Leading up to Christmas I took a trip to Northern Thailand for an Enduro tour with Walter Fenske, who runs trips in the Chiang Mai area and also into Laos.

The trip was a road/trails/off-road mix, using CRM250s or Bajas. I’d never ridden a 2-stroke before but I really enjoyed that bike. The off-road was tricky at times as I was a novice, but Walter and our guide Tong, along with another customer on the trip, Michael, soon got me into it.

For an experienced off-road rider it would have been relatively easy-going fun. For me it was quite scary and hard — but fun! The trails (unsurfaced roads of VERY variable quality) were a lot of fun and we covered most of our miles on those.

There was a fair amount of road riding as well, which allowed for some tourism. The traffic was light, but the driving styles meant you had to keep your wits about you.