When we backpacked around southeast Asia two years ago, we rented a Honda CB400 in Chiang Mai and rode south along the Burma border to Mae Sot. There, we crossed into Burma for about an hour and returned to Thailand, thereby giving us a new fifteen day Thai visa. We enjoyed the ride so much that we decided to do it in reverse this time. Our goal for the day was to ride to Mae Sot and spend the afternoon seeing the town. We woke to a beautifully clear and sunny day, and after having some coffee, we hit the road for the short ride.

It was a relatively boring ride today, which is actually a good thing for a change. Another feature of the roads in Thailand that make them so enjoyable is the presence of excellent signage. Whereas a GPS was mandatory in India, you could navigate the highways of Thailand with the simplest of road maps. The first half of the ride took us to Tak. Between Sukhothai and Tak, the road was really good, mainly four-lane, with monotonous scenery. The roads were lined with small, deciduous trees that were mostly leafless. It reminded me of riding through downeast North Carolina. Once we passed through Tak, the road surface became a little bumpy and variable, but the road got much more entertaining. The road twisted and turned past mountains and through forests. The elevation in Tak was approximately 20 feet above sea level, but we eventually crossed the mountain range at over 3,000 feet before descending into Mae Sot. Our bikes did have some trouble chugging up the hills, and several times we found ourselves in second gear, struggling to maintain 20 mph on some of the steeper grades. Apparently my clutch adjustment yesterday didn't help, since I very clearly heard it slipping on several occasions. If this continues, I will need to change the oil again, this time, with 100 percent dinosaur squeezins. Besides the roads and the scenery, the other nice thing about riding in the mountains was how cool it was. I would guess that the temperature was in the low 70s for most of the ride.

Once we descended into Mae Sot, however, the temperature climbed dramatically, and the bright sun made it feel even warmer inside our Dariens. We had a difficult time finding our preferred guesthouse, and while we rode around the blocks and even got off to walk to find it, I just kept getting warmer. With the help of some telephone company employees, we eventually found the Green Guesthouse, hidden down a small road, behind the police station. I stayed with the bikes while Re went to look at the rooms and stupidly, did not remove my jacket. By the time Re returned and gave the thumbs up on the room, I was not feeling very well at all. While Re unpacked the bikes, I stayed in the room and laid under the AC, trying to cool off. After 30 minutes or so, I felt much better, and since it was 1:00 pm, we decided to find some lunch. One of the recommended places nearby was a Canadian-owned restaurant that is known for its Mexican food. We each ordered crunchy tacos with ground beef and a side order of refried beans. Having been disappointed by Mexican food elsewhere on this trip, we were a bit skeptical of what we would be served. We were pleasantly surprised to find that our food was delicious and somewhat authentic. The rest of the afternoon we walked around the town and through the many different market areas. After picking up a watermelon, we went back to the room and spent the rest of the afternoon taking it easy and reading fiction. Later that evening, we walked out to find the night market, where we had a yummy dinner of noodles and pork. On the way back to the room, we picked up the variety 3-pack of seaweed flavored potato chips and some Changs. Earlier in the afternoon, we met the resident cat at the guesthouse, and when we returned, we invited her in our room for some chips. She ate every chip we gave her, but we eventually had to boot her out so we could go to bed. She must have enjoyed the chips, because several times during the night we heard her meowing outside the door.


113 miles in 3.5 hours. My clutch is making me a little nervous.