It was a normal overtaking, maybe a bit energetic, but nothing too brash. But now the next turn was coming closer fast … closer and closer, until there was no more road. Two wheels flying over the grassy shoulder down to the now overgrown drainage channel on the side of the road. Lucky that there are very few guard rails or posts on the side of Thai roads. Still going maybe 40 km/h, clutching madly at the handlebars, bouncing wildly … and then the other rider made it! He was so darn lucky to make it out of this one in one piece. We? No, we were going at a super relaxed pace, stopped and checked if he was ok. He was.

So, we were on the road again. After the second break in two weeks, seeing three different hospitals in the process, I could wait no longer. Yes, two more days probably would have been the cautious route, but I so desperately wanted to get back on the road again. I was sure getting this message hammered home as a constant low level pain throbbing in my arm. Yet, I was still happy. The pain was manageable with regular breaks. It would be always the same – good for 15 minutes or so and then slowly starting to tense up and sting, until almost stiff. Like a super slow motion cramp. I think that probably circulation in the arm muscles is not yet fully restored and the breaks “loosened up” everything enough to get the blood flowing again.

But these roads! We went on the Mae Hong Son loop, a legendary motorcycle trip of 600 km starting and ending in Chiang Mai. We will do all of it but the boring last 85 km back to Chiang Mai, of course not today. Today’s goal is Mae Hong Son, a little provincial town near the Myanmar border. An easy 235 km day – and we got onto the road reasonably early. The road was just marvelous. Perfect seal and turn after turn after turn. I have missed this.

Sadly the scenery could not quite hold up, especially with the ever increasing haze. Mae Hong Son district is infamous for the amount of haze during the late dry season due to the locals burning their fields and additional forest fires. Around Mae Hong Son, visibility got down to less than 300m at times. At least it shielded us from the sun a little bit. The day was scorching hot – 34.5°C at 9 am and going steadily up.

When it was time for our first break after about 60 km, we spotted a huge white truck with the unmistakable signs of overander-dom to it. When we pulled over to have a look we immediately got welcomed and invited to a cup of coffee by Maéva, Rémi and their visiting dad. The content of their tank weights more than our bike (including us) and they carry a 400cc motorcycle. Still, we are not jealous. We had a nice chat and got back on the road after exchanging contact details and good wishes.

We had lunch at Pai, the half way point of the day. Initially we though we might stay here if the arm is not up for more, but in the end we were keen on leaving again. Pai evolved from a 5 hut village to backpacker central, with not really much to go for other than the surrounding national parks. So the town itself is like a copy and past of any other backpacker hub in Southeast Asia, sans the main attraction that usually goes with these.

Mae Hong Son was more up our alley. We found an affordable room within walking distance of the market. Dinner was nice and cheap that way, and we got a load of fresh and sweet strawberries for under $1. We even managed to find a cozy spot to finish season 3 of the the Great British Bake-Off. The wrong baker won, though … 😉