If not now, then when? – Author Unknown
Friday, November 22, 2013 (DAYS 627 - 631)
Originally wanting to do the adventurous 135km (85 miles) motorbike ride from Chiang Mai to the northern town of Pai (ปาย) in the Mae Hong Son Province, I spoke with several people regarding their experience and was told that if the weather is accommodating this is one of their favorite memories, however I was also told that if it has recently rained the ride can become a bit treacherous and if you are unfortunate enough to have it raining during the ride it can be down right miserable and borderline dangerous. Thinking this over, the past few days for the festival were great with the absence of rain, but over the last few days we’ve experienced rain both during the day and at night. Since Asia and I were in discussion about renting the motorbike, neither of us felt comfortable since I am used to riding bikes, but having a passenger that can easily freak out on you can become the difference of staying upright or being one of the visible statistics of Thai accidents covered in bandages with a nasty case of road rash. The decision to take the shuttle was finally made and has brought me to the topic of skills that are valuable, if not essential for backpacking and travel in Southeast Asia.
Originally wanting to do the adventurous 135km (85 miles) motorbike ride from Chiang Mai to the northern town of Pai (ปาย) in the Mae Hong Son Province, I spoke with several people regarding their experience and was told that if the weather is accommodating this is one of their favorite memories, however I was also told that if it has recently rained the ride can become a bit treacherous and if you are unfortunate enough to have it raining during the ride it can be down right miserable and borderline dangerous. Thinking this over, the past few days for the festival were great with the absence of rain, but over the last few days we’ve experienced rain both during the day and at night. Since Asia and I were in discussion about renting the motorbike, neither of us felt comfortable since I am used to riding bikes, but having a passenger that can easily freak out on you can become the difference of staying upright or being one of the visible statistics of Thai accidents covered in bandages with a nasty case of road rash. The decision to take the shuttle was finally made and has brought me to the topic of skills that are valuable, if not essential for backpacking and travel in Southeast Asia.
While the backpacking community of travelers whose ages span from teenagers to those well into their retirement ages, I’ve noticed and been shocked at some of the skills that are absent in people’s lives, but this lack of knowledge does not hold them back from trying new things, which can often result in some sticky situations. I saw a girl that could barely keep her motorbike upright in a stationary position, and was almost certain that she would be returning with some type of injuries before she took off wobbling from side to side. Money overrules any type of questions or skill level inquiries regarding the equipment, activity, or vehicle people are interested in trying, which would be a lawyer’s dream typically, but c’mon this is Thailand, and even outside of that, this happens in many of the countries I’ve traveled to thus far, so here’s my short list of skills to consider prior to leaving on your travels:
5 ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR BACKPACKING
- READING A MAP: Peering down at your Google maps on your smartphone is not knowing the difference between distance, direction, or even showing where you are located. Pull out a paper map, this may be difficult for you since it require no charger or outlet, and see how well your navigations skills are, then think how much more difficult it would be reading a map with no words in English.
- THE ABILITY TO SWIM: Yes, I am still shocked that people will climb aboard boats, walk chin deep in the ocean, or enter another body of water without knowing how to swim. Learn it. You will use it!
- RIDING A BICYCLE: Get a pair of training wheels. Get your balance. And then message me and thank me, because this is something everyone should really know how to do.
- OPERATING A SCOOTER OR MOTORBIKE: Less essential than riding a bicycle, but still if you are traveling Southeast Asia motorbikes can be rented for dirt cheap and if you have no idea what you are doing, I’m sorry friend, but the odds are not in your favor. Traffic laws are relatively nonexistent and most people have taken a bad spill going to quickly around bends sliding out on gravel, I’ve also seen a local guy on a motorbike get hit by a pick up truck and was thrown off (thankfully he was fine), and even a single rider fall over on his bike barely moving. Road rash, exhaust burns, etc are never fun regardless of how long you may be traveling.
- DRIVING A MANUAL CAR: This is a skill that is becoming less knowledgeable in the States with the ease of automatics, yet everywhere else in the world this seems to be a difficulty to find. Knowing how to drive a car, yes, important and can help you out enormously. The difference of also knowing how to use a clutch and shift, this can become a useful skill that can be used to help gain you a volunteer or even paid job friend.
MY RTW PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:
Departing from Chiang Mai just before 12:30pm, I find myself climbing in the back of a standard red taxi truck where a group of four younger Chinese tourists have already selected their seats on the two benches that face one another. Knowing that we will be transferring to a shuttle bus for what I am told is a 4-hour drive to Pai with exactly 762 windy turns in the road, I don’t get too comfortable quite yet. When we arrive at Aya, the shuttle company, I am pleasantly excited to learn that we will not have a packed vehicle, and so I occupy the entire back seat by myself–probably a bad decision. Several minutes later, in an attempt to get comfortable and stretch out, the five of us that are passengers are continually whipped back and forth through the first set of windy roads. Thankfully after two-hours we stop at the midway point, which seems to be common in all of the traveling I’ve done when a onboard toilet is not available, where there is a small roadside restaurant and a chance to stretch our legs.
