Getting lost on foot in a city is a great way to explore a new place, but I was thrilled to finally get out into the mountains and feel the rush of 125cc’s with wind flowing through my… helmet. The other hostel guests looked worried for me when I said it had been awhile since I’d been on a motorbike – especially since Chiang Mai is known for bad traffic with chaotic intersections. A Thailand frequent-er and avid motorcycle rider gave me a suggestion to do the Samoeng Loop, and off I went. After getting out of the city, and gaining some elevation into the mountains I came to an accommodation that had me wondering if there were any vacancies.
As fuel efficient as my motorbike was, there came a time when I found myself miles from any town with the ticker getting closer and closer to E. I came to a T in the road, and looked at my map thinking Samoeng has to have a fuel station as the last three towns didn’t. As the needle got into the red, I was losing quite a bit of elevation thinking no way my motorbike would make it back up these steeps without more fuel. I pull into Samoeng, and peruse the three main roads and finally come to what’s literally two pumps on the side of the road, definitely no Shell Chevron super-station. This is the saddest I’ve ever been reading the numbers 73 and 95 as my bike needed gasoline numbered 91.
I venture back out onto the road hoping to find a real station. I pull into a Yamaha service center thinking someone has to speak at least broken English, and will help out despite my Honda bike. When the store manager called someone from the back after hearing my lack of any understanding of the Thai language, my instructions from the young mechanic were “turn left, go long way to X (he made an x with his arms), turn right and 200 meters later I should see one.” With no other course of action I followed his instruction to the best of my ability, and am so thankful there was a legitimate fuel station in this tiny town. With peace of mind, I got some meat skewers, a Thai coffee, and gave thanks at the scenic spot on the way out of town.
Every view is much more appreciated when fuel is not a worry. This is Ban Pong, a town closer to the end of the loop, where I would’ve enjoyed a cup of tea if it wasn’t 50 THB – for a frame of reference most meals in Chiang Mai are 35-40 THB. It may be a negligible difference in US dollars, but it’s a principle for me.
I arrived back in Chiang Mai with plenty of daylight left, and thought ‘self, I’ve got this thing until tomorrow I need to make the most out of this.’ I hadn’t been up to one of the better temples in Chiang Mai, Doi Suthep, that sits on top of a hillside overlooking the city so I figured I’d send it and try to catch the sunset. I get all the way through the city, start to ascend up to the temple, and sure enough – as I’d been flooring my motorbike all day through mountains – the engine gives out.
This seems tragic, but I turned around, let gravity take me down to a tourist area with a mini temple where I found a policeman. I made some gestures to him trying to explain the situation and somehow finagled him to call the number on the bike’s bumper sticker. He motioned for me to wait on the side of the road, and for 20 minutes I sat there worried the rental agency would figure out I didn’t just stay in the city like I said I would when I initially received the bike. Of course I didn’t read the contract fully before signing, but hoped for the best as I did recall something along the lines of don’t crash and we’ll bring you a new one if something goes wrong. Two reps from the rental company pull up, siphon the gas into a new motorbike, point to me, point to the new bike, and then say ‘ok, bye!’ I’m laughing to myself at this point, I take off up the hill hoping to catch some of the sunset, and have to pull over to take in this view of Chiang Mai at dusk.
I’m quite pleased I chose to visit Doi Suthep at night just a bit before closing time. It was much less crowded, and I could hear the monks singing despite many of the other visitors still ignoring the ‘Quiet, Please!’ signs. I also like to think the gold shone brighter against the night sky.
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