Off the beaten trail with AVIS – Phu Chi Fa
After 4/5 days of driving my hire car from AVIS north of Chiang Mai I decided to head into the mountains off grid. I was headed for Phu Chi Fa in the mountains between Laos and Thailand. It is located on the northeastern end of the Phi Pan Nam range 12kms to the southwest of Doi Pha Tang on the eastern edge of Tap Tao in Thoeng district Chiang Rai province at an elevation of 4,731m.
I arrived at the viewpoint at 5:30pm in the evening when the sun was setting. I read on the Internet that people in Bangkok were complaining about the big freeze – 20C! It was 9C on top of the mountains and the wind chill was brutal and bought the temperature down to 2/3C! Most people were camping! Luckily I found a room but when the sun had set and the temperature started falling rapidly – gosh it was cold…
The landlady thoughtfully bought me another duvet to put on top of the one that I already had but even then I slept in my clothes for the first time in 40 years!
Why anyone would want to share the streets of the major cities in Thailand for more than 2 or 3 days is beyond me. The real beauty of Thailand is in the hills and in the countryside of this beautiful country. Hiring a car is not a luxury when travelling in Thailand, it’s is a must. The colours of the trees, cherry blossom, the mountains, the sights around every bend never cease to entertain and fascinate me.
The diesel SUV that I had requested really came into it’s own on the tortuous hairpin bends and incredibly steep inclines. The forests and the hills kept coming and the car kept climbing. I stopped every hour or so when a safe lay by allowed me to do so just to marvel at God’s green earth that unfolded below me.
Next time you decide to visit Chiang Mai hire a car and head for the hills after a couple of days it will make your visit so much more memorable.
AVIS Car Hire can be contacted on 02 251 1131 www.AVISThailand.com
