Mae Hong Son, the Town, the City, it's Temples and Walking Night Market

   
     Ploy and I recently took a road trip from Chiang Mai all the way to Mae Hong Son. The road is famed for having over 1000 hair pin curves. In actuality, the road has over 1,800 sharp corners. It a majestic ride through the northern mountains of Thailand. We ran into some rain along the way, and had two close calls, when the front tire of our bike hit slick spots.    That will wake you up for sure, if you have never experienced it before.  Still, we persevered, and made it the rest of the way to the small city nestled in the mountains.

     Please enjoy this post, and look at all of the pictures. We have detailed everything you will find in Mae Hong Son, from the temples, to the lake and the park, to the walking street, and its food vendors, as well as the guest house scene inside the town.

    Above the city is a most revered "Wat," or temple, which has stood looking down and protecting the city for four hundred years.

     The first evening we arrived, after checking into a nice little hotel along the edge of the lake, we drove up to pay respects to the two Pagodas on top of the mountain at the edge of Mae Hong Son. Here are the two Pagodas, in the dwindling evening sun.

   

I love the Palm tree alongside the temple.

     Here is a guard at the temple's entrance. It is a giant stone lion, in full battle armor. The mountains surround the valley of Mae Hong Son.

Visiting a Traditional Lisu Village in Mae Hong Son Provence

     Ploy and I just traveled to Mae Hong Son Provence. It was a dangerous 4.5 hour motorcycle ride from Chiang Mai.

    The locals have affectionately called it the road of a thousand hair pin curves. That is not accurate, there are over 1,800 tight turns over the course of 175 miles. The jungle surrounds both sides of the road, and mountains tower over most of the sky. The scenery is spectacular, however the drive is not for anyone who gets motion sickness. I promise.

     One of our very good friends recently had his first child. His wife is from a small Lisu Village, outside Bang Mapra, Thailand in Mae Hong Son Provence. Lisu People are a hill-tribe group most distinguishable because of their traditional clothes, or costumes. They wear very brightly adorned shirts, and with many colors, and make all of their own clothing.

     The village of our friends wife is home to about 200 people, most of whom are related. I was accepted to join the festivities, and talked with both the old and young. Lisu speak their own language, as well as Thai. My friend does not speak Thai, so I was able to talk with his Father in law and translate for him. Lisu are an an extremely kind and hospitable group. It was a special occasion to meet so many of them in their own town and not to feel like a tourist who was just shipped in for a brief photo op.



     Please enjoy these pictures from a Lisu Village we spent some time in, and celebrated one of our close friend's having a new born son. In honour of having a firstborn son, they held a large party for everyone in the village to come.

     A full grown wild boar was killed and cooked for the dinner's feat. It was made into four different meals.

     The raw pig meat was cut into many tine pieces and pounded by the ladies of the village, into a raw pig meat and chili spicy appetizer.

Here is nice girl that we met and talked with a little. She is in 10th grade.
That is traditional Lisu clothing that she is wearing.