Day 5, Monday 4th February - Mae Hong Son

Chinese Village..... The motorbike needs to go back by 11 am which coincides with my check-out time. By the time I've packed, consumed a snack breakfast and complimentary coffee it's still only 9 pm. I note from my guide map the location of a Yunnan village less than 10 kilometres from Pai. Yunnan is a Chinese province near the border with Myanmar. During the communist takeover many Chinese people fled across the border and some of these settled in Mae Hong Son province. I head to the village and I guess I should not be surprised to find that here too, the effect of tourism is everywhere to be found with souvenir shops and Chinese restaurants located in a picturesque hillside setting, beautifully landscaped, the whole spectacle promoting well-being. A narrow cement road leads up through the village and to a viewpoint another 4 kilometres away. As I follow this roadway it seems to get steeper and narrower but the Honda automatic, perhaps the best I've ever rented is smooth and well up to the job. At the summit there is yet more evidence that tourism has engineered another attraction, the area beautifully landscaped with ample parking space that certainly isn't needed on my visit. I am, in fact, the only visitor but gladly pay 20 baht for the wonderful views of the Yunnan village and the Pai valley. If I had the time I would gladly rest here and perhaps take a pot of China tea. As it is, I must head back.
Orange bus with a big heart..... I give back the Honda and head back to Palm House to get my bag. It's now 10.30 am as I head for the parking lot that houses transport out of Pai. I am told that the one and only bus to Mae Hong Son leaves at 11 am, but I will have to take my chances whether there will be space. The option of taking a minivan would depend on seats being available on any through van from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son, but I soon discover these are invariably full. I really have no option but to hope for the best. The bus expected at 11 am doesn't arrive till 11.45 am by which time I have already been advised this is not a service one can compare with the long-haul tour buses of the type that delivered me to Lampang. Still common throughout Thailand, the short wheelbase orange buses, which one would normally turn down in preference to all other forms of transport, becomes the only type available for what's going to be an epic 4-hour trip through arguably the most difficult route in Thailand. During the best part of this time the old bus will have covered a staggering 110 kilometres along the infamous route 1095.
Before that, there is a mad scramble for seats and a great deal of confusion as some passengers who are using Pai as a rest stop return to find their seat occupied. In the end this ancient machine crawls out of Pai with several passengers standing in the aisle clinging to the roof rail. They will need to hang on tight. I'm most grateful to a young lady who gave up her seat for me or those passengers would include me. The orange bus soon ascends into the mountains most of the first half of the journey spent in the ascent to Doi Giew Lom. Mercifully, the vehicle reaches the summit descending to a rest stop at Soppong. It's here that a number of local passengers terminate their journeys easing the pressure for space. Oddly, by the time the orange bus reaches Mae Hong Son there are few passengers left. It is a simple fact that normally, few tourists break their journey in Pai. They either visit Pai as an excursion out of Chiang Mai and return or if they wish to visit Mae Hong Son they take another route, easier to negotiate.
Jongkham Place..... Arrival in Mae Hong Son is at a reasonable time before 4 pm. On this occasion I am able to do more research beforehand but again did not reserve a room so it still requires a little footslogging but with an earlier arrival and without too much problem with finding vacancies I settled for an individual rustic chalet bungalow at Jongkham Place finding the lady owner most pleasant and helpful. I decide to stay for three nights. Suitable freshened up I look for a dinner inquiring at a motorbike rental shop on the way. It seems my plans for tomorrow are already taking shape, but I'm not so satisfied with the food at a restaurant near the lake however picturesque it might be. It's a curious fact that the more expensive looking the restaurant the less tasty is the food or so it seems. In general street food is tasty, filling and cheap and remains popular with many tourists remembering that this is also traditionally on the backpacker's trail. After another grueling journey through the mountains I'm simply too tired to write my notes. That's it I’m done!
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