DAY 1 :: On the way to... Doi Huamok!!

Flower Festival .. that is interesting, so I would like to recommend that you must visit it once in your life. That is to see "Bua Tong flowers bloom" This review will take you to a cool and comfortable place like "Doi Mae Kham" which is located in "Chiang Rai Province". Let's go see "Bua Tong flowers" bloom together!

Itinerary The plan is for 2 days and 1 night. I intend to stay overnight on Saturday-Sunday. The rough plan is to arrive in Chiang Rai and then head straight to Doi Hua Mae Kham. Where to visit will depend on the situation. The program is flexible, but I just want to see the "Bua Tong flowers".

On this trip, I set off with another fellow traveler. We had done our fair share of research for our trip to Doi Huamok. Based on the information we found, we would have to take several different vehicles, and the cost of chartering a car would far exceed our budget. Therefore, we agreed that... if we set off... there would be times when we would have to rely on "hitchhiking." Just thinking about it, it sounds like fun!

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Although this review may be too late for the blooming season of the Dok Bua Tong flowers (the flowers bloom in full in mid-November of each year. I traveled in late November, and some of the Dok Bua Tong flowers had already started to wither), it may still be useful information for friends who want to visit Doi Huamok during the winter when there are no Dok Bua Tong flowers. Even without the Dok Bua Tong flowers, Doi Huamok is still a great place to relax and experience the cold weather. So, without further ado... Let's pack our bags and hit the road! - As soon as I got off the plane at "Chiang Rai Airport", I felt the cool air. Even though the sun was strong, the air was fresh and cool. In short, the weather was great today.

How do I get to the city from the airport?

"There are airport taxis available to take you to the city for 200 baht per trip, per car. Alternatively, you can walk to the parking lot in front of the airport, where there is a taxi rank. The fare from the airport will be an additional 30 baht, with the rest calculated by the meter at 10 baht per kilometer."

"Or... If you call the taxi center to pick you up, there will be an additional charge of +20 baht. The rest will be charged according to the meter, 10 baht per kilometer."

Sure... We choose the latter, which is 10 baht cheaper, but we have to wait a bit... Wait for a taxi to pick us up for about 10 minutes.

Note: If you want to go to "Doi Huamok" via Mae Chan, you don't need to go back to the city. It will waste time and money. We can call a taxi to take us to Ban Du Market, which is near the airport entrance. It's not far, about 3-4 km. The taxi fare is 40 baht + 20 baht for the call center fee, total = 60 baht, which is about 30 baht per person. It's a good way to save money.

**The journey to Doi Huamok involves 3 steps in total.**

Step 1 > From Muang District (Ban Du Market) to Mae Chan District (Pa Sang Intersection)

Step 2 > Mae Chan District (Pa Sang Intersection) to Ban Thoed Thai

Step3 > Baan Thed Thai to Doi Huamok

Each step is approximately 30 km apart. We need to find transportation for each of these sections. If there are no vehicles available or if the cost of hiring a car is too high, we will try "hitchhiking".

Step 1 > Muang District (Ban Du Market) to Mae Chan District (Pa Sang Intersection)

We are waiting for a bus to pass through Mae Chan District. There is a public bus that can take us to Mae Sai District, as it will pass through Mae Chan District anyway. We waited for the bus in front of Ban Du Market for about 15-20 minutes. ... The Sweet Evening Bus, Chiang Rai-Mae Sai route, also passed by. The atmosphere inside the bus was lively and warm. Most passengers were heading to Mae Sai District. There were some passengers getting on and off along the way. The fare was 20 baht per person. We will get off at "Pa Sang Intersection", just a little bit past Mae Chan District.

After a leisurely 45-minute ride, we arrived at the Pa Sang Intersection. It was almost noon, so we decided to have lunch right there. At the intersection, there were several restaurants. We saw a "khao soi" that looked very tempting, so we ordered a bowl.

Step 2 > Mae Chan District (Pa Sang Intersection) to Ban Thoet Thai

The bus from Pa Sang Intersection will have both routes to Ban Thed Thai and Doi Mae Salong, which do not depart on time and have no fixed schedule. They will only depart when there are 8 or more passengers. The fare to Ban Thed Thai is 60 baht per person. Alternatively, if you want to charter a ride to Ban Thed Thai, it will cost 500 baht, or if you want to be dropped off at Doi Mae Salong, it will cost 1500 baht. As there were only two of us, we chose to "wait".

