Thailand
Chaing Mai:
Chaing Mai is a popular destination for a motorcycle tour. There are many rental companies, and self guided tours are common and not too challenging. A common route will ride from Chaing Mai to Pai, a nice village with many facilities and nearby sights, and the famous Mae Hong Son Loop. Surprisingly excellent roads with excellent sights and stops along the way. During our trips we have stayed at The Raming Lodge in Chaing Mai which is a short walk from Tong's Big Bikes rental, and has both western and Thai restaurants nearby.
Tony's Big Bikes : Used by several members. Typically Honda NC750 or similar, good condition, and minimal charges for damages
Phuket
Chaing Rai
Trip Report: Chaing Rai: (HKMR Facebook Post )
ll of us had previously ridden the wonderful tarmac roads of Chaing Mai, Pai and the Mae Hong Song loop; so this time we were looking to hit the dirt-roads of neighbouring district Chaing Rai.
Chaing Rai is smaller than Chaing Mai however has a lot of personality and friendly easy going residents.
We arrived on their annual lunar celebration Loy Krathong where they release floating candles and incense sticks into the river and set off fireworks. There was a large carnival with street food to mark the occasion and was a great introduction on our first night there...
We based ourselves in Chaing Rai and did day trips from our bed and breakfast guesthouse, which worked out really well.
Daily distances were typically 150km and after the home cooked breakfast, we started off at about 8.30am each day to explore the region on the CRF250 enduro bikes we hired.
There is a map you can buy which indicates the off road trails to ride and the road surface.. it gives a general indication, however Google maps is quite up to date and r a reliable way for navigation. We did have to make some route changes due to military road blocks or bridges which had been washed away in flooding!
The routes we took were great fun and varied surfaces of gravel, mud, clay, stream crossings etc, all accompanied with some great scenery along the way.
We faced some challenging parts, however manageable for 95% of the time.
One caution we didn't expect was actually on the regular tarmac roads.... Perhaps a combination of the old knobbly tyres and smooth road surface caught us out a couple of times, and something to be weary of if you venture to the area.
Besides some great dirt road riding and scenery, we also visited some interesting sites, like the Golden Triangle, so named as it is the intersection between Thailand, Myanmar and Laos, all just separated by the Mekong River and within swimming distance of each other.
We reached the border but were turned back from going further by military officers..
Food was another highlight... we had a couple of Thai ladies join the trip, and helped a lot with finding the best spots to eat around town.. After the street food, we had Thai BBQ, hotpot, curries, basically anything local was tasty...
All in all, an excellent 3 day road-trip with good food, nice roads, perfect weather, and great friends to ride with.
Some info for those interested to explore;
Motorcycle Hire
Chiang Rai Big Bike Rentals
1025/8 ถนน เจ็ดยอด ซอย 3 ตำบล เวียง อำเภอ เมืองเชียงราย Chang Wat Chiang Rai 57000, Thailand
+66 90 891 0997
https://goo.gl/maps/t6xpjD7BvXv
Chaing Rai Big Bikes (not associated with any other 'big bikes' franchise)
Honda CRF250's 900THB per day had 35,000kms on the odometer, and in ok condition,.
Accommodation
Nanadoo Homestay Chiangrai
Rim Kok, Mueang Chiang Rai District, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand
+66 81 993 5033
https://goo.gl/maps/Mtc6WZku61k
~1,300THB per person per night. Includes breakfast. Swimming pool etc.
A few KMs away from the city centre making for a nice rural home-stay setting.
Flights
HK Express Hong Kong to Chaing Rai, ~2.5hr direct flight ~HK$2,000 return
Total Budget including flights, accommodation, bike hire and all meals etc was less than HK$5,000
Our itinerary was: depart HK Friday afternoon, pick up the bikes Friday night, ride Saturday, Sunday and till 3pm Monday, then fly back to HK Monday evening..