25. Cycling & Kayaking around Chiangmai
13.11.2023
ROAD BIKE RENTAL
For several years now I am a bicycle enthusiast with a keen interest in road bikes although I only own a hybrid bike (basically a road bike with a flat handle bar). I have tweaked my do-it-all-bike at home for speed (and I am already looking forward to the further upgrades once I have returned to Australia) but I am also dreaming about a dedicated road bike with all the bells and whistles. I watch youtube videos about the latest tech and top of the line bikes that have a price tag of USD $10,000.00- $15,000.00. This might be the equivalent to people drooling over the latest Lamborghini, Ferrari, Bugatti, Mercedes, Koenigsegg, etc. models they will never be able to afford.
To satisfy my urge to experience the thrill of riding a proper road bike I considered renting one but in Australia that would cost me about AUD $120-$160.00 (USD $80-105) per day just for a mid-tier bike from almost a decade ago.
When I found out that a shop called NK Bikes was located only 100m from my hotel, offering aluminium road bikes for 300.00 Thai Baht (USD $8.00/AUD $13.00) and carbon road bikes for 800.00 THB (USD $22.00/AUD $34.50) per day, I knew I had to jump at that opportunity. People who I told later on that I had rented a push bike for 800 THB/day thought I was crazy as you can get a scooter for less than half the price.
So now I had the bike. Where to go with it? I honestly didn't care much about where I would ride to because this was purely about the exhilarating sensation of handling a lightweight, well-equipped road bike that could easily reach speeds of 40km/h and more on flat roads.
Probably 95% of you reading this couldn’t care less about the features of the bike I hired. Fair enough! :-) jNevertheless, for those 5% of you that are as bike-nerdy as me, here are its specifications:
2015 Merida Scultura 5000 Lampre edition carbon bike
Rim brakes
Shimano Ultegra groupset with 50/34 crankset and 11-32 SRAM cassette
Continental Ultra Sport 25mm tyres and rims from Bitex (a Taiwanese brand I hadn't heard of before)
Weight with bottle cages and pedals: 8.3kg.
The guy from NK Bikes was very accommodating and helped me to set up my weapon of choice in the morning. Several times I cycled up and down the road in front of the shop and after each test ride we adjusted saddle height, the gears and other bits and bops. He threw in a top tube bag with mini pump and a saddle bag with mini tool, tyre levers and a spare tube for free in case I would encounter a flat tyre. The top tube bag had enough room for my camera and a few other small essentials. At 10:30am I finally was ready.
My plan was to get out of town and and to follow a road along the Mae Kuang River leading South. There were some scary highway overpasses over train tracks that I tried to avoid but after some detours I concluded I had to cross them in order to make it to the river.
I quickly got used to the bike (although the 56cm frame size was a bit too big for me) and it was an absolute pleasure to ride. Gear shifting was super smooth and whenever the road conditions allowed it, I put a lot of power down the pedals to be as fast as possible. The quality of roads around Chiangmai is top notch, even better than most roads in Germany and Australia. In fact, out of the roughly 70km I cycled in 4.5 hours (minus 30min lunch break and many quick stops for photo taking), only 2-3km were gravel or dirt roads. Even in small countryside villages the road quality was amazing. I stopped to photograph temples, gas stations and an old man with his initially hostile dogs. Eventually, after a few minutes, I gained their trust and was able to pet one of them.
I followed the river until the road fizzled out into an open field. I corrected my mistake and cycled back on a different path, had lunch at a local restaurant and after that followed the road on the other side of the river. – Once again the road became smaller and smaller, unpaved, muddy and ultimately ending in an unrideable overgrown pocket of land. I turned around and made it to the “11”, the highway leading to Chiangmai coming from the South. For day with sweltering heat I had seen enough countryside, so I followed the highway for 18km going at maximum speed. I treated the way back like a race, pushing myself close to the limit. I re-entered Chiangmai at rush hour, which is a total nightmare. I carefully zigzagged through traffic to not risk an accident at the very end. On another day, with padded bib shorts for more comfort on the saddle and with better leg protection against the sun I could have easily ridden a few hours longer covering 100km or more. However, the 70km I had cycled were already the longest distance I had ever travelled on a bike in a single day.
If you thought the bike rental had cured my obsession with road bikes for a while – you couldn't be more wrong because it really sparked my excitement for the sport and I am now even more determined than before to purchase my own road bike one day. I guess there are much worse things I could crave for and I happily will accept my reignited addiction with speedy muscle-powered bikes.
19.11.2023
KAYAKING ON THE PING RIVER
4 days ago I went on another kayaking trip, this time on the Ping River that flows not through but adjacent to the old town of Chiangmai. The kayak rental was 6km from my hotel – an easy ride by bike. Conveniently, I found the place immediately without any detours. I was surprised to notice that the place was actually temple area. I had to go past a few buildings with religious ornaments before I reached the waterfront with a jetty and a big shed storing most of the kayaks. - And they had plenty! At least 50-60 in all different shapes and sizes.
At first, nobody was to be seen at the jetty so I went all the way back to the entrance and asked 3 women selling lottery tickets how to rent a kayak. They pointed at the main temple building telling me I should talk to the monk. I did and he signalled me I should go back to the waterfront. Apparently, while I was going back he had phoned a guy, instructing him to open up the storage building and getting a kayak ready. I paid the incredible flat rate fee of only 50 Baht (appx. AUD $2.00) which theoretically allowed me to use the kayak from 8:00am until 9:00 pm when they close. If you ever wanted to try kayaking but weren't sure if it was worth the money...no doubt the Chiang Mai Kayaking Center at Fah Ham temple's pier offers insane value for money without breaking the bank.
Back to my story: The guy handed me a life vest and I put my sun protection gear on. Yes, I have learned from the past and brought a) a bigger towel, b) stretched the arm sleeves over my hands and c) chose early to late afternoon for this activity to spend only half of the time under the scorching sun.
I started paddling upstream. The current was strong but not too demoralising. Only when I stopped paddling to take a few photos or when I adjusted my arm sleeves, the river pushed me back quickly and I had to regain the lost ground (or water for that matter). Now and then long wooden boats with tourists and locals with tinny boats passed by.
Along the way, there were several restaurants with docks for people to enjoy the river view but also for travellers on the waterway to stop for lunch or pop in for a drink or cake. Self-sufficient as I am, I stuck with my own supplies but friendly waved to the guests and staff.
I spent a little less than 3 hours on the water (including many stops for photos and longer break to nibble on my snacks) in which I covered 8km. In the beginning I sweated a lot under the towel that sun-protected my legs, truly getting a serious workout in for my arms. In comparison, the last hour paddling downstream with the sun setting was a breeze. The temperature became more pleasant with the sun going down and I was moving much faster although putting in less effort than before. I took off the towel and my face mask...what a relief! It felt like a well-earned reward after fighting with the current and the hot temperature for the first 2 hours.
Summed up: Great afternoon activity with no sunburn penalty. Yay! :-)
Photos below: Impressions from my ride back to the Old Town.
