Horizons Unlimited Travellers Meetings

Sixth Annual Thailand Travellers Meeting,
Chiang Mai

January 13-14, 2012

The Plan
Reservations Required
Registration form
Rally Location - Where is it?
Other Accommodation
Information about the area
Local hosts, information

Short History of HU Meetings

How you can help - put up a few posters! Please post it everywhere!

The Plan

Friday, January 13, 2012 – "Welcome Travellers Reception"

From 18:00-19:00 a "Welcome Horizons Unlimited Travellers" reception will be hosted by the Golden Triangle Rider Band. Free beer and mixed Jameson whiskey drinks for all attendees for one hour, then attendees are on their own for the rest of the evening. All meals ordered are at 15% off. This is an open mixer for any serious motorcyclist or Horizons Unlimited travellers that happen to be in Chiang Mai for the Mini-Meeting January 14 or just wanting to drop in and meet other like minded motorcyclists.

Saturday, January 14, 2012 – Group Photo and HU Mini Meeting BBQ

At 14:00 there will be a group photo in front of the Riders Corner Bar and Restaurant.

The general plan for the Mini-Meeting is simple. Show up at 18:00, have a drink, tell some lies, and enjoy one of the best known BBQ buffets in Chiang Mai (reservations for the BBQ are required! Call 0870481787 or email: ride...@gmail.com to reserve your meal) After the BBQ there will be a slide show or two and lots of conversation and trading of travel tips specific to the Golden Triangle and Asia, or around the world!

2012 Speakers:

We're planning on THREE media shows about riding in Myanmar (Burma) for the night: One from recent on the ground research in Rangoon, a group riding in for a wedding in the Shan State a month before the meeting, and Greg Frazier's expedition inside a couple of years ago.

• Iceland
  Sherrie McCarthy
  A stormy motorcycle adventure - and a perfect antidote to a hot Thai evening!
   
• Overland from UK to Thailand by motorcycle
  Geoff Thomas
   
• Burma (Myanmar) by motorcycle, multimedia presentation
  Greg Frazier
   
• Questions and Answers – Travel around SE Asia or ‘round the world

How about you? We're all here to learn, and there's LOTS to learn! We want to do more presentations and clinics - but we need volunteers to give them! Any topic you can contribute having to do with motorcycle travel, maintenance, planning etc, lasting 20 minutes or more, would be great. Please contact me here to volunteer.

Previous speakers and presentations were:

• Chris Banks, who shared his near-drowning experience in Morocco with the group. Banks and his fellow travellers lashed their motorcycles to trees when caught in a flash flood. His presentation was one of near death and survival.
• Greg Frazier, a terrific multimedia "Sun Chasing – Four Times Around The World By Motorcycle, Four solo rides around the world, some hard, some soft - none boring."
• "How My GPS Lost Me In Southeast Asia"
• "No Strangers To Danger – Survival Riding In Third World Countries"
• "Think You Are Tough?"
  1. Riding A Motorcycle To Alaska
  2. ADVENTURE MOTORCYCLE magazine's 2006 "Adventure Motorcycle Ride"
  3. The 2006 Famed "Colorado 500" Dirt Bike Ride
• Grant and Susan Johnson's "The Achievable Dream" – How To Ride Around The World
• how about you?? Let us know if you have something to show! Volunteers wanted for these and any other subjects you'd like to talk about! It's easy and fun, and we'll help you out.

All times - and everything - approximate!

Download the Word version for printing here.

Friday, January 13, 2012
6:00 – 7:00 PM:  “Welcome Reception,” sponsored by THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE RIDER BAND
7:00 – 9:00 PM:  Introduction of all attendees, “Pass the Microphone,” and mixed multimedia presentations, chill and swill until?

Saturday, January 14, 2012
2:00 – 2:30 PM: Horizons Unlimited Group Photo at Rider’s Corner
6:00 – 7:30 PM:  BBQ Meal, 200 THB (make reservations at 0870481787, 0856188914 or riders.corner.cnx@gmail.com)
7:30 – 7:45 Introductions of all attendees, “Pass the Microphone.”
7:45 – 8:15 Burma (Myanmar) by motorcycle, multimedia presentation
8:15 – 8:45 Overland from UK to Thailand by motorcycle – Goeff Thomas
8:45 – 9:15 Iceland by motorcycle – Sherrie McCarthy
9:00 - ???? Questions and Answers – Travel around SE Asia or ‘round the world

Reservations and Registration

HU Event, all shows and entertainment, (less Banquet): by donation to the organisers

Order the following a la carte when you check-in:

15% off all drinks!

