Although instead of the planned 2 weeks, due to the Songkran festival (I really didn't have it on my radar), I only had one week of biking left, I was still extremely excited to get on the motorcycle ๐
There were many providers, but I think I made a pretty decent choice with Mango Bikes. Although the red Honda (I really wanted a red bike for the photos๐), which I actually wanted, was not available, I got a very nice red Benelli๐คฉ
I spent almost the whole day at my hostel, as I didn't really want to say goodbye to the people... 4 hot party nights really bond people together ๐คทโโ๏ธ
But at 4 pm we finally started towards Pai. The route was insane, roads like we have in Germany, countless curves (well actually they are countable, there are exactly 762 ๐คฉ) and a landscape like from a picture book.
After a good 3 hours of driving I arrived at my accommodation, the 'Jazzhostel', where there is live music every evening ๐๐๐ฝ I strolled through the street food market for a short time, but then decided to have a quiet evening at the hostel, as we had to start early the next day. After a short time (about a Gin Tonic long๐), a Viennese guy sat down next to me, who was also on a motorcycle tour.... with a red Honda... from Mango Bikes... MY Honda!!!๐คฃ๐คฃ Unreal but true, out of the countless motorcycle rentals, it was exactly the guy who had taken my Honda... Georg ๐.
After a few Gin Tonics, we decided to continue traveling together, as we both wanted to do the Mae Hong Son Loop anyway. Said and done...๐
So the next morning we continued together towards Mae Hong Son. First stop, Lod Cave ๐
Not my first cave, but definitely the most beautiful so far... and the most dangerous...๐
If someone stumbles, Dominoday can make a comeback ๐คฆโโ๏ธ Our tour guide didn't really speak English, but he knew the most important explanations...๐The Leaning Tower of Pisa ๐ ๐ and๐ Fat woman...๐ But my personal highlight of the Lod Caves was the ride on the bamboo boat ๐ Fishes followed us from all sides, which we were also allowed to feed (of course, otherwise they wouldn't learn to follow the boats ๐คทโโ๏ธ๐ ) The atmosphere was truly mystical... and even though there were so many people there, it was completely silent, as everyone was fascinated by the light. And back again... Next we continued to the Pha Suea waterfall. Unfortunately, we underestimated the distance a bit and only arrived around 5 pm, but we didn't have to pay an entrance fee anymore ๐Now I understood why... this waterfall is not really a sight to behold (at least in the dry season) ๐ But great for swimming, because apart from the rock I was standing on, the water was deep and I don't think there were any animals either๐ After about half an hour, it was already getting dark ๐ So we headed to our guesthouse in Mae Hong Son. As the capital of the region of the same name, I really thought there would still be something going on here.... but no...๐ But there was a nice lake ๐ So there was only a really delicious Burmese!!!! dinner and a Gin Tonic at a bar, and then it was already time for bed ๐ด Unbelievable that we only drove 150 km that day... But with so many curves and altitude meters, you don't necessarily get ahead quickly ๐ Next day: Off to the Long Neck Karen village ๐ It wasn't really on my list, because you can't really see how the Long Necks really live (they also live off tourists), but Georg really wanted to go there, so why not ๐คทโโ๏ธ However, this village was REALLY difficult to find. We had to drive along kilometers of small roads, first rocky, then sandy, and I thought I was going to fall several times...But in the end, we arrived safely ๐ Especially interesting were the houses of the Karens... completely tiled with leaves '๐ฑSpicy stuff... All in all, you should definitely see a village like this, but I was also glad when we moved on ๐ The following route was the most beautiful part of the entire motorcycle tour. We drove through mountains, small villages, past herds of water buffalo and swarms of cicadas.We stopped at a rest area for a coffee and received a nice gift in advance โบ๏ธ:Green tea and no idea what kind of fruit that was ๐ On top, we had this view:Simply picturesque ๐ I think we stared into the distance for about half an hour and enjoyed the view, but then we had to continue to visit another waterfall.... ... which unfortunately had a little too little water due to the dry season ๐ And so the third day slowly came to an end... Now it was time to find accommodation for the next night... or at least a city ๐ Finally, we found a small town near Doi Inthanon, the highest mountain in Thailand, which was next on our list for the next day. Unfortunately, in the morning I had to bring my motorcycle to the workshop because I was constantly losing coolant. Since we didn't know how long it would take and Georg didn't have much time to travel anyway, we decided to continue separately. Fortunately, after just one hour Buddha be praised, the matter was taken care of and I could continue the journey.... alone...