Remote Town of Mae Hong Son & Surrounding Countryside
March 13, 2023/
Introduction
This post is part 2 covering our epic Mae Hong Son loop. It covers our adventures and experiences as we made our way from Doi Inthanon westward to Mae Hong Son town. Feel free to jump to the “TLDR” section to get a quick run down of what to expect and some tips. Read through the full post to follow our day by day, stop by stop experience.
This would be the longest segment in the Chiang Mai -> Mae Hong Son -> Chiang Mai loop. Though the 200km+ stretch was estimated to take 4 hours we eventually took 6+ hours instead. The many picturesque vistas, panaromic view points, and scenic landscapes proved too irresistible that we made many unscheduled stops along the way. The winding road to Mae Hong Son town was also so much fun to drive on (made even more enjoyable by the courteous Thai drivers).
Mae Hong Son town, our “base” for the next couple of days is a smallish town located near the Thailand – Myanmar border. It is a lot less touristy, and it’s remote location offers a sense of isolation, and a perfect base to explore surrounding countryside. The natural beauty of the virgin rainforest, the untouched (ie not tourist friendly) point of interest really made us feel like we were experiencing the heart and way of life of the Thai countryside.
Goats and pigs in a pen at a toilet stop. The winding roads ascending and descending through the mountainous terrain was fun to drive on. Some of the beautiful vistas spotted along our drive westward. Most of the landscape looks very dry. Some of the larger villages had a PMI2.5 indicator since wildfire is an annual occurrence. Jericho farm, a strawberry farm & cafe located along the road. A field of purple flowers, a football field and even some goats are perfect reasons we decided to pull over. The Cafe was closed when we arrived, but we managed to snag a bucket of strawberries (a little less than 1kg) cheap (80THB). Annabel proudly showing of her red tinted teeth after drinking bottled strawberry juice (suspect there’s coloring mixed in). The dry leaves and twigs are perfect kindling, especially on surfaces facing the hot afternoon sun. The strawberries helped postponed lunch, but soon enough all of us were hungry and this noodle shop along the road side of Ban Pang Ung, one of the larger villages caught our attention. The beef noodles were delicious, although the coffee disappointed. Enjoying panoramic views as we slurped down our noodles while dangling our feet over the edge. Pha Bong viewpoint, a stop very near our destination. View reminded of the vista point at Yosemite National Park.
Mae Hong Son Town
Palm House is a gem. This Guesthouse is located 1 street away from the Nong Chong Kham lake. Grounds were well kept, rooms were comfortable and they have 4 friendly English bulldogs who ambled over for belly rubs the minute we alighted from the car! Girls were happy to obliged as they recharged during the drive. The rays of the setting sun hitting the golden spires of Wat Chong Klang. The green roof of its twin, Wat Chong Kham forms the background. Joining the locals – dinner consist of mix and match of yummy local offerings purchased as we walked the night Market at the lake. The brightly lit temple and food stalls lining the lake. We intended to catch sunrise at the temple on at the top of Kongmu hill. Pitstop at the the Talat Chao (morning market) since we were too early. Even so, the market was already a bustling hub of activities. Rows of trucks from nearby farms already pulled in peddling their produce. The street lamp caught my attention. The tubes are of the regular fluorescent tubes that we use back home. The gates of Wat Phra Non was finally opened at 6am. The flight of stairs heading up to the temple atop Doi Kongmu starts from within this temple grounds. We found out on the way down that there was another flight of stairs down the street was accesible all day. Days old leaves lay undisturbed on the stairs. Most folks drive up these days, but I managed to convince Caroline to walk up instead. Arrived at the top as the sky was turning bright. The clear skies promised a stunning sunrise. The two lavishly decorated pagoda are the highlight of this Burmese influenced temple. The unmistakable lights can also be seen dotting the skyline of the hill from the lake. Golden sheen from the first rays of the rising sun covering the white pagodas and statues. A thin layer of mist blanketing Mae Hong Son town below. With the sunrise up, we can properly take a photo where we started our climb up.Breakfast at a stall beside the Mae Hong Son River. On Google maps, it is known as “Best Beef Noodles Mae Hong Son”. It was certainly Aroi Mak! Price was really good (50B) too, with generous serving of ingredients. Cook couldn’t converse in English and we had fun teaching each others some basics (Mu = pork ; Wa = beef; ha sib = fifty)
Su Tong Pae Bamboo Bridge
After breakfast, it was off to our first stop for the day. Su Tong Pae bamboo bridge was built by the villagers to assist the monks making their way across the rice fields (soy bean plant dotted the field when we were there) to the village.At the end of the bridge, sits Wat Phu Samanaram. The 500m bridge and surrounding paddy fields. Exploring the temple grounds. One of the statue that caught our attention was a statue holding a tablet. Dog ambled close for a scratch behind his ears as we took a breather.