Departing from Chiang Mai just before 12:30pm, I find myself climbing in the back of a standard red taxi truck where a group of four younger Chinese tourists have already selected their seats on the two benches that face one another. Knowing that we will be transferring to a shuttle bus for what I am told is a 4-hour drive to Pai with exactly 762 windy turns in the road, I don’t get too comfortable quite yet. When we arrive at Aya, the shuttle company, I am pleasantly excited to learn that we will not have a packed vehicle, and so I occupy the entire back seat by myself–probably a bad decision. Several minutes later, in an attempt to get comfortable and stretch out, the five of us that are passengers are continually whipped back and forth through the first set of windy roads. Thankfully after two-hours we stop at the midway point, which seems to be common in all of the traveling I’ve done when a onboard toilet is not available, where there is a small roadside restaurant and a chance to stretch our legs.
We arrive in Pai a little before 4pm, and already I can feel a sense of small town versus the hustle and bustle of Chiang Mai or Bangkok. Since I had heard to rent a motorbike to get around, I find a quaint little shop just down the street, but later realized I should have just rented from Aya, even a veteran backpacker like myself in a sense will still makes newbie-like mistakes. I think I did this quickly without searching out better prices because I knew it would be getting dark soon and I was told that I had to be to Spicypai Backpackers as soon as I arrived in order to guarantee my phone-in reservation earlier in the day. If you feel comfortable on a motorbike, you can’t beat paying 150THB ($4.68) for 24-hours, even though later I heard of people paying closer to 110THB - 140THB, a difference of (0.31 to $1.25) from what I paid for the little 125cc bike, this is not a significant budget buster by any means. Before heading out to the hostel, I need to add some gas to my bike and while I’m riding around looking for a gas station I run in to Maddie, a hilarious blonde Kiwi that I met at Deejai’s in Chiang Mai. After she points me in the right direction and I’ve put in an adequate amount of petrol, I begin the short 1.7km (1.05 mile) ride across the white bridge to Spicypai Backpackers. Along the way I am floored at the beautiful landscapes of the rice fields just off the roadway and the soaring mountains in the distance. When I first arrive at Spicypai I am amazed at the treehouse-like structures with grass roofs. It is a serene setting just on the outskirts of the town.
Waking up to an absolutely frigid morning, the time is just after 8am as I can barely bring my hands out of my blanket cocoon that I’ve wrapped my entire body in to check the time on my iPhone. Fully awake at this point, I hesitate to climb out of my lower bunk and make it above the reception area for the free brekkie. Instant coffee and toast–this seems to be the standard free breakfast at many hostels, but when you’re a budget traveler we certainly do love the word FREE regardless. Two girls I met in Chiang Mai, Ruth and Maddie, has invited both our newest friend Dana and I for a motorbike ride out to the Pai Canyon. Since Spicypai was fully booked, Ruth is staying at hostel in town and we have plans to meet her at Big’s Little Café. Arriving in town our group continues to grow and soon we are forced to move locations for some lunch before heading out. More than two hours later, and Maddie finally has received her meal long after the rest of us, but we are finally on the road, all doubled up on our bikes. We’ve also added a fellow Coloradan, Jeff, who has been asked to take the reins on Dana’s bike since this is her first time–very wise decision. Ruth is on the back of Maddies, and I have Sam, another Kiwi, on the back of my bike. The 8km ride is short and reminds me a bit of riding the curved roads to Estes Park on my Honda.
Pai Canyon (Kong Lan) provides almost a 360-degree overlook of the surrounding countryside and distant mountains and we are all in awe of how beautiful the scenery is. Seeking to be a bit more adventurous, we decide to go hiking around the very narrow path that circles all the way around. Some areas seem to be more treacherous than others, and as we come to one point that I want to try and climb down, we begin discussing the film 127 Hours. Thanks guys. Successful in completing this steep but fairly easy section of the trail, I raise up both arms above me and shout, “I’m the greatest climber in the world.. Colorado son.” Okay, maybe not quite that far, it was only about a 20-foot section on a 35-degree downward angle, but still the others were too afraid to attempt Pai Canyon’s most difficult alternate path. Later, I saw a woman in her 90s and a small child barely able to stand somersault over the rocks, so I feel that this was less impressive. Needless to say, we arrived back at our starting point where Ruth decided to stay behind and by this point in the afternoon the sun is beating down on us and we’re sweating more than Congress during the shutdown. All of us are soaked in sweat and dirt, yeah, we’re sexy and we know it. Jeff has the brilliant idea of cooling off at Pam Bok Waterfall just a short drive down the road towards the direction of town. One and down, son.
