Chiang Mai visit February/March

R1000

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Dec 14, 2010
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The plan has been to visit Chiang Mai and Doi Inthanon in the middle of January but more work in Thailand has come in between so this is not possible anymore. The next opportunity will be late February or in the beginning of March. What about this period, is the climate good etc. and is there a risk the whole area is covered in smoke from burning rice fields :?
 
Nov 7, 2007
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R1000;263081 wrote: is there a risk the whole area is covered in smoke from burning rice fields :?

Definitely a risk. The smokey season starts around the middle of March, but can start earlier... in any case they've certainly started to burn all sorts of stuff by the beginning of March. If you're here only for a couple of days or a week it's probably OK.
 
Mar 15, 2003
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www.daveearly.com
Even if they are burning, it is not enough of a problem to change plans or cancel a trip here. You can still ride; it's not like your dealing with a volcano or forest fire or something. I see Nickster's comment "If you're here only for a couple of days or a week it's probably OK". I am not sure what that means. There are plenty of us living here 365 days a year and riding every chance we get, and we are also "probably OK". I find it interesting to see how people often complain about riding during the "burning season", but at the same time are out seeking to ride on dusty, dirty trails and back roads. Just come and enjoy.
 

R1000

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Dec 14, 2010
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This will finally happen, Chiang Mai will be visited during one week starting April 2.

To be continued...
 

R1000

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Dec 14, 2010
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Back in Sweden after two weeks in Thailand. The first week was very wet, it rained like hell in Surat Thani. The airport closed so I took a taxi 280 km's to Phuket and then went by air to Ching Mai. Visited places are Doi Inthanon, Doi Suthep among others. A special thanks to Mr Mechanic people. I managed to drop the bike on uneven ground and the speedo-house cracked and a footpeg broke. The cost was very reasonable showing that the people at Mr Mechanic are very fair. If the same would have happened at some bike rental in Phuket it could have been very expensive where it is not uncommon with scams.

A lot of unsorted pics here: http://s407.photobucket.com/albums/pp153/R1000K3/Thailand%20April%202011/?albumview=slideshow
 

feejer

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Feb 16, 2007
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Nice pix. I also rented a Honda SuperFour back in 2008 for 2 weeks. I didn't drop it, but the left mirror broke off at the swivel while I was adjusting it in Nan. Some nice girls at the hardware store across from the Dhevaraj directed me to some 2 part epoxy and let me mix it up in their store for a quick roadside repair. It lasted the duration through lots of bumps and when I told the shop about it upon return, they didn't charge me a single baht. She said "No promplem, we hab mirror all over". Gotta love Thailand.
 
Sep 4, 2007
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Enjoyed the slide show, thanks for that. I guess by the time you came to Chiang Mai, we had a bit of rain and the air was much clearer, but to be honest I did not notice any days when the burning was bad enough to affect breathing or vision. We were lucky this year, lets hope its the same in the future.
 

R1000

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Dec 14, 2010
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Yes, the air was clear and warm during the whole week now when I was there. Everything was above expectations :) When I saw the sign Mae Klang Waterfall I just thought I would take a quick look and move on. I stayed there for 3 nights making round-trips in the area and bathing in the river and having a great time.