Northern Thailand Part 2

Khun Yuam to Mae Hong Son

The ride to Mae Hong Son was a nice easy ride and we got there in around three hours. Again, passing through beautiful scenery and pretty villages.

One reason to take the bends slowly on the highway!

Ciggy Break

Tea Break

Mae Hong Son is a beautiful town and we found a guesthouse beside this lovely lake. The people here are really friendly and many originate from nearby Burma.

Burmese style temple

Mae Hong Son by night

And on a misty morning

Spooky face bush!

Just what I was thinking!!!

The temple on top of the hill

The sun setting over the beautiful Mae Hong Son Valley

Watching the sunset from the hill top temple was so peaceful and one of our many favourite moments of this trip.

The following day we hired a driver to take us on a tour of the surrounding area. He was a native of Mae Hong Son and was therefore able to give us loads of information about the area. 

Farmers working the land. These people earn around £7 per day working in the blistering heat all day long. Still, they always had a smile and a wave for us when passing.

Large creepy crawlies!!

Pang Ung Mountain Reservoir

Stopping for a tea break in a local village

We stumbled upon the remains of a ritual/offering

Another village we visited was Mae Aw. A Chinese KMT settlement village about 1km from Burma.

Fungus for Mama Wocky!

We then took a boat to a nearby Kayan Long Neck village.

The village school

We spent four nights in Mae Hong Son before deciding to move on to Soppong.

Mae Hong Son to Soppong

Three kilometres into the journey we rode over a pot hole and the bike started making an awfully loud noise. After investigation we found we had lost a screw out of the casing covering the chain and bent it out of shape. We turned around and rode back to Mae Hong Son where a group of mechanics stopped what they were working on and came to our assistance. They reshaped the casing, screwed it back on and then refused to accept any money from us! We managed to get them to accept £2 and they waved us off with a smile.

Rice Farmers

A traffic jam entering Soppong!

We arrived in Soppong on a Tuesday which is market day. People from the nearby Lisu Hill Tribe villages come into town to sell their wares.

I knew Andy wasn't that keen on the town when before we had even checked into a guesthouse he asked "How long are we staying here for?" Normally it's me itching to move after a few days with him reluctant to get back on the bike so soon.

Soppong is a very remote village, the smallest one we've stayed in so far.

Shortly after these pics were taken, Andy decided he wanted to find a chemist as he had been deaf in one ear for a few days from an ear infection. There was no chemist in the village but there was a hospital so we went there to ask if we could purchase ear drops there. Next thing we knew he was been weighed and measured and his medical history taken. We were then asked to wait in the waiting room to see a doctor. It was a bizarre experience sat there in the hospital, surrounded by the people of the local hill tribes in their colourful traditional clothing, us sticking out like a sore thumb! We saw the doctor, who prescribed Andy some medication and we charged a grand total of £1.20. I love this country!!!

Our den for the night

Named after a local hill tribe, not us!

The resident cat with tash!

Our garden

Soppong is not a tourist area and therefore has none of the amenities that come with a tourist town. What is does offer are a range of outdoor activities such as river kayaking, caving and hiking. We had planned to do some of these activities but after getting bitten to death by mozzies and Andy not thinking much of the town we decided to give them a miss and move on the following day. This decision was reinforced after a very sleepless night in our shed! There were many gaps and holes in the bungalow and therefore LOTS OF BUGS! After brushing them out of the beds we pulled over the mosquito net and decided to share one of the extra small single beds (safety in numbers and all that!) which resulted in neither of us getting any sleep. So the following day it was back on the bike to Pai.

Soppong to Pai

The ride to Pai was easy and took around 1 1/2 hours.

Hill tribe family in full dress

Pai is completely different to what we expected, but we like it none the less. The town itself is very touristy and westernised and therefore the most expensive place we have visited so far.  The surrounding areas are beautiful and it's a nice chilled place to spend a few days.

Andy's delicious lunch!

Our guesthouse here has a pool so we have spent a few days lounging around it and scootering around the area. 

And nights spent chilling in bars by the camp fire

We are going to stay here for a few days longer and visit an elephant camp and a few other things. This is the last stop on our circuit before heading back to Chiang Mai.

It's been an amazing bike ride, if not a little hairy some times!!! But having the opportunity to glimpse into the lives of the local village people going about there business has been priceless.