A Day on the Road in Northern Thailand

The trouble with visiting a Thai market with a local guide is that you never know how long you’ll be there.

There’s always something interesting to investigate, something unfamiliar to explain, or something delicious that really ought to be sampled. At Mae Malai, north of Chiang Mai, the stalls are piled with vegetables, seasonal fruit, herbs, spices and all manner of prepared foods. Some are familiar. Others prompt questions, occasionally followed by a cautious taste.

For our guides, it’s a chance to introduce guests to a little of everyday Northern Thailand. For our guests, it’s a good excuse to spend the morning eating things they may not be able to identify. And we still have a bicycle ride ahead of us.

From Market Stalls to Temple Spires

Today’s route is part of our Northern Thailand Highlights journey, a week of cycling through the countryside north of Chiang Mai. We’ve already left the city behind, and the roads now carry us through agricultural valleys, small villages and a landscape of fields and forested hills.

Not far from Mae Malai, we arrive at Wat Baan Den. Thai temples come in an extraordinary variety of shapes, sizes and architectural styles, but Wat Baan Den is particularly enthusiastic about making an impression. Elaborate roofs, colorful ornamentation, statues and mythical creatures fill a sprawling complex that seems determined to leave no decorative opportunity unexplored.

It’s quite a contrast to the morning market, although both are very much part of contemporary Thai life. We spend time exploring the temple before returning to the bikes. The road continues north, and gradually the countryside begins to change.

Into the Gorge

As we approach the Mae Ping Gorge, the landscape becomes more dramatic. Hills rise above the valley, forest takes over from cultivated fields, and the road winds through increasingly beautiful country.

This is one of the pleasures of cycling in Northern Thailand. A day’s ride can pass through several quite different landscapes without requiring a heroic distance or an exhausting climb. There’s time to look around, stop for photographs and enjoy the riding. Our local guides know the roads, the places worth visiting and, perhaps most importantly, where to find something cold to drink.

By late afternoon, we’re approaching Chiang Dao, with its great limestone mountain rising above the surrounding countryside. But the day’s activities aren’t quite finished.

A Pool Beside the River

Our destination is a hot spring near Chiang Dao, where the owner, an old friend after years of visits, has kept the largest pool just for our group.

After a day of cycling, the warm mineral water is welcome enough. The setting makes it even better. The pool overlooks a river, and on the opposite bank stands a rural village with traditional bamboo-and-thatch houses. It’s a peaceful scene, with the sort of view that encourages everyone to settle in and stay awhile.

Depending on the guides and the arrangements for that departure, dinner might be a barbecue prepared at the hot springs. On other trips, we’ll head out to a local restaurant afterward. Either way, it’s a pleasant conclusion to a day that began with market stalls and ended in warm water beside a river.

Tomorrow will bring another stretch of countryside, more villages and probably another interesting meal or two. But for now, the bikes can wait. The water is warm, the evening is approaching, and nobody seems especially eager to get out.