As we turn off the single lane highway, it’s about a 10-minute ride to the waterfall on a single lane road that has more curves than Sofia Vergara and is hands down the most fun part of the day’s ride for me. Once we park at the designated patch of dirt, it is a short hike over an incredibly wobbly wooden bridge that had sections missing from the floorboards. I tell Sam, who is directly behind me, that it reminds me of something out of Indiana Jones.
I don’t know about you, but I love waterfalls like fat kids love cake! Pam Bok Waterfall is not the most impressive, but when it comes to a great swimming spot to cool off it certainly does the job. As I’m securing our belongings in crevices on the rock walls, Jeff has already made it to the top of one of the large boulders and begins doing backflips into the water. His most impressive stunt of the day was climbing directly up the flow of the rushing water along the rocks and pushing his body away from where he was clinging to the wall more than 12 feet up where he flipped backwards into the pool below. While the water was a bit cold, I just decided to go for it and dove in–awe so refreshing. At one point I was floating on my back, my head just above the water and the sounds around me completely disappeared. As I floated, looking up at the blue sky and the canyon walls in my peripheral vision, I couldn’t help but be thankful for this moment, and be reminded that I’m in Thailand. It’s funny that even after 600 days I still have to stop and remind myself what part of the world I’m in, and when doing so, it just makes me smile.
Leaving any destination on a Sunday can be a bit of a headache, especially if it’s a tourist destination for locals, and today is no different as I’m searching for a bus back to Chiang Mai as I’d like to get to Laos as soon as possible in order to utilize my entire 30-days that I’m allowed in the country on a tourist visa before meeting friends in the South of Thailand for Christmas and New Years. Thankfully I’ve made it to the bus terminal for the local bus back, which states it will depart Pai at 12pm and arrive in Chiang Mai at 4pm. Laughing to myself, I knew this would not be the case and was already prepared for arriving 2-hours later than this stated fact. When the red bus arrived, absent of air-con, which was also expected, I climbed aboard and notice a shortage of actual seats available. Somehow I got pushed up to the front and found a seat on the transmission box. Two girls from Canada also squeezed on our sad little island, and before we began moving I was asked to switch seat assignments with one of the girls because she was sitting too close to a monk. If you would have told me a few years ago that I would find myself wedged directly in the middle of a bus driver, a Buddhist monk in his orange robe, and two Canadian girls while riding through a road with 762 curves all while balancing on a transmission box of a Thai bus, I would have thought you were crazy. But, here I am, and even though it’s not the most enjoyable spot, I’m just thankful to have a seat, unlike many other people sitting on the floor in the narrow walkway of the bus surrounded by feet. And, anyone that knows me, or my younger sister, we absolutely hate feet.
As expected the bus pulls in to the Chiang Pheuak bus terminal around 5:45pm, almost 2-hours later than the time listed at the bus station in Pai. Since I left my larger bag and some valuable locked up in the luggage storage at Deejai Backpackers, I’ve returned to collect it and inquire about an overnight bus to Laos. After some internal-discussion, I’ve decided that I’m just too exhausted and need a goodnight’s sleep before making any definitive decisions. I’ve lucked out and requested a 3-bed dorm that is empty and move in as if I’m The Jeffersons. I gladly take the walk up to the third floor, which truly is my deluxe apartment in the sky and begin settling in with a much-needed shower and hand washing some laundry. Unfortunately, however my much-needed sleep is interrupted in the early morning hours, as I’m surprised with two other new roommates that begin making noise with their bags before dawn and I’m unable to fight to get back to sleep. Groggy, drowsy, and a bit cranky I make my way downstairs to reception and inquire about a private room. I know this is one of the highest of luxuries as a backpacker, but when you need a full night’s sleep that is without interruption, this is when to spend the extra money–nothing against the two guys that moved in to my previous room, but my body feels as though it is still catching up on rest from the extremely long travel from Korea 10 days ago. My air-conditioned private room (because fanned private rooms for cheaper are not an option) is a mere 450THB ($14.02) per night, but when I could be paying as low as 99THB ($3.08) per night for a 4-bed dorm, I’ve failed to be the true budget backpacker in some ways. Walking through the streets like a zombie due to the lack of shut-eye, I’ve found another backpacking secret, which is utilizing fresh clean drinking water at several locations around Chiang Mai. Some hidden areas that I’ve found is the local post office just a block away as well as the bank where you can exchange money. After refilling my large Nalgene bottle and returning to the hostel, I am surprised with the best news of the day, my private room is actually available now at 11am instead of the previous time I was told which was supposed to be after 2pm. I move in as if it were my 4-bedroom house back in Denver. Flat screen television, air-con above the bed, rotating fan, private ensuite bathroom, even a balcony, this is big pimpin y’all. The next few days are dedicated to sleep, catching up on writing, and figuring out the puzzle that is my backpack of how to drop some more weight and get rid of even more items–the constant struggle that is my life.
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