“It doesn’t matter where you are going,
it’s who you have beside you.”
Saw these photos from a travel article few years back, and I have been telling myself that we will visit this place. Finally, we are together making this trip.
This place is Ban Rak Thai which is located in Mae Hong Son.
From Bangkok, we took Nok Air from Don Mueang Airport to reach Mae Hong Son airport (Airport Code: HGN) & book a car to drive us to Ban Rak Thai which was about an hour drive (20km). The airport is small, and it is located in the town of Mae Hong Son. We shall go deeper on these details as you scroll down.
Once landed at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, we head to Magic Food court located at the corner of level 1.
Boss and I decided a bowl of noodles soup while Sonny bought himself a grilled chicken rice and a fried chicken rice. He is really hungry.
I think this is a good place for local food. The price is reasonable with many choices to choose from.
Sidetrack: There is a free shuttle bus from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Don Mueang Airport. Located at the outside of Door 3 of Arrival Hall (level 2), relevant documents are needed in order to board the bus that comes in every 30 minutes. It starts from 0500hrs to 0000hrs daily. We use this method to get our wat to Don Mueang Airport.
Once we checked in at Don Mueang, we went into the transit area, the place is big and clean, there are a lot of nice retail shops too.
Chanced upon Mcdonalds, and I showed Sonny the notorious pork burger, immediately he went to queue for it despite he is feeling full of 2 shares of breakfast earlier.
Finally, we landed Mae Hong Son airport where my driver is waiting for me.
This is Khun Chai; he is a local and has limitation of English.
Mae Hong Son
Sounds so "unfamiliar & distant" to most people.
One of the most remote small towns well nested in the very north of Thailand, located within mountains and rainforests at 250m above sea level. With the population of around 9000, this town is sitting right on the borders with Burma therefore there is a vibe of Burmese influence here. It is starting to attract attention from all over the places as it is a wonderful experience to leave the busy cities like Bangkok, Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai and immerse yourself into the nature of Mae Hong Son. By the way, it takes 5hrs drive from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son.
From night market to underground caves to majestic mountain views to trekking to rafting to Hill tribes' villages, this town gained a notorious standing from all sorts of travelers like families, bikers etc.
Mae Hong Son is still not a top tourist destination, as the numbers of hotels and international F & B outlets are low. So, expect more locals than foreigners.
Mae Hong Son Province was formerly part of the Burmese Shan States until 1893, when it was annexed to Siam as a result of the Anglo-Siamese Boundary Commission.
And we start our journey up to Bam Rak Thai...
And finally, we are here....
Ban Rak Thai
Magnificent mountain views as we are driving up the mountain toward Ban Rak Thai.
This area is where we called home for the next few days. Finally, we are here, after years of waiting.
Ban Rak Thai ("the Thai-loving village"), also known as Mae Aw(密窝村) is a village near Mae Hong Son.
History of Ban Rak Thai
This is the restaurant, located at level 2 and right next to this restaurant, there is a long flight of stairs, that bring the guest up to their room. For the next few days, my legs will be very strong.
The scenery was awesome that no word can describe.
Our little hero here trying to be a boatman.
The mist grows at sun rise, it is so thick that the whole lake is covered up. The mist will start to fade off from 9am.
See the dew collected on the railing of my terrace.
Love the fluffy steam fried bun - this is a traditional food that can be found almost everywhere here. Per person per coupon, collect from the reception.
Love this photo of a cup of coffee by the lake. As you can see, the mist is starting to disperse.
The Chinese who live here are the direct descendants of General Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist troops who, after losing the war against Communist China, fled to Burma and then Thailand instead following their leader to Taiwan.
Many of the men work for the Thai police or as guards and officials along the Thai-Burmese border.
Today the region is known for its oolong tea, and many of the restaurants surrounding the reservoir offer tea tasting of the rich and fragrant beverage.
This village is surrounded by tea plantations and mountainous landscape.
We enjoyed the serenity by sitting back at one of the charming cafes along the lake, sipping a cup of aromatic drink. Lesser known to tourist, which also adds up into such a healing atmosphere.
Chasa Rak Thai Resort - our home for next few days.
The hotel is decorated with LOTS of Chinese red lanterns that makes it so pretty at night. The staff here are mostly Mandarin speaking and are helpful.
However, not to worry if you have luggage because there is a road to drive up
The room is clean, spacious and comfortable and attached a terrace that give us a wonderful view of the lake. There is an air con and fan too. The design of the whole place is quite dated otherwise are well maintained. The toilet needs to go for a refurbishment
And this is my 4pm view from my terrace. Isn't it amazing? It will be much prettier at tomorrow's dawn, stay tune...
Ban Rak Thai Lake
2 words to describe: Serene & Beautiful. The boat ride cost THB450 for 3pax, it is a 40min ride. It is so relaxing while boatman serving you a pot of tea. The deepest depth of the lake is 8 meters, just sit well on the chair, the boatman is very experienced, and it is not rocky at all.
