Doi Inthanon National Park is one of the most beautiful places to spend a day in Chiang Mai. Called the roof of Thailand, Doi Inthanon is the highest mountain in Thailand, in truth this mountain is only 2565m high, so mountain might be a generous term depending on your frame of mind. Nonetheless it is a peaceful and beautiful place, well that is as long as you are not near the road.

There’s the problem because there really is no way to get up here unless you are driving, a passenger in a vehicle or, of course, being dragged under a vehicle. Doi Inthanon has some very sharp and long corners and Thai people seem to react one of two way to corners for the most part they are mortally scared of them and will slow down almost to almost a stop but there are always a few who are the opposite and seem to enjoy the noise of their tyres screeching so tend to accelerate and come round on the wrong side.

Our guidebook said that the best way to experience this beautiful place is to have your own transport, so we hired a car – a cheap one it has to be said – that cost us 800 Baht for the day, about 20-25 USD. At that price you don’t expect much, so a careful inspection is always worthwhile, of course not being a mechanic I neglected to check things like the brakes but then what trouble could that cause? So I and my lady drove off towards Doi Inthanon, a fairly easy route as you sort of point at the biggest hill and follow the roads towards it. We eventually entered Doi Inthanon national park and started making our way up the ‘mountain’. On the way we stopped at Mae Klang waterfall which is quite beautiful and well worth a visit and then continued on our route. Safe and sound we made our way to the Queen’s chedi which is fantastic and the views from it something special. We took some time up here and went to the summit which in truth is a little but of an anti-climax and of course took the required pictures in front of the sign saying the highest spot in Thailand. We then decided it was time to go home.

As we drove down the mountain I became aware that the car was a little sluggish in reacting and the brakes were not so sharp. This gradually built and I started having real trouble slowing the car down, I guess the brake pads were worn, and the car started increasing in speed. As I made it through a series of curves we continued to speed up and as we rather rapidly approached a sharp blind corner my worst fear was realized and the car in front was all but stopped as it crept around the corner, I was forced to overtake which is not the easiest move whilst you are stood up with your full weight on the brake. We more or less cut the blind corner, which going down a very steep hill is not such a good idea, its even less of a good idea if a car is coming the other way and that what was happening. The other driver, fortunately as it turned out, was the former type of corner taker and was going slow enough to stop as I whisked past his bumper barely in control and shot down the hill. Thankfully there was a straight run before the next corner and the incline was slight, so with good luck and brute force the car slowed sufficiently that I could keep it in second gear and we took the next corner with the engine screaming but slow enough to control it, just as well because at this point we met the second type of corner taker who shot round the corner not so far from my own car. Thankfully this was the last corner and the slope died away and we made our way with white knuckles, an aching leg and a smell of freshly cooked rubber towards the park entrance.

So my overall experience was not as great as it might have been and my girlfriend may never get over it, but I would still definitely suggest spending a day seeing the roof of Thailand (Doi Inthanon) and driving around Chiang Mai, as there are loads of waterfalls, hot springs, hill tribes (not exactly like Laos or Sapa in Vietnam but still worth a look) and no end of sights to see in this beautiful part of the world. Just remember that hiring the cheapest car you can find is not always the best move, but then nor is going with the cheapest tour group as I spoke to a young couple at the C H Hotel we were staying at and their experience was no better.