Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
& Around
A worthwhile day trip from the provincial capital is to Mae Aw , also known as Ban Rak
Thai, an atmospheric Chinese outpost right at the Myanmar border, 43km north of Mae
Hong Son.
The road to Mae Aw is a beautiful route that passes through tidy riverside Shan com-
munities such as Mok Champae before suddenly climbing through impressive mountain
scenery. Stops can be made at Pha Sua Waterfall , about 5km up the mountain, and Pang Tong
Summer Palace , a rarely used royal compound a few kilometres past the waterfall.
For an interesting detour, at Ban Na Pa Paek take a left and continue 6km to the Shan
village of Ban Ruam Thai . There are several basic places to stay and eat here, and the road
ends 500m further at Pang Ung , a peaceful mountain reservoir surrounded by pines that is
immensely popular among Thai day-trippers in search of a domestic Switzerland.
From Ban Na Pa Paek it is 6km further to Mae Aw. Located on the edge of a reservoir
and surrounded by tea plantations, the town was established by Yunnanese KMT fighters
who originally fled from communist rule in 1949; the town's faces and architecture re-
main very Chinese. The main industries are tourism and tea, and there are numerous
places to taste the local brew, as well as several restaurants serving Yunnanese cuisine.
There's a brief dirt road to a border crossing (for locals only), but it's not advisable to
do any unaccompanied trekking here, as the area is an occasional conflict zone and an in-
famous drug smuggling route.
Sleeping & Eating
Ping Ping Guest House
( 08 44481 9707; Mae Aw (Ban Rak Thai); r 300-400B) This place and other similar outfits ringing
Mae Aw's reservoir offer basic accommodation in adobe-style bungalows.
GUESTHOUSE $
Guest House and Home Stay
( 08 3571 6668; Ban Ruam Thai; r 500-2000B) The first guesthouse in Ban Ruam Thai (there are
now numerous 'homestays' offering accommodation from 200B to 400B), this place con-
sists of several simple brick huts positioned on a slope surrounded by coffee plants, tea
plants and fruit trees.
GUESTHOUSE $$
Gee Lee Restaurant
CHINESE $$
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