The scenery was awesome that no word can describe.
Our little hero here trying to be a boatman.
We strolled along the circumference of the lake - it can be completed within 45 minutes. Along the way, you will come across many eateries, cafes and little retail shops.
We were deeply immersed with such scenery which is exactly a postcard view where the lake is surrounded by Chinese cottages, various resorts and tea plantations. 
Lee Wine Rak Thai Resort This resort offers the most photogenic shot. Wanted to stay here but it is overbooked. Nevertheless, we are happy with Chasa Rak Thai Resort.
First Dinner here - Mookata in cooling weather.
This stretch of shops here selling most mookata and there is a shop selling buns.
It is located directly opposite of the lake.
Mookata was quite big in portion. We enjoyed the dinner very much. Nice food, cool weather, great view cost THB800.
As the night get darker, the air gets colder, and we did not have any jacket at all.
And also, as the night go darker, the place grows prettier.
The temperature is about 12 degrees and best for mookata in such cooling weather.
It was so nice to sit in front of the lake and enjoy the view of lights of the resort reflecting on the water.
At first, there is one stray came next to me, looking at me with "that kind of melt your heart look" So I gave him a piece, in the end he gathered his friends to come to my table. So never have that eye contact with the "melt your heart look".
The stray dogs here are very clever, they will stay near you waiting for you to give them food. But they are well behaved, they will not jump up to the table to snatch the food.
Dew Coffee Shop
Something to boost our metabolism after a hearty mookata dinner.
Coffee by the lake on a cooling day of a lazy and peaceful town. Great coffee with million dollars serenity. Boss praised that the Americano is very good. A good place to relax, admire the view with great drinks. I wish time would stop here.
The staff is friendly and background music goes well with the view.
Free Tea Tasting
This service can be found almost everywhere in Ban Tak Thai because it is surrounded with tea plantation.
According to the shop keeper, the workers will use a pail to go around the tea plantation to collect the dew at dawn daily. Then the water will fry together with the tea leaves until both are blended together.
Then the blended tea leaves will bake till dried then packed together to sell at the market and shops.
I bought a pack of Tie Guan Ying which cost me THB200. It indeed taste very fragrance and sweet after taste. 
Walking back to the hotel after a long day, look forward for a night a good sleep as we booked a van for a full day tour for the next day, please continue to read and see how we spent the tour?
Kick off the wonderful day with this view from my terrace.
Million dollars Scenery!
Below photos are taken between 0630am to 0710am.
Here is the time lapsed photos of the sun rise.
Pre-Breakfast on the street
Breakfast start at 8am and we are still early so we will stroll around at the ground level to feel the mist.
The boys were drawn by the smell of hot moo-ping. Per stick at THB20.
Dew on the leaves, reminds me the worker are going to start collecting.
Breakfast at the hotel
Although they don't look so fanciful, but the spread of choices is good enough. Taste is good, like home..
Hot drinks like coffee, tea, soya milk and milo at self-service counter.
Love the fluffy steam fried bun - this is a traditional food that can be found almost everywhere here. Per person per coupon, collect from the reception.
Dew Drop Tea is served hot by the staff, it really tastes refreshing and sweet after-taste.
Our Itinerary of the day
This place is full of mountainous road; therefore, it is not a good ideal to rent a car if you are not well experienced.
Pha Seau Waterfall
Entrance fee THB100 for foreigner & THB20 for local. the ticket included the entry to the Tham Pla fish cave,
According to reviews, the entry fee is not worth, and the waterfall is small.
Glad that driver stopped by somewhere to allow us to take some photos.
Within the park, there is a coffee shop and toilets. The waterfall is pretty small if to compare to others and no swimming is allowed.
Side Track: Tham Pla Fish Cave - entrance ticket is included from Pha Seau Waterfall.
We did not visit this cave and according to the driver, you can buy fish food at THB 20 per bucket or 50 for 3. It is a close contact feeding, you feed the food directly to the mouths. It is a park with a few fishponds, not really a cave. I think this is a good place for young children where they can run around between the flowers and having fun feeding fishes.
Chang Thai Coffee
Cozy cafe with a very pretty view of rice field with mountains in the background.
It is great to have a nice coffee while enjoying the panoramic view which is so relaxing.
The place is well decorated with colorful umbrellas, which is great for a photo shoot.
Such a beautiful coffee shop with mountains and rice field view.
Coffee is good with a low-price tag but comes with a million-dollar view.
Good rest stop to use their wifi to update your social media. This place is so beautiful that I took a lot of pictures.
Ban Jabo (noodles lunch) THB40 per bowl!
Another million-dollar view place with low-price tag.
This popular noodle restaurant is well known among tourists who love nature and crispy fresh air. This is what I saw, upon alighting from my van.
By the time we reached here, it is 11am and the mist is already gone.
Please remove shoes before entry to the eatery.
Then place and pay your order at