Horizons Unlimited Travellers Meetings

Fourth Annual Thailand Travellers Meeting,
Chiang Mai

January 16, 2010

The Plan
Rally Location - Where is it?
Information about the area
Local hosts, information

Short History of HU Meetings

The Plan

The general plan is simple. Show up around 7PM Saturday, have a drink, tell some lies, eat at a reasonable hour, then a slide show or two and lots of conversation and trading of travel tips!

2011 Meeting registration and information here.

2010 Report

By Michael Lloyd

Travellers and attendees at the Thailand HU Mini Meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand, January 16, 2010 traded information and plans until well after midnight. This was the fourth HU Thailand Travellers Meeting and again the majority of questions were about crossing Burma, entering Vietnam, border crossings into Cambodia, Laos, and shipping to points outside of Thailand.

We filled the restaurant!

The meeting was attended by a wide mix of travellers and local experts on motorcycle travel throughout Southeast Asia. The 48 attendees exceeded the space at the Chiang Mai Saloon #2 and spilled out into the street during the evening. While some were trading information on where to acquire tyres before entering Cambodia or Laos, others were mapping routes around Burma, trading the names of reputable freight forwarders out of Bangkok, discussing which maps were best and updating fellow travelers about transit status in other countries throughout the world.

Sark to Sydney - en route.

South Africa, Germany, Great Britain, United States of America, Australia and Canada registration plates were seen on motorcycles parked outside the meeting point. Inside the common language was English, but there were Swiss, Australian and French accents.

Three media shows were presented on the restaurant big screen. One was titled the “Long, Hard Way Around” and featured budget travel through Southeast Asia. The second was BBC Top Gear Vietnam Special, provided by Explore Indochina. The third was a live presentation by Chris Banks, who shared his near-drowning experience in Morocco with the group. Banks and his fellow travellers lashed their motorcycles to trees when caught in a flash flood. His presentation was one of near death and survival.

On the road to ?

Many of the attendees were on the road, around the world, or sitting out the winter months before travelling across Siberia. Others were headed east, having crossed Asia into Thailand via Nepal or Singapore.

Checking out the bikes, and the Chinag Mai nightlife

The meeting ended with e-mail addresses exchanged, promises of keeping in touch, and plans for a 2011 HU Meeting in Chiang Mai. The common thread amongst those in attendance was they were serious and committed motorcycle travellers, whether around Southeast Asia or the globe.

See you there in 2011!

You can help!

If you have a few minutes, please download the poster (Adobe pdf format) and print off a few and hand them round your club or your local bike shop or anywhere seems like a good place.

(You may need to right click and choose "save target as...")

2010 Poster in pdf format 900kb) full colour poster

2011 Poster in pdf format 900kb) full colour poster

Thanks for the help!

The Meeting Location

Chiangmai Saloon #2
30 Ratchawithi Rd.,
T. Sriphun
Chiang Mai

(Located in the heart of Chiang Mai, inside the old moat, three minutes walking from Tapae Gate. Easy to find by tuk-tuk from most hotels and guest houses.)

Menu: Western (Voted #1 Burger in Chiang Mai), Thai, Vegetarian and Tex-Mex!

HU Mini Meeting Special: 15% off all drinks for HU Meeting attendees by Nim, the manager!

Free Wifi, free pool, street parking, open late, English spoken and "HU traveller friendly" atmosphere. Motorcycle traveller DVD player with two big screens! Got your special adventure travel DVD? Bring it along, the management will try to play it on the house system.

Getting There - GPS, Maps

If you're heading there, check out the HUBB for the Thailand Meeting thread, who's going etc!

GPS Co-ordinates:

BIER STUBE
N18.78637 E98.99308

ART CAFE
N18.78786 E98.99367

TOP NORTH HOTEL
N18.78696 E98.99218

TOP NORTH GUESTHOUSE
N18.78362 E98.99192

LAI THAI GUESTHOUSE
N18.78194 E98.99330

GOODWILL/JOE'S BIKE TEAM
N18.78898 E98.99602

AMORA TAPAE HOTEL
N18.47.362 E98.59639

Swill and Chill Points:

BIER STUBE (Oasis on the Moat)
N18.78637 E98.99308

Information about the area

Can you supply us with links, and other info on the places to ride, and interesting things to see in the area? Let us know here.

Local Hosts

The Thailand HU Meeting "Official Travel Agency" is:

Boutique Travel Service
E-Mail: serv...@btsthailand.com
Tel: +66 (0) 53 284 042 or +66 (0) 89 433 1505

If you have any questons, please contact Grant or Greg: g...@horizonsunlimited.com

The Horizons Unlimited events couldn't happen without the support of the local organisers and other helpers, and we greatly appreciate their assistance and support - please be sure to thank them too!