Northern Thailand 2014: Mae Hong Son Loop
Mae Hong Son Loop road trip
We borrowed a big black pick-me-up truck from our hosts at the guest house in Chiang Mai and set off for a week-long journey… exploring the Mae Hong Son Loop, which covers the northern and northwestern parts of Thailand, bordering up to the Myanmar (Burma) border.
Road Trip Day 1 – Chiang Mai to Pai
We stopped at the Morkfa Waterfall along the way to Pai. The road was very curvy as we entered into the jungle and hills. We were below the trees mostly so we only caught glimpses of valleys and hills. Our hosts from Chiang Mai have friends with a guesthouse in Pai, so we followed instructions to find (eventually) the Piranha Fish Camp. Yep, it’s a catch and release place with ponds that have piranhas and other fish in there. We are told that this variety of piranha is vegetarian, but we weren’t going to test out that theory. We had a wonderful dinner there of homemade spinach and mushroom lasagna, a nice treat from the endless Thai meals.
Road Trip Day 2 – Pai
Our host Dave drew out a map for us showing where to drive and what to see in Pai. We meandered through some lovely places, had lunch in town and then continued on our trail. I was sad to see some elephants at riding camps chained up under shelters, suspecting that even when they weren’t working they couldn’t enjoy just roaming outside freely. We got to the hot springs just as it began to pour, so between that, the crowd and the entrance fee, we decided to skip it and continue on our drive. We headed up the back loop towards the piranhas and our lodging, but stopped at a great viewpoint along the way and just beyond the Chinese village. For our 20 baht/pp entrance fee, we were served Chinese tea and a banana. The views were breathtaking and we met two young women there, teachers from near Hangzhou China on holiday. Despite language challenges, we managed to share our tea and take some photos for (and of, and with) each other. We continued along and visited the Muang waterfall, only 2km up the hill past the piranhas. It was picturesque, but not particularly impressive as waterfalls go.
Road Trip Day 3 – Pai to Mae Hong Son
We decided that Pai was sufficiently explored in a day and pushed on towards Mae Hong Son. Our first point of interest was the Tam Lod Caves. Not well signed, or at least not in English, we wound our way through a small village and narrowing roads into the bush. At the point when we were sure we were lost and needed to turn back, a sign appeared and we found ourselves near the caves. Once we paid our guide (with gas lamp) fee, our raft (through the cave) fee, and our small bag of fish food fee, we were off. The fish were big and hungry, the caves were big and dark, and we enjoyed the rafting, which included plentiful bat sightings. After the tour, we dined in the nearby town of Sappong where I had a local Shan dish of vegetable fried noodles. We didn’t care for it as it had a strange and sweet/spicy taste. We arrived in Mae Hong Son and tried to find one of Lonely Planet’s recommended guesthouses, though unsuccessfully. Their directions said to take a left at the northern-most traffic light and the follow the signs… what signs? We continued through town and found a place with little bungalows that looked nice. They were Thai style with a slightly modern twist and done very nicely with concrete and lots of teak. There was nothing positive to say about the bed, except that it was beautifully adorned with Thai silk elephant motif runner and pillows. It was as hard as the concrete floors, if not harder! We would have liked to stay another night to explore the town and surrounds, but we simply couldn’t spend another night on that bed. We did manage to locate a Lonely Planet recommended restaurant in town and enjoyed an adequate homemade pizza dinner.
Road Trip Day 4 – Mae Hong Son to Khun Yuam
We tried to find that Lonely Planet guesthouse again, as the reviews said the beds were comfy, and again were unsuccessful. We then tried another, top-rated place. Top-rated though it may be, and twice the price of other places, the bed was only fractionally less concrete hard than the previous night’s and we decided to push on and try our luck further down the road. We somehow missed the hot springs along the way and eventually pulled into Khun Yuam about midday. The town wasn’t a destination spot, by any means, but we found a guesthouse at a reasonable rate and lucked out with a luxuriously fluffy bed… um, no, not really, but it was somewhat softer and sleepable. We had a lackluster lunch at the guesthouse and then rested through the daily 2 – 5pm rains. We ventured out for a walk and dinner, then an early evening and long thorough snooze.
Road Trip Day 5 – Khun Yuam to Mae Sariang
Although the bed was better than the previous night, Roger still didn’t sleep well. We made brekky and headed out to continue our journey south. We arrived at Mae Sariang at lunchtime and enjoyed a very good meal at Inthira, Lonely Planet’s top restaurant choice for Mae Sariang, which was indeed excellent. It is a larger town than we anticipated and there are a number of hotels and guesthouses along the riverside to choose from. We decided on the Riverhouse Hotel, a lovely place full of teak and character. We have a balcony overlooking the river, and air-con for about $16 per night. We called a local tour guide who got rave reviews in Trip Advisor to see whether we might organize a day trip or an overnight trip walking in the area and visiting local hill tribes. So much of that is touristy and focused on getting you to buy souvenir stuff that we wanted to make sure we could have a less intrusive and more authentic experience. We met with Piak at 6pm in his little tour office around the corner and after speaking with him for a bit, decided on a 2-day overnight trip. He was evaluating us as much as we were evaluating him, which we liked. He speaks enough English that we might ask all the questions we have had in our minds but were unable to convey to people thus far. So off we go in the morning. First, we meet Piak at the local morning market, and then we’re on our way… driving about 18km to where we begin our hike. I am so excited about this opportunity to meet some local folks and spend time in an environment as these hill tribes live!
