Part 1: Mae Hong Son Loop
We leave Chiang Mai at noon. We hear about the Mae Hong Son Loop, which is recommended by bikers. The loop starts in Chiang Mai and makes a circle through the mountains to end up back where it started. We decide to follow half of this loop on our way to Laos. The road offers occasionally a beautiful view and we also stop at a waterfall.

We already decided to camp for the night so we want to do some shopping at 7 eleven. This store is open every day for 24 hours... but not this time. Due to a power cut their register isn’t working so they don’t allow us inside. When darkness comes, we leave the road and go into the fields. We set up our tent and go straight inside, because of the mosquitoes outside.

Camping in the Fields

There is a lot of noise coming out of the jungle so we don’t sleep too well. The next day we are early on the road and we visit two more waterfalls, one was completely dry and another means a long detour.
In Pai we stop for the night and we immediately find a nice bungalow, a few kilometres away from town. From our bed we have a beautiful view over the mountains. In the evening we go to town and there’s a cosy atmosphere.
Our bungalow is close to Pai Waterfall, where we see lots of people enjoying this sunny day. In the pools of the waterfall you can swim or if you like some more action, slide down from the rocks into the pool, here demonstrated by Kitty.

Fun at Pai Waterfall

Part 2: Our Route
On the map we see a small road that follows the border with Myanmar and we decide to follow it. The route is one long view point, really beautiful. We finally see some authentic Thai villages. Even in the most remote areas in Thailand the roads are pretty good. When the sun almost goes down, we find ourselves in a village without any guesthouse. We see a large kiosk located on a field in the centre. Ideal camping spot, we just have to check with the villagers if it’s no problem. They don’t mind at all, so we start setting up our tent. A second later, an army officer comes to welcome us and it turns out that we are camping next to a small army base. He’s really friendly and shows us the toilet and invites us for a beer. When we are finished with the tent, we go to the shop for a few beers and we accompany the officer and his men.

The Army Guys

We have an enjoyable evening and get to know the culinary skills of the cook. Because we like it so much, they invite us back for breakfast. In the morning, after a good breakfast, we break down our tent and leave.
We have again a beautiful drive along the Myanmar border but at a certain moment, we are stopped by the army. We have to turn around and take another road back to the border. We go further to Mae Salong. This village is a settlement of Chinese soldiers who fled for communism in the earlier 1900’s. Thailand let them stay on the condition that they helped them in the fight against communism. Upon today you can see the influence of the Chinese: Chinese lanterns on the houses, hotels built in Chinese style, many Chinese writings and even people who speak Chinese. There is not much to do in the village and many businesses are closed for low season. We find a great room with a fabulous view over the mountains.

View from our Bungalow

The next morning we start on the last drive in Thailand. Again we enjoy the mountain roads and pass the Golden Triangle, the point where Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet.

Golden Triangle Monument

In the evening we arrive in Chiang Khong and find a nice hotel located on the riverbanks of the Mekong. The best part of the room is the view from our balcony; across the river lays the next country, Laos.

View from our Balcony

On the riverbank, there’s lots of ambiance in the afternoon, children play basketball or go swimming and buy some snacks at one of the many food stalls. We join and go for a swim and eat a banana pancake. In the evening we go to a restaurant owned by a Belgian. We chat about our trip and our further plans. We say we will take the first ferry in the morning to Laos. He tells us that the border crossing is via a bridge over the Mekong, ten kilometres away from here. He explains that the bridge has only been in use since six months and the ferry isn’t sailing any more.

Along the Way

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