Motorcycle diaries 2

SORRY for the format!! won't use editor again ;) DAY 4 Wang Nua - Bi Hin - Pang Faen - Fuei Hai - Phrao -- 270km (1190km) so last night there were too strong rains and when I wanted to load my bike, there were drops falling again. But it just stopped (didn't get wet) and after turning around to get more oil, I was on my way to a waterfall with hotsprings. Spent some time in the hot water and had some very reliefing thoughts. so my first thought when we seperated was that I would be here anyway (in Asia) and that I didn't pay her trip. Didn't helped for too long obviously ;) so instead of thinking what could have been, I want to focus on the presence! life is still beautiful and a lot of things going on! :D thinking back to the last ten years, especially traveling and especially my Panamericana-Trip, I was on my own for almost most of the time.. like 2/3. the rest I was staying in a place and did fall in love with somebody or I was traveling with somebody for a couple of month. but all in all, most of the time the path that I had chosen, was meant to be walked alone (or ridden alone ;) and obviously I enjoyed a lot to be with somebody. giving and receiving all these massages and sharing just everything! a lot of new things grew out of it and I'm sure they will find fertil grounds again and prosper! ;D so I can't change my present state of not being with the girl of my life (where I would spend the rest of my time with). but I can be happy and loving and bringing all of it to the outside world! only like this, truely being with myself and happy, I can new things allow to happen. then once again.. who would be crazy enough to keep up with my lifestyle ;) maybe the next couple of months is a time for myself, being on two wheels and and experiencing freedom! :) so just before, I opened my maps and decided where I will go tomorrow: back to Pai! :) just for one night (staying at the same place, saying hello :) and then to Mae Hong Som and further around. today I found another hotspring, but didn't go in, because I was playing with the thought to spend the whole night there. but around was nothing to get good supplies and eventually a blanket. So I made it back to Phrae and will do it tomorrow early moring. should make it for sunrise! :) the roads that I've chosen (good map!), turned out to be really cool for riding motorcycle! just uphill I wish for some more HP, but I wouldn't drive faster anyway. I estimate sitting for around 6 hours on the bike and in the end I can always feel it ;) I will have the bike in Cambodia be more adjusted to weight and terrain. but for here this one did a great job and I'm sure it will take me back safe and sound to Chiang Mai :) here is not so much to do at the moment. even if there's internet, no real purpose to go online. massage and stay in CM are organized and during the week, I'll get the rest done. Nadia is in Koh Tau, has to wait for the credit card, but got just 2 weeks of visa extension. well.. she'll figure it out. for my part.. wouldn't have done it this way otherwise, so I can't complain how everything turned out :) so far so good! I'm looking forward to set up my next trip in Phnom Phen. Once being there, it shouldn't take long to get things rolling and will have time to ride all over the country :) DAY 5 Phrao - Pha Hong - Chiang Dao - Mae Taeng - Pai - Soppong - Mae Hong Som - Pha Bong -- 270km (1560km) a pretty super totally cool awesome day!! :D I got up at 5.30am and made it to the hotsprings, having a bath, doing some sunsalutations and Yoga with the sunrise and felt really energized and a good start in the morning! the road as well really nice through the hills and mountains! sometimes in really good shape and sometimes not, so it's good to have an Enduro! ;D was sunny in the morning, then a bit cloudy and sunny again. all in all, splendid weather for bikeriding! (you can rely pretty much on the seasonal weather here! :) One more thing riding a bike is you get all the smells from around! forest, flowers, food from stands.. and sometimes the polluted air from the exhaust of an old car (to pass quickly ;) yes.. had really good breathing while riding a bike. Also some kind of meditation! :) when I came to Pai it was still early and I just made a short stop to say hello in the place where I was before. Met a guy there, talked for a while together and played some guitar. Then I moved on to Soppong, where I got gasoline and decided to ride on. Was a beaaautiful sunset (just arrived shortly afterward) and had another good two hours of riding through the mountains! ..well.. the Mae Hong Som Loop is really a sweet track!! nice peace of road to just drive through and take curve after curve.. every bikers dream!!! :D I was driven to get to another hotspring along the way and I actually made it, but it wasn't as nice as the last one. the public pool is very (VERY) hot water and people just pour water over themselves. So no special midnight hotspring this time neither.. will have to find another one ;) found a lovely homestay close to the hotspring, where the room (10USD) was nicely decorated with antique stuff and looked a bit like a museum ;) spent the evening having some beers and hanging out with my thoghts.. was really content with life!! :) riding is a lot of fun and it's OK to do it on my own. I'm happy there are some more roads ahead to do! ..because in a minibus, this would have been horrible with all these curves and on a bycicle a pain in the legs. So riding a bike is just the perfect way of doing it, because you're still outside and not in a car. DAY 6 Pha Bong - Khun Yuam - Mae Chaem - Chomthong - Chiang Mai -- 280km (1840km) the last day and yess... SUCCESS!!! I made it back safe and sound, didn't drop the bike once and was riding a LOT! :) I got it somehow mixed up with the distances, but the end was 1840km in 6 days, what brings it to an average of a bit above 300km/day. Yes, I know.. quite a rally on such a small machine, but still.. I felt like riding and was a lot of fun to spend the whole day just riding through the north of Thailand! :) Of course, it would be good to have some more time along the track to stop and do things (see caves and waterfalls). but I didn't feel to much in the mood to see these things on my own and anyway, what would I do in a cave without my didgeridoo ;) today was the super most epic day of riding!! OK.. the end not so much, because I didn't find the small roads to get back to Chiang Mai and I wanted to give the bike back in time so I can go shopping tomorrow ;) but everything before hitting the highway is just spectacular!! driving through breath taking landscape and having mostly good road to ride! I felt pretty badass rider ;) not for being so fast (not possible with this bike and not recommendable, because road conditions vary a lot). but for doing all this trip on my own, having a good pace and managed to get back in one peace, seeing a lot of things and doing a cool trip on a bike partly on the roads that I cycled five years ago. Also bring some upgrade to the things that I do, when I do them again ;) I arranged by internet a place to stay for one week that I just got to. It's a super nice room with private bathroom, wifi, little balcony and a fridge outside I can use. Just perfect! :) close to the Thai Massage School that I will start after tomorrow (also all organized already ;) finally I didn't take too many pictures and movies. for one.. they are just another landscape pictures from somewhere and can't really give the moment of riding a bike through these lands, perceiving with all senses. and after my "helmetcam" died I didn't have an option to film and switch gear at the same time, so I decided for safe and fun riding instead of a lot of filming ;) anyway.. even if you have a gopro cam and take a 2hours Hi-Res movie. would you watch that again?? I think, some things just have to be lived! :) so the last 6 days were pretty sweet!! :) learned again spending time with myself and being OK with it. It's nice to meet people and share stories sitting on the fire during the night, but there is the day where these stories have to be written and I keep on writing this, my very own story of life! :)