विवरण
Episode five of several unreleased episodes from our adventures from South Western Australia to Northern Scotland by road between 2017 and 2021. Released at the time to our very supportive Patreon community; now for all to view as shot and edited in the back of the Troopy was back then, hopefully filling in a few gaps in the journey. The rest of Thailand, Sri Lanka, and China to come! Cheers
2018:
This week we head north to Chiang Mai where we'll set off to explore the beautiful mountains.
As we were leaving "the bridge over the River Kwai" Mark noticed some a substance coming from the rear wheel. He had a look at our camp spot to try and see where it was coming from though with nothing standing out we decided to push on to Chiang Mai where the ground conditions were a bit more favourable to have a better look.
Mark had looked up mechanics in town and found one which some good reviews from other overlanders. We went there the following morning and it would be no problem to fix, except for the fact that they didn't have the parts for Land Cruisers and said it'd be weeks to get! Thankfully we carry spares! A couple of hours later we have the seal replaced, bearing checked and repacked, wheels rotated, handbrake tightened, and a new gasket (the gasket - which turned out to be the root of the problem and we think caused by a heavy handed gurney operator in Pattaya) All for only $30 AUD!
Now with the Troopy back in shape we left Chiang Mai for Pai, just 2 hours drive away. The drive to Pai was lovely as it winded up through the mountains. We only stuck around for 1 night though just to check it out before continuing on in search of a camp spot where we could really enjoy the scenery.
Before leaving Pai we stopped by the local markets to stock up on some fruit and veg. One of the best parts about cooking in Asian countries is the markets! The fruit and veg is so fresh and extremely cheap and there's always a few interesting items there don't usually see at home!
Our first stop out of Pai is Tham Lod Cave, a huge cave system with a length of 1.6km! During the wet season a river with a pretty strong current rips through the cave leaving 2 of the 3 inner caves inaccessible to tourists. The 1st cave though we took a bamboo raft to guided by a little lady and her lantern. The cave itself was very impressive as once inside the ceilings really open up. Our guide walks us through and points out which animals the rock formations look like. Not the most educative guide though we had a good laugh with her.
The cost for the cave entrance and guide was actually really reasonable at about $10, so if you're in northern Thailand I'd definitely recommend visiting.
Leaving the cave we followed a back road for about 5km and found a lookout point where we could set up camp for the night. This is exactly what we'd been searching for! We just had to wait for the group of tipsy Thai teenagers with terrible taste in music to go home and then we could really enjoy this amazing spot and say things like, "ahhh the serenity!".
Thanks for watching! In the next episode we’ll be continuing our mountain drive, checking out a waterfall and visiting the "Switzerland of the east"!