Thailand – Page 2 – Ramblings of a Singapore Biker Boy

The sgBikerBoy 2016 Trip – Day 20

10 July 2016, Sunday. I collected my repaired Pulsar 200NS yesterday, and I’m itching to go riding again. But since the engine was newly rebuilt, I had to run it in like how one would on a brand new engine – keeping RPM’s below 5,000 for the first 500km or so, and speeds below 80kmh.

sgBikerBoy 2016 Trip, Day 20. Chiang Mai to Chiang Khong.

The ride between Chiang Mai and Chiang Khong was one of contradiction. It was a dichotomy between the most agonising ride and the most pleasurable ride on my Bajaj Pulsar 200NS. The 300km ride was estimated to Continue reading “The sgBikerBoy 2016 Trip – Day 20”

Review of the Rebuilt Pulsar 200NS Engine

Singapore to Pai, Mae Hong Son, Thailand.

As some of you would have known by now, my Pulsar 200NS engine died on me after I’ve travelled some 4,000 odd kilometers from Singapore to Chiang Mai, Thailand and around the famous Mae Hong Son loop. The troubles started surfacing when I was doing the Mae Hong Son loop, when the engine started acting strange. There was a loss of low-end power and the idling was very rough. At first, I had thought that it was Continue reading “Review of the Rebuilt Pulsar 200NS Engine”

The sgBikerBoy 2016 Trip – Day 19

9 Jul 2016, Saturday. I woke up with excitement this morning. If all things go well, the Bajaj Pulsar 200NS should be fixed by today and ready to roll! It’s been 8 days since it went into the workshop for a top engine rebuild. And so I packed my stuff, left Chiang Rai, and headed back to Chiang Mai on the rented Honda PCX 150.

The route between Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai runs through some amazing greenery and vast crop fields – something I didn’t get to enjoy when I rode up here due to the super heavy rain. With an amazingly nice weather, I Continue reading “The sgBikerBoy 2016 Trip – Day 19”

The sgBikerBoy 2016 Trip – Day 18

08 July 2016, Friday. And since my bike is still being repaired (yes, it’s been a week now), I thought I’d head to the famous Golden Triangle – where the borders of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet at the Mekong river. The weather today looked great! At the same time, since I was in the area, and if the weather permits, take a ride to the border town of Mae Sai, where the Thai-Myanmar Friendship bridge was.

Day 18's route. Chiang Rai - Golden Triangle - Mae Sai. — Day 18’s route. Chiang Rai – Golden Triangle – Mae Sai.

Continue reading “The sgBikerBoy 2016 Trip – Day 18”

The sgBikerBoy 2016 Trip – Day 17. Chiang Rai.

sgBikerBoy is on the move again! Heading further north.

After several days getting stuck in Chiang Mai sorting out my bike repair, parts delivery, and visa matters, I was itching to go riding again. With the Pulsar 200NS still being worked on, I took my rented Honda PCX 150 and headed to Continue reading “The sgBikerBoy 2016 Trip – Day 17. Chiang Rai.”

The sgBikerBoy 2016 Trip – Day 16

6 July 2016. Day 16. I headed to the Lanna Expo at Chiang Mai Convention Centre in the morning. “Lanna” – or Northern Thai, also translates into “Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields”. It is the northern region of Thailand with somewhat different culture compared to the south. Today was also the last day of the Expo, and I thought I shouldn’t give this a miss.

The exhibition was huge! Much larger than I had thought it to be. Continue reading “The sgBikerBoy 2016 Trip – Day 16”

The sgBikerBoy 2016 Trip – Day 14 and 15

While waiting for the engine teardown, I rented a Honda PCX 150 in the meantime as I needed some form of mobility around town. I found a bike rental shop not too far away from my hotel, and now I’m mobile again!

sgBikerBoy is temporarily sgScooterBoy! My new ride around town.

The hotel came with a small pool and I had so wanted to take a dip in it. But my recent right leg injuries are probably not gonna take the chlorinated water too well. Ouch!

And so I spent the day wandering aimlessly around town, exploring the nooks and crannies of the old and newer Chiang Mai. After what’s happened so far, I decided to Continue reading “The sgBikerBoy 2016 Trip – Day 14 and 15”

The sgBikerBoy 2016 Trip – Day 13. Bad news.

So I woke up in the morning and, as usual, went searching for breakfast. The Royal Peninsular was probably the nicest hotel I’ve stayed in Thailand so far. But at 650THB, it didn’t come with breakfast. Without my bike now, it gave me the opportunity to take things a little slower and I walked the morning streets in search for food.

Walking along the old city of Chiang Mai. sgBikerBoy is now sgWalkingBoy.

Continue reading “The sgBikerBoy 2016 Trip – Day 13. Bad news.”

The sgBikerBoy 2016 Trip – Day 12. Breakdown in Pai.

The room in Pai didn’t come with breakfast. So I went searching for some food in the morning. Came across a roadside hawker center and tried ordering some “Chinese Roll Noodles Soup”.

Chinese Roll Noodles Soup. Quite good actually! See those brown cubes there? They're pig's blood - made into a tofu-like texture. I used to eat them when I was younger, but you cannot quite find it in Singapore these days. I later found out that "Chinese roll noodles" refers to chee cheong fun - quite commonly available in Singapore and in Hong Kong (where it's known as "cheong fun"). — Chinese Roll Noodles Soup. Quite good actually! See those brown cubes there? They’re pig’s blood – made into a tofu-like texture. I used to eat them when I was younger, but you cannot quite find it in Singapore these days. I later found out that “Chinese roll noodles” refers to chee cheong fun – quite commonly available in Singapore and in Hong Kong (where it’s known as “cheong fun”).

Since I arrived in Pai rather late last evening, and that it was raining the whole of last evening, I didn’t quite get to see Pai. And after breakfast, I decided to stay for another night. And so, I quickly confirmed it with the accommodation reception (who happened to be a Chinese student from Beijing, here in Thailand working for food and accommodation with no pay), and paid for the next night.

I went exploring Pai. Continue reading “The sgBikerBoy 2016 Trip – Day 12. Breakdown in Pai.”

The sgBikerBoy 2016 Trip – Day 9 to 11

The famous Mae Hong Son Loop starts from Chiang Mai and runs through Mae Sariang, Mae Hong Son, Pai and back to Chiang Mai. With more than 1,800 bends, and almost 700km of awesome views, it's a motorcyclist's (and basically any traveller's) paradise! — The famous Mae Hong Son Loop starts from Chiang Mai and runs through Mae Sariang, Mae Hong Son, Pai and back to Chiang Mai. With more than 1,800 bends, and almost 700km of awesome views, it’s a motorcyclist’s (and basically any traveller’s) paradise!

I was the only guest in the guesthouse, and so had the whole breakfast table to myself. Basic breakfast in a typical Thai guesthouse - bread, jam, coffee, and nothing much else. — I was the only guest in the guesthouse, and so had the whole breakfast table to myself. Basic breakfast in a typical Thai guesthouse – bread, jam, coffee, and nothing much else.

After breakfast, I took a short ride to the nearby Mae Pan Waterfall, or Namtok Mae Pan. Mae Pan Fall is the highest waterfall in Chiangmai and cascades down a cliff more than 100m high. So it must be real awesome, right? But when I arrived, I was the only vehicle on site, and the place looked eerily deserted. Doesn’t look very much visited here, and the sign says it’s a 500m walk to the waterfall. Not too bad, I thought.

Wrong!

It’s a 500m trekking trail. And although the path was rather clearly marked, Continue reading “The sgBikerBoy 2016 Trip – Day 9 to 11”