Last Day of the Tour

Day 10 of the Golden Triangle Motorcycle Tour – our last day on the bikes.

We awoke to more low cloud/mist in the mountains surrounding our hotel in Mae Sariang, so the layers of warm clothing were required until the sun came out later in the day.

Low cloud in the mountains

Reed got us all onto the correct road and then set us loose for the first 65km segment with a designated meeting point, and off we went. The early ride was a little chilly as we rode up into the clouds, but the clouds cleared as the sun came out and burned them away.

First coffee stop in the morning

Roadside coffee shack

Our second run was about 60km. The road was drying as the sun came out, and I was feeling more confident with my riding. On this segment, I was able to catch up to, and hang with, two of the other riders in the group. They had dropped off the leaders pace but were still riding what they called a ‘brisk pace’. It felt like an achievement to have been able to match their pace, albeit not their fastest. My riding has certainly improved over the course of the tour and here was something tangible that demonstrated the improvement.

Whilst we were fuelling up, Reed learned that the Karen hill tribe people were holding a weaving festival in the town today, so we took some time to visit the local marketplace to see them demonstrating the weaving process.

 

There were also some food stalls at the market and I found one that was selling a variety of insects and grubs. Mmm. Time for a snack.

Video: Me sampling the grubs and insects

 

Our third segment for the day was a ride to the Wachirathan Waterfall, where we stopped for lunch.

Fish and chicken on the grill at our lunchtime restaurant

Following lunch, we had our final ride of the day, the run into Chiang Mai and the end of the tour. We arrived in Chiang Mai about 3.30pm and had our final post-ride beer. The ride total for today was about 250km and the total for the entire tour was approx 1,900km.

It has been quite a tour, covering a lot of ground in northern Thailand. We’ve had excellent riding, some very nice hotels and a wonderful variety of great-tasting food. With both of my motorcycle tours now completed, the trip is getting towards the end. There is just one week left, with Luang Prabang in Laos being my next destination.