Month: January 2015

Day 60: Ban Rak Thai to Sappong (Mae Hong Son loop day 3)

Posted on by ajrtw

pit stop for coffee along the Mae Hong Son
Tea tasting at Pang Ung
Dawn at Pang Ung

We arose and were on the bike to Pang Ung before 5am.  It was freezing on the bike, as we hadn’t brought too many warm clothes and wearing sunglasses was not an option in the darkness.  In half an hour we reached the reservoir, and we parked the bike in the dark and walked towards the water.  We mistakenly thought the sunrise was closer to 6am, but in reality it was closer to 7 due to the hills to the east.  Luckily we had brought our bed blanket with us to keep warm in the 40 degree temps.  The hour waiting for sunrise was marked by the mass of Thai campers waking up in anticipation for the light.  A few mediocre pictures later we were ready to find some food and move on.  Coffee, buns, more tea, and french toast fueled us on our way back to Ban Rak Thai.  Only stopping to drop off our blanket and pick up our things, we continued back south to the main “loop” route, then east towards Sappong.  60 km passed and we had arrived in town.  Since we had booked accommodation at the Cave Lodge 9 km outside of town, we stocked up on snacks and water at 7-Eleven before making the final push.  John, Australian expat, is a 30 year veteran of northern Thailand.  He founded Cave Lodge simply because, he had discovered a lot of caves in the area and there was no tourism to speak of in the area.  Scattered all over the walls of the main lodge were pictures, hand drawn maps, lists of activities, and even a book of John’s early days in the wild.  Our well appointed bungalow was set amid ten others overlooking a steep river bank below.  Being New Years Eve, there was a large bonfire and burning bamboo figure down at the river.  The group of 20 guests all took part in watching many large fireworks set off right in front of us.

Day 59: Mae Hong Son to Ban Rak Thai

Posted on by ajrtw

Chinese Yunan cuisine
Ban Rak Thai (we stayed in the blue huts on left)
Pang Ung boat ride
Ban Rak Thai illuminated

Armed with a huge fold out map, we set our bike northwards 40 km towards a Chinese settlement very near the Myanmar border known as Ban Rak Thai (also referred to as Mae Aw).  Before heading there we stopped at a place marked only as “Mud Spa”, for just that- a spa treatment of special mud.  Ashley tried it out with many other Thai tourists.  (A common theme- we often were the only foreigners in remote areas on the loop).  Onwards, we diverted off a few km south of Ban Rak Thai to visit Pang Ung, an isolated reservoir set among a still pine forest.  The serene calm of the reservoir was sharply cancelled out by the army of tourists setting up campsites along the waters’ edge.  We opted for a short ride on a bamboo raft through the reservoir.  We came across a pair of black swans, a new and welcomed sight.  The real attraction at Pang Ung apparently was the sunrise over the reservoir, so we really were just scouting out the place to plan for our visit early the next morning.  As we drove the final 24 km into Ban Rak Thai, the temperature started to drop as the surrounding hills obscured the dwindling daylight.

A result of refugees driven out of southern China during the Burmese and Thai conflicts during the 1950s and 60s, Ban Rak Thai was and still is a Chinese village, settled around a small lake amid rolling hills full of tea plantations.  The real draw for Thai tourists and the occasional farang is to sample many teas and the Chinese Yunnan style cuisine.  We quickly found a lakeside hut to sleep in, and sampled a few oolong, jasmine, and ginseng teas at a large shop/restaurant.  For dinner we picked a few of the recommended Yunnan dishes: tea leaf salad, steamed buns and fried pork fat.

Day 58: Mae Sariang to Mae Hong Son (Mae Hong Son loop day 2)

Posted on by ajrtw

Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu
Viewpoint overlooking Mae Hong Son airport
Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu
Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu

Not finding much activities that caught our eye we decided to continue northward to Mae Hong Son in the morning.  The hills became steeper and more frequent as we closed in.  160 km and several hours later marked our arrival in the larger and more tourist oriented Mae Hong Son.  Many treks and hill tribe homestays dominate the tour agent shops in the town.  Again we looked into a few different rooms to stay (some of which we had previously vetted with online research).  However we were drew to the Like View, a new and unresearched accommodation set next to a small reservoir across from the stunning Wat Chong Klang. Before sunset we reached the Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu, a tourist landmark situated outside of town on a steep hill.  That evening we perused the local market for food and researched a bit more on how to best spend our time the following day.

Day 57: Chiang Mai – Mae Sariang (Mae Hong Son loop day 1)

Posted on by ajrtw

Eventually our itinerary gravitated towards motorbiking once more to our desired destinations of Mae Sariang and Sappong, both situated along the ever popular Mae Hong Son loop.  We estimated four days of travel, with a few more days to explore the areas in between would suffice.  Hence, Chiang Mai serves as the de facto start and finish point for the loop.  If our plans held, the next morning we would locate and rent a motorbike and be on our way.  After a bit of searching we managed to get our bike rented (250 baht per day with insurance) and jetted southwest towards Mae Sariang.  The terrain was flat and relatively unappealing as we exited the suburbs of Chiang Mai amid thick traffic.  190 km later Mae Sariang appeared.  A small riverside town with the first signs of a tourist industry, we scouted out a few basic hotels before choosing Ban Pang Sariang.  For dinner we walked into Sawadee Restaurant as the first patrons and took in the quiet river view at dusk.

Day 56: Nan to Chiang Mai

Posted on by ajrtw

Our last morning in town we hiked to the bus station to catch our ride destined for Chiang Mai.  The proposed plan was to visit Mae Sariang and Sappong, two less visited towns set among the hills of the Mae Hong Son province west of Chiang Mai.  Several hours later, we alighted the bus in the bustle of Chiang Mai, negotiated a songthaew (a pickup with two bench seats in the back with cover; literally translating to “two rows”) ride towards our hostel near the Old City, marked by large city gates and a moat.  As it was Saturday, we arrived in concurrence with the weekly “walking street” night market.  Recalling my memory from 2012, we had visited the same market in April, which was well attended at that time.  This time was much the same, just outrageously crowded as people shuffled in both directions down the narrow street lined on both sides with all sorts of Thai products.  We ate at the mass of stalls just as we had before.  A not-so-surprising addition we found, and passed on: a burger cart.

Days 48-55: Nan province, Thailand

Posted on by ajrtw

road up to Thung Chong
Sunset over Thung Chong
cave, near Thung Chong
temple outside Nan
Sao Din formations

An overnight bus ride later put us in the small town of Nan early in the morning.  Navigating the town of 24,000 before the morning rush, we took a short walk to the Nan Guesthouse.  Family owned by Dutch expat Tom, he and his wife were welcoming and answered many of our questions.  We had heard via the renowned travelfish blog of a motorbike loop through the Nan province full of natural beauty, waterfalls, caves, and hill tribes.  Studying the road map and taking Toms’ advice, we planned out a three day, two night trip heading north from Nan town north to Thung Chong, and back through Bo Kluea and Doi Pua National Park.  Before taking off, we spent a full day in the town, taking in the impressive Wat Phumin with ancient murals and searching out the local night market (perhaps our favorite activity in Thailand).  Late on our second night, we both caught a stomach virus (probably from restaurant food eaten for dinner), and essentially slept and rested the next 24 hours, delaying our departure to Thung Chong.  Luckily we recovered by the next morning and continued on as planned, up north 90 km via the our venerable Honda Dream- 125cc semi-automatic 4-speed motorbike.  Along the way we paused briefly at Wat Nong Bua, a Lanna style temple featuring more intricate murals on the interior.  Continuing north, the terrain became increasingly hilly as we climbed in altitude.  We arrived at Siam Garden Bungalows in early afternoon and were greeted by Marco, Italian expat.  Good friends with Tom and just as helpful, Marco recommended a 45 km trip up the mountains to a remote cave and drive through a hill tribe to occupy the rest of our afternoon.  The cave itself, apparently is the deepest in the country.  Due to the lack of gear, guide, and daylight we ventured only into the mouth of the cave for a quick view.  Further up the mountain we encountered the Mani Phruek village.  Unfortunately due to the time we did not stop to interact with the children playing along the road.  However coasting back downhill we were rewarded with a fantastic sunset view over the valley.  That evening Marco and his family had invited a few of their friends for an informal Christmas Eve get together.  Ever gracious, Marco offered us to join.  We dined on homemade focaccia bread, lasagna (Thai style), and pound cake much to our delight.

Starting off our second day of the Nan loop, we continued northward until hitting the Laos border and turning to the southeast to head down to Bo Kluea.  We had been told this stretch of the loop was the most scenic.  We were in awe, driving through what felt and looked like untouched countryside, only passing the occasional car or motorbike.  The unrelenting hills and hairpin turns tested our bike as much as my biking skills. Much of the mountainous region along the route was part of the Doi Pua National Park, one of seemingly dozens of natural gems hidden in the far corners of Thailand.  All along our journey each turn provided a new perspective on the mountains and scattered farmlands.  It was truly difficult to chose where to stop to take pictures, as each vista caught our eye.  Around Bo Kluea we stopped for a quick lunch, and decided it was best to shoot back to Nan as it was not too far, and we hadn’t heard much about accommodation in Bo Kluea. On the road back, we stopped briefly at a few small waterfalls, Sila Phet and Tat Luang. Back in the comfort of Nan, we arrived with an hour to spare until the Guesthouse was to begin its special Christmas dinner: Kabobs, fried chicken, baked potatoes, calamari, salads, fruits, etc.  The meal was a nice gesture, and made being overseas during the holidays more enjoyable.  The 26th we felt as we wanted another day exploring the province, partially since we cut our first bike trip short, and we had already reserved the bike for another day.  Once again following Toms’ word, we picked a southern route heading to the town of Na Noi, and exploring the scenery there.  60km down a slowly winding but well paved road, we turned eastward at Na Noi and onward another few km to the Sao Din “earth pillars”.  A small collection of limestone pillars carved from rain and erosion set among a dry bushland, we arrived to find ourselves the only visitors.  After a few minutes in the midday heat and layers of clothes necessary to stay comfortable on the bike, we moved on.  Further eastward, the terrain became more mountainous as Si Nan National Park came closer.  Yet another large and forested park unknown to most foreigners, we discovered it was a popular campsite for Thai tourists.  Throughout the province, we found signage in English to be well placed on roadways, but the National Parks offered almost none, other than signs explaining the higher foreigner entry fees.  This combined with the lack of English speaking park rangers confused us a bit on what, if anything, the park offered other than great views (and camping).  We did in fact, take in some incredible views of the clouds strewn in the valley below that made the situation more worthwhile.  In order to make the loop back north and west to Nan required locating a questionable line only shown as a dotted line on our local map.  Despite a nice drive further into the isolated forest marked with small farms and cow herds wandering the road, we had no luck and were forced to return to Nan the same route.  Just before returning to our homebase, we visited the Wat xx for a sunset vista over the town.  Once more we dined at the local market stalls and rewarded our effort with some fried dough with a green tea sugar dip.  Total distance of our ride through Nan: 647 km.

Day 47: Bangkok, Thailand

Posted on by ajrtw

Several hours later back in Bangkok with visas in hand, we felt as if our plans had somehow worked in our favor, as the visa application process was very particular.  We settled in a small dorm at the Bewel Hostel, a french-ran establishment near the Khao San Road area.  Khao San Road for many is viewed as the backpacking mecca of southeast Asia.  From its humble beginnings decades ago, it has grown into a spectacle in its own right.  The buzzing swarm of tourists meandering down the street was worth seeing, but not for too long.  Walking along by the river we came upon a Jazz festival in a small park, and settled on some street food, eating at a small table half the width of the sidewalk sandwiched between parked cars and a stream of single file pedestrians.

Next day we planned to catch an overnight bus up to Nan, about 600 km north east of the capital.  (

Nan is the capital city of the province of the same name).  After a morning filled with shopping and relaxing, we ventured down the street to the local bus stop.  Spotting the number 3 red city bus a few minutes later, we hopped on quickly as the bus slowed to a roll as riders jumped on and off. For a 7 baht fare (about 21 cents) we had about an hour ride through the city to Mo Chit Bus Terminal.  A friendly Thai man across from our seat was quick to strike up conversation with us, and gave us some advice on the Nan province.  The bus terminal at Mo Chit is a massive complex with hundreds of buses and minivans, which we had learned to navigate from our first bus trip to Ayutthaya.  After a few moments we had our tickets, inhaled some noodles and waited for the bus as Thailand played Malaysia in the Asia Football Championship, which Thailand won.