Mae Ngat Dam area (scooter trip)
Mae Ngat | Chiang Mai Province | Hot Season | 100 KM Ride | 1 Day
(2011) – A quick scooter daytrip to the Mae Ngat Dam area via a back road.
When people think of the dam, they usually think of the famous house boats. These are houseboats on the dam that you can rent for x period of time and stay on, but there are other fun activities there, such as the one I stumbled upon whilst out on a ride.
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Contents
Thailand Iconic Roads in the North
Big Bike Tours Recce Ride 2
5 Days 7 Provinces Loop
Border Ride. N.West to N.East – Northern Thailand.
The Ride to The Dam
Instead of heading to the most well-known zones, I took a look at an off-the-beaten-track route that went through a zone that was overgrown and had pretty much zero vehicles.
On this route, there was even a rural hilltribe local lady who was gathering something from the ground excitedly. Stopped to chat with her, but her Thai was quite broken (obviously not her native tongue). Turned out she was gathering some ant eggs. She had laid down bate and had been waiting for the larvae. She was looking forward to cooking them up that evening. She told me they are very delicious and even invited me to join her!
This is something i love about people here; the generosity and kindness of spirit. This lady looked like she had so very little in the way of material anything, yet was willing to share her prize with me. I was so humbled…even though i declined politely saying i had no time.
Fun Times
This route was very enjoyable and eventually I came out at a more established road and I progressed towards Mae Ngat Dam.
Then, a little before the dam there was a wonderful scene of people getting wet and playing in canal-ways. Obviously connected to the dam. There were food vendors and the water was nice and flowing.
I decided to stop there to eat and enjoy the water, rather than head on to the dam area. Lots of bbq dishes around including some kind of larvae/pupae. Not really my style if I’m honest!
I ordered some typical BBQ food and a cool drink, then at sat by the water. Ended up being entertained by some (slightly inebriated) local Thai guys.
Back to Chiang Mai City
I chilled for a while and then headed back home.
Excellent day! I did actually visit the dam again some time later and it was completely bone dry! No people around and no BBQ. That was around late November.
Have you been to the dam? What did you do there?
I hope you enjoyed this Mae Gnat Dam trip report.
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