The journey to Chiang Mai is stressful despite the deluxe VIP bus. The road has more potholes than tarmac. I sit right at the back, where it rocks the most and the backrests can’t really be folded down. What the hell, I’m used to travelling almost without sleep. The sunrise behind the mountains in Chiang Mai is bombastic. After a short search, I find a nice guesthouse.
Chiang Mai is built like a Roman legionary camp and has some parallels to Regensburg. Two meridians meet in the centre of a square fortification consisting of a city wall and moat with four gates. There is not much left of the walls, but the old town has some beautiful corners and of course plenty of temples.
The next four days will be stressful. For once, I’m writing something in advance. I don’t know if there’s internet in the far north…and it’s the Golden Triangle. I’m sure more people get lost in the Bermuda Triangle, but it won’t be as safe as Hydepark up there either.
The plan: rent a motorbike. Ride along the border with Laos and Burma for two days. Maybe visit a hilltribe. The route is open. I’ll be back here on 6 April in the evening. Then a day of elephant riding, mountain biking and rafting. The same evening I take the night bus to Bangkok. Transfer to the city centre, collect my kiteboard, off to the airport and on to Phuket.
Tom: I hope you’re ready for your holiday by then. I certainly will be :-)
Frank Woelky, born in 1973. Kitesurfer since 1998. Since 2006, I have been combining kitesurfing and web design on trips lasting several months off the beaten track.