Hua Hin to Home

After 6 weeks on the road, we decided that we would try and make the trip back home in one go. 7 and a bit hours of driving later, we eventually made it home in a very dirty car after having travelled approximately 6,300 kilometres on our road trip. We have very much enjoyed our trip and there have been some notable highlights along the way. Much of it we have seen before but there are always some pleasant surprises in store on such a trip. We have probably exhausted this area now and so will not do it again (except for Bangkok). However, there are some other areas that we would either like to do for the first time or repeat for a second time. 

Road Trip Thailand, Hua Hin to Phuket

One dirty Mitsubishi Pajero

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Hua Hin

 Hua Hin was the first beach resort in Thailand mainly because the King at the time built a summer palace in the area, It became a place to visit for the rich and famous of Bangkok due to its Royal connections and is now a destination, not only for foreign tourists but also for Bangkok's hoi polloi, especially at weekends. 

In the 1990s and early 2000s, we were in the habit of holidaying in Phuket and did so for many years, except for 2004, the year of the tsunami when for some unknown reason I persuaded the family to try Hua Hin for a change. They were not that keen when we arrived and they tried to persuade me to move on to Phuket but I held firm and we, thankfully, were saved from the tsunami. 

In the 1920s the railway came to Hua Hin and an iconic, impressive railway station was built together with a Royal pavilion or waiting room for the Royal Family. Changes are now underway as a new dual railway line to the South of Thailand is under construction to replace the current single track. This includes a new elevated station for Hua Hin. 

The Royal Pavilion, Hua Hin

New station under construction, Hua Hin

The old railway station, Hua Hin

The Beach, Hua Hin

We had decided to stay 2 nights in Hua Hin and a visit to Father Teds, an Irish Pub, confirmed we had made the right decision as on Wednesday night the Bangkok Beatles were playing. We have been watching this band play for around 15 years in various Irish pubs in Bangkok and were delighted at the opportunity to see them again so we booked a table. Just as well we did as the place was packed to the rafters.

The Bangkok Beatles in Hua Hin

Chai Nat to Hua Hin

Thailand Road Trip, Chai Nat to Hua Hin

Wishing to get to Hua Hin as quickly as possible, we set off early for the trek south, going via Ratchaburi in order to avoid the heavy traffic (and toll roads) of Bangkok. We, therefore, arrived in good time and had a little walk around before visiting the famous night market for dinner first having a drink in the Ko Bar, where were serenaded by a surprisingly good musician, before eating dinner in the Rot Fai restaurant. Rot Fai is the Thai word for railway and Hua Hin is famous for its railway station (more of this in the next post) which is on the main route from Bangkok to the South of Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

Hua Hin Night Market

Singer/ guitarist, Koh Bar, Hua Hin

Koh Bar, Hua Hin

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.

Mae Sot

 Mae Sot is a border town and has grown enormously since 2 bridges were constructed across the river to Myanmar. Trade with Myanmar is the one of the most important businesses in the area and is mainly responsible for that growth along with the influx of migrants and refugees from Myanmar. It is known for its teak and gem trading and also has a certain notoriety for drugs and people trafficking. It is a fascinating city with huge ethnic diversity. Walking around the morning market in the centre of town, one can see so many different types of people going about their business. It is a proverbial melting pot of religions and ethnicities. The variety of people is matched via the variety of fresh produce on the huge market and it is one of the cheapest markets we have ever seen. There are also many temples and mosques in the city but the most outstanding is the Chinese temple belonging to the Chan Thak Foundation.

Mae Sot morning market, Tak Province

Mae Sot morning market, Tak Province

Mae Sot morning market, Tak Province

Mae Sot morning market, Tak Province

Mae Sot morning market, Tak Province

Mae Sot morning market, Tak Province

Chinese Temple of the Chan Thak Foundation, Mae Sot

Chinese Temple of the Chan Thak Foundation, Mae Sot

Wat Manee Praison, Mae Sot

Later, that evening, we discovered a very nice restaurant called Getthava. The food is excellent, has some interesting specialities such as tea leaf salad and Chinese sausage fried rice. The cost os those 2 including steamed rice, pork and tofu clear soup and a pork stuffed omelette came to 255 THB! Unbelievable good value.

Dinner in Getthava Restaurant, Mae Sot

Mae Hong Son to Mae Sariang and Mae Sot

 

Thailand Road Trip, Mae Hong Son to Mae Sariang

Today we began to head south on the third and, for us, the final leg of the Mae Hong Son Loop. Due to the distance and the bendy nature of the road from Mae Hong Son to Mae Sot, we felt we had to stay one night in Mae Sariang even though there is not much there. We had used the same accommodation before so we knew that it was ok.

The next morning, after a quick breakfast, we were on our way once again, this time to Mae Sot where we would spend 3 nights.

