#19: Roadtrip

03.02.2020

And off we go! Time for a road trip, and this time a proper one. We plan to visit the highest point in Thailand at Doi Inthanon National Park and see some waterfalls along the way. We are not discouraged by the over two-hour drive, but rather believe in the motto: The journey is (also) the destination.

So today we wake up early, get ready quickly, and zoom off after a hearty breakfast. Since our safety gear unfortunately complies with Thai safety standards rather than German ones, we don't necessarily want to 'speed' on the highways. However, once we have left the gates of Chiang Mai behind us, we soon realize that driving for three-quarters of an hour at 60-70 km/h on the shoulder/bike path of the highway is quite monotonous and not necessarily one of our goals. The wild ride is only interrupted by a police check and a short break.

Once we have left the highway behind, the exciting part of our trip begins. We start our ascent of Doi Inthanon with our 125cc scooter. We make our way through small villages and along the steep and winding mountain road, climbing 2,100 meters above sea level in over 30 °C. The landscape along the way is impressive, with a new view of rice fields, rivers, and the jungle appearing around every bend.

With every meter on the increasingly steep road, we notice how the landscape, climate, and performance of the scooter change. While the landscape becomes lusher, more humid, and greener, the temperature gets cooler, and we are grateful for the thick clothes we have brought along. However, we also notice that the scooter is no longer enjoying the trip and would rather go back home. But no, we want to reach the summit, so our scooter climbs the mountain at full throttle, reaching speeds of 40-50 km/h.

After passing the entrance to the national park and paying the extra entrance fee for foreigners, we soon reach our first real goal: the Wachirathan Waterfall. The 80-meter high waterfall is extremely spectacular and alone worth the long journey. You have an excellent view and can get very close to it. The Sirithan Waterfall is only about 40 meters high, but also very impressive. Unfortunately, it can only be viewed from a slightly distant platform.

Next, we want to make a stop at the Great Holy Relics Pagoda, which was built as a sanctuary by a Thai king in the 1960s. However, when passing a ranger checkpoint, we notice that our ascent has consumed a lot of fuel and our fuel gauge is now below 20%. We consider: can we make the 10 km long and very steep ascent and the 20 km to the next gas station? Or do we drive 7 km back to a gas station? After a quick consultation with a ranger (he started laughing at us), we decide to turn back and try again with a full tank. On the second try, we reach the Great Holy Relics Pagoda. It has magnificent buildings and gardens and offers a beautiful view of the jungle and the mountains.

The last stop is the summit of Doi Inthanon. It turns out to be less spectacular than expected, as the view from up here is surprisingly limited. But at least we have been here once. The temperature at the top is only 13 °C, and we are once again grateful for the thick clothes.

On the way back, we want to spontaneously visit another waterfall, which is only seven kilometers away from our route. However, on the detour, we quickly realize that these are seemingly seven very long kilometers. The road here is particularly narrow, steep, winding, and full of potholes. The idea doesn't seem as good as we thought. When the road turns into a steep gravel track, we decide to turn back.

Halfway back, our scooter really doesn't want to go any further. It shows this by illuminating the temperature warning light in bright red, and we have to make a spontaneous stop between two tight bends. We wait until the engine has cooled down, but after just 2 minutes, a car with a local family stops by to help us. Shortly after, a second car also stops, blocking the road and causing a small traffic jam. The two very friendly and helpful parties start a conversation about how to help us. They agree that we have to wait a little while for the engine to cool down. So we do, and after a few minutes, we continue as gently as possible. When passing the ranger station, we see the Thai family that helped us first. They are talking to rangers and wave at us happily as we drive by. They were probably about to send us help. Hopefully, it wasn't the same group of rangers who laughed at us for running out of fuel. We better not stop and instead drive a few more kilometers to a settlement, where we give the engine some time and have dinner.

It's already getting dark as we head back home. The return journey feels quite fast. Our concentration is maintained by a constant, horizontal hail of mosquitoes on our faces and hands.

After a long drive and an even longer day, we arrive tired and grateful that the scooter made it, at our accommodation. We just wash off the mosquitoes and briefly visit the Night Food Market to get something to eat. Surprisingly, we run into a former colleague of Martin's. After a little chat, we quickly go to bed.