A chance for one last ride before the burn-off re-established itself dawned. My bike knows the way to Pai & we were comfortably there in under 2 hours. Down Th. Rasdamrong, over the Nam Pai then left out along the 4034 to Tan Chet Ton.
Sometimes its not just where you are going but how you are going to get there. There's a certain freedom in taking just any track, an exhilaration in witnessing areas from other than a bitumen road.
The plan was to head on routes variously described on the GTR map as "Dirt Trail 4WD only, Wet season impassable" or "Motorcycle Only, Wet season impassable" north past Huai Chang Tao, through Muang Noi, up to Hua Pai & down to Kong Lom then down 3 kls to Wiang Haeng before heading back on the dirt south through Sam Mun , Mae Muang & Doi Chang then re-exiting on the 1095 via Huai Nam Dang NP - the 'Wiang Haeng Loop'.
On turning north at Tan Chet Ton I stopped roadside to reacquaint myself with the map only to be greeted by a hitherto unknown Swiss fellow, Charlie. Its sometimes fortuitous to have inside knowledge before setting out on the unknown so I include his photo below taken at the 'snack' run by his Thai girlfriend in case you speak French!
Heading north from Tan Chet Ton the route climbed quickly up the mountains affording wonderful views of Pai. Such views are possible at this time as the trees have shed their leaves, but the trade off is haze making quality photography difficult. It is a beautiful stretch of mature forest through which you motor on a path I feel warrants a possible upgrade on Dave's map, at least through to Muang Noi. There are some refreshing spots giving water or rustic bridge crossing options:
Karen villages are scattered back behind the trees away from the road. I headed into one - Ban Huai Heer - photographed below with the bridge leading to the village:
Its an excellent place to witness these people away from well-trodden tracks:
On into Muang Noi, a significant village & the first town on the way through which you actually pass. When the health centre was built at the village of Muang Noi in the early 1990's workers unearthed a mass grave of soldiers massacred in WW11. They were Japanes soldiers. It is assumed that they were killed by Karen as the Japanese withdrew from Burma back into Thailand at war's end - Karen & Karenni underground forces, organised & armed by the Britsih, killed an estimated 12,500 Japanese troops as they retreated in disarray.
From Muang Noi the route starts to show the effects of recent rains. Passing traffic virtually disappears & there's a wonderful sense of serenity. What to do if something goes wrong crosses your mind yet on each occassion I had a choice to make - route options are many & Thai only signage is poor if at all - someone just happened to come by. Is there anything better than finding your way via hand signs & big smiles! The people out here are generous & outgoing; trips such as these demand regular contact with them - its very rewarding.
At one stage I did, in fact, head down the wrong road. It was the turn-off just out of Muang Noi which heads around to Soppong through Ae Ko; a trip I'll be doing later in the year with Ian/Bungy. The hill-tribes are tremendous farmers & along this detour was a wonderful stretch of farming. From the shot below you can well imagine the beauty of the spot once the rice grows:
I retraced my track to be greeted by a young pommie, Paul, riding off-road. Interesting who you meet along the way, Paul has a doctorate in horticulture & lives & works 6 months in Canada then bases himself in Soppong & hits the off-roads of Thailand for 6 months:
The picture also explains the confusion one faces in road choice - I took the left fork (to Soppong) behind Paul as I like to follow 'the track most used' - wrong! Any signage?
The road on to Hua Pai is more along the lines of what I was expecting from the GTR map description. The forest changes to an evergreen jungle which prevents drying & can make conditions treacherous. The road down from Hua Pai to Kong Lom is a fun roller coaster that could easily turn to a blood bath in the wet.
I caught up again with Paul for a beer at 'Cowboys' mentioned in my 'Chong Loop' report then needed a police escort to help me find the way south that I was seeking:
(to be continued......................)
Attached files
Sometimes its not just where you are going but how you are going to get there. There's a certain freedom in taking just any track, an exhilaration in witnessing areas from other than a bitumen road.
The plan was to head on routes variously described on the GTR map as "Dirt Trail 4WD only, Wet season impassable" or "Motorcycle Only, Wet season impassable" north past Huai Chang Tao, through Muang Noi, up to Hua Pai & down to Kong Lom then down 3 kls to Wiang Haeng before heading back on the dirt south through Sam Mun , Mae Muang & Doi Chang then re-exiting on the 1095 via Huai Nam Dang NP - the 'Wiang Haeng Loop'.
On turning north at Tan Chet Ton I stopped roadside to reacquaint myself with the map only to be greeted by a hitherto unknown Swiss fellow, Charlie. Its sometimes fortuitous to have inside knowledge before setting out on the unknown so I include his photo below taken at the 'snack' run by his Thai girlfriend in case you speak French!
Heading north from Tan Chet Ton the route climbed quickly up the mountains affording wonderful views of Pai. Such views are possible at this time as the trees have shed their leaves, but the trade off is haze making quality photography difficult. It is a beautiful stretch of mature forest through which you motor on a path I feel warrants a possible upgrade on Dave's map, at least through to Muang Noi. There are some refreshing spots giving water or rustic bridge crossing options:
Karen villages are scattered back behind the trees away from the road. I headed into one - Ban Huai Heer - photographed below with the bridge leading to the village:
Its an excellent place to witness these people away from well-trodden tracks:
On into Muang Noi, a significant village & the first town on the way through which you actually pass. When the health centre was built at the village of Muang Noi in the early 1990's workers unearthed a mass grave of soldiers massacred in WW11. They were Japanes soldiers. It is assumed that they were killed by Karen as the Japanese withdrew from Burma back into Thailand at war's end - Karen & Karenni underground forces, organised & armed by the Britsih, killed an estimated 12,500 Japanese troops as they retreated in disarray.
From Muang Noi the route starts to show the effects of recent rains. Passing traffic virtually disappears & there's a wonderful sense of serenity. What to do if something goes wrong crosses your mind yet on each occassion I had a choice to make - route options are many & Thai only signage is poor if at all - someone just happened to come by. Is there anything better than finding your way via hand signs & big smiles! The people out here are generous & outgoing; trips such as these demand regular contact with them - its very rewarding.
At one stage I did, in fact, head down the wrong road. It was the turn-off just out of Muang Noi which heads around to Soppong through Ae Ko; a trip I'll be doing later in the year with Ian/Bungy. The hill-tribes are tremendous farmers & along this detour was a wonderful stretch of farming. From the shot below you can well imagine the beauty of the spot once the rice grows:
I retraced my track to be greeted by a young pommie, Paul, riding off-road. Interesting who you meet along the way, Paul has a doctorate in horticulture & lives & works 6 months in Canada then bases himself in Soppong & hits the off-roads of Thailand for 6 months:
The picture also explains the confusion one faces in road choice - I took the left fork (to Soppong) behind Paul as I like to follow 'the track most used' - wrong! Any signage?
The road on to Hua Pai is more along the lines of what I was expecting from the GTR map description. The forest changes to an evergreen jungle which prevents drying & can make conditions treacherous. The road down from Hua Pai to Kong Lom is a fun roller coaster that could easily turn to a blood bath in the wet.
I caught up again with Paul for a beer at 'Cowboys' mentioned in my 'Chong Loop' report then needed a police escort to help me find the way south that I was seeking:
(to be continued......................)
Attached files