Road Trip Day 6 – Piak Private Tour day 1
We woke early, excited about our tour with Piak, and walked down to the morning market. We met and followed him around as he bought veggies, spices, fruits and treats for our two days. He explained what things were and how they were prepared. For the time we have spent in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, much of the produce we purchased and ate remained a mystery. Some of it still is, but we have learned a few things and enjoyed our market visit immensely. We tasted little things wrapped in leaves that had coconut or some other sweet inside, and took some along with us. Piak guided us in a few gifts we should purchase to bring to the villagers because we were going to be guests there. These consisted of edible treats and dried fruits for medicinal tea, as well as round discs of soy that would be toasted on the fire for additional protein with meals. We loaded up the car with our supplies and with a hill tribe woman and her son who needed a ride back to the village. We drove 18km on the road toward Chiang Mai and then stopped at a little roadside store/stand where we bought some additional gifts for the village folks and water. It started drizzling and since it is the rainy season, everything was wet and muddy. Roger and I had good sneakers, but hiking boots would have been much better as we were wet and muddy immediately and consistently for the entire two days. Up the side of the hill, we began with a brief stop at the regional administrative building that supports several hill tribes. We took photos together with the administrators on hand then continued on our way climbing up through the cabbage patches, sliding a bit on the steep incline and mud. We walked by one lone house with several water buffalo grazing and after a few words with Piak, the farmer led us to a gate and we threaded our way through his property. We hiked for a bit, admiring the beauty of the rain forest and the hills and valleys in the distance. We reached a narrow road and made our way further up hill. We reached a group of people who were carrying big heavy baskets of lettuce, weighing each basket and then loading them onto a pick-up truck. The baskets weigh 50kg full and we learned that they carry them over 1km up and down the hills. We later found out that these folks are of the Mong tribe. They are very independent, even with other tribes, and keep mostly to themselves. We continued on our way to the waterfalls and passed a tour group coming back the other direction. They go to the first fall and then return, where we visited all three falls and then continued farther onto a farm owned by the local shaman/farmer.
We were to have lunch at the shaman’s house. It is hard to describe my first impressions, which were a mixture of surprise at how small and primitive it was. I had anticipated rustic and basic, but this was much more primitive than that. The house was built raised up off the ground so that animals can be kept below, and consists of only one small room with an open fire cooking area off to one side. To enter, one climbs up a small ladder to reach the room after removing shoes, and I quickly noticed that there were no windows and hardly any light. Smoke from the fire just made its way through the room and out the open ends. Once my eyes adjusted to the dim light and smoke, the thing I noticed was how beautiful this older couple was. They greeted us with huge warm smiles and welcomed us to sit down. Piak translated as we asked questions about them and they asked about us. They wanted to know how old we were, what our jobs were and whether we had children. We asked about their ages, about their children and grandchildren. Ba Soo Vee (Ba means father) demonstrated his ingenious mousetrap on Roger’s finger, which we all enjoyed. Then he showed us two mice/rats he had drying above the cooking area… luckily, they were not on the menu for lunch! Piak brought chicken and sticky rice, we also had plain rice and a dish with a mixture of fish, chilies and some other stuff… very spicy… just a bit of that on a dab of rice. We had picked some green leafy stuff along the way, sautéed with fresh garlic, it was very yummy!
Did I mention that it was wet?… rainy and muddy and mucky and slippery?
We left the doctor’s house and continued along our trek. We eventually came to a small cluster of houses, which were owned by the White Karen people, a gentle and beautiful folk. We were invited to come in to several houses, each time needing to remove wet, muddy, hard-to-get-on-and-off sneakers and socks before climbing up to the living area. All the houses had a similar layout with the cooking area on the wall of one side, leaving access to three sides around it. People would gather around either side of the cooking area to stay warm and dry from the damp climate during the rainy season. We were treated to some delicious pineapple and bananas at one home and tea at another. Many of the women were chewing a combination of beetle nut, which is some sort of intoxicant, mixed with a whitening compound, since the juice is a deep reddish brown color and seriously stains the teeth. By the looks of many mouths, the whitening compound wasn’t quite doing the trick.
We made our way up a hill and encountered a group of folks planting tiny chili pepper plants on a steep incline. We each grabbed a tray and started to help them plant a few rows. They wondered why we would want to help them in such a dirty uncomfortable location when our homes were so comfortable. We just smiled and wished them and their chili plants well. Finally, we trekked our way back up to the top of the hill and then down through the cabbages to reach our car and head off to the village where we would spend the night and our second day.
