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Despite some complains about the very hard beds at Mae Malai
Mansions, I actually had a great night’s sleep even though the karaoke was blasting away
till 1am. For 380B, I have never stayed at a cheaper hotel that came with
cool, crisp aircon, fridge and a very spacious room with ample space for our bikes. We gathered at 8am for a Thai breakfast and
pushed off at 9am excitedly. Our first destination – The Chang Dao Elephant
Training Camp some 18km away.
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The hills seem to be much tamer than previous days and we
all crested them with ease. In the cool of the morning, it was easy to cruise
faster and we took advantage of that. We also had to hurry along as the famous Elephant
Show was to start at 10am and we just about made it. As we were locking up our
bikes together at the Camp’s parking lot, my eye caught sight of 3 bicycles on
tour just like us. And like us, it was a gleaming maroon Bike Friday and with
the renown Samsonite trailer. But unlike our BFs, the frame was huge. It also was fitted with the renown Rohloff hub so that meant this was one serious tourer. I went
into the show more interested to spot this tall rider than looking at the
elephants performed their morning activities in the river.
There were about 60 people and it was not difficult to
single out the few cyclists in lycra. This guy was from Holland and stood at
6’4” or so. He carried a trim figure that belied his seven decades and
accompanying him were his 2 younger friends on rented Trek MTBs.
Our team enjoyed the impressive Elephant Show where they did all sort of tricks including picking up fallen hats and returning it to their riders, pushing heavy logs around effortlessly, flag raising and even painting a pretty decent piece of art on canvas.
Our team enjoyed the impressive Elephant Show where they did all sort of tricks including picking up fallen hats and returning it to their riders, pushing heavy logs around effortlessly, flag raising and even painting a pretty decent piece of art on canvas.
We met Mr Bike Friday after the show and got chatting. The 3
of them were also heading for Chiang Dao, some 25km so it was nice to ride
along with them for a while. Pulling a trailer though meant that he was
cruising a bit slower than us so we all overtook them respectfully and
regrouped at the 7-11 just outside of Chiang Dao. It was getting really hot and
dusty then so we took our time to cool down in the aircon surroundings, sipping
ice cold isotonic drinks. We could take our time as this was to be our shortest
ride day, a mere 45+km.
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Lunch was at my favourite Thai Chinese restaurant by the
massage shop right in Chiang Dao town. The combination of a good meal followed
by a massage sounds unbeatable. It was
really great to just take our time to enjoy our sumptuous meal as the sun was
really beating hard. The perfect time actually for a short post lunch siesta but unfortunately, the massage shop was busy so we reluctantly jumped back onto our steeds.
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Chiang Dao itself is the gateway to many attractions and
hence boasts quite a few decent hotels. Our choice was Chiang Dao Huts, which is about
5km away from town near the famous Chiang Dao Temple. This area is magnificent
as it is set amongst impressive karst mountains. The road inwards must truly be one of the finest I have seen, very much like going through the California Redwood forest.
As we made our way there, a car passed by a tad too closely and Celia veered into a rut and fell off her bike. However, her kung-fu training kicked in and she broke her fall by curling into a ball and came away unscathed. I could not believe there were no injuries and if ever God’s hand is upon us, this must be it.
We arrived to a warm welcome at Chiang Dao Hut and quickly settled into our chalets. The kind lady boss booked Cil and I into the rear hut - which was newly built and spacious. This though was far away from the gang but we didn't mind as it was so quaint and peaceful, offering a lovely balcony facing lush greenery.
A quick shower and a cat nap saw us fresh as daises again. We gathered at 4pm to ride 2km to the famous Chiang Dao Caves. This is a complex maze of 12km of over 100 caves and the entrance is a beautiful Wat that serves as a meditation centre. It is also the activity hub for the villagers. On stage with loud music blaring was an aerobic class conducted by an energetic lady in colorful leotards. This was in stark contrast to the meditative surroundings of the temple. Some of us went exploring further as there was still light towards the direction of Chiang Dao Nest and to the end of the road.
Dinner was an impressive Thai spread and we ate till we could not move. The Chefs at CD Hut are to be commended for putting up a truly magnificent feast. It was time to retire after that and we happily went into our chalets. However, I was somehow locked out! The adventure to get in began and the poor maintenance guy had to remove the window panes for us to get in after an hour or so of fiddling. Time check - 10pm.
Dozing off to sleep in the middle of such beautiful surroundings is easy and we did so with grateful hearts. Felt so privileged to be here. Being just at the fringe of the Burmese border amongst beautiful mountains with the sound of a quiet gurgling stream is truly priceless.
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As we made our way there, a car passed by a tad too closely and Celia veered into a rut and fell off her bike. However, her kung-fu training kicked in and she broke her fall by curling into a ball and came away unscathed. I could not believe there were no injuries and if ever God’s hand is upon us, this must be it.
We arrived to a warm welcome at Chiang Dao Hut and quickly settled into our chalets. The kind lady boss booked Cil and I into the rear hut - which was newly built and spacious. This though was far away from the gang but we didn't mind as it was so quaint and peaceful, offering a lovely balcony facing lush greenery.
A quick shower and a cat nap saw us fresh as daises again. We gathered at 4pm to ride 2km to the famous Chiang Dao Caves. This is a complex maze of 12km of over 100 caves and the entrance is a beautiful Wat that serves as a meditation centre. It is also the activity hub for the villagers. On stage with loud music blaring was an aerobic class conducted by an energetic lady in colorful leotards. This was in stark contrast to the meditative surroundings of the temple. Some of us went exploring further as there was still light towards the direction of Chiang Dao Nest and to the end of the road.
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Dozing off to sleep in the middle of such beautiful surroundings is easy and we did so with grateful hearts. Felt so privileged to be here. Being just at the fringe of the Burmese border amongst beautiful mountains with the sound of a quiet gurgling stream is truly priceless.
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