Lone Rider
Blokes Who Can
Pai Loop.
Roads taken: Rd 107, 3009, 1095, roads without numbers, 5151, 4004, 1265, 5032, 1269 and 107 - total distance 470 km.
The route taken from Chiangmai to Pai and back via Wat Chan and Samoeng
Needed to visit Pai for some mapping stuff and, as I would have spare time, I checked the maps what else I would be able to see (other then the things I had seen before). Found the Nam Mae Yen Waterfall, a replica of the Chinese Wall and the Paem Bok waterfall - all things which were new to me. I left early so I would have time to see other "unexpected" things which I might find along the road.
Early morning (around 7 o'clock) the farmers are already busy transplanting the rice
Along road 3009 I found two nice temples. In the first one, Wat Phra Kad Tham (N19.02382 E98.87421) in Ban Kat Hao a funeral was ongoing so I did not venture inside the temple grounds but the second one, Wat Tha Kham (N19.08535 E98.85238) in Ban Sop Poeng, was more or less deserted.
Wat Phra Kad Tham
Buddha at Wat Tha Kham with the new temple building behind it.
The old temple building at Wat Tha Kham with the small guard in front of the door
On to Pai for breakfast and trying to find the Nam Yen Waterfall. The ESRI/NOSTRA GPS map showed the location to be at N19.36130 E98.46162 and after quite a bit of searching with a few small stream crossings I managed to reach the spot along very narrow trails. Unfortunately (or maybe as usual) this was not the place where the waterfall was and although there were 2 motorbikes parked there was no one around to ask in which direction I should go to the waterfall so back to Pai.
The location/start of the trail of the waterfall according to the ESRI/NOSTRA GPS map - Now (top) and sometime ago (bottom)
A few hundered meters along an unpaved road (I had come through agricultural fields along trails) I found the riddle to "Where is the Waterfall" - a 3+3=6 hour walk to the waterfall which apparently is in the middle of the forests from where I turned around.
The replica of the Chinese Wall is located in the Shan village north-west of Pai. Not sure what to think of it but I thought that the name was a bit over-done.
The Chinese Wall in Pai
After the Chinese Wall it was off to the Paem Bok Waterfall. There is a sign on the main road (1095) but after that you are on your own and along the way several tourists asked me if I knew where the waterfall was. Luckily this time the GPS map pointed us to the right place which was basically by just following the road for quite some time (N19.32080 E98.40485). Had expected that the waterfall would have a lot of water as the owner of the restaurant where I had lunch told me that sometimes the bridge to the waterfall was completely submerged.
The Waterfall and the bridge which at the height of the rainy season often is submerged
In order to make it a loop I took road 1265 from Pai to Wat Chan and then offroad on the 5032 to Samoeng and on to the X-Center to see the F1 race at the Hungaro-ring.
Rd 1265 with parts which were still very nice and other parts which were badly potholed. Along the road lots of ground nuts growing and repairs of collapsed parts of the road along the Mae Sa river
Rd 5032 is being upgraded and while the first 35 km or so from Wat Chan is still unpaved, the remainder is already paved al the way to Samoeng. The unpaved part was at places a bit muddy but otherwise it was all plain sailing with dry and hard packed dirt.
Roads taken: Rd 107, 3009, 1095, roads without numbers, 5151, 4004, 1265, 5032, 1269 and 107 - total distance 470 km.
The route taken from Chiangmai to Pai and back via Wat Chan and Samoeng
Needed to visit Pai for some mapping stuff and, as I would have spare time, I checked the maps what else I would be able to see (other then the things I had seen before). Found the Nam Mae Yen Waterfall, a replica of the Chinese Wall and the Paem Bok waterfall - all things which were new to me. I left early so I would have time to see other "unexpected" things which I might find along the road.
Early morning (around 7 o'clock) the farmers are already busy transplanting the rice
Along road 3009 I found two nice temples. In the first one, Wat Phra Kad Tham (N19.02382 E98.87421) in Ban Kat Hao a funeral was ongoing so I did not venture inside the temple grounds but the second one, Wat Tha Kham (N19.08535 E98.85238) in Ban Sop Poeng, was more or less deserted.
Wat Phra Kad Tham
Buddha at Wat Tha Kham with the new temple building behind it.
The old temple building at Wat Tha Kham with the small guard in front of the door
On to Pai for breakfast and trying to find the Nam Yen Waterfall. The ESRI/NOSTRA GPS map showed the location to be at N19.36130 E98.46162 and after quite a bit of searching with a few small stream crossings I managed to reach the spot along very narrow trails. Unfortunately (or maybe as usual) this was not the place where the waterfall was and although there were 2 motorbikes parked there was no one around to ask in which direction I should go to the waterfall so back to Pai.
The location/start of the trail of the waterfall according to the ESRI/NOSTRA GPS map - Now (top) and sometime ago (bottom)
A few hundered meters along an unpaved road (I had come through agricultural fields along trails) I found the riddle to "Where is the Waterfall" - a 3+3=6 hour walk to the waterfall which apparently is in the middle of the forests from where I turned around.
This is what I was able to find on the Mae Yen waterfall on the WWW: If you’re looking for a bit of adventure & want to spend some time at a waterfall that has no tourists then you might want to consider trekking to the Mae Yen Waterfall which is said to be the most beautiful waterfall in Pai district.
From Pai follow the road until it becomes a dirt track winding its way into the jungle. Park up when you can go no further on the motorbike. The path to the waterfall runs along side the creek, crossing it at various points along the way. A few hours walking should get you there.The water runs from the Huai Nam Dang forest over a 30-meter-high cliff down to a large pond below. This place is also suitable for swimming and relaxing. It's best to ask for directions from local people before you set off and to make sure you take plenty of water and some food as this trek will take you the whole day.
From Pai follow the road until it becomes a dirt track winding its way into the jungle. Park up when you can go no further on the motorbike. The path to the waterfall runs along side the creek, crossing it at various points along the way. A few hours walking should get you there.The water runs from the Huai Nam Dang forest over a 30-meter-high cliff down to a large pond below. This place is also suitable for swimming and relaxing. It's best to ask for directions from local people before you set off and to make sure you take plenty of water and some food as this trek will take you the whole day.
The replica of the Chinese Wall is located in the Shan village north-west of Pai. Not sure what to think of it but I thought that the name was a bit over-done.
The Chinese Wall in Pai
After the Chinese Wall it was off to the Paem Bok Waterfall. There is a sign on the main road (1095) but after that you are on your own and along the way several tourists asked me if I knew where the waterfall was. Luckily this time the GPS map pointed us to the right place which was basically by just following the road for quite some time (N19.32080 E98.40485). Had expected that the waterfall would have a lot of water as the owner of the restaurant where I had lunch told me that sometimes the bridge to the waterfall was completely submerged.
The Waterfall and the bridge which at the height of the rainy season often is submerged
In order to make it a loop I took road 1265 from Pai to Wat Chan and then offroad on the 5032 to Samoeng and on to the X-Center to see the F1 race at the Hungaro-ring.
Rd 1265 with parts which were still very nice and other parts which were badly potholed. Along the road lots of ground nuts growing and repairs of collapsed parts of the road along the Mae Sa river
Rd 5032 is being upgraded and while the first 35 km or so from Wat Chan is still unpaved, the remainder is already paved al the way to Samoeng. The unpaved part was at places a bit muddy but otherwise it was all plain sailing with dry and hard packed dirt.
Thanks very much for sharing.
