventually started with Peninsular Malaysia then Thailand, Cambodia and Laos before returning to KL for a break from my holiday and now July 2019, I am in Sarawak riding Bluey again. 

Surrendering the Keys to Bluey at Westport - Port Klang 

Why July 2018? because I first did the inquiry one year ago. As far as I know there are at least a few shipping company that does RORO (Roll on-Roll off) vehicle shipment from peninsular Malaysia to Sabah/Sarawak but I only did two inquiry which was Pos Malaysia and Giga Shipping. I went with Giga Shipping purely because it was cheaper than Post Malaysia which quoted me RM 900 for a 125cc bike going from Port Klang to Kuching. (one-way)

I looked up Giga Shipping (http://www.gmg.my/ ) and drop an inquiry though their inquiry form stating which port to port, motorbike model, cc and almost immediately they send an automated reply which says someone will get back to you within 24 hours. The next day, I was quoted RM 500 to ship the bike from Port Klang to Kuching with an attachment of the shipping vessel name and schedule. The quotation last for one month only. 

The Giga Vessel & Shipping Schedule sent to me with the quotation

I left it at that and went on my tour and one year later July 2019 I send in a new inquiry asking for a quote which came back as RM 512.

YES I would like to book this date please I emailed them back.

Giga Shipping then emailed me the quotation which I signed, scan and mailed back to them and they proceeded to process the booking confirmation and invoice for payment.

To be honest, I was a bit nervous dealing with Giga Shipping for this was my absolute first time doing something like this and not seeing a physical person makes me a bit cautious if I was going to be in deep water after transferring the RM512 payment to them.

I decided to drop by their office which was at Shah Alam ( No.1 Jalan Penyair U1/44, Seksyen U1, Glenmarie 40150 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia) and spoke to their booking coordinator. The staff assured me the shipping is very normal and RM 512 includes every type of payment from boat, customs, clearance, etc etc and that is all I will need to pay to see my bike in Kuching next week. 

I got the Barcode (A piece of paper required to deliver the bike into the secured holding area at Port Klang) for Westport in Port Klang for loading the bike which I had to send in Bluey at least 3 days before the ship depart. Meanwhile, I also did the online transfer fund to giga shipping bank acc and email GIGA Shipping the tracsaction slip.

Sending Bluey to Westport. 

Westport - Port Klang 

With the map provided by GIGA shipping and with the help of Google maps it was not hard to locate westport in Klang. I called up the contact number given to me once I was at the Port Gate and proceeded to surrender my I.C to change with the Port Pass. Went to the Giga holding yard and surrendered the keys to Bluey and got an acknowledgement stamp, received of motorbike.

(Note: bring an extra copy of the barcode so the acknowledgement stamp can be done there. I had to get the stamp on some random paper since I did not have an extra copy of the barcode)

The whole procedure once I arrived Port Klang took less than 20 minutes and I was out again exchanging the pass to get back my I.C. From there it was just a GRAB ride to the nearest train station and slowly making my way back home.

Wait for the Boat to arrive Kuching

Nothing much to do other than wait. While waiting for the bike to arrive Kuching I kept watching my emails for notices and sure enough the moment the bike was loaded up to the ship, I got an email from GIGA with the bill of lading.

The ship also sent out notifications of its schedule every few days so one could know if the shipment is on schedule or not. Bluey had a delayed start by two days, originally schedule to be on board on the 19 July but became 21 July instead. Surprisingly the arrival date in Kuching was still the same.

Contact Wilakota Agency (Giga Shipping Agent in Kuching)

Wilakota Agency is the agent from GIGA shipping on the Sarawak side. I got their contact number when I booked the shipment and once Bluey was en-route I gave them a call for some advice on when I should be there to collect the bike. They told me to give it another 2 days extra for custom documents clearance and this was not including a weekend off since they don't work on Sat/Sun

Picking up the Bluey at Pending Kuching Port

I flew to Kuching on Saturday anyway and went around sightseeing Kuching downtown while waiting for Monday to come. Monday morning and I send a message to the lady from Wilakota Agency and was immediately replied with a good news that Bluey is ready for collection at Pending Kuching Port. 

Pending Port - Kuching 

Pending Kuching Port was a short 5km away from downtown Kuching and a short GRAB ride later I was at the gate fully escorted by the agency guy to change pass, collect keys from customs, and sign out the bike with all the necessary documents to be carried with me at all times. Don’t ever lose the customs document the agent said, since it will be a big hassle when you ship the bike back to peninsular Malaysia in future.

Documents Received was :

1. Original Copy Bill of Lading
2. Original Customs No.3 Form (Permit to transport goods within the federation)
3. Original K3 Chit (No idea what this is but has the forwarding Agent and Importer particular duly stamped by Customs)
4. Copy of Vehicle Ownership Certificate duly stamped by Customs
5. Letter of appointment of forwarder agent dully stamped by Customs
6. Invoice dully stamped by Customs

Its time to ride .... PAN BORNEO awaits ....
Traveled on: Jul 2019
#gigashipping #shippingvehiclefrompeninsulartoborneo #roromalaysia

Riding Log – Route 1192 Mae Hong Song Loop – Thailand

The ride from Doi Inthanon to Mae Sariang not what I expected. After climbing from Chom Thong to Doi Inthanon and even going to the peak, the roads were good and wide, and while steep, still gentle enough to not feel afraid.

Going down from Doi Inthanon on Route 1192 towards Mae Chaem, the roads were ridiculously steep with most roads cracked, crevices, small holes and stones and lanes so small if two cars pass opposite each other they would have to squeeze carefully.

The downhill was so steep my brakes started to squeak, both front and back brakes. It was those kind of sharp hairpin turns on a steep slope that when riding, it was not facing forward but facing downwards. This went on for 20km stretch never ending bends and hairpin turns on steep slopes downhill.

No time to think for after one turn was the next and the next and each minor mistake in a turn where I go too wide, or pass too close to oncoming traffic, or squeeze a brake too hard to the point of near sliding, there was no time for contemplating and adjusting for the roads did not allow for any stops, down and down non stop with full focus.

I was not fast as well, averaging around 20km/hr low on 2nd gear ,it was as slow and safe as it gets but the strain on the hands and body and the mind at every bend just makes me want to find a place to stop and readjust my mental state before tackling this downhill.

The first slightly opened pavement with side roads I saw, I made my break. Watching the cars and bikes going pass me down hill and the opposite one going uphill I could see first time standing still how steep it really was. There is no room for mistakes really. Either to do it in one go, going through the bend up the hill or down the hill without stopping for if at any point one stop at the bend, that was a bound slippage waiting to happen. 

Downhill Ride Route 1192 

I was glad it was a downhill and not uphill through this Route 1192 for if I were climbing, I wonder how long I would last before making a mistake with the gears climbing and an accident worst than Chumphon would happen.

Once down at Mae Cheam, the winding up and down rolling hill was a nice ride scenic all the way to Mae Saraing. Only problem was most times there were no chance to stop for photos since the roads does not permit it being single lane and with winding bends every few meters.

I had to choose .... to enjoy the ride through this winding and rolling hills or to look at the beautiful view. 

Mae Hong Son Loop - Route 1192

Traveled on: Dec 2018
#route1192 #maehongsonloop #motorbiking #blurtravels