We got out of the hotel today at a reasonable time. It’s not as if we had a huge drive ahead, but in Thailand you definitely need to figure that your average road speed is going to be far less than what you might be used to in other countries.
The road quality is generally good, while the skills of drivers here is not. Mix in slower scooter traffic and assorted other vehicles and you have a recipe for slow traffic. When you’re off the main roads they tend to become narrow and twisty, with all sorts of hazards that could be present around every single corner.
So, when Google Maps gives you a time that seems to be a little incongruous in comparison to the distance, that is why. As much as Google Maps can give rather ridiculous routes, it seems that the travel times aren’t always that far off.
Google Maps fails to take into account when I make a stop to take photos! As Crystal knows all too well, the day can really stretch out when I have my camera in hand.
We decided we would head up to Mae Sai, at the northern tip of Thailand, and home to the northernmost border crossing into Myanmar.
I knew we’d be making a number of stops along the way, as this scenic route has a number of interesting things to see.
Our first stop was along the highway where there were five large statues. I had been here before, but only noticed three. Not sure why. One highlight of that stop was the kitten that appeared to have a thin moustache, like a French mime.
We continued on and began climbing the nearby hills. The first stop wasn’t too far along into our climb, where we stopped at an overlook with a great view of the countryside and nearby hills. It was a beautiful day again, with great visibility, and not a lot of smoke or haze. From this overlook we could look deep into this little valley, and it was a steep drop down!
The next stop not too far down the road was at Doi Mae Salong, a town noted for its nearby tea plantations. In advance Crystal had found a plantation she wanted to visit, which is along the road and offers demonstrations and sales of tea.
Prior to that we stopped at a picturesque roadside garden with, what we discovered, was a reasonably priced resort that actually looked really nice. We strolled around the grounds, checked out their pool (what a surprise) and, oddly enough, their Spotted Deer farm. As far as I can gather, this species is not native to Thailand. It seems Thailand has two species of native deer, and one is the muntjac, also know as the barking deer. They are found in the area northwest of Chiang Mai.
We continued on down the narrow twisty roads and steep hills of Doi Mae Salong to the tea plantation. We pulled in, parked, and walked straight into the place where we would have tea. Crystal is the big tea drinker. I don’t care much for green teas, being more of a black tea drinker, but I would try them anyway.
I think we tasted at least eight different teas, and I didn’t mind a couple of them. Seeing the process of preparing the tea was quite interesting, as well as seeing how different each of the dried teas looked. Crystal bought a small pot that is rather different than the teapots we’re used to in Canada, as well as a set of cups, and an assortment of teas.
After that we went down into the plantation itself to look at the tea shrubs. You wouldn’t think they’re anything special. The plantation just looks like a gardener obsessed with hedges runs the place. Picking a few leaves was interesting. The tea leaves were tough and leathery. I didn’t really think about what they’d be like. We also saw a few tea blossoms.
We drove back up the hill a short ways, up a very steep set of driveways to find a restaurant which overlooks the tea plantation. We had a quick, rather large lunch of Yunnan fried noodles, and stir fried pork with basil. The portions were more generous than we’d anticipated, and the lunch was delicious!
We made it into Mae Sai late in the afternoon, checked into our hotel, and headed towards the border with Myanmar. We’d debated crossing the border, if possible, for a short day trip into Myanmar, with the political situation there it may not be a wise decision. The decision was made for us, as the border was obviously closed. We checked out the local market in the area, one I had been to before.
The markets here have a bit of a different character compared to other places in Thailand we’ve been. It seems the narrow streets in the area have just been covered over and turned into unofficial malls. It is still weird when people bring their scooters into it and are weaving their way through the crowd.
It’s a bit of a maze, but we did find a couple of neat, if odd, places. One was Cowboy Cafe, and right across was Ah Dae Kong Cereal Rice. We were a bit late for both, but they seemed interesting. I wandered through both, and the decorations were odd and cool at the same time. If you’re interested in funky places with unique decorations, you’ll love these places. We promised the eccentric owner we’d come for coffee in the morning. My only worry was that we’d spend too much time there, as the owner took a lot of joy in showing us all sorts of interesting details he’d incorporated into these restaurants.
Once we’d finished our tour of the mall, we decided we needed to find something for supper. Sometimes in smaller towns in Thailand it can be hard to find a restaurant to suit your particular mood for the evening. And if you want some sort of western fast food (which we don’t often want anymore anyway), then forget it.
Covid has made finding restaurants in Google Maps an often frustrating experience. Many restaurants (always the one you want to go to) have closed because of Covid, but their ghosts remain in Google Maps.
Eventually we go outside of the main drag, and found Kampai Bar & Bistro. After running our translate apps on the menu, we found a few tasty dishes for supper. It was a nice place, with good food and attentive staff. We’ve gotten used to being stared at in Thailand. I don’t think this place gets many foreigners. Seemed like a really local area, and western customers are probably a rarity.
We made our way back to our hotel, one I’d stayed at before. It isn’t a bad place, but quirky. I get the feeling that electrical outlets must be incredibly expensive in Thailand, because it doesn’t matter whether it’s new or old construction, they are given sparingly.
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