Long known as the “must visit” touch point for motorbike, bicycle and overland travellers in Southeast Asia’s Golden Triangle, The Rider’s Corner is expanding and upgrading. Affable and well traveled owner Ian Gatenby, with Head Chef Tum, have upgraded and expanded the mixed menu of Western and Thai food as well as the ambience of the motorbike and traveler themed restaurant and bar.

Rider’s Corner still offers the wide range of updated maps, souvenir T-shirts, rental motorbikes and FREE Horizons Unlimited stickers for those HU travellers asking. A limited number of hotel rooms are still available on a “first-come-first-booked” basis. New is their wide range of coffee created by the magic of a state-of-the-art coffee machine as well as extra large television screens and improved sound system.


Horizons Unlimited has been using The Rider’s Corner as a meeting and collection point for a number of years, a place where wandering adventure seekers could find like-minded travellers, and if available, the best and latest information from the management or fellow travellers on everything from border crossings to guide services for neighboring countries such as Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar.


Rider’s Corner is located at 357 Moon Muang Road - easy to find inside the top right corner of the city canal (known as the “moat”).

www.riderscorner.net


"Dr.G" Chief of the World Adventure Affairs Desk, CITY BIKE
Sole Sensual Survivor: www.greataroundtheworldmotorcycleadventurerally.co m

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Maps, T-shirts and new coveted Rider’s Corner stickers

Photos below show the well stocked supply of up-to-date and detailed maps available at Rider’s Corner, souvenir motorbike Golden Triangle riders T-shirts, as well as the new coveted Rider’s Corner stickers to prove checking off of Global Motorbike Bucket List Adventure Points.



“The Bigfella” (owner Ian from Australia) is back on station, last seen dispersing free information and Rider's Corner stickers to two adventurers from Ireland.



"Dr.G" Chief of the World Adventure Affairs Desk, CITY BIKE
Sole Sensual Survivor: www.greataroundtheworldmotorcycleadventurerally.co m

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The current "high season" for tourists in Chiang Mai,Thailand found an increasing number of motorbike travellers vectoring into and through the Rider's Corner to confab with noted key people for the trading of information, purchasing of maps and memorabilia, as well as chin wagging, swilling and chilling while swapping Golden Triangle rider tales. Seen on several occasions recently, and digitally captured below, was the Senior Editor of ADVENTURE MOTORCYCLE magazine (from the USA), Paul H. Smith (right), and Rider's Corner owner/manager/barista/BBQ Chef/motorbike guru, Ian Gatenby (left).


UPDATE: March 2.


Boots-on-the-ground research has discovered Rider's Corner remains one of the last rental motorbike resources for renters to rent a motorbike in Chiang Mai and have paperwork prepared for exiting Thailand and entering Laos at one recommended border crossing. There is a reasonable fee to do the massive paperwork, and a deposit required for the motorbike (no credit card, cash).




"Dr.G" Chief of the World Adventure Affairs Desk, CITY BIKE, researching adventurous affairs on the road around the globe

Sole Sensual Survivor: www.greataroundtheworldmotorcycleadventurerally.co m

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The Thailand tourist motorbike rental business and taking rentals into Laos has left Rider's Corner stepping up to help carry the weighty and wavering flag. Checking yesterday, March 2, it remains one of the few rental places for motorbikes in Chiang Mai that will prepare, for a reasonably varied fee, the paperwork needed for taking their rental motorbikes across the border into Laos, and hand over the original Green Book to the renter to do so. Also expect to leave a cash deposit (no credit cards), which will vary on the motorbike rental.



It's a significant paperwork (up to 15 pages) exercise, and because the owner's Green Book (ownership papers) has to accompany the rental motorbike when crossing the borders, there is a high degree of risk involved other rental agencies no longer wish to expose their motorbikes to by loss in Laos for various reasons.



One tourist rented a motorbike from a large rental agency in Chiang Mai, a rental shop that would not do the paperwork for the motorbike to exit from Thailand to enter Laos, so the renter "thought" Rider's Corner would do the paperwork for them. No go, and rightfully so. Rider's Corner made it clear they can only do the paperwork for their own rental customers, and politely referred the tourist back to the motorbike ownership rental agency.



Rider's Corner is still a resource for those wanting to cross (at one remaining and recommended "fluid" border). More on Laos crossings elsewhere. This is simply reportage and an update on a remaining option sourced after a little serious motorbike-boots-on-the-ground research away from the digital world.



Regards,


'Dr.G', Chief of the World Adventure Affairs Desk, CITY BIKE Magazine, researching adventurous affairs on the roads around the globe, recently having researched affairs in Vietnam, Myanmar and along the Laos border in Thailand.

Sole Sensual Survivor: www.greataroundtheworldmotorcycleadventurerally.co m