Phuket- Deserted Beach and Motor Scooter Ride

 I arrived in Phuket on a flight from Chiang Mai and found an utter mob scene- cars, motorcycles, scooters, can s, people everywhere. 

Thinking to get away from the chaos, I decided to head for Freedom Beach, a beach that had a reputation for beauty and for being uncrowded due its difficulty of access and because it involves a long walk to reach. I found it as advertised and nearly deserted-

To ensure a safe journey through the traffic madness I hired a motor scooter to bring me to and fro-

Weaving in and out of the traffic, sometimes just inches away from other vehicles was terrifying and then on the return exhilarating- kind of an adrenaline rush. Maybe unwise but really way fun.  The drivers must have been at least 17  

Next day boat trip to famous James Bond Island. 

Pai; Hippies Gone?

 I left Mae Hong Son and drove back to Chiang Mai, finishing the Mae Hong Son loop, more or less in

With all the passing of trucks and slower vehicles around the constant hairpin turns, I felt like I was in a car race but without a race car. Exhilarating in a strange (and stressful) way.  But the Yaris made it-

In any case, I stopped along the way at the town of Pai, a well known hippy/backpacker place since it was discovered by indigent western travelers in the 70s and 80s.  I was looking forward to male ponytails, grungy penniless backpackers and a cloud of marijuana smoke so thick that one could hardly see down the street.  In other words, the authentic hippy experience.

It started out promising enough when I drove down the main street and saw what I thought was hippy/backpacker laundry overhanging the street-

On closer inspection, however, it appeared to be.... some sort of festive stuff.. As I walked around the pleasant town I was somewhat shocked and disappointed to see a mostly normal (clean???) looking young crowd...appearing even a bit affluent?   

And then a crushing blow to my hopes when I saw quite a few of these-

What self respecting backpacker from the old days would have any use for a  pay for laundry service?? 

The only thing authentic I saw was this travel agency-

There were a few vestiges of the old hippy days, but even those had a slightly upscale whiff about them-

The final blow came when I saw a young woman wheeling a suitcase down the street.  Mon Dieu!   I don't blame the old timers if they have. as it appears, decamped to a more hospitable (and cheaper) locale. First the Buddhist monks now the hippies  

After consoling myself with a (ubiquitous here) fruit smoothie, I went to hike Pai Canyon a few miles from town.  It was indeed something of a canyon and came with a very narrow, knife's edge type trail (as well as a canyon trail within a canyon) with sizeable drop offs on either side.  Not at all comfortable for me with my fear of heights-

I finished my 5 hour drive to Chaing Mai and went to the street market for dinner where I met this gardener from Japan named Yammi 

He was an excellent dinner companion and we had a very pleasant conversation.   Whereas I usually start most conversations, he initiated this one, which was a pleasant change.  I thought it funny when he asked me my age- few are so direct and it seemed ironic coming from a Japanese fellow. 

Onto Phuket and the famous Thai beaches of the south.   

Doi Inthanon, Mae Hong Son Loop and Thailand Sunset

 As road trips in cheap underpowered rental cars are usually part of my trip itinerary, I rented a car and zoomed off into the wilds of NW Thailand (well, I didn't actually zoom anywhere in my 10 yr old Toyota Yaris).   My first stop was Doi Inthanon, the highest mountain in Thailand at around 8600'.  It wasn't an easy climb, but I managed to climb it in about 2 hours.  Well, ok, the Yaris actually did the work as there is a road to the top (no hiking trail actually).  No shame in driving.  Well, maybe a little.  In any case, I met a South Korean climbing team at the top-

 There is no view at the top of Doi Inthanon (covered in forest), but there are a couple of interesting trails.  The first one takes you through this lichen and moss covered forest- think Fangorn forest in The Lord of Rings if you know that book-

The second hike actually provided some views from a rare (for Thailand) meadow-

Rododendrens are common plants in the Himalayas (and the mountains in NW Thailand are technically the eastern end of the Himalayan range).  They can grow up to 40' tall and are in bloom right now in Thailand-

Leaving Doi Inthanon, I set out on the famous (in Thailand) Mae Hong Son loop, a roughly 300 mile circuit which reputedly has 1867 switch backs over its full course, though I swear I counted 1868.  My destination for the evening was the city of Mae Hong Son hard by the Mynamar border in NW Thailand.  From Doi Inthanon I think it was only about 120 miles, but Google estimated 4+ hours.  Hmm.  It is not a ride for the faint hearted or even for those who might wish to live to see tomorrow as you must constantly pass trucks and slow moving vehicles around hairpin turns or reconcile yourself to spending the rest of your days in some remote Thai village. My constant hope as I gunned the Yaris was that there would be nothing more than motor scooters coming at me around the blind bend.  

The ride went through the mountains behind the city of Mae Hong Son (pictured):

In any case, I somehow made it to Mae Hong Son, which had some beautiful Buddhist temples, one after a wee climb-

And of course, a pleasant night market around a reservoir with some more striking temples 

At dinner, I had this dish- recommended by the waiter- and it was delicious.  No idea what was in it. 

Finally, I ended the day atop this hill looking to the west and Mynamar (aka Burma) as the sun set over Thailand- 

Chiang Mai- Ancient Temples, Night Markets and White Elephants

 I left Hong Kong and flew directly to Chiang Mai, a city in Northwest Thailand.  It was about a 3.5 hour flight.  After the flight to Hong Kong, it felt like we were landing shortly after I got in my seat.  

Chiang Mai is an interesting place.  It seems overrun by both tourists and locals, the latter constantly buzzing by on their motor scooters by the thousands as one attempts to cross the street.  It seems like there is an almost endless variety of mongrel vehicles here derived from the bike/auto/truck platforms, including of course the famous tuk-tuk-

I rode in a variety of these inexpensive transports as made my way about the city.

Chiang Mai is known for its night markets, traditional Thai food and ancient Buddhist temples.  It might also be the massage capital of the world if massage salon density or quantity is any indicator as there seem to be Thai massage salons on every street corner.  

  Some of the temples date back to the 1200s-

Many of the temples are quite striking and colorful, with elephants and dragons being a constant theme-

I hiked up to a well known one in the jungle overlooking the city using what is called 'the monk's trail' by using somewhat ancient cartography locally known as Google maps. The trail had somewhat different markings than others I have seen over the years (e.g. painted rocks)-

 They say some of the monks will hike the trail barefoot-

I gave that some thought, but decided that might be viewed as improper cultural appropriation.  The site was quite peaceful and some of the monks were there apparently attending some sort class-

I was happy to see authentic Buddhist monks still practicing, but I could not help but notice that a number  of them there and afterward appeared to staring down at small electronic devices in their hands.  Sacre bleu!  Maybe the monks standards have declined or recruiting is off?  Iphones just seemed at odds with my understanding of the objective of worldly detachment (or of serenity now), but what do I know?  (Of Buddhism, nothing). 

This early temple dated back to the middle ages and captured one artist's attention-

The street food scene of Chiang Mai is somewhat famous in Thailand and is one of the city's attractions, again for both locals and tourists.   It is a chaotic scene with vendor stalls laid out on busy streets mere inches from the buzzing motor scooters tuk tuk, but fun all the same.  You can get a good Thai dinner at these markets for $2-$3 if you don't mind some jostling and tuk-tuk exhaust. 

As mentioned, the night markets of Chiang Mai are also one of the city's big attractions.  Having bought my share of white elephants over the years, I perused the market, but was not about to fall for the various and sundry tourist trinkets and baubles on offer , not with my experience.  Except, well, maybe for a truly authentic white elephant-