I was delighted to join the Road Eagles MC as a guest rider. A great day out was enjoyed by all yesterday on our trip to Ban Lao MA School to the north-west of Doi Mae Salong. The school is just a few kilometers from the Myanmar border to the north and 15 kilometers to Doi Hua Mae Kham. High in the mountains, the weather is noticeably cooler here. The teachers said the children are always cold in the mornings, even at this time of the year.
We left the Hangover Corner Bar just before 11.00 and arrived at the school around 13.30. We stopped just a couple of times along the way. Once leaving the main Highway 1 onto the route 1130, it was great biking roads initially. Things got a little more technical with the steep slopes, hairpin bends and just a few pot-holed parts of the road for the rest of the ride.
We were met by Kru Kwan, a senior teacher at the school. She speaks great English and has been the point of contact in organising this trip. There are 12 teachers at the school of 157 students. The ages of the children go up to 11, with 2 nursery classes for the youngest.
We had some home-made jelly desert and refreshing water, we were getting a little warm in the early afternoon.
The instruments were handed over by the Road Eagles MC President to the School Principle. A welcome speech was given by Kru Kwan to us with some English from the children. We were treated to some traditional hill tribe dancing by some of the older girls, very lucky to witness this in it’s true form. Their national dress which is all hand-made and very detailed is a beautiful garment. We haven’t worked out which particular hill tribe they represent, I’m told it’s a combination of many previous groups amalgamated into a ‘mountain tribe’. There is a Chinese presence in the surrounding villages and the school follows Buddhism dearly.
One of their more colourful members engaged the children in some comedy, English speaking and entertainment, which went down well, surprisingly! First time he’s had a repeat booking.
At the end of the event, we were all given a traditional hand-made bag as a reminder and thank you from all at the school.
We had 6 of the club members, 5 ladies and 4 guest riders. A variety of machinery from a BMW GS1200 down to a surprisingly nimble Yamaha 125 scooter, with all sorts in between. A steady pace that allowed the group to stay together (almost) for the ride. Traffic was light and without incident. A great route for anyone to ride with friends or individually. You can get far from the city, into the remote mountainous areas without the need for any off-road capabilities.
The school welcomes any visitors at any time. Kru Kwan wishes to strengthen her English speaking skills, although she speaks better than some of us already! If you wish to plan a trip to the school, PM the club for her contact details.
For more photos of this day out click here.
Watch out for more news on club rides in the near future.
