We finally received our Tour License, and it had taken me 1 year to get the bikes together, as anybody outside the country doesn't know, Thailand in the past is very difficult to obtain the bikes you want, with in excess of 100% import tax applicable

Next step was shake down of my new tour business, and there was know body more critical of me than my own family, i thought they deserved the privilege.
I phoned my brother in law Chris, and ask if he and our family friend Bryson, would like to venture over to Thailand for 1 week, and i take them on a 6 day ride. Little did i know this meek invitation would turn into 5 family members and 6 family friends for a 2 week vacation.
So the plan was made, women and children and my dad would ride in the wagon, pick up my girlfriends parents at Chiang Dao which now made us 15 strong, and follow the motorcycles for 2 days, where at Thaton, the wagon of people would head back for Chiang Mai then onto Singapore while we 5 people on motorcycles would carry on skirting the Thai border for another 4 days.

The new bikes, at this time we still had 1 red Honda XR 400 in the pack.

The clan enjoying a warm fire and fine dining in Chiang Dao at The Nest

We where 5 riders:
* My brother in law Chris, pushing 50 years old, Chris grew up in a farm area and had played around with bikes and buggies all his life although hadn't been on a motorcycle trip ever.
* Chris's Son and my nephew Jake, at the age of 20 Jake had been a professional Free style Motocross rider since he was 16, and had preformed in shows all over the world
* Our life time family friend John, aged 45, john is a true bike enthusiast and has ridden all warps of motorcycling
* john's 15 year old son Jack. Jack is a motocross racer and pretty handy on a motorcycle.
* and myself who at the age of 3years had a petruatry gland disorder, which 36 years later was found to have caused motorcycle addiction
A disappointing fact for me was our friends Bryson and his wife Gay had been traveling with my family and on the night before they arrive in Chiang Mai, on a stop over in Singapore they where informed on there daughter going into early labour with some complications and had to make a emergency flight back to Australia.

views at 2100m altitude looking over Burma from Doi Pha Hom Pok.

The first day was a trip around the Samoeng Loop, a visit To Maesa Elephant camp then onto Chiang Dao for the first nights rest.




Jake, having the elephant do the take the hat, spin around then replace it trick.


Tom, another one of John and Donna son's was to young to ride with us this time but got some thrills with the elephants

The route was from Chiang Dao we would head north and skirt the Thai/Burma border to the Golden Triangle then from here we would head south skirting the Thai/Laos border to the city of Chiang Kham and then head west back into Chiang Mai



Along Burma, the mountain range marks the geographic divide to Thailand, as seen in this photo this area is rich in Hill Tribe, Armies and a treacherous past.








A Palong Villager making a drum, the man tend not to wear the colorful traditional costumes of there women.


Burmese Army Camp







The Thai Border Rangers always seem to be friendly, hospitable, and generous as here being seen sharing there rice whiskey with us and letting us manhandle the weapons.






i must say on this day these two gentleman may have had a little to much whiskey, here we a shown how to mount a mock attack, but the funny or scary thing, depending how you look at it, we where given the M16 after the magazine of bullets where removed, but what the rangers boys didn't realize there was still a bullet in the chamber



The road down to Thaton from Doi Laeng is simply incredible



Our second nights rest a bungalow on the Kok river

I awoke before sunrise, The consequence of having a motorcycle race coming up, meant this would be the only time free to me for exercise, so i made the most of it, and jogged up the hill to the temple's of Thaton, camera attached for some sunrise shots.




however i was not alone, plenty of Monks and Thai's taking in the sunrise with the low flying clouds being swept by the chilly breeze down the kok
River
Day 3 would see us ride to Maesalong, Doi Tung, Mae Sai then stopover in Chiang Rai for the night.



The Supermotard is at its finest on these switch backs, and these Ranges are full of them.



Doi Mae Saloeng is a Chinese controlled Tea growing area, The scenery is continually changing through different times of year, the rainy season comes and paints the mountains a shade of lush green, the rain stops followed by the dry winter and the lush green turns to brown amd grey, then the climate increases in temperature and the brush is fire burnt black preparing to cultivate the land for the upcoming monsoon's, and finally the dirt is ploughed and churned leaving the mountains now a rich brown and red colour, then the cycle begins again. At this time it was February you can see patchs of Black that had been burnt and patches of volcanic red that had been ploughed





After a night of beers in Chiang Rai and some dancing at a Thai country rock club we loaded the bikes, and made through the rice paddy's up to the Mekong River, for today we where out of the mountains and would ride the more leisurely roads of the Mekong basin.




Jake claims the G.T.




Jack overlooking the Mekong River.

We met the Mekong River where it serves as the border marking the joining points of the 3 countries, Laos, Burma and Thailand known as The Golden Triangle. From the G.T. we would follow the Mekong downstream to Chiang Khong the gateway to Laos in the north. In Chiang Khong it was time to try out a well deserved Thai massage, Before beers on the Hotel terrace overlooking Laos across the Mekong River as the full moon rise.




John and Jack looking across the Mekong at the town of Huei xai in Laos


Jake, Chris, John, Jack


" Rhodie" from Rhodie Motography

David Unkovich the Gt-Rider

Diner's plans this night where to meet Rhoadie and David, as they where in Chiang Khong to Enter Laos the next day.
The views below are early morningfrom my hotel room.





Today, day 5 we would follow the Mekong River until we run out of Thai border then we would climb the Luang Praubang Range and skirt the Laos border heading south.




Pha Taeng mountain thai/Laos border


Phu Chi Fa Mountain looking into Laos.


Phu-Sang Waterfall
This night our final night on the road, we where to stay in Pha Yao by the lakes edge, we had a awesome time as by the 3rd days riding on the road evrybody had chilled form the hustle and bustle of western life and where really absorbed into what adventures the road would bring us. It turned out tonight, while walking along the edge of the path of Quam Pha Yao, we where asked to join a group of people playing music, eating food and drinking whiskey on the lakes bank, we joined with them and it really made for a fantastic last night on the road, to remember Thailand and its good hearted people.
Day 6: Hwy 120 then the hwy 118 home to Chiang Mai. These roads are a enjoyable end to the trip first the big fast sweeping corners of the 120 then zig zagging through traffic on the slippery turns of the 118 as the number of cars increase with each K.M. we get close to Chiang Mai.
Well the shake down went well, unbelievably well infact, And from my family's prospective it was rated as the all time most enjoyable trip of there life, which bewildered me a little having the comments both by Chris aged 50 and his son Jake aged 20 but i guess it had a lot to do a father and a son hanging out in a common interest in a place like the border areas of the G.T. that really opens your mind.