We waited for a while until there were 8 people. Most tourists usually go to **"Doi Mae Salong"**. It didn't take long for the car to be full. However, no one was going to **Ban Thed Thai**, our destination. We waited... until we were tired of waiting. So we asked to go with the car that was going to Doi Mae Salong, but asked to be dropped off earlier, at the **Aekor Intersection**, where the turnoff to Doi Mae Salong is. We couldn't wait any longer, so we decided to go ahead. We'll figure it out later. We paid **40 baht** to get off halfway at the turnoff to Doi Mae Salong. To go to **Ban Thed Thai**, we need to go straight, but the bus to **Doi Mae Salong** needs to turn left. So we had to get off here. There are checkpoints along the way.

From this intersection, it's about 10 km to Baan Thed Thai. We tried to see if there were any buses passing by, but it seemed like there weren't any. So, we decided to try "hitchhiking" to get a ride to Baan Thed Thai.

After trying to "hitchhike" for a while, a kind pickup truck driver picked us up. The pickup truck was packed with people and belongings. It seemed like they were returning from shopping in town. We sat squeezed in with the other passengers. We chatted and learned about the local way of life. It was a pleasant experience, and we are grateful for the driver's kindness in giving us a ride to our destination in Ban Thoet Thai.

Not long after... the pickup truck stopped and let us off in front of 7-Eleven. The 7-Eleven at Ban Thed Thai. At first, we thought there wouldn't be any convenience stores anymore. This would probably be our last chance to stock up on supplies for our trip to Doi Huamok. We had to get some supplies to put in our backpacks because it's quite difficult to find restaurants on Doi Huamok. And since we were planning to camp there, supplies were important.

Step 3 > Baan Thed Thai to Doi Huamokam

We took a break, drank some cold water, and enjoyed the air conditioning in a 7-Eleven for a while. Then, we tried to find a ride to "Doi Huamok". We asked people around the area and were told that the only option was to hire a songthaew. The locals said there was a stand across from the 7-Eleven, but we waited there for a while and no songthaews came. It was around 3 pm, which is almost evening. A nearby convenience store owner offered to send us on a motorbike, but the price was 500 baht per person, which was too expensive for us. So, we decided to try hitchhiking again. We walked along the road, hoping to catch a ride. Eventually, a construction materials truck came by that was heading to "Ban Na To", which was on our way. We asked for a ride, and they agreed. We hopped in the back of the truck and continued our journey. The road was dusty, and the air was getting cooler. Soon, we arrived at "Ban Na To". We got off at the village entrance because we still had to hitchhike to our final destination.

We stood waiting to "hitchhike" to continue our journey to Doi Huamok in the area of Ban Na To. The atmosphere was quite pleasant. Several cars stopped to ask us "Where are you going?" even though we weren't hitchhiking. However, it seemed that none of them were going to our destination. The frequency of cars passing by began to increase. 10 minutes passed, then 20 minutes... It started to get colder and colder until we started to lose hope that if we didn't reach our destination, we would just pitch a tent and sleep around here. The weather was nice anyway.

And then, a kind person gave us a ride. He also volunteered to take us to Doi Hua Mae Kham village. The winding road to Doi Hua Mae Kham was quite challenging for those unfamiliar with the route, especially near the village. We intended to camp at the "Doi Hua Mae Kham Forest Park", which was about a kilometer further up from the village. It was a short distance, but it was very difficult to get there. The loose, sandy road caused our car to slide off the edge, and we had to contact the park rangers to tow us back onto the road. They safely delivered us to the "Doi Hua Mae Kham Forest Park". We would like to thank Mr. "Kamjorn Ruksatweetharap", who we later learned was an official from the Mae Salong Subdistrict Administrative Organization, for giving us a ride and volunteering to drive us to our destination safely. We would also like to thank the Doi Hua Mae Kham Forest Park rangers for their assistance. It was almost 7 pm by the time we arrived. We immediately set up our tent. The air was getting cold, and darkness was setting in. We lay down and looked at the stars in the sky for a while before going to sleep. We had been traveling all day.

