So, yours truly, who's knowledge of Chiang Rai consists of one night in the Ben Guesthouse in 1992 and a night on the piss with a bunch of well dodgy characters a couple months ago (you know who you are..... you're all here!!) decided he wanted to check out Chiang Rai Saddlebags (and maybe repeat the night on the piss!) during his last few days of freedom.
I had envisaged a quick blat up the 118 to get in, do some shopping, have a nice relaxing massage during the afternoon (I understand there are some very friendly ladies working in some of the parlours..... must go have a look!), grab a beer or six and maybe find some more friendly natives to pass the time of day (night) with but no...... Crowy the Duke (I know you're reading this!) decides that he wants to put the Monster through her paces and plots a chart for Chiang Rai Saddlebags via bleedin' Doi Mae Salong..... hokay, nae worries, I've just done it a week before on the Big White Pig so no problem about doing it again....... off we jolly well go!!
All fine apart from the "in" I had memorised was for coming in from the south....... and we came in from the north! And guess what...... Chiang Rai aint the sleepy lil backwater ville it was in 1992 any more! We found what we thought was the Town Hall and decided to give Marty at the shop a bell to see if he could talk us in...... and what does he do? Gives the phone to Mrs Marty who then asks me to hand my phone to a local, gets details of where we are and says to me "stay right where you are, I'll come and get you!" I then asked the "local" who Mrs Marty had got our location from and he told me "mai pen rai, she be here quick, it's only 10 kilos!!"
And she did! What a terrific lady! So off we went to meet Marty and peruse his great shop, make a few purchases (love the tank bag!) and have a good ol' chinwag! All I can say is, if you haven't been there, do it! They may or may not have anything for you to part your hard earned with but what the hell, it's enough just to go and meet some very special nice people...... I was looking for a tank bag for the Africa Twin but had turned up on the Ultra and Marty actually said "Never mind, take a selection home, see which one fits and pay me next time around when you bring them back!" All I could say to that was "Bloody hell!" (I made a purchase there and then for a terrific Givi bag which fits all me rides!)
So...... to Marty and the Missus, many many thanks for your wonderful friendly customer service, it was a pleasure making your aquaintance, I certainly reccommend your business to others and wish you all the very best for the future.
Cheers from the Brit,
Martin
I had envisaged a quick blat up the 118 to get in, do some shopping, have a nice relaxing massage during the afternoon (I understand there are some very friendly ladies working in some of the parlours..... must go have a look!), grab a beer or six and maybe find some more friendly natives to pass the time of day (night) with but no...... Crowy the Duke (I know you're reading this!) decides that he wants to put the Monster through her paces and plots a chart for Chiang Rai Saddlebags via bleedin' Doi Mae Salong..... hokay, nae worries, I've just done it a week before on the Big White Pig so no problem about doing it again....... off we jolly well go!!
All fine apart from the "in" I had memorised was for coming in from the south....... and we came in from the north! And guess what...... Chiang Rai aint the sleepy lil backwater ville it was in 1992 any more! We found what we thought was the Town Hall and decided to give Marty at the shop a bell to see if he could talk us in...... and what does he do? Gives the phone to Mrs Marty who then asks me to hand my phone to a local, gets details of where we are and says to me "stay right where you are, I'll come and get you!" I then asked the "local" who Mrs Marty had got our location from and he told me "mai pen rai, she be here quick, it's only 10 kilos!!"
And she did! What a terrific lady! So off we went to meet Marty and peruse his great shop, make a few purchases (love the tank bag!) and have a good ol' chinwag! All I can say is, if you haven't been there, do it! They may or may not have anything for you to part your hard earned with but what the hell, it's enough just to go and meet some very special nice people...... I was looking for a tank bag for the Africa Twin but had turned up on the Ultra and Marty actually said "Never mind, take a selection home, see which one fits and pay me next time around when you bring them back!" All I could say to that was "Bloody hell!" (I made a purchase there and then for a terrific Givi bag which fits all me rides!)
So...... to Marty and the Missus, many many thanks for your wonderful friendly customer service, it was a pleasure making your aquaintance, I certainly reccommend your business to others and wish you all the very best for the future.
Cheers from the Brit,
Martin
