DOING THE LOOP

Doing the loop with Buddha in the back.

Not a dance

It might sound like the latest dance craze, but in fact 'doing the loop' refers to Thailand's most exciting journey - a 600-km circuitous route from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son and back. It climbs and dips, swerves and curves round more than 3000 bends as it passes towering mountains, tranquil valleys, market towns and hilltribe villages on the way.

Since both motorbikes and cars or jeeps are easy to rent in Chiang Mai (the former about 150 baht, the latter about 1000 baht), there is nothing to stop anyone with a taste for adventure heading for the hills.

Into the countryside

The route does not consist entirely of bends. In fact, Highway 108, which leads south out of town to Chom Thong and Hot, is virtually straight for about 90 kilometres, following the River Ping southward.

Once clear of Chiang Mai's sprawling development (shophouses and housing estates), this is classic northern farmland: orchards of lychees, longans and mangoes; rice paddies dotted with simple shelters; farmers in wide-brimmed hats which fend off the sun's fierce rays.

Wachiratarn Waterfall, Doi Inthanon.

A diversion to the top of Thailand

If all this straight driving is frustrating, adventurers can get some good practice negotiating bends by turning right at km 57, just before Chom Thong, and driving to the top of Doi Inthanon, at 2565 metres the highest point in Thailand, and one of its most popular national parks.

Highway 1009, a good, sealed road, leads past several impressive waterfalls - Mae Klang, Wachiratarn and Siriphum. Another road branching off to the left near the base of the mountain leads to Mae Ya Waterfall, Thailand's highest at about 250 metres.

The main road up the mountain passes two pagodas dedicated to the king and queen before arriving at the summit, which is often shrouded in mist and is also downright chilly compared to the rest of Thailand.

Trees here are draped with ferns, moss grows in myriad forms, and rare birds like sunbirds and firecatchers might be glimpsed or heard. Log cabin accomodation, which can be reserved through the Forestry Department in Chiang Mai, is available at the park headquarters near the top of the hill.

Back on the loop

Back at the base of the mountain, H108 leads through Chom Thong and Hot, rural market towns that occasionally fill up with pick-up trucks of hilltribe people shopping for supplies. In Hot the road swings right and instantly leaves the open spaces of the Ping Valley for the tight confines of the Chaem Valley, where the loop really begins to earn its name.

Ob Luang Gorge.

After passing Obluang Gorge, Thailand's tiny version of the Grand Canyon, the road starts a steady climb into an area reforested with pines, where the thick scent and fresh air tempt travellers to rest in a grove carpeted with pine needles.

Going round the bend

Mae Sariang sits in the southwest corner of the loop, not far from the Burmese border, and during the rice-growing season, passers-by will glimpse lush terraces of rice being tended by the locals. From here the test of driving abilities begins.

The 160-km stretch from Mae Sariang to Mae Hong Son appears straight on the map, but must contain at least a thousand of the loop's bends. It sweeps and sags, veers and cambers through Mae La Noi to Khun Yuam, then zigzags and switchbacks on to Mae Hong Son. The views are constantly shifting - narrow valleys of rice paddies, misty mountain ridges, the local Shan people puffing on their huge cheroots.

Into Mae Hong Son

For a town of less than ten thousand, the fame of Mae Hong Son has spread far and wide. A glance at its position on the map goes a long way to explaining this. Nestled in the northwest corner of Thailand, hard by the Burmese border, it excites the imagination of Thais and foreigners alike.

With a bewildering choice of activities - elephant rides, bamboo rafting, treks to hilltribe villages (including the curious long-necked Padaung from Burma), shopping, visiting waterfalls, hot springs, caves and temples - Mae Hong Son lives up to most visitors' expectations.

Morning market, Mae Hong Son.

In town, the morning market at the north end of the main street brings villagers from the surrounding countryside to mingle with the townspeople buying and selling food, flowers and trinkets. For outsiders it provides a glimpse into the diversity and complexity of Thai culinary art, as adept fingers and noses test roots, shoots and spices for quality.

During the day, the streets are quiet, the locals at home doing chores and visitors out exploring the countryside. Then after dark the town comes alive again. The night market is a focus for eating, chatting and people watching; souvenir stalls tempt shoppers with Burmese antiques, embroidery and textiles; the dark recesses of night clubs fill with would-be revellers.

On the road again

But back to the loop. The northern curve back to Chiang Mai is a little shorter than the southern, but if anything more concentrated with stunning views and appealing diversions. Highway 1095 heads north, east and then south-east, turning back on itself continuously as it worms its way over the most rugged mountains on the route.

View across the hills of Burma, near Mae Hong Son.

The strangely-shaped outcrops are mostly karst limestone - their streaked cliffs reminiscent of modern art canvases, their gigantic caves tempting the intrepid to enter. Ancient coffins have been found in Nam Pha Daeng and Lod Caves, and guides are on hand to lead visitors into their dark chambers. Wilderness Lodge and Cave Lodge are good bases to explore the caves, and the welcome is as hospitable as one might find anywhere.

Over the hills the road goes again, up and down, left and right, back and forth. By this stage, most travellers have lost count of the bends, distracted as they are by thatched huts clinging to hillsides, trees swathed in Spanish Moss and views stretching into Burma.

Transplanting rice shoots, near Pai.

A slice of Pai

Then the road drops down into the small town of Pai, set in a lovely valley - an ideal spot to use as a base for another adventure before returning to the city. Just how to go about this adventure depends on personal taste. This is great trekking country, and a few days' foot-slogging will be rewarded with visions of strange people, animals and plants.

But Pai has other alternatives. How about white-water rafting? Thai Adventure ((66- 53) 699111), based in Pai, arranges two-day trips that are a thrill for experienced rafters and novices alike. The town itself is about as laid-back as one could wish for, with a handful of Burmese- influenced temples, as well as a few guest houses that look out across the lazy river.

Setting out on a white-water rafting trip, near Pai.

Rounding off the loop

Only 130 km separate Pai from Chiang Mai, and with a good road it is possible to climb over the final ridge of hills in a few hours. Yet there are a few more treats in store, especially for the early riser.

Huay Nam Dang, just a few km from where the road reaches the ridge, offers one of North Thailand's most famous views, particularly at dawn in winter when the sun rises above a sea of mist from behind the jagged outline of Chiang Dao mountain.

A few kilometres further down the hill, another left turn leads to Pong Duat Hot Springs, where not only do small craters spit out scalding water and steam, but a series of pools provide the perfect setting for a hot bath. Sticky from the minerals? Rinse off at Mork Fa Falls, just 53 km from Chiang Mai, where a cooling cascade drops about 30 metres into a sandy pool.

Back in the city; Chiang Mai's Night Bazaar.

The loop is complete. Back in Chiang Mai there are scenes of Thailand in transition; spirit houses sharing rooftops with satellite dishes, billboards for new housing developments behind the ancient city walls, Mercedes and trishaws side by side in a traffic jam.

After several days without big city attractions, it's time to go shopping for local handicrafts, take in a movie or a concert, eat Northern Thai cuisine in a candlelit, riverside setting, and burn off any remaining energy in one of the city's videotheques or kitchen discos. And if anyone should wake up in the morning with their heads in a spin, they can always put it down to one too many bends in the loop.