Oct 28-30 2022 |
This was another great ride, a key leg of the Mae Hong Son loop. Endless amazing views, and twisty roads with little traffic.
Mae Hong Son town (in MHS province) is a real gem. A beautiful, clean, orderly, historic, small town in a world-class setting. Not many tourists here. I stayed 5km out of town for two nights, and was the only guest there.
Did a side trip to Bang Rak Thai, a village on the Myanmar border that is promoted to be the most beautiful town in Thailand (by Ban Rak Thai marketing agency, probably). It has a unique history, founded by a KMT army unit fleeing from Yunnan in the late 1940s. It was a bit jarring to see a pictorial featuring Chiang Kai Shek showing the Nationalist flag (same as used in Taiwan). This must ruffle a feathers with the hordes of Mainland tourists min-bused in every day.
I first visited Ban Rak Thai in 1992, rode there on a much worse quality track on Honda Cub 90. In retrospect, that probably wasn't a good idea. Today it's a real tourist destination, maybe too much so. Definitely worth a day trip if you have a bike, it's a great ride from MHS, a nice twisty road.
Ride: 158km | 3 hrs
Stay: Banphumontalang Guesthouse, booked on Agoda | $18 | 4/5
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