A snack?
Leaving Tha Ton I head towards the Mae Hong Son loop. On the way, I stop at a small cafe, like there are thousands in Thailand. The lady serves us a drink but what catches my attention is what is placed on the table.
Bamboo sticks and small banana leaf packages.
I examine everything carefully, trying to guess what it is.
No use…
The lady, seeing my perplexity, comes over and explains that these are snacks.
The bamboo stick can be peeled like a banana and, inside, there is rice cooked in coconut milk. The whole thing is perfumed by the bamboo.
The small package wrapped in banana leaves also contains a mixture of rice and coconut milk but it is, in addition, covered with an egg mousse. Both are delicious.
Farm life is all well and good, except that...
Tonight, I spend the night in a rice paddy in Mae Taeng and enjoy the view of the mountains and the games of the geese in order to prepare myself for the day that awaits me tomorrow.
However, the night will be long and uncomfortable.
Asians generally have very firm mattresses. Tonight, I reach a peak in firmness, a wooden board would be more comfortable and, to top it all off, the 5 dogs of the farm, and the family, start their day noisily at 5 am. That will teach me to want to forget my little comfort for the benefit of a magnificent evening in a rice paddy with a very nice Thai family.
Mae Hong Son
Mae Hong Son is a city but also a province and finally a road that goes around this province.
This loop is popular with motorcyclists around the world.
4088 curves spread over 700 km. A dream...
A dream or a nightmare, only the future will tell me.
It starts steep. The ride to Pai is epic. These are not curves, they are hairpins.
I learned some tricks and techniques with my motorcycle course and my 5 years of experience but it seems that it is not enough.
I negotiate turns at 45°, 90°, and even 135° well but when we get to 180°… while going up…, I find myself in semi-panic mode.
I put on the laces… but not just any laces. Construction worker laces.
credit: wewanderlust.co
I would have liked to take a picture to show you but it is impossible to stop. First, the bike would fall if I tried to stop. In addition, the road is narrow and other vehicles push me.
Pong Dueat Geyser
After an hour, a short stop is necessary. A sign tells me that there is a geyser not far away.
Immediately, images of picnics appear. As a child, Yogi Bear and his friend Boo-Boo Bear were an integral part of my Saturday morning and the geysers of Jellystone impressed me enormously.
Autumn is flood season in Thailand. Landslides are common. On the 6 km it took me to get to the geyser, there were about ten landslides. However, Thais are used to dealing with these hazards, just as we deal with snow, without thinking about it or almost. So, they move the earth and mudslides, they straighten the electricity poles and life goes on.
Arriving at the geyser, I am impressed. It is the first time I see one.
The water that comes out is boiling. It comes from underground pockets and, given the pressure there, it can reach a temperature of 200°C while remaining liquid.
After this first day in the Mae Hong Son loop, my arrival in Pai is welcome. All afternoon, unbeknownst to my companion, I was making plans to return to Chiang Mai by bus, as I found the road so difficult.
Pai
This village impresses me. Lost in the mountains, with a population of 3000, they have managed to become a magnet for backpackers from all over the world. The place vibrates. A simple walk on the pedestrian street allows me to hear a dozen languages including... Quebecois. I spend two nights there, regain my strength and I am ready to leave again.
The next day I went to the town of Mae Hong Son, stopping, on the way, at the top of Kiew Lom mountain.
All along the road, the landscapes never cease to impress me. The landscapes and... the roadside stops so beautiful and welcoming.
After Pai, the road is easier or I got the twist. Let's say it's a mix of both. The fact is that I appreciate the following days much more.
The loop ends beautifully. After a sleep in the city of Mae Hong Son and another in Mae La Noi, I return to Chiang Mai, proud to have conquered the Mae Hong Son loop. I will take advantage of it to prepare the rest of my adventures in... Laos.
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