Ugg Thailand... the rain

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Hey all,
The weather has been foiling my plans for world domination a bit. First no kiting because no wind, now no dirt biking because of too much rain.

It is red clay and mud here and during the rain many of the mountain trails become unpassable.

Something just started to look up as I typed this though.

I hired a motorbike and indepentant guide for for four days of hard dirt riding. Well, we got rain right away. We got suck on a pass in the mud and couldn't continue. I am a bit banged up and full of mud, and dripping wet. We back track 10 miles to the pavement. Head up, get gas, more crazy mud until we deadend at a terrace farm. It is 4 pm and I realize we are in the middle of nowhere jungle, the guide doesn't know the way, no map, it will be dark in 2 hours and no where to stay. We back track sliding down the mud hill as fast as we can realizing our situation now. We decide to make it to Pai the nearest town. GPS says it is 72km in a straight line. We ride 40 km of dirt and only get 15km closer.
Well, we ride and ride and ride, It's dark and raining now and wearing the sunglasses to keep the bugs out makes it harder to spot the black cattle in the road and the slippery presents they have left which are bad news in a corner on the motorbike.
We get gas. I get it first and guide says go ahead and he'll catch me on the road. I thought it was a bad idea, but gone on. I ride into the little town of Pai and stop at the first guesthouse, park the bike under a light so he can see it and sit at the food stall and get some fried basil and pork.
30 minutes and no guide. I wait a a bit more and get a room for night.
No sign of him by morning. I am figuring plans B and C. Ride back to Chaing mai, and find him later, he has my passport too.

This morning it rained very hard wiping out chances of riding the jungle today.

Good news, guide walks into the internet cafe. We'll putt around Pai today and head back to Chiang Mai tomorrow. Flexablity is key to having a good time here.

I got a weird biking injury. A vine of some sort, slightly velcro like wrapped my arm as I rode by and hit and and it pulled and gave me a crazy huge snakebit type burn on the forearm.
Wet jungle riding is very different than the mountains of Colorado, hard to tell when you have traction and don't.

Having fun, but missing home and friends too.
Garret

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Comments

[TheGoodDoctor]

*headdesk* WTF dude! You do NOT hand off your passport. EVAH.

[Garret]

Wrong
Yes, I know that is the idea, but in reality most hotels take it when you check in, and renting a bike motorcycle they take it too. There isn't much choice.

[TheGoodDoctor]

You must look untrustworthy :oP I would make a MAJOR scene. It's not the hotel's problem if your passport gets lost in a foreign country.