We now have KM7, Cookie Monster, Insane Rider, Jaywalker, Bongee Wongee, and Orh Cheow with Lady P.Lien. 6 motorcycles. With KM7 leading, we head for Phu Thap Boek, our first mountain.
The sky was overcast and you could feel the cold and smell the approaching rain. To be honest, not much attention was paid to the weather because we were more focus on the road. It is not an easy ascent to Phu Thap Boek. Not only was it twisty and squiggly, wet patches and switchbacks demand our undivided attention. Plus the condition of the asphalt wasn’t that great. Near a section where the road passed through a wider and flatter hillside, we stopped by a cafe for a break. The hotel we were heading for wasn’t that far off. We sniffed around a bit, and then headed for the hotel.
There are several hotels here at the summit, each offering slightly different views but all of them great. Built on the slopes, the accommodations stand on metal stilts of differing length to provide a stable and level platform to be built upon. Right now, we just want to get out of our damp gears and get into something warm, as temperature was about 15°C. (I think.) But it was cold and with the fog rolling in, about to get colder as night falls. At 1768m above MSL and at this latitude, it does get cold. To counter that, we had 3 charcoal stoves heating up 3 sets of Mookata, out in the open veranda. As night falls, we gathered around the stoves and dig into a variety of meat, vegies, and what-have-you. We were wrap up to keep warm but I cheated. I had a tee on plus my leathers with its thermal attach and hiding underneath. Kept me real nice and comfy out in the open. Late on, the fog lifted and we were presented a splendid view of the small town far below, its tiny twinkling lights in a sea of darkness. We could see the streetlamps of the road on the flat land from whence we came, like an umbilical meandering to and over the distant horizon. Magical.
Phu Thap Boek, It has been a tough day. Wet and slippery and cold. But we are glad we came.
Jaywalker, with photos and ideas from everyone here, on 23 Nov. 2022
2 wheels and an engine 