The first stretch of this journey took us on the type of road we had become familiar with over the last few days - relentless bends through mountainous terrain. We remembered the first time that we drove along this road in 2009 when it was very rough, narrow and quite hair-raising with little protection. There were also many roadworks as improvements were underway. Despite the twists and turns, it is now a very good road with appropriate safety barriers. The scenery is much greener and more thickly forested than we had seen on previous days and quite beautiful, especially as we drove through the Mae Ngao National Park. As we zoomed down a mountain, we glimpsed a coffee shop that appeared to have a splendid view over a fertile valley so we quickly did a U-turn. Both the coffee and view were worth the stop, and thoroughly refreshed, we ploughed on towards Mae Sot. We reached the point where the road meets the Salween River which also forms the boundary between Thailand and Myanmar. As we drove along the parallel road, we were treated to glimpses of this lovely river and the towering, foreboding hills of Myanmar on the other side. There are frequent army control points along this road and there is also the huge Mae La refugee camp that is currently home to some 50,000 Karen refugees. On either side of the refugee camp are army control posts controlling the inhabitants' movements and providing protection from any possible incursions from across the border. Eventually, we reached our destination which was the Centra Hotel.

Coffee Stop, Mae Hong Son Province

Coffee Stop, Mae Hong Son Province

Mountain scenery, Mae Hong Son Province

The Salween River border between Thailand and Myanmar

The Salween River border between Thailand and Myanmar

Pai to Mae Hong Son

 

Road Trip Thailand, Pai to Mae Hong Son

This was another tortuous journey over the mountains on another sector on the famous Mae Hong Son Loop. We were, however, rewarded by some magnificent scenery as we first climbed up the mountain followed by a rapid descent via some hair-raising hairpin bends. As a reminder to be careful, we passed one truck in the middle of the road, lying on its side after obviously taking one bend too fast and losing control. The police were already in attendance and fortunately, the occupants were sitting by the side of the road looking slightly dazed but relatively unharmed. We arrived at the Fern resort which, I am glad to say, met with our unanimous approval as it has 2 swimming pools and is set in a huge area of land comprising of gardens intermixed with various agricultural crops such as rice, onions and lettuce. The resort has a beautiful restaurant where we ate a typical Thai dinner.

Mountain view, Mae Hong Son

Wat Chong Klang and Wat Chong Kham, Mae Hong Son

Fern Resort, Mae Hong Son

Fern Resort, Mae Hong Son

Dinner, Fern Resort, Mae Hong Son

Pai and environs

 Pai is the darling of the Thai backpacker route, although there are not too many around at the moment. Nevertheless, we are sure that we are the oldest backpackers in town! This is a peaceful place nestling between the mountains on the Pai River and its quiet, laidback attraction is easy to see. At this time of year, the biggest drawback is the smoggy atmosphere as it is the burning season, a time when the farmers across South East Asia burn the stubble in the rice fields and contaminate the atmosphere. You can see the lack of clarity on the hills in some of the photos below. Nearby, there is a Yunnan village comprising of former members of the Kuomintang (Chinese National Party) who were defeated by the Chinese communists and subsequently fled to Thailand. There are other similar villages in remote regions of Thailand and this one has turned itself into something of a tourist attraction. Close by there is also a Lisu Hilltribe village whose members still wear mainly traditional dress.

Santichon Yunnan village, Pai

Santichon Yunnan village, Pai

Santichon Yunnan village, Pai

Lisu Hilltribe women, Pai

Wat Phra That Mae Yen is in the mountains close to Pai

Cattle in typical farmland, Pai

Farmworker harvesting shallots, Pai

Chiang Mai to Pai

 

Road Trip Thailand, Chiang Mai to Pai

The road from Chiang Mai to Pai is innocuous enough in the beginning, with some 30 odd km of dual carriageway heading directly north. Even when you turn off left towards the distant mountains, the road gently glides through many villages but, there is a reason why it takes almost 3 hours to do 132 kilometres and it starts to become very apparent as you start to climb the mountains. The sheer number and tightness of the bends is amazing and actually quite tiring. The road is one section of the famous "Mae Hong Son Loop" considered by the biking fraternity to be one of the world's best motorbike routes with 1864 bends on its 650 km route. It felt like there were 1864 bends on the one stretch we did!

We changed our hotel booking to The Quarter and on arrival, we were glad that we did as the hotel is very conveniently located a few minutes walk from downtown Pai (if you can call it that!) and is quite lovely with a good swimming pool that, considering the heat (38 degrees), is very welcome. Our lunchtime arrival meant that we had time for a walk around before returning for a swim and then out again for dinner and to the market.

Swimming pool, The Quarter, Pai

Cafe/restaurant Pai

Night Market, Pai

Night Market, Pai

Night Market, Pai