3 Days 2 Nights with the End of the Rainy Season and the Beginning of Winter in Mae Hong Son

October 15, 2018

We: Hello, where are you now?

P: Arriving soon.

We: Wait for me at the original ATM booth.

Shortly after, we met with P.

At Mo Chit at 5:50 PM.

Let's go to the car.

P nodded and walked towards platform 9 and 3/4. "No, no, no," she said. "That's in the Harry Potter movies. We need to go to platform 1."

At 6:00 PM, the tour bus from Sombut Tour departed. The bus fare to Mae Hong Son is 675 baht for a 15-hour journey.

The road to Mae Hong Son is notoriously winding.

Approximately 9:00 AM, we arrived at Mae Hong Son Transportation Center, successfully conquering the 1,864 curves without anyone throwing up!

We planned to rent a motorbike to ride up to Pang Ung, so we hired a tuk-tuk to take us to the rental shop because our luggage was too heavy for a motorbike taxi.

After searching, we finally found a rental shop that charges 200 baht per day. We rented for 3 days, with a deposit of 1,000 baht. We could use any card to pay. The owner was very friendly and helpful, providing us with directions and planning our route. The shop's name was something like "Friend Tour".

10:00 AM, we stopped by the Sutong Bridge.

The temperature is 32 degrees Celsius. Yes, it is very hot. The image above appears to be a temple, which we speculate might be in the Mon or Burmese style, which is distinctly different from our own.

We continued our journey to Phu Khlon, where we soaked our feet in the hot springs and rested our car. We didn't take any pictures, but that's okay. We then drove straight to Pang Oung because it was very hot. We started to notice the steep and narrow road, which required careful driving. It is recommended to wear a helmet.

2:00 PM. And we have finally arrived at Pang Ung. Ung, Ung, Unggg.

We stayed at Uncle Na's Homestay, which costs 400 baht per night without breakfast. However, there is food available for purchase upstairs. Northern Thai cuisine is not readily available; instead, the menu consists primarily of central Thai dishes. The price of food ranges from 30 to 40 baht.

The air up here is much cooler than in the city. It's very comfortable.

After taking photos, we relaxed and prepared to raft in the reservoir. We had arranged with the villagers to meet at the pier at 6:30 AM.

6:00 a.m.

We : P, get up and let's go rafting.

P: *Gets up to wash face and brush teeth*

At 6:30 am, we boarded a raft operated by local villagers for a 25-30 minute ride at a cost of 150 baht per raft.

After taking photos, our next goal was to visit the city center of Mae Hong Son. However, we had a problem: we had ridden a motorcycle up the mountain, but we were too scared to drive it down because the descent required a lot of braking, and the motorcycle we rented was an automatic, which is not without its risks. Therefore, we contacted a local villager to find a car to take us down to the city center. We followed the motto: "It's better to spend money than to lose your life." Around 11:00 a.m., we arrived in the city center safely.

We checked in to the B2 Hotel (no photos again), which is located away from the market but appears to be new and peaceful, for over 700 baht per night (booked on Agoda). Upon arriving in the city center, we were unable to check in to our accommodation, so we stopped by Coffee Morning before checking in at two in the afternoon. In the evening, we visited Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu and the walking street.

Relaxing at Coffee Morning

While there is a road leading up to Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu, we opted to hike up the mountain, which proved to be quite a challenge due to the temple's elevated location.

If you look closely, you can see the airport in the background.

And we came to find something to eat.

The image is incredibly clear. This is what they call "sen goh," which resembles rice noodles tossed in some kind of oil.

This meal is very cheap and delicious.

The walking street, known as Nong Chong Kham, is located near Wat Chong Kham. Visitors are welcome to pay their respects at the temple.

After a satisfying meal, we returned to our accommodation. The following day, at three o'clock in the afternoon, we safely returned to Bangkok.

P.S. Thank you for visiting. See you on the next trip. Please comment and share. Thank you.