My summer holidays are almost over so I have been trying to ride as much as I can in the little time I have left. In a week I will be restricted to riding on weekends and holidays. Never my favourite time as everyone with a bike or car seems to be out on the weekends and holidays. In addition to that the rains are coming. I am starting to feel it. The temperature is dropping, though hardly enough to give respite from the heat, and the clouds are starting to show their presence more and more. Soon the true monsoon season will start and all of the lovely dirt trails that I have been riding will turn to sloppy mud.

I spent the last week on parts of the famous Maehongson loop. I have never actually ridden the loop the way it is generally intended to be ridden, attacking from the north and returning from the south via Doi Inthanon. Every time I have done this loop I have gotten sidetracked by something and not finished it. The loop itself is very good, with long stretches of flowing windy roads running from mountain tops to valleys. Pacing the journey are interesting towns, with some wonderful restaurants. One of my favourites of late is the Muslim Home Made in Pai. I'm personally not a big fan of Pai. What was once a sleepy little town in the mountains has turned into just another sweaty tourist destination where strung out travellers, weary of the road seem to congregate. All that aside, after two and a half hours riding from Chiang Mai, Pai does make a logical stopping point. The chicken curry and japatis at the Muslim Home Made make it worth a stop, even if it is just a stop to confirm that this is not a town to spend any significant amount of time in.