To the top of Thailand

Today started out with a delicious breakfast at Be Bee cafe. We figured the name suited us, and the sign said "If you never try, then you don't know"; how could we resist?! We both got "the tiny breakfast", and then we hit the road with our Honda Dream.

If flying down the road getting bugs in your eyes and breathing exhaust and dust is a dream, then this bike had the right name. The trip started out with a few wrong turns. We couldn't find a map that was even close to scale and road signs here are placed at very random locations...I suggest next time they try intersections. We knew we had to head south so that's what we did. We soon realized we were on the wrong road and heading SE and stead of S. So I picked the first right hand turn I saw, and started heading towards the road we wanted. By this time we were far into the country side so the drive was beautiful. As we rode past the villagers growing their rice and tending the sows, I soon realized that I couldn't pinpoint our exact location on the map. However, having been blessed with an uncanny sense of direction, I, unlike my wife, had not given up hope, thus I continued to pilot of Dream towards the west. Just when I thought things were going so well, we hit what is comanly called a "fork in the road". I brought the steed to a halt, and turned to ask Erin what she thought, but quickly realized that was not the best idea, since that had the "I'm about ready to smash my bright orange helmet into the base of your skull if you don't get us back on track now" look in her eyes that she sometimes gets.

Just then the Lord provided a woman at the side of the road selling some goods. Her sign had no roman script and we were along way from where you'd expect tourists, but I figured she just had to speak English. It turns out she didn't know a lick, but I'm an excellent pointer and pronouncer of 7 syllables Thai town names. So, we followed her pointing and carried on. Withing a few kms I could feel the hot breath of my most lovely wife on my neck again, so I chose not to ask Erin what she thought of our current route. Another couple of clicks went by and I could sense that this was not the "dream" Erin had counted on having this day, when suddenly we came to an intersection, with a main rd. heading to the south. I steered left and saw a sign marked with a 108...our intended route. I exclaimed, "the beeman did it!" Erin rolled her eyes and we road south towards the great peak!

some of the waterfalls that we hike to on the road up

Erin and I with "the dream"


there's a monastery at the top...these shots are of that


After a quick stop for some Kao Soi, ( this dish of choice in the north) and a pinneaple shake, we were climbing steadily through the national park to the top. Before embarking on this "climbing" trip we hadn't realized that our Honda would be able to take us to the summit. But the King built a road all the way to the top, so drive we did. Along the way we passed some very nice waterfalls, and really enjoyed all the vistas that we saw. It was quite cold and the road quite steep, but we had a fantastic trip.

By the time we got back we had put nearly 200km on the bike, and we we're pretty stiff and sore...but we had an adventure!


the top of Thailand

Booya!