A visit to the Northern Highlands and the Western Frontier (Mae Hong Son and Tak provinces)
Friday, 3 – Monday, 6 December 2010
Leader: Khun James Lehman, Member of the Council of the Siam Society
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Please join the Society on December 3rd at the Mae Ping Hotel in Chiang Mai for a four day trip to the Northern Provinces of Mae Hong Son and Tak on the Burmese Border.
We will begin our trip with a scenic ride through the Northern Highlands for a pleasant lunch in the much heralded backpacker discovery of Pai and then proceed to Mae Hong Son Province. Once considered a remote place of exile for errant officials it is now a desirable destination for those who wish to experience the natural beauty of "The Land of Three Mists", fantastic trekking and visits to the various hill tribe cultures of Thailand, and to relax far away from the hectic world of Bangkok. We will stay at a lovely hotel and visit several Burmese style temples before we head south to the District of Mae Sa Riang the next day.
On the way we will visit a Japanese War Memorial and stop for lunch at a local restaurant called Baan Farang. We will then continue our journey through the Highlands to Mae Sae Riang, a small district center where the town has been preparing for the tourists that have "yet to arrive", according to one guidebook. We will, of course, visit a Burmese style temple and then have dinner at a restaurant named Coriander and Redwood.
The next morning an early departure will take us to the Burmese border and a boat ride on the Salawin River to the small Karen village of Ban Sop Moei where will visit a local Thai government school.
Heading further south we will spend the night in the border town of Mae Sot, which according to one guidebook, we will find, "an interesting mix of local Thai, a dominant Burmese workforce, and Karen refugees who live an ambiguous life stuck in two worlds". The next day we will visit the morning market, local temples and the Burmese market. Our guides will be high school students who study "Tourism in Mae Sot" at their school. We will also briefly visit the well known Mae Tao Clinic (www.maetaoclinic.org) established and directed by Magsaysay Award winner Dr. Cynthia.
We will then head over the mountains to Tak, for a stop at one of the Siam Society's favorite restaurants, the Viang Chan & Mr. Chai Restaurant, on the Ping River. We will visit one of the well known temples of Tak, afterwards we will have the choice of returning to Chiang Mai or heading home to Bangkok, with a stop in Singburi for dinner.
We hope you can join us for this interesting four day tour of a sparsely populated, not well known part of Thailand which abounds in natural beauty.
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The tentative programme will be as follows:
Day 1: Friday, 3 December 2010 |
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| 8:30 a.m. | Meet at Imperial Mae Ping Hotel in Chiang Mai Province. |
| 9:00 a.m. | Depart Chiang Mai for Mae Hong Son Province by mini-van. |
| Enroute: | Lunch at local restaurant in Pai district, Mae Hong Son Province. |
| 4:00 p.m. | Arrive at Mae Hong Son and sightseeing in Mae Hong Son, e.g., Wat Hua Wiang, Wat Chong Kham-Wat Chong Klang. |
| - | Check-in at the Imperial Tara Mae Hong Son Hotel. |
| - | Dinner and overnight at the Hotel. |
Day 2: Saturday, 4 December 2010 |
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| - | Breakfast at the Hotel. |
| 8:00 a.m. | Visit Wat Phrathat Doi Kong Mu for the view of Mae Hong Son Valley. |
| - | Depart Mae Hong Son for Khun Yuam District. |
| 10:00 a.m. | Visit Thai-Japanese Friendship Memorial Hall in Khun Yuam. |
| Noon: | Lunch at Baan Farang Restaurant. |
| 2:30 p.m. | Proceed to Mae Sariang District. |
| - | Visit Tham Pla in Tham Pla-Pha Suea National Park. |
| 6:00 p.m. | Arrive at Mae Sariang, proceed to Wat Phra That Chom Thong for the view of Mae Sariang Valley. |
| - | Check-in at Riverhouse Resort. |
| - | Dinner at Coriander in Redwood Restaurant. |
| - | Overnight at the Resort. |
Day 3: Sunday, 5 December 2010 |
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| - | Breakfast at the Resort. |
| 8:00 a.m. | Depart Mae Sariang for Ban Mae Sam Laep. |
| 9:00 a.m. | Boat trip along Salawin River from Ban Mae Sam Laep to Ban Sob Moei. |
| - | Visit Ban Sob Moei village. |
| - | Proceed by boat back to Ban Mae Sam Laep. |
| Noon: | Picnic lunch at the bank of Salawin River. |
| - | Proceed to the districts of Tha Song Yang, Mae Ramat and Mae Sot. |
| Enroute: | Visit Wat Don Kaeo. |
| 5:30 p.m. | Arrive at Mae Sot district, Tak province. Check-in at Centara Mae Sot Hill Resort. |
| - | Dinner at Khaomao-Khaofang Restaurant. |
| - | Overnight at the Resort. |
Day 4: Monday, 6 December 2010 (Substitution for H.M. The King's Birthday) |
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| - | Breakfast at the Resort. |
| Morning: | Sightseeing in Mae Sot e.g. Rim Moei Market and Wat Thai Wattanaram with student guides, visit to Mae Tao Clinic. |
| - | Proceed to Tak province. |
| Noon: | Lunch at Viang Chan & Mr. Chai Restaurant at the bank of Mae Ping River in Tak. |
| - | Visit Wat Bot Mani Sri Boon Ruang. |
| 2:00 p.m. | Depart Tak for Bangkok by bus. |
| Enroute: | Stop at local restaurant in Singburi Province. |
| 10:00 p.m. | Arrive at the Siam Society. |
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Booking
A contribution of Bt. 17,000 (Bt. 19,000 for non-members) is solicited. The contribution includes all transportation, meals as mentioned on itinerary, accommodation for two persons per room, sightseeing as mentioned in the programme and other costs incurred to make this trip possible. An additional sum of Bt. 2,300 is requested for a single room. Please pay by cash or cheque (payable to ‘The Siam Society’). Alternatively you can deposit/transfer the money to the Siam Society travel account at the Thai Military Bank, Asoke Branch saving account no. 053-2-18000-7. Please fax or e-mail the deposit or transfer docket to us. There is a 4% surcharge for credit/debit card payment to cover bank charges.
The Siam Society reserves the right to change the programme as necessary. Seats are limited. Please book your place as soon as possible.
For further information and bookings please contact Khun Prasert (ext. 504) or Khun Ekkarin (ext. 506) on 0 2661 6470-7, fax 0 2258 3491 or e-mail: ekkarin@siam-society.org. Office hours: 9:00am.–5:00pm. Tuesday–Saturday (except holidays).