Pai – Mae Hong Son
Part 1: Chiang Mai – Pai
My hostel (SpicyPai Backpackers) is a series of bamboo huts made in the middle of rice fields. I have travelled across Europe and now SE Asia, but i have never seen a hostel more innovative than this. I didn’t know i was in for a surprise this beautiful when i did the booking on internet. This place only seems primitive. It has a Wi-Fi, Hot water supply, ice boxes with water and beer, clean beds, toilets, lockers, amazing staff, a party area and a very friendly cat.
You can find Spicy Pai Backpackers Here
Pai has a lot of excursions and all the people i meet have been staying here for at least 9 days. It is a pity that i can’t stay here for more than one night. I make a quick fire plan overnight to see some of the places around Pai. Early morning after a futile search for black coffee i head to the Pai hot springs. Haven’t i already seen the hot springs? Why again? Trust me even the same type of places on this trip are giving me new experiences.
The route from my hostel to Hot water springs is about 5 kms and it is taking me through some very narrow village roads, elephant farms and through absolutely untouched local communities. There is a ticket window here also and i am not going to spend another 200 Baht here but the guard accepts the ticket which i bought the day before and allows me in. It is these small small things that are making my trip all the more memorable.
This time i come across a hot water mineral bath. The water is warm throughout the year and extremely rich in minerals. I soak my feet in that water for some time. I wish i had brought an extra pair of clothing because i see other people soaking themselves chin high in the water. There are many boards saying ‘Please don’t soak for more than 15 minutes‘ but i could almost hear tourists saying ‘To hell with it‘ as i saw them soaking for hours, sometimes even falling asleep in water.
The actual hot water spring is not as wild as the one i saw the day before. I meet a thai guide who, thankfully, speaks good english. I have spoken to a thai person properly without using sign language for the first time. I meet some Chinese girls boiling eggs in hot water even though there is a sign for tourists saying in excellent english ‘No Boil Egg‘. Anyways, i have a good chat with them before saying good bye.
Day 2 of my journey has begun and i am heading towards Mae Hong Son. This route has it’s own distinct beauty. The roads are not as high in the mountains as they were on the way to Pai, but this time i see long stretches of roads extending many kilometers. I can drive much faster now. The road is little less scenic as work is going on at many places and there is all sorts of machinery lying around on the road side.
Day 2: Pai – Mae Hong Son (109 km)
I take a stretch break about 40 kms from Pai. There is a viewing point, some road side restaurants and a shop selling warm clothes. I see some children standing there leaning on the fence watching the hills beyond. They are dressed in a distinct way. I come to know from a local potato seller that they are from nearby ‘Lisu tribe‘
After clicking some photographs i just sit down and close my eyes for a while but there isn’t much peace here as lots of people are scurrying around. I see a small road going uphill. The road is narrow, deserted and there is a big iron gate at the entrance. Obviously not everybody goes there. And this is what spurs my curiosity all the more. I ask a local juice seller who tells me that it goes to ‘Pang Ma Pha‘, the highest mountain peak in the region. I haven’t planned it but how can i miss the opportunity to climb a mountain peak. I ditch the intention of reaching Mae Hong Son in time and turn my bike towards Pang Ma Pha.
‘Oh Shit‘, i say out loud to myself when i see the steep uphill climb. My excitement is bursting out of my pores. I can’t afford to leave the accelerator of my bike because if i do so i will go back so fast that i wouldn’t be able to control. After a daunting ride of about 2 kms i stop my bike. All i can see around me is mist. I can’t see the valley below because i am above the clouds. There is this eerie pin drop silence. If i fall down into the valley no one will ever come to know. My bike will remain undiscovered for days. Damn, I should be feeling nervous. Why am i so excited about it?
Another 1 km ride takes me to a signalling tower where a lone man is sitting on the ground weaving a mat. I pity this man’s life and park my bike there because i can’t take it any further. I have to cover the last 300 mtrs. on foot with a 10 kg back pack and a helmet. I am drugged at the moment because i can’t feel the weight on my back. I just start walking into the woods where only 4 WD vehicles can go.
Every bit of the 30 minute walk to the summit is rewarding and once i reach there, i drop everything and just lie down. The clouds are blowing across my face and i can smell them. I can smell the moist wood of the hut i am in. I can feel each and every molecule of my body being tingled by the chilly winds. It is true that the best moments of life are often those that are unplanned.
Once i come all the way down to the main highway to Mae Hong Son, i am a proud man. I have climbed the highest peak and my head is held high. After all this i can’t feel any fatigue and zoom towards my destination.
Not far from the Pang Ma Pha is a diversion on the right hand side of the road that goes to ‘
The Lot Caves‘. These caves are worth a visit especially during the evening hours but it is a pity that i don’t have much time. Never the less I turn towards the them and end up finding ‘
Baan Keawmora – The Coffee Cottage‘. I am loving these road side coffee cottages and restaurants. What drives me to them is not the food but the love with which they are made.
I am relishing each and every bite of the chicken fried rice and ice cold espresso that they lady has served. Small children are playing outside on the road and I can hear distant sound of a waterfall.
How to find Baan Keawmora
Phone: (+66)53-617078/ (+66)81-765 2144
The hearty meal has calmed down my senses and I no longer regret missing out on seeing the Lot Caves. I am now a happy guy heading towards Mae Hong Son.
Mae Hong Son is a small town. Its airport’s runway is longer than the town itself. I don’t like the place as much as Pai because this place is more developed. A huge concrete gate welcomes me to Mae Hong Son. The roads are deserted at 8 pm, there is nothing much to see in the only monastry beside the lake and a girl probably half my age is trying to sweet talk me into taking her for the night. The place does not excite me much so i decide to call it a day and sleep off in one of the most shitty places i have ever stayed at, but that’s a different story.
Trust me, this place only LOOKS beautiful. But there are good days, there are bad days and then there is a third category called good-bad days. I am excited about the day to come because i am beginning to fall in love with my bike and its noise which was once annoying for me. I pat my back before hitting the couch because I can now proudly say ‘
I know how the clouds smell‘.
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Related Articles:
Day 1: Chiang Mai to Pai
Day 3: Mae Hong Son to Mae Sariang to Chiang Mai
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