My Overnighter To Doi Inthanon

[Somnambulist]

Yesterday and the day before I went on an overnight motorcycle trip to Doi Inthanon with a friend. We stayed in the sleepy but friendly town of Mae Chaem. Nothing but ugly smoke the whole way. Had dinner at a restaurant that had little bamboo rafts secured to the bank of a river, which was quite nice. We even almost forgot about the smoke. The “resort” we stayed at was in a quiet, peaceful location. Our hut looked rustic from the outside but was actually quite comfortable and clean and pleasant. (300 baht) But they were burning the slope of the hill just 200 meters away. They burn forests in small controlled fires to prevent larger, out of control ones. They burn fields to plant corn. They burn forests to clear land or to make burnt logs from which mushrooms grow. My last breath as I fell asleep was tinged with smoke. I wished I was a fish. The next day we finally found blue sky near the top of Doi Inthanon but we still had to look up to find it, and my nostrils had to enjoy the fresh mountain air mixed with the unmistakable smoke; looking straight out, one saw only amorphous gray.

Doi Inthanon is high enough to have evergreen trees, and they haven’t been burned but I only caught a few whiffs of tree cleaned mountain air even up there. Coming down the mountain, we occasionally saw a patch of green agriculture and the air would briefly be several degrees cooler. But usually the landscape was brown, burnt black, or still orange burning.

Ah, but it was wonderful to be on the road, every kilometer, every curve bringing new experiences. The people in the countryside are friendly. I speak just enough Thai to order a cup of coffee and point at a menu and say please, not spicy, so I appreciate a friendly vibe. My friend can understand about half of what people say. My friend rode a 200cc Phantom. I was on a Yamaha Spark, a 135cc scooter. My scooter is heavier than most scooters so it is fairly stable, although certainly not as much as a Phantom; still, I felt OK going 90 – 100 on the highways once I got used to it. The power difference only became apparent on the steep upslopes in the mountains, where I sometimes had to downshift to 2^nd.

Now I’m back to my routine in CM, sipping good coffee, “manning” my laptop, and dealing with the city traffic (and traffic signals on Huay Kaew Rd). All in all, it was a good trip. It reminded me why I’m here in Thailand: smiling people, a bit of adventure, good food, low, low prices. Mind you, I think I’ll wait till the air is better to venture forth again, but venture I will.

[solopilot]

Was wondering about the name and location of the resort you stayed in (as well as the restaurant by the Mae Chaem river). I've passed through Mae Chaem a few times on my way up (or down from) Doi Intanon, but have never spent much time in town. After reading your travelogue, I think it merits a night's stay (or maybe more). Do you have any other recommendations as to where to stay/eat/visit in Mae Chaem?