Carlien had really wanted to rent a motorbike to cruise around Pai. There were some waterfalls, hot springs, and beautiful landscapes nearby. I was a bit apprehensive seeing as I hadn't driven any sort of vehicle in seven months and hadn't ridden any type of motorcycle in maybe 8 years. But who am I to say no to a beautiful girl?
At breakfast, we heard a loud crash down the street. Some tourist had crashed a motorbike into one of the women cooking food along the street. A short while later when we went hunting for motorbikes to rent, word had already spread through the little town. The couple renting our bike said, "Are you sure you can drive it, if not, we will not give it to you." I assured them I'd driven one before, a manual dirt bike in fact (though only once and many years earlier). Despite the look of fear and doubt on my face, they handed us the key to our Typhoon-R 125.
It was driving around the crowded streets in town that made me nervous. They drive on the left in Thailand which threw a little confusion into the mix. Once we were out on the open road though, things were smooth sailing. We road down the 1095 to the local hot springs but quickly turned around after finding out that admission was 400 baht (the motorbike cost 100-baht to rent for 24 hours!) We continued to the waterfall but read that it was a 5 hour hike on foot. No time for that, besides, we had a motorbike. Finally we found Pai Canyon which was a short climb from the road side. The canyon has these amazing footpaths running through it that rise hundreds of feet from the bottom. We walked out to a few of them to get some photos but my slippery shoes made me worry about taking a tumble so we wandered around a bit, had some snacks and headed back out on the road.
We road up and down the hills around Pai, riding through villages and passing by resorts, farmland, and elephant parks. As long as we had gasoline, we kept on going. North of Pai airport, we got lost a bit through some beautiful countryside before somehow ending up on the familiar path back to town. At the end of the day, we returned with smiles [and bugs] on our faces and hunger in our stomachs. It was a shame to have to leave the next morning but time had run out.
Cheesy music added for full effect.
At breakfast, we heard a loud crash down the street. Some tourist had crashed a motorbike into one of the women cooking food along the street. A short while later when we went hunting for motorbikes to rent, word had already spread through the little town. The couple renting our bike said, "Are you sure you can drive it, if not, we will not give it to you." I assured them I'd driven one before, a manual dirt bike in fact (though only once and many years earlier). Despite the look of fear and doubt on my face, they handed us the key to our Typhoon-R 125.
It was driving around the crowded streets in town that made me nervous. They drive on the left in Thailand which threw a little confusion into the mix. Once we were out on the open road though, things were smooth sailing. We road down the 1095 to the local hot springs but quickly turned around after finding out that admission was 400 baht (the motorbike cost 100-baht to rent for 24 hours!) We continued to the waterfall but read that it was a 5 hour hike on foot. No time for that, besides, we had a motorbike. Finally we found Pai Canyon which was a short climb from the road side. The canyon has these amazing footpaths running through it that rise hundreds of feet from the bottom. We walked out to a few of them to get some photos but my slippery shoes made me worry about taking a tumble so we wandered around a bit, had some snacks and headed back out on the road.
We road up and down the hills around Pai, riding through villages and passing by resorts, farmland, and elephant parks. As long as we had gasoline, we kept on going. North of Pai airport, we got lost a bit through some beautiful countryside before somehow ending up on the familiar path back to town. At the end of the day, we returned with smiles [and bugs] on our faces and hunger in our stomachs. It was a shame to have to leave the next morning but time had run out.
Cheesy music added for full effect.
"Get on you bad motorscooter and ride!"
I love the helmets.
http://www.bollyvista.com/data/photogallery/image/image_5900.jpg