Cold season trip north with Taro

We drove from Surat Thani up to Chiang Mai over the new year holidays. Taro is 1 year old now and she has never been in a long car ride before, so I was worried. We stopped every 3 hours for a toilet break and some water. She slept in the back seat most of the time with a blanket from home.

Chiang Mai was colder than I expected. At night in the old city it was around 14 degrees and my hands were freezing. Taro loved it though, she ran around a park near the moat and played with a lot of local dogs. Some of them were very friendly, some looked at her like she was a stranger from a different planet.

We then drove to Pai. The road has a lot of curves, which was hard for both me and the dog. I bought some motion sickness medicine from a pharmacy in Mae Hong Son. Not sure if it helped or she just got tired. Anyway, she was fine after the second day.

Tips for anyone going up north in cold season: bring a warm jacket for the dog too, the morning fog is very wet, and many small guesthouses have no heating. Also check if the place is pet friendly before booking, because a lot of them say yes on the phone but then say no when you arrive.

I would do it again, but maybe in a bigger car.