Chiang Mai to Pai (762 turn route) With Friends
Part 2 of:
https://medium.com/globetrotters/new-years-roadtrip-to-chiang-mai-e9a1d79ae609
By coincidence, it turned out that our crossfit coach and his family were travelling up to Chiang Mai a few days after our arrival. And so, they invited us on an exciting mini road trip, which we, of course, gladly accepted.
On the morning of the 2nd of January, we drove into Doi Inthanon National Park to meet the rest of our group by a waterfall. After some quick hellos, introductions, and catch ups, our three car convoy was ready to undertake the scenic journey ahead.
What neither I nor my partner were made aware of was the actual route we had agreed to drive. As we followed the other cars along the windy roads, surrounded on both sides with nothing but nature, our jaws were almost in a perpetually ajar state. Every viewpoint stop added proof to the fact that we were undertaking the most gorgeous drive we had ever been on.
You know you’re in a truly beautiful place, when you’re constantly in a state of conflict between taking a picture/video and having his snippet to enjoy later on, or to keeping your eyes glued to the window so as to not miss a second of what is transpiring around you in that moment.
An hour or so into the drive, we stopped at a small Thai cafe to grab some lunch, which we later enjoyed at an expansive viewpoint with some locally grown and roasted coffee. Already, we were in the heart of the mountains. Even writing this, I get lost in the scenery; the strawberry fields below, the waterfalls far ahead, the peaceful stretch of blue sky, the warm sun and wind grazing our skin, and the mountains covered fully with trees and greenery, stretching out along the entire horizon.
Next, came my personal highlight of the drive — FRESH STRAWBERRIES! The winter months in the North of Thailand mark the strawberry season, and since everybody in our company was a big strawberry fan, we soon stopped as a roadside strawberry stall, expertly selected by our crossfit coach. Trust me when I say those strawberries were heavenly. The last time I remember eating such perfectly ripe, sweet, juicy strawberries is at my grandfather’s farm back in Russia, when I was a kid. Needless to say, the kilo of strawberries my partner and I bought vanished within a few hours.
The last viewpoint we stopped at before a long, windy drive to Pai was my favourite. There were lots of angles to see the view from, as there was an opportunity to walk down a slope, as well as climb onto various constructions in order to explore your surroundings to the fullest extent. We made sure to stretch out our legs here, as it was going to be the last stop preceeding a few hours of turns after turns, as we put our vestibular apparatuses to the test.
And just like that, the real drive began. The most notable part of the journey for me was feeling the air outside get cooler as we drove deeper into the mountains. Every once in a while, I would see someone in the car in front of us stick their arm out of the window and I’d follow suit, each time noticing how air has changed, slightly yet perceptibly. As well as that, it was intriguing to observe the changes in the vegetation around us, as more and more pines appeared along our route.
A few hours later, our little convoy pulled over next to a natural hot spring for a short break from driving. It was a surreal feeling, knowing how deep into the barely touched nature we were. It was so still, and only once in a while, a passing car would quaver the quietude.
We arrived in the small, backpacker-adored town of Pai after sunset. After checking in to a lovely hotel and realising that at 9 °C a T-shirt wouldn’t suffice, we made our way to the local walking street for some dinner. That was also where I bought a cool fridge magnet to commemorate completing the famous 762 turn drive.
Thank you for reading!
