Thailand motorcycle tour - Nan to Chiang Rai

Views to die for and a soft landing for a fall were on the menu today.

We had 280km to ride on this beautiful Nan morning. We were all excited for today, which would end up being jam packed with activities and action. I hit the local village traffic like a boss. Ok, maybe a 2IC, but a day riding the Tiger definitely helped. 

We rolled into the service station for the essential fuel up. I love the fact that the attendances fill your tanks here. An added bonus was that Bike Tour Asia paid the bill! Heck, I didn't even need to remove my helmet or gloves! We noted that fuel was a little cheaper here, but surprisingly not by much.

Full of fuel, we headed for an hour or so of flat riding before climbing into the hills. 

What I realised, was that flat riding certainly did not mean boring and it gave us time to have a little fun, with Fiona our Cookie Monster helmet rider showing us all how it's done!

We continued to have the obligatory roadside K9 cruisers giving us the one paw salute as we rode past. 

As we headed into the curves, I took the opportunity at this time to sit behind our leader Scott as we woiund upward through some perfect twisties. This guy is a solid rider with great lines so being behind him for a while is super fun and highly recommended! 

At the top, we took a much earned break at the most spectacular lookout and the Route 1488 cafe for a much deserved iced coffee with the most amazing view. 

  

This was the perfect spot to pull out my decals to add to the walls, already adorned by hundreds of likewise enthusiasts. I proudly took the time here to add  decals for East Coast Female Riders, Blood Bikes Australia, Girl Moto and Bike Tour Asia. These are circled in yellow below. Let me know if you find them on your visit to the cafe!

 

We relished in the windy roads and beautiful views, which stretched for miles across southern Thailand.

Stopping for lunch, we parked our bikes and quickly removed our helmets. Out of nowhere, an imposing looking guy in army greens walked straight up to Andy without saying a word. He gestures to his phone, takes a selfie, shakes Andy's hand and walks off. We all stood there laughing and contemplating which celebrity they think Andy is. Surely this won't happen again? Would a reverse Google search be required?

We continued on with our next destination, the White Temple. Located just out of Chiang Rai, this busy attraction provides motorcycle parking up a small rise, in an area surrounded by tourists happily devouring smoothies and icecreams after their temple experience.

As one of our finest riders with their pillion navigated this rise, his bike faltered slightly. The rest unfolded like a freshly ironed shirt. The bike leaned slightly passed the tipping point and, whilst the rider held it up like a boss, down went the unsuspecting pillion in an undignified manner, straight into the soft landing of the beautifully manicured hedge below.

We all looked on in horror, only to laugh as she dusted herself off and, without faulter, casually walking over to the bikes wondering what all the fuss was about. 

 

We were all hot and a little fatigued by this time, so an ice cold fruit smoothy was absolutely divine after walking around the temple.

As we prepared to leave, we lined up the motorbikes for a pic with the temple in the background. At this time, the temples builder, a local celebrity himself, came over to chat. Taking a moment to get his own selfie!  

 

A short ride later, we arrived at or destination, LePatta Hotel,and all headed straight for the pool. Such a relief to bring the body temperature down and turn the brains off for a while.  

Italian was on the menu tonight The gnocchi with burnt butter and sage was divine and the pizzas looked amazing. I rolled home through the night markets and headed straight for bed.

George tucked in the bikes to perfection once again. It was time to dream about the golden triangle and switch backs that lay ahead on what would be a totally EPIC day.