SIAMESE SINGLETRACK

It was one of those skittish white-knuckle moments that makes your heart flutter, and then gives you good reason to grin and raise a glass or three after the fact. Somewhere just before 8pm and completely dark and thanks to the dense tree cover; there was nothing but the occasional flicker of moonlight to silhouette the edge of a high mountain abyss.

Plans had gone a little pear shaped – as they all too often do – and this 40km long road descent back down into Chiang Mai had turned into a real moon dappled adventure. A fitting vibe for my introduction into what is now recognised as the adventure capital of Northern Thailand.

Adventure Bound

This is not the Thailand of idyllic beaches and go-go bars; most of those stereotypes lie 1,600 kilometres south and they are a million cultural miles away—definitely a good thing as far as I’m concerned.

This region is comparatively remote and very mountainous. Peaks up to 2,600 metres high line the rim of mountains just out of town, and you won’t find neatly manicured and safely way-marked trails—it’s not