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DAY 2 :: "Siamese Golden Shower" .. blooming on the mountaintop

**New morning** 5:30 AM. We woke up to watch the sunrise with a breath of fresh, cool air. *In the early morning, the air is quite cold... On this mountaintop...*

Last night... When I came up, I couldn't see anything... Sir. It started to get light, I started to see the atmosphere on Doi Huam Mae Kham Forest Park here..

Waiting for the sunrise... The atmosphere is amazing, the air is fresh and cool. It's worth the (long) journey.

We came down to the common area.. which I'll call the "lobby" of this place. There are tables and chairs for dining, with free tea and coffee..hot water is provided.. You can bring a cup of instant noodles and pour hot water, sit and slurp it hot in the morning, it's..great.. This area..continues to a bamboo platform that extends out nicely. You can get close to the ดอกบัวตอง and take pictures easily.. The view of the mountains in the distance is a great backdrop.

We traveled during the time when the "Dok Bua Tong" flowers were starting to wither. If you want to see the "Dok Bua Tong" flowers in full bloom, you should come during mid-November of each year. During that time, there is also the Dok Bua Tong Festival, which features performances by hill tribe people and many activities. We went two weeks after the event was held.. But there were still many Dok Bua Tong flowers to see.. But after this, they will probably wither away with time..

Capturing the atmosphere... The first light of the day... "There is a small sea of fog, just enough to be a ceremony."

The sun rises from the horizon.. The sunflowers raise their heads in defiance.. facing the gentle morning sunlight.

This is our tent site. It's a helicopter landing pad, an open area at the highest point of the mountain. The area is spacious and there are no tourists, so you can choose your camping spot freely. You can bring your own tent and camp for free... There is no charge... So relax and enjoy!

If you don't want to sleep in a tent, the "Forest Park" also offers accommodation free of charge. You can stay for free as well!! However, tourists can help with water and electricity bills, and other services as they see fit. The atmosphere is good, the view is good, every house...

A house on the top of the mountain.. with a beautiful view.. overlooking the scenery as far as the eye can see.. It's really suitable for coming to relax.. The atmosphere around the house.. which is full of "Dok Bua Tong"

I wish I had time to just lie down, sit around, and stay here for a week. Looking over there at that mountain... there are yellow fields of sunflowers... growing all over the place... The atmosphere is quite peaceful... quiet

Although it's already late, the fog still hasn't cleared.

"Dok Bua Tong" in full bloom.. all over the mountain.. I wish I had time to lie down, sit and relax here.. for a week.

After watching the sunrise and admiring the beauty of the "Dok Bua Tong" to our heart's content, we prepared to pack up and leave the mountain. It was almost noon by then.

The path down is lined with "wild sunflowers" on both sides.

In the morning, there is a car from Ban Hua Mae Kham that goes down to Ban Thoed Thai. It is a car of villagers who go down to buy things in the morning. You can hitch a ride with the villagers. The fare is about 60 baht to get to Ban Thoed Thai.

At this moment it is noon. We intend to walk from "Doi Huamok Forest Park" down to the village. The distance is more than a kilometer. We plan to walk slowly. We happened to meet a group of tourists who were also going down, so we hitched a ride (again) in their pickup truck to Ban Huamok.

Initially, we planned to get off at Moo Baan Hua Mae Kham only. Then, we would find our own way back. However, the driver we hitched a ride with invited us to continue with him to the city (Mae Chan District) as he was heading back there anyway. So, we ended up with a long ride. We must express our gratitude for his kindness.

In the end... This short trip, from Saturday to Sunday, to see the "Bua Tong flowers" in bloom was an amazing experience. I got to see the "Bua Tong flowers" in full bloom, just as I had hoped. I slept comfortably in the cold, fresh air... and... most importantly, I witnessed the kindness of strangers along the way, who were always there to lend a helping hand. I want to "thank you" again for all the kindness I received. It was a fun and adventurous trip. I hope this will be a small piece of information for friends who are interested in finding places to visit during the flower blooming season in the winter!!

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Exhilarating Tourism | CHAILAIBACKPACKER

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