๐ But that's okay too, Doi Inthanon was still impressive ๐ This photo was taken near the summit, but there was a little more to go up. The flower garden was really beautiful, about 20 people worked there every day ๐ฎ And on top of that, I was there ๐ with an altitude of almost 2,600 meters, Doi Inthanon is not really that huge, but on top it was only 24 degrees, which I think was the coolest temperature since I arrived, and I actually felt a bit chilly ๐ Now all I had to do was reach Lamphun before it got dark, I was particularly looking forward to my great accommodation... :My own little house on the pond! :D I was checked in by a ladyboy, which was more than funny for me. I knew I was actually talking to a man, but he only wanted to talk to me about my nails and makeup๐The accommodation unfortunately didn't have a restaurant, so I went to the nearby street food market ๐คคReally, I LOVE these markets. The food usually costs no more than one euro and is super delicious, so I often got something from up to 4 stalls. The drinks had to be brought along and also cost only a few cents in the supermarket ๐คทโโ๏ธ So I was completely full and exhausted when I went to bed ๐ด.... The next day, I had a great surprise: the coolant had completely leaked out again!๐คฆโโ๏ธ Since I was near Chiang Mai anyway, I asked at my motorcycle rental if I could exchange my bike, and it was actually no problem at all! I also immediately got refunded for the workshop costs, really a super fast and uncomplicated service! So I continued with a new bike towards Chiang Rai, with a short stop at this temple here: I forgot the name of the temple unfortunately, and I couldn't find it later on Maps either, it was somewhere south of Chiang Rai ๐คIn any case, this temple was more than crazy...๐
There were bells everywhere in the temple, which were also constantly rung by the visitors. The ringing of the differently sized bells sounded really beautiful, so I wanted to be part of the concert too (I don't think any bell remained unrung๐)
But the really strange thing was the statues inside the temple:Zoom in on the black guy ๐ His companion was also funny to look at ๐ Elephant heads with snake bodies... everything was somehow wrong here...๐ More bells ๐ Despite, or maybe because of all the confusing details, I absolutely loved this temple and it was one of my highlights: This detour was definitely worth it โบ๏ธ Next, we went to Chiang Rai!Since it was already evening when I arrived, I declared the rest of the day as a wellness day ๐First, I treated myself to a full-body massage, then I needed something delicious to eat ๐Even though it didn't look like it... this burger was amazing ๐คคThe evening ended at this nice bar ๐ The next day, classic sightseeing took place, for the last time in Thailand.The first stop was the Black Temple, or rather the Temples were more like a museum: .... a somewhat different museum ๐ At first, I couldn't believe what was displayed here, but 'art' is always in the eye of the beholder ๐
All the different black buildings were decorated with dead animals and lots of dark wood... a morbid atmosphere prevailed and I didn't feel really comfortable...
I decided to go to the toilet for a moment to get a little distance from the strange scenery...
... in vain ๐
So I quickly moved on after about an hour to the next stop, the Blue Temple.
This one is not as well known as the other temples, which I can't understand at all, because I liked the Blue Temple by far the most.
All the statues standing there were worked with so much attention to detail...
... simply amazing ๐
But the inside of the temple was also very nice...
A bit kitschy, but I loved it ๐
And finally, I had the best coconut ice cream of my life ๐คค
Lastly, we went to the landmark of Chiang Mai, the White Temple.
From a distance, it is really nice to look at, but up close it is more than creepy:
It is said that the hands retain your sins, so that you can pass through the 'entrance' of the bridge. It reminded me a bit of The Walking Dead...๐
And there I was... sin-free in front of the bridge...๐
And bye bye temple, for me there was still a long journey back to Chiang Mai that day, where I had planned a 2-day farm stay ๐
Just in time, after a good 4 hours of driving, I arrived at my accommodation in the evening, because I experienced the first rain in Chiang Mai after 7 months of dry season with it ๐
The owners of the property, both French, were terribly nice, I was welcomed with a beer on the house first, before I was shown my private little house ๐
Really a great accommodation ๐ In addition, the off-season had started and I was the only guest... I had everything to myself:๐
...I enjoyed this especially at the pool...๐
But of course, a real farm stay also includes some animals ๐
...my chicks....
...my geese....
...meeeehhhh....
...even more meeeehhhh....
....aaaaand my baby doggo๐
During the day, I really did NOTHING but eat and laze around...๐
In the evening, however, there was still a little highlight on the program, the Chiang Mai Night Safari ๐
A mixture of a regular zoo and a safari tour, where you can experience many animals up close ๐
Like this colleague here ๐ฆ๐
...or this one...๐ฆ๐
There was also an area where you could take photos with the animals for free (or against a voluntary donation) ๐
Is it Ellan or Steve๐ค๐
๐
๐๐๐
Another highlight was the Lion and Tiger Show... or so I thought...
Because the animals were heavily sedated, some of them just staggered around, while the dumb Asians applauded... I left the show after about 5 minutes...
However, there was also the Night Predator Show, where you could watch the 'hunters of the night' being fed. This one was really spectacular... so impressive that I actually forgot to take photos...๐
Finally, I strolled through the 'normal' zoo:
Black Panther ๐
GERTIIIIIIIIIII ๐
And whatever that was...๐
And so this day also came to an end, the next day I returned my bike and spent another night at Stamps Hostel, my accommodation from the Songkran Festival.
After that it was: bye Thailand๐จ๐ท hello Vietnam..๐ป๐ณ