Please fill out the form below to let us know you're coming so the restaurant can be prepared.

You can help!

If you have a few minutes, please download the poster (Adobe pdf format) and print off a few and hand them round your club or your local bike shop or anywhere seems like a good place.

(You may need to right click and choose "save target as...")

2012 Poster in pdf format 900kb) full colour poster

Thanks for the help!

Camping, Accommodation

Major Accommodation

The Ride Inn Hotel
357 Moon Muang Road
Tel: 087-0481787, 085-6188914
Note: The Ride Inn Hotel is the base camp for the 2012 HU Mini-Meeting. They have a limited number of rooms but can find you local accommodations if filled. Located on the corner of the moat surrounding the old city of Chiang Mai, it is easy walking distance to many of the local sites.

Other Accommodation Possibilities

Numerous accommodation possibilities are nearby, but do reserve early as this is the "high season" in Chiang Mai.

Top North Hotel
41 Moon Muang Road
8 rooms are reserved under "Horizons Unlimited"
1,050 TB per night, with air con
Tel: 053-279-6235
topn...@hotmail.com, www.topnorthgroup.com

Top North Guest House
approx 600 Thai Baht (Big Room, air con) 500 TB (Small room, A/C), 400 TB (Small, fan)
15 Moon Muang Road, Soi 2
Tel:  053-278-9000
topn...@hotmail.com, www.topnorthgroup.com

Lai-Thai Guest House
No rooms reserved, but vacancies
111/4-5 Kotchasarn Road
750 Thai baht - Double/Twin
Tel: 053-271-725
m...@laithai.com www.laithai.com

Note: All three of the above are short walking distance to Amora Tapae Hotel, Art Café, "Chill and Swill" Oasis's on The Moat, as well as Internet shops, Starbucks, and numerous other restaurants and tourist shops. They are also very popular with motorcycle travelers attending Chiang Mai Bike Week and have off-street motorcycle parking.

The Meeting Location

Riders Corner Bar and Restaurant
357, Moon Muang Road
Chiang Mai

More information on how to find it.

GPS: N18.47.701, E98.59.602 (Located in the heart of Chiang Mai, on the northeast corner of the old moat, just minutes walking from the central Tapae Gate. Easy to find by tuk-tuk from most hotels and guest houses.)

Menu: Western and Thai.

HU Mini Meeting Special: 15% off all meals for HU travellers Friday and Saturday!

Free Wifi, some off-street parking, open late, English spoken and a "HU traveller friendly" atmosphere. Motorcycle traveller DVD player with multiple screens! Got your special adventure travel DVD? Bring it along and the management will try to play it on the house system.

The Riders Corner Bar and Restaurant and Ride Inn Hotel have become "the meeting point" for serious local and international motorcycle travellers in Asia and especially those in the Golden Triangle of Thailand. It is here that the latest information can be found on motorcycling and travel through the wide network of contacts in and out of the location. The motorcycle specific and freshest maps of North Thailand and Laos are sold from here with net profits going to charitable organizations in Asia. If a motorcycle traveller wants Golden Triangle riding tips, this is the place to start in Chiang Mai!

Getting There - GPS, Maps

If you're heading there, check out the HUBB for the Thailand Meeting thread, who's going etc!

GPS Co-ordinates:

ART CAFE (Swill and Chill near Tapae Gate)
N18.78786 E98.99367

GOODWILL/JOE'S BIKE TEAM (Motorcycle rentals and repairs)
N18.78898 E98.99602

TONY'S BIG BIKES (Motorcycle rentals)
17 Ratchamankha Road, Tel: 053207124

Information about the area

Can you supply us with links, and other info on the places to ride, and interesting things to see in the area? Let us know here.

Local Hosts

The Thailand HU Meeting "Official Travel Agency" is:

Boutique Travel Service
E-Mail: serv...@btsthailand.com
Tel: +66 (0) 53 284 042 or +66 (0) 89 433 1505

If you have any questions, please contact Grant or Greg: glob...@yahoo.com

The Horizons Unlimited events couldn't happen without the support of the local organizers and other helpers, and we greatly appreciate their assistance and support - please be sure to thank them too!