Tham Pla
Next stop was the Tham Pla National Park, a nice small park surrounded by brooks and swathe of grassy lands that is a perfect place to take a break. The star attraction though is the fish cave within. Theres a stream the flows out underneath the rocky formation, and numerous fishes (some 1m long) can be seen in the stream and in a natural pond at the back of the shallow rocky shelter. On the way back to town, we stopped by a picturesque Cafe, located beside the 1864 marker stone. Seems popular among bikers, as the Cafe and marker was inundated with stickers of passing bike convoys and expeditions.
Huay Pu Keng Kayan Village
We wanted to visit a long neck hill tribe village. Huay Pu Keng is one of the more authentic one. Accesible only via boat, the jetty used by the villagers is located in a pretty remote location. We decided against boarding a 30 mins ferry ride from Mae Hong Son town, taken by most tourist. We wanted a more authentic feel! We were initially devastated when we saw the cement path being blocked, but thank God a passing tribes woman (on her way back to her village) pointed us down the dirt path. 10 mins bumpy ride later, we arrived at the makeshift jetty.
Our paths were blocked! There’s usually no guarantee of a ready boat, but we were blessed as the men were busy ferrying sand across the river for some repair work. The cement path was blocked because of there was a sink hole Spent a few hours just walking around the village. Was hoping to be able to participate in some craft, but none were available. Met 1 lady who was able to converse in English and we learned much about the origin of the villages from her (she’s a 1st generation Kayan tribe member originally from Myanmar). One of the oldest member we saw in the village. Entertained us with a song as she played on their traditional guitar like instrument. We didn’t see any men, and the younger girls were not seen wearing the rings. We were told that this is especially so when they head to town to continue their studies, for fear of being ridiculed. Guess this practice will die out within this generation. Annabel stood beside a stack of leaves that adorned the roof and walls of some of the houses hereWe ended the day with a refuel in preparation for the phase of our trip. The pump operator will place a board (with promotions) on your engine hood while he fills the car. Unlike Malaysia, you only make payment after he is done; and unlike Malaysia, fuel is expensive! (36-37B/litre for Gasohol 91)
TLDR
Mae Hong Son is a smallish town located near the Thailand – Myanmar border. It is a lot less touristy, and it’s remote location offers a sense of isolation, and a perfect base to explore surrounding countryside. The natural beauty of the virgin rainforest, the untouched (ie not tourist friendly) point of interest really made us feel like we were experiencing the heart and way of life of the Thai countryside.
Attractions
Attractions are more “outdoor”. We managed to cover some, but skipped some others. Listing those we covered below.
Town Area: Nong Chong Kham Public Park, Wat Chong Klang, Wat Chong Kham, Talat Chao, Wat Phra That Doi Kongmu,
<1 hour drive: Tham Pla aka Fish Cave, Huay Pu Keng Kayan Village, Su Tong Pae Bamboo Bridge + Wat Phu Samanaram
And these are some other attractions we skipped
Pha Bong Hot Spring (30mins drive), Mae Surin Waterfall (right outside town)
Lodging
There are many hotel options available in and around town. We recommend looking for one near the lake, but the accomodation in the vicinity are generally backpacker hostels or small guesthouses. The larger hotels are located further out. We stayed at palm house and would highly recommend it for families (see above for pictures). Listing some that we came across in our research – more details can be found on agoda/booking.com/equivalent
Hotels: Imperial Mae Hong Son Hotel, Fern Resort, B2 Mae Hong Son Premier Resort
Hostels: Sarm Mork Guest House, Piya Guesthouse, Boondee House Guesthouse
Other Guesthouses: Palm House, the like view guesthouse, Crossroads House
Food
Though it does not receive too many tourist, it is not strangers to visitors. Food is easy to come by, and there are even vegetarian options around town. We didn’t explore food too much, hence listing some options below
$ – Thalat Chao/Morning market, Night market by the lake, Best Beef Noodles Mae Hong Son
$$ – Salween River Restaurant
Specialty – Little Good Things Vegan Cafe, Ban Nin Tra Mae Hong Son (Vietnamese)
Tips
There’s no “large” Lotus in town, only the smaller Lotus GO Fresh. Hence, stock up in larger cities before heading over.
There are 2 starting point to the top of Doi Kongmu. The more popular one, located inside Wat Phra Non is only opened at 6am. The less popular one, located down the road is open 24-hours
Coin operated laundry are available, but there’s only 1 (that we know off) that was operating in a more “tourist friendly” way. The lady will help you move your laundry from the washer to the dryer for 10B. Washing cost 40B for a small load, to 60B for a medium load (9kg). No options available for larger loads.
