The Ride. The town of Pai

I’ve done it. I’ve been to Chiang Mai for Songkran, bucket list, life goals, all of the clichés. I wanted something more from my time there. Living life on a whim at this point had only improved my situation, and I wanted an adventure for my last few days up north.

“Fuck it.” I thought. I need to go to Pai. I had heard all about it from the travellers I had met and figured that was my next destination.

I got to talking with John, an eager brit that was staying at the hostel and loved motorcycles, and I had casually mentioned that I was thinking about renting a proper bike (none of this scooter business) and booting through the 700+ twists and turns through the mountains to get to Pai. He was all about it. Sold.

No turning back now

So the next day we rented our bikes for 24 hours and started on a journey that will continue to be the best memory of my trip so far.

The view was amazing

As we rode through the amazing scenery I figured this was pretty much why I wanted to come here. It was times like these that made me want to scream to the gods of insanity and thank whatever forces made this happen. Life was good and I had nothing but a smile on my face for the 4 hour drive there and then the same (same) back.

We arrived in Pai in time for dinner and I immediately fell in love with the town. The vibe was much more different than other parts of my travels. An impromptu jam session took place as I tried to keep up on harmonica. I was asked to stay and get paid to perform at a bar the next night which was unbelievable but I had a flight booked in Chiang Mai for the next day. I’m not sure I can carry a performance anyways as most of my playing is highly improvisational and usually fairly booze fueled.

We only had the night and I saw the town. I met some people, had some laughs and then woke up the next day to ride back to Chiang Mai and catch my flight back to Phuket.

More and more I love this country, the north may have my heart but the south may be where I belong in the long run.

To the next step and back to Phi Phi,

Daniel Double-u

I am hooked

The city of Chiang Mai (Songkran 2014)

Setting out to plan the trip I really had no plans in mind. I just figured enough to book a one way to Bangkok and hit the ground running. I was going to burn it on both ends as long as I was still breathing. Plans meant constraints, and constraints were pretty much shackles at this point.

I did know I wanted to make it to Songkran. Every year starting April 13 Thailand celebrates its new years celebration. In sanskrit the word translates roughly to astrological passage. The holiday is very important to the Buddhist majority of Thailand as it marks a new beginning and a way to start clean and begin a new trip around the sun. 

Just a wild scene

On the streets it is pandemonium. In what has to be the world's biggest water fight, businesses and people line every lane with buckets of ice cold water and load up the water guns and proceed to have the best time ever.

In Phuket they celebrate for one day/night. There is water everywhere you go and if you enjoy the craziness you hit up Patong and get buck, but you could be on a side road in central rural Thailand and some kid will pop out of the bushes with a bucket of water and proceed to soak you with the biggest smile on his face. 

This kid would stand there all day

In Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand) they go for five days straight. As Songkran got closer I kept hearing that was the place to be. They go harder, and longer than anyone else. I mulled over going up there for about .7 seconds before booking my flight for the next day.

The old and inner city of Chiang Mai is surrounded by a canal (think moat) and a brick wall. This moat provides the perfect water gun replenishing station for everyone to keep on soaking eachhother. For days. Hundreds of thousands of Thais and tourists flock to this hub and party their freakin asses off.

If this video doesn't work, click this link SONGKRAN

And we did that as well. The solid group of people that convened on the Bann Nana house hostel definitely enjoyed the odd cocktail . A good mix of Canadian, English, Belgian, and German. There was a bar district that saw its fair share of us during Songkran and it was insanity. On separate occasions I danced my ass off to drum and bass (a rare commodity over here), drank 4 buckets in one night, and broke up two fights (one resulting in a concussion). Alcohol and I have an abusive relationship, and it beats the crap out of me on the regular. 

The Chiang Gang

By the time the five days were over I had been wet and partied enough for five lifetimes, but that just seems to be Thailand in general. 

Happy new years!

Daniel Double-u

16. The (Koh) Tao of Banana Rock

After the madness of Koh Phangan I needed a break. A break from the partying, the people, the noise and commotion. The boat to Koh Tao was a short journey and there were plenty of amazing small islands to watch as they passed by the scenery. Windblown and awestruck once again we hit land and I met up with a friend Derek who had been working on the island as a DJ for several months.

Derek not working

He showed me the hotel he was staying at and I snapped up a room right across from a hard-court soccer pitch which would be hosting a tournament featuring players from Koh Tao and other islands of the region.

These guys were good

Mr. J's

I was bottom left, Derek was by the blue bin

After getting settled I took a look around and quickly decided this was far more my speed. It was in places like Koh Tao that really allow me to reflect on what an incredible trip this has been. From the giant and sheer cliff walls of Phuket with its incredible views, the atmosphere of islands like this and Phi Phi, even the craziest moments of Phangan were awe-inspiring, any backpacker or traveller looking for a soul cleansing journey will likely find whatever it is they want in Thailand.

And then Derek told me about Banana Rock.

