When I first came to CM and was buzzing around on a Honda Dream, I remember trying to ride up Doi Suthep late at night but being turned away at a police checkpoint just past Khru Baa. Last night, almost a decade later, I was driving around with a friend when she said she fancied going up Doi Suthep (no euphemism intended). I told her that the police stop people going up there after dark, but we gave it a try anyway. To my surprise, there were no police around, no checkpoint and so we drove up to the first main viewpoint. It was beautiful - Chiang Mai lit up and spread out in front of us and almost complete silence to enjoy the view.

I'm sure there a few TVers who will be able to tell us when you can/can't drive up Doi Suthep at night, but it was a pleasant surprise for me last night to find out just by chance.

Anyway, just thought I'd let people know (I hope I'm not the only one who didn't know!!!) so you can check it out if you're at a loose end one night...

I believe the check-point people close the road at 8pm. So if you go up before that, then you can drive up for the nighttime view. They do chase people away though at those checkpoints not too long after 8pm though.

I was told by a local Thai that the reason they started closing the road at night is because teenagers were going up there and having sex at the viewpoints. Anyone know it that's true?

YES!

Women click into a different mode when they see the moon come up from behind the mountains across from town. Weird creatures they are. (Doesn't mean that getting it on right there and then is required, but it's most definitely an important aspect of a romantic night)

I believe the check-point people close the road at 8pm. So if you go up before that, then you can drive up for the nighttime view. They do chase people away though at those checkpoints not too long after 8pm though.

I drove up there just after midnight last night - not a soul in sight.

teenagers having sex, do you think they mind if i observe, i seemed to have forgotten how to do it.

I believe the check-point people close the road at 8pm. So if you go up before that, then you can drive up for the nighttime view. They do chase people away though at those checkpoints not too long after 8pm though.

I drove up there just after midnight last night - not a soul in sight.

Midnight!! You thought there would be security guards about? All security guards are in deep sleep by then. I hope you drove past quietly so as not to disturb them. One of my future projects is to create an album of seleping security guards.

I believe the check-point people close the road at 8pm. So if you go up before that, then you can drive up for the nighttime view. They do chase people away though at those checkpoints not too long after 8pm though.

I drove up there just after midnight last night - not a soul in sight.

That's GREAT!!!!!!!!! Absolutely perfect, that will come in very handy one of these days.. Let's hope it stays this way..

Officials closed the road years back coz teenagers had sex while driving the car down the doi. A few deadly accidents happened at that time.

Might one then assume, that the reason for the Navy earthquake-centre being on the side of the road up the mountain, is because the earth moves more often up there ?

I was told by a local Thai that the reason they started closing the road at night is because teenagers were going up there and having sex at the viewpoints. Anyone know it that's true?

Perhaps 'dogging' has become popular over here.....

Robberies were a problem too. Easy to set up an ambush on that road and no one around to help.

My wife also said a lot of teens were having a go at recreating Initial D.

(An anime about drifting down mountain courses)

Sawasdee Khrup, TV Friends,

This is most fascinating thread !

Does the hypothesis that Thai teenagers had sex "driving the car down the doi" imply that driving up would be any less sexually conducive ? Is it possible that greater fatalities during sex while driving down the mountain ... which would be discovered ... might mask an actual greater frequency of sex while driving up the mountain which might be less fatal for unknown reasons ?

Clearly monitoring stations are called for here.

We are flummoxed that the presence of an earthquake-monitoring station run by the Thai Navy on a mountain top, a full moon that causes some women to "click," and the mysterious code words "dogging" and "InitialD" (which we are not familiar with) may have some wonderful connection.

Now full moon, and some stirrings-up of the hormones : well, the human male meat-package in which we are temporarily, collectively, incarnate, does get some of that, but it's mainly just the "ghosts of testosterone past," and the sound those phantom-hungry ghosts make is a "clink," not a "click" : it's from the chains they drag around which they experience as a very heavy metal (but which we know are actually made of memories).

Did we ever mention here on TV that there is a group of Bonobos in Madagascar that ... once a year ... on a full moon ... all the females come into oestrus (maximum sexual receptivity) in synchronization with an orgiastic result we leave to your imagination ? (reference on request). We do not know if those Bonobos have access to, or live in, mountains.

best, ~o:37;

best, ~o:37;

"Best" yourself.

Great!

Robberies were a problem too. Easy to set up an ambush on that road and no one around to help.

Yeah. I'm not surprised. I've spent a few months in Chiang Mai on several occasions. Done a fair amount of hiking on Doi Suthep. Probably want to be pretty cautious, especially at night.

A wise Thai woman once told me Chiang Mai is not like Bangkok.