I began my month long vacation in Northern Thailand by arriving in Chiang Mai. I wandered the city visiting temples and met up with some friends for dinner but I couldn’t contain my excitement to leave the city and head into the mountains. As I explored the city I stopped at any place that was renting motorbikes. I explained that I wanted to rent one for three weeks and I needed it to have a strong enough engine to get me up the mountains. I haggled over the price and what discount they could offer me for the extended rental period. I argued about the conditions (most places wanted me to leave my passport with them as collateral, which was out of the question, not to mention illegal). Finally I found a place that suited all my needs and arranged to pick the bike up the next morning!

I packed the compartment under the seat to the brim, secured my backpack on the seat with bungee cords and hit the road. I’m not going to lie, on that first drive I was nervous. I kept stopping to double check my Google Maps. I checked my mirrors constantly and was acutely aware of my speed. I was tense. However, it only took about 10 kilometers for that tension to get blown away by the wind as I drove down the open road. I love driving and I enjoyed cruising on my motorbike more and more with each passing kilometer. The main highway gave way to the smaller road that began to wind and climb up the mountain. I took it all in. The hills became steeper, the turns sharper, the views more spectacular and I navigated it all with growing ease. To say I had fun on the road would be a gross understatement but all the while I made sure to be smart and safe. I couldn’t help but hear an old friend of my father’s voice in my head saying, “The confidence comes before the experience.”

Driving on a motorbike is so much different than in a car. As you surge forward you are completely exposed to the elements around you, which can be dangerous but also enhances the experience when traversing different types of terrain. Being able to see in every direction as I made my way through picturesque landscapes was mesmerizing. I was constantly turning my head to marvel at the view and would sometimes take a long, deep breath in, as if slowing my breathing would preserve the moment and the memory. Breathing the fresh air also brought with it any passing scent, from meats being grilled on the side of the road to the potent aroma of a truck filled with a fresh harvest of green onions; from the sickening cloud of exhaust fumes every time an old pick up truck passed me to the invigorating smell of pine trees as I reached the higher altitudes. However, it wasn’t just sights and smells I was exposed to and there were a couple of times the weather dealt me a bad hand. I got sunburnt pretty bad one day and sometimes the heat was unbearable when the sun was beating down on me. A couple stretches of road had such intense wind that I was really concerned I’d get blown off the road(I was holding the handlebars so tight that my knuckles were white). I got up for the sunrise one morning in the mountains and had to pull my shirt sleeve down over my fingers because the morning air was freezing! I drove through a rainstorm one day that had me fearing for my life. The clouds rolled in and in a matter of seconds the road was covered in rushing water and I could barely see because of all the rain droplets dripping down my helmet(I promise I drove super slow, Mom). Despite it all, I’ll take the bad with the good anytime because for every unpleasant smell and sunburn there were even more beautiful views, peaceful sounds of the passing wilderness and the immeasurable feeling of freedom that comes with the wind flying past your body.

One of my favorite parts of driving into the mountains was the slow transition of the landscape and atmosphere. I became familiar with some of the distinct traits of the mountains at different altitudes. I could feel the air change. The higher I climbed the cooler it would get but I could also sense the drop in the humidity. I relished that change, as I am no fan of the heat or humidity, and breathing the fresh, crisp air made me feel alive. Although, descending the mountain had the opposite effect; as the air became thick and sticky it made the heat feel even more suffocating. The vegetation also changed, getting increasingly green and vibrant as I climbed out of the unforgivable heat and the burnt, dried out forests. The telltale sign was these trees with purple flowers that I would pass just as the forest began to give way to jungle and the appearance of banana trees with their huge, sweeping leaves. Sometimes the road would emerge from the jungle quite suddenly and I would be making my way along mountain farms with huge tiered fields and the lone tree. At the highest points I would be greeted with the refreshing aroma of a grove of pine trees and for a moment it felt like home.

After all the traveling I did on my motorbike, I felt like I had accomplished so much. I drove 1,810 kilometers(1,125 miles) over the course of 9 long rides, visiting 4 cities and 3 campsites and it was no easy feat. Each ride was mentally and physically draining. My second long drive to my first campsite ended up being an hour longer than I expected because I didn’t realize how far into the mountain the campsite was and I almost ran out of gas in the middle of the jungle. When I finally made it to the campground and looked out onto the gorgeous reservoir as a white swan glided by, I cried. I really pushed myself to the brink of my capabilities, driving out into the unknown, taking myself far away, alone in the mountains, and after all I went through, I feel really proud of myself.