No words

I wasn't sure this place existed until I actually saw it, but it took a 20 minute ride on a largely hilly and winding road to get there. I only dropped the bike once on a steep dirt road but managed to save it before metal met earth. Scaring my passenger enough (another Canadian with some stirring words tattooed on her thigh) to walk the rest of the 50 metres, we arrived at what looked like just another slightly off the beaten path resort area.

Words, thigh

Unbelievable view

I had figured out earlier that if you walk into any resort or unfamiliar area like you have been there all along they won't pay any attention. The minute you start asking stupid questions and raising a scene you will be asked for a key or room number or anything similar. This has come in handy getting into a few different resort pools and places I probably shouldn't have been in the first place.

I don't think this type of elusiveness was even needed here. We walked through the resort and approached a tree-house like structure at the back, looking like it was built straight up from the ocean on stilts from the trees in the close area. We climbed up to the second of three levels where there were a few tables and a help yourself type of fridge with beer, pop, and juice. They had a small bar area with staff (I think?) that prepared some fairly special coffees and other assorted drinks. Our group, which included four Canadians and three Germans settled into the living room area for the day.

As we alternated between climbing up to the top level to "drink tea" or "coffee" and relaxing in our cozy little hut we watched the sun set on another perfect day. These types of moments were the reason I took the journey. The blissful high of the ocean breeze wafted through us as the night melted in and everything would fade to black once again.

I'll be back Ko Tao,
Daniel Double-u

Mr J's philosophy (Click on picture to enlarge)

Sounds legit

To: You

"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro" - Hunter S. Thompson 

You meet all kinds of people travelling. 90% of the time they are the best types of people. Resourceful backpackers full of knowledge and wisdom. Artists, thinkers, philosophers, and folks that generally know how to have a good time. 

In the two months of travelling so far I have met some from all walks of life. Several are on a more spiritual trip, looking for answers that their previous environment couldn't provide. There are those that just needed a break or a vacation as we all do at some point, without the intermissions from life the monotony can start to chisel away your being from the inside. I know a few people who desperately need to escape. Certainly, I did. There are those seeking adventure and the adrenaline junkies who get their fix in the skies, mountains, streets and waters of the world. 

There may be aspects of each that everyone fits into at some point in our lives. Humans are entirely strange and this does not exclude myself or you or anybody. Every damn one of our kind is messed up to an extent, there are just varying degrees to which we are willing to admit this to ourselves. 

It is this strangeness that makes us awesome and if we all thought and acted in a "normal" manner this world would be an incredibly boring place to be. People are beautiful, and although there may be some moments where they act in a heinous and horrible fashion, the experience in life comes from the unpredictable and unexpected. If we choose to embrace the weird and random moments, everything becomes much more vibrant and interesting. 

This is the most important lesson gained from my trip so far. Accept the strange, welcome the weird and understand the random. We all have weaknesses and strengths, it is how we navigate the twists and turns of our shared experience that make this crazy journey one worth taking.  

To all the friends I've met along the way, not just on this trip but the whole way, you are most likely amazing. There may have been times where we haven't seen eye to eye or slights have been made, but I'm genuinely thrilled to have met you. Without the worst in people, nobody would appreciate the best. 

Progressing to conclude the trip and wind it all down, the lessons will continue to come I'm sure. But we are all fucking amazing at some points and moments, it might just be a matter of finding those moments and never, ever letting them go. 

I cant wait to meet the rest of you,

Daniel Double-u

14. Koh Phangan saved my life. (Part 2)

The full moon was in full swing, people were hanging from rafters. Everywhere along the stretch of beach that has seen some of the biggest parties in the world you could feel the vibe, left and right, up and down.

The moon is full, and the lights are on 

At this point these were the only passable pictures

After meeting up with a giant crew of Calgary-based crazy people, we set out to light the Had Rin beach up. Getting separated about 18 times, I just gave up on the fact that I would be hanging out with any dedicated group of anyone and found a tiny staircase to go chill in for a bit and take some pictures.

To the beach

Paint up 

Whatever is going on here is awesome

Eventually I found people I knew, had a great night and then before I knew it the next day had awoken me on a wooden deck/bed. In all a good night, full moon parties are cool to experience but in the end it’s a giant beach party, ko phi phi had already shown me plenty of those.

The half-moon party was a different beast altogether. Those that have been to Shambhala music festival have experienced the Fractal Forest in all its glory. I can’t lie and tell you that the half-moon was better, but the vibes and the setting came as close as you can get without the unbelievable amount of production and work that goes into the Fractal. And they played some jungle, which is pretty rare in the top 40 EDM land of Phangan.

Fractal-esque

But you can't top Fractal

So I danced, and drank, and took pictures. And then it was time to leave the island and never go back. I will miss many of the people that I met there, but that is not the type of atmosphere I wanted this trip to turn into.

Between the full and half-moons Ryan decided it was time to make the journey home to Canada. Bon Voyage man, it was about as much fun as I’ve had in my whole life.

What a champ

I set my sights on Ko Tao and never looked back.  

To the next step,

Daniel Double-u

The Irish are fucking cool though