After the rather long time in a big city like Hanoi, we wanted to spend some time in nature today and for this reason we rented a scooter to go to a nearby national park. At first, we were not sure if we should dare to ride the scooter here in Thailand, as there is left-hand traffic and we could not find out if we are allowed to drive here with our international driver's license. However, since the national park was too steep and we wouldn't have seen much on foot or by bike, we decided to go for the convenient scooter and Andra started as the driver. It only took five minutes until we were pulled over by a police control... Fortunately, it turned out that our international driver's license is valid, but I am apparently not allowed to drive here, as I don't have a motorcycle driver's license, even though in Germany you are allowed to ride scooters up to 50 km/h with a regular driver's license.
Arriving at the national park, we first stopped at a waterfall and then hiked through the jungle in 30 degrees (!) to another one.
Many colorful butterflies accompanied us on the way, flying around us, sitting on the ground, or perching on plants and rocks.
Lastly, we drove further up the mountains until we reached a viewpoint that faced west towards the untouched mountains surrounding Chiang Mai. Even in daylight, this created an impressive image with a special atmosphere, as it was a bit hazy, causing the mountains in the back to slowly disappear in the mist, making everything look a bit otherworldly. This was further enhanced by the red and orange tones of the setting sun, and we witnessed a breathtaking sunset. Sunset in three steps Once it was dark, it quickly became cold on the mountain without the sun, which was intensified by the wind while riding the scooter, so we were glad to be back in the warmer city in our short clothes. This is now my 40th blog post, a round birthday, and fitting for the start of the last section of the journey in Thailand. I am still happy that my little travel report still reaches people who continue to read it and enjoy it after 40 posts and 44 days on the road. Thank you very much for that!