When we arrived, we were immediately whisked off to Piak’s sister’s home where we enjoyed roasted corn on the cob and mini meatball appetizers. The brother-in-law insisted we try some of the neighbor’s rice whiskey, which we did. It was strong enough that Roger didn’t realize when I slowly transferred the entire contents of my cup into his! Piak and his sister fixed a great meal of soup, green curry with chicken and another with pork, rice and sautéed veggies of some wonderful green variety.
Road Trip Day 7 – Piak Private Tour day 2
We awoke at 4AM to the shrill sounds of the rooster. Loud though he was, he did seem to come equipped with a snooze button, because we were able to sleep on and off until morning. We had tea and brekky, which consisted of rice, fish mashed with unknown substances, boiled green veggies of some green and stalky variety, and hard boiled eggs. It was rainy and the trek would have been slippery and dangerous, so we opted to stay inside and visit. Piak made coffee from his own home-grown beans, which was delicious. Several people came over to visit and when the rain stopped, Roger brought out his computer to show pictures of the boat and our travels. It was lovely being able to share both ways… each of us curious about the other.
Piak took us on a short walk around the property, introducing us to various fruits and plants, some of which were edible, some used for medicinal purposes and some for dyes. We munched on star fruit, saw avocados, ate more bananas and marveled at the huge bamboo groves. Did I mention that it was wet and muddy and mucky and slippery?
We made a few more visits and had lunch at the home of the village chief, recently retired. While there, an old man who had lost his wife over nine years ago asked whether we would be interested in looking at (buying) some woven items. We said we would, and he came back with a traditional cotton woven White Karen style shoulder bag and a man’s top. He could use the money, but the offer was really made because he thought that we were genuinely interested in their culture, and would appreciate having these items. They were lovely and made from start to finish by his wife over a decade ago. They grew the cotton, spun it, dyed it, created the pattern, wove it and then sewed it together. The work was clearly hand done, unique and beautiful. Unfortunately, the armholes of the shirt were too tight for Roger and because of the way it was made; there was no possibility to enlarge them without ruining the beautiful work. So we bought the bag and sadly had to leave the shirt behind.
By late afternoon, we started on our way back, but managed to make a few last stops and visits, purchasing one more wonderful bag at the last home. Piak asked the woman if she had anything she’d be willing to sell, because knew I would be interested in having another bag or shirt. How wonderful that these lovely folks are happy to offer their few pieces of handiwork (outside what the make and wear for themselves) not just for the money, although that always helps, but because they are happy that we are there and are interested and appreciative.
We got back into town and organized a room at the Good View hotel, which like the Riverhouse was situated right along the river. Piak invited us to his home for dinner so after peeling off the muddy footwear and clothing and scrubbing off the majority of dirt from head to toe, we followed him out of town a ways to his home. He and his wife are wonderful cooks. We started with pumpkin ginger soup with chicken, followed by tempura veggies, fish fried with garlic and then BBQ chicken from the market. We had local passion fruit juice to drink and fresh mango for dessert… simply wonderful! We met Piak’s wife, Phon (sp?) and his two adorable children, Teresa who is 8 and Rita who is 2 and just as cute as she could possibly be. I taught Rita to blow kisses then throw up her arms and say, “yippee!” The evening was a delight as was the entire tour. Roger has already created a stellar review for Piak on Trip Advisor. We will surely stay in touch with him and might make a trip back for some more trekking in better weather and another stay in the village.
Road Trip Day 8 – Mae Sariang to Chom Thong
We got a late morning start out of town and made our way towards Chiang Mai along route 106. We passed the turn-off to the White Karen village and smiled with the memories of our recent visit. The road wasn’t as full of hair-pin turns as the stretch from Pai to Mae Hong Son, but it was still very pretty. We thought we would stay at Chom Thong overnight to visit a wat there, which was supposed to be quite serene and beautiful. We cruised into town and wanted to find accommodations first, before touring around. We lucked out and saw a sign on the main road for the Riverside Resort (in English, which was a good sign) and followed the signs a few km down a side road then off to the right just prior to the river. For 500 baht, we had a private little space with front porch facing the river and views to the hills beyond. The fact that there was a big step down and low wall into the bathroom that Roger kept whacking his head on, and that the water heater for the shower didn’t work (we showered in the room next door), didn’t detract from a lovely stay there. The manager, Ekk, was delighted and inspired to hear about our sailing adventures and encouraged us to stay in touch with him. We asked for a recommendation for dinner and Ekk directed us to the food court in front of the wat, which wasn’t very interesting at all with most options full of fat and greasy.
Road Trip Day 9 – Chom Thing to Chiang Mai
On the final day of our Mae Hong Son Loop road trip, we made our way back to Chiang Mai and stopped in Lamphun for a tour of the historic Wat and old city. Driving the last leg, we traveled a road with towering 100 ft trees all along the side of the road, forming a shady and attractive canopy. The roads started to get busier and traffic more congested, and before we knew it we were back in the bustling city of Chiang Mai and trying to navigate back to our guesthouse. What a wonderful adventure!