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mobs00

I took this trip with a friend of mine and my girlfriend the last week of February 2008.

I have my own bike and my friend Lloyd rented a Yamaha Nouvo. They are excellent bikes with plenty of power for the tough mountain roads.


Here’s a map of the area. We headed south from Chiang Mai to Mae Sariang. We then went south from there to go fishing in Mae Ngao NP.

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mobs00

So we set out in the morning and stop for some breakfast in Hang Dong about 20kms south of Chiang Mai. We eat, get on the bikes, and great! Lloyd’s bike won’t start. I drive up ahead looking for a mechanic while he pushes the bike along. We get to the shop and after about 20 minutes he tells us he can’t fix it. We call the rental company up and they bring us a new bike. This all took about 2 hrs.





Finally we are on the road again. We cruise along at a good clip, arrive in Hod and bear to the left, past Ob Luang NP which is a beautiful little spot along a river through gorges set right alongside the road.

mobs00

About 10kms from the park my back wheel starts to wobble and “POOF” I get a flat. By this time we are all a little ticked off. We are something like 20 kms from the nearest town back the way we came. No point pushing on through the mountains as it is quite far to a village in that direction.

We manage to wave down a truck. The driver happened to be the Director of Ob Luang, nice guy and he gave us a ride to the park. There was a basic repair shop here but the guy was off today. The director then proceeded to fix our bike; I tried to tell him it was no big deal but he insisted. We took off the tire and the tube was torn. We couldn’t patch it so we loaded the bike in his truck and went back to Hod.






Might as well have a few drinks while we're waiting. The bike got fixed here and finally off we went after another 2 hour delay. Picture the two of us riding double down the road. We got a lot of bewildered looks and waves.

mobs00

This is one of my favorite roads to ride on. The scenery is beautiful. Must be done on a bike though as you lose a lot sitting in the car.





Finally late afternoon we get to the house. It should have taken about 4 hours with all the normal stops. We left about 9am and got there at about 5pm. This was February so it can still get pretty cold riding in the mountains.

mobs00

Here’s mom weaving thread. The villages in this area are part of a royal Co-Op program and each village has a different task. Her mum makes weaves the thread which is then moved on to other people who make different products, ie. The hilltribe shoulder bags all the hippies walk around with.

On the right you can see an old foot powered sewing machine, I don't think it gets much use though as things are still done by hand.






Her father was originally from a tribe on the road between Mae Sariang and Mae Hong Son. I asked if we could go there someday but there is no road. You have to turn off somewhere along the highway then hike for 3 days through the mountains. He said it was a tough hike and he has been doing it all his life. I'm sure it would kick my ass but it would be a great experience.

ChiangMai noon

good effort.

i'll be reading this with interest.

after 7 years up here, I still haven't been to Mae sariang.

recommend using some real bikes though.

mobs00

The next day I woke up at sunrise.






It is almost impossible to sleep with all the animals around; chickens, pigs, goats, roosters, dogs, cats, and on and on.



The dog did get it a few times and we all had a good laugh.




Her parents farm rice, pigs, goats and have the best pineapple I have ever tasted.

melvbot

Top thread again Mobs. Like CMN says you might get some stick from the bikers on here "enough power from a fackin moped, fackin hairdryers" etc,etc,etc

mobs00

I knew that when I posted but it was all I had at the time and I have zero regrets. Surprisingly we averaged about 80km/hr. Ask any of them how long the trip takes from CNX to Mae Sariang and I'm sure they'll say around 4 hrs.

ChiangMai noon

it's the comfort level as much as anything.

can't imagine sitting on one of them for 4 hours.

in any case really top draw thread.

mobs00

The road is beautiful. Small, winding, some steep ups and downs that I didn’t think we were going to make. The bike did it though with two people (150kg) and I didn’t even have to get off and push! I mean walk, she would have taken the bike and I would walk up the hill.





I didn’t get many good shots as I was driving but I saw friscofrankie did the same route and has some nice photos here.



http://teakdoor.com/vietnam-nepal-an...road-less.html (Visa Run to MaeSod (taking the road less traveled))

mobs00

It wasn't so bad. I thought I would be really sore but as long as we took a 5 minute stop about every 30-45 minutes we were fine.

ChiangMai noon

you have proved it's doable for sure.

i know a few Thais that have ridden to Bangkok and back from Chiang Mai on honda waves.

my wife once went to Chiang Rai and back 3 up on a wave.

mobs00

After crossing the bridge it was another 45 minutes or so to the park. From there it would be about an hour of rough dirt track.







Of course my girlfriend did not adequately describe what we were getting ourselves into. She used to do this when she was a kid with her parents so it was no big deal.





The water is crystal clear with a sandy bottom.





The road follows the river most of the time.

mobs00

A few shacks set up alongside the river.





The hills and valleys around the village were stripped of most trees and shrubs.





There was one village along the way. Really quite remote and by the looks on the villagers faces I doubt if falang has been out here before.

mobs00

After a while we make it to the fishing spot.



The river here was not too deep and the current was slow.





Her father told us the year before they had massive floods and all the big fish were swept away.

mobs00

Fcuk if I know why everyone was laughing at me.

mobs00

Her father had a different technique though. Here he is preparing a throw net. It is made on monofilament fishing line with small chain link at the bottom. This is attached to his wrist with a length of rope. He throws it out with a swinging motion and it spreads just like a pancake. The chain sinks to the bottom and molds itself around rocks and debris preventing the fish from escaping. We then dive down with scuba masks on and look/feel the net for fish. Once you find one you grab it, break its neck and pull it out from under the net.









Unfortunately we were in the water and I didn’t bring my camera along, so no action shots.

ChiangMai noon

did you manage to spear any fish?

what type of fish are they in there?

mobs00

Doesn't get much fresher than this. The boy sitting there is a local who came by to take a look. He was using a spear gun. I guess my method was to primitive. Her mother asked why didn't I use a piece of dry bamboo instead of the green one I had, too which I had no reply.