Trip up Doi Suthep on the Smash (Suzuki)

We try to go up Doi Suthep at least once every year and usually we do that when we have visitors, as there is a saying "You have not visited Chiang Mai unless you visit Doi Suthep temple". Half way up Doi Suthep we stopped at an old temple,Wat  Pha Lad, and enjoyed the quiet and some unusual statues.





Further up the mountain is the Doi Phui National Park which we had visited some years ago and hiked to the real peak.  So while we should have headed back down the mountain to pack we instead headed up the mountain to Doi Phui.  Our first stop was at a coffee shop which was at the Chiang Mai University Coffee Research Station.  It was noon and my lunch alarm was ringing so I asked at the coffee shop if they had any food and the woman replied "No, we just have MAMA"  MAMA is Asian junk food hence not considered "food" in my opinion either.  However, we were hungry and we both managed to down a cup of noodles.   At  Doi Phui  there is a small museum and it was there where I saw a model and an alternative way down via dirt roads... see the statistics below.  As we were heading down we met a mountain biker who said the route was too "technical" and we should go back!  Then we met some villagers who said "you can do it".  They were both right - we survived with only one bruise on my leg! The way down was much longer than the way up because it was so steep with many bad sections that Bev had to walk ( for her own safety :-)

See the model and some pix




Doi Suthep  Created by Google My Tracks on Android.
Name: Doi Suthep  Activity type: motor bike Suzuki Smash!
Description: -Up via paved road, down via dirt road full of gullies and rocks
Total distance: 51.00 km (31.7 mi)   Total time: 4:17:51  Moving time: 3:40:35
Max elevation: 1534 m (5031 ft),  Min elevation: 273 m (896 ft)
Elevation gain: 1556 m (5107 ft)
Max grade: 22 %
Min grade: -23 %
Recorded: 02/28/2013 10:44am

Wat Khoo Tao - Shan/Burmese early morning walk with the sunrise lighting