Mae Sot to Chai Nat

 We had 3 nights at the Centra Hotel in Mae Sot which we enjoyed very much, It is an old hotel that has been modernised to provide high standard rooms and benefits from a large swimming pool which we took full advantage of as temperatures soared up to 39 degrees. On our last day, we went to the Rim Moei market which is directly on the border with Myanmar. The border is closed, as it was in Mai Sai, and this usually vibrant area is a shadow of its former self with many shops and businesses having closed down. Pre-covid, many Burmese used to cross the border on a daily basis. both legally and illegally, to work in Thailand although the conditions of their employment probably left a lot to be desired. In the past, we have watched the Burmese floating across the river on innertubes to get into Thailand whilst the Thai authorities apparently turned a blind eye. Before leaving I made a quick early morning visit to the morning market.

Morning market, Mae Sot

Morning market, Mae Sot

Morning market, Mae Sot

Morning market, Mae Sot

Morning market, Mae Sot

Morning market, Mae Sot

We are well and truly on our way home now with several long drives in front of us. Today, we are travelling first East towards Tak and then South to Nakhon Sawan province for an overnight stop.

Road Trip Thailand, Mae Sot to Nakhon Sawan

The first part of the journey delighted us again with fabulous mountain scenery in beautiful weather. The road was an excellent dual carriageway that snaked across the mountains so it was not quite the same as the tortuous single carriageway bends on previous days. We made excellent progress to stay the night near Chai Nat in one of our less salubrious, albeit very clean and very cheap accommodations. We drove into Chai Nat and had a very good dinner at a restaurant on the banks of the Chao Phraya River. This river is formed at Nakhon Sawan from the confluence over the Nan and Ping Rivers and flows through Bangkok into the Gulf of Thailand.