This northern scooter trip meant an early rise. So, setting off early on scooters, on the 118 to Chiang Rai, we took a right turn at Mae Khachan onto route 120 towards Phayao. We then took a left onto the main highway Route 1, and a few kms later a right turn onto the 1021 to Wiang Kiang. We continued on past Wiang Kiang on the 1155 which takes you to Phu Chi Fa.

On this particular trip my riding partner and I met with a couple of riding friends, one was riding a Lifan and the other a Honda Phantom. In all honesty I would much prefer to be on my brick-suspension Fino than a Honda Phantom..but maybe that’s just me.

*Additionally* The rider of the Phantom confessed to me later that when he saw me on my Fino he was thinking it was going to be a slow ride. But it turned out that I left him for dust. Haha. “Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover”, comes to mind. Or in this case “Don’t Judge a Rider by Their Bike”. 😉

Phu Chi Fa was worth the ride. There is a steep climb up the famous viewpoint and then you are met with a wonderful scenic vision. You feel like you are right in the clouds, which you are really!

After Phu Chi Fa we all headed onto the 1020 to Chiang Khong. By the time we got there it was dark, but thankfully had pre-booked a room at (Arghh..i have to fill this in later, sorry, because i forget the name). As an aside, you can actually take a boat from Chiang Khong over to Huay Xai, Laos.

That evening we all headed out to the river area for a bite to eat, and we found ourselves slap bang into a Loy Krathong Festival. There were fireworks and Krathongs (the floating items) and lanterns being lit and launched..everywhere!
So much so that a stray small firework cracker landed slap bang in my hair…. ! Seriously, I wonder at my luck sometimes. It was just a short while back that I had my accident and this was my first big ride since the accident, and now a firework is setting me on fire! Let me tell you one thing about this, that I’m glad i do not use hairspray! I knocked the firework out from my hair and patted it down, hoping I wouldn’t find a bald spot..haha.

Anyway, dinner was lovely. The company was nice. It was an enjoyable evening. Headed back for a rest (and, as is normal in cheaper places, the walls were very thin, making it a little on the noisy side). The next morning we parted company with the other two riders, who were going off another way, and headed towards Mae Sai to do a visa border crossing.

Nearing Mae Sai my partners tire had a puncture. Thankfully he is pretty much “Mr. Fixit”, and is never without tools, so as it was a slow puncture, he intermittently pumped up the tires until we got to a mechanic in Mae Sai. Turned out that just a small metal shard caused that drama. Anyway, crossed over the border, came back through into Thailand and headed for shelter when the heavens suddenly opened and torrential tropical rains came down. Never mind, the bikes were good to go and when the rain stopped, so were we.

Rode on the pretty boring stretch of the main highway route 1, until we got to Chiang Rai and stopped for the night. At Chiang Rai we stayed at the rather comical Red Rose motel. I say comical, because the Red Rose is a themed motel, and you can choose rooms such as “boxing ring room” (yes, your bed is a boxing ring..) and “Star Wars room”.

*UPDATE* The iconic Red Rose Motel has since been knocked down

We choose the Star Wars themed room. Now before you start thinking this place is family-friendly, it isn’t really. These motels are geared towards “short time” stays, which basically means they are sex-motels. You can pay by the hour or by the night. Was certainly fun to stay there though. The room had a lot of chrome and space-ship style lighting and even a mirrored ceiling..haha.

In Chiang Rai we ate at a recommended Italian Restaurant, but i will need to find the name out of this later as well (sorry!). Was ok. Not the best ive ever eaten, but im a bit of a food snob sometimes.

After a good nights sleep we headed off back on Route 1 to Chiang Mai. Just a busy main highway, so nothing much to say about that really.
All in all a good trip and have been meaning to revisit Phu Chi Fa for some time now.

Hope you enjoyed this Northern Scooter Trip Report! Happy Trails!

Have you been to Phu Chi Fa?
Have you ever stayed in a “themed” hotel? ;p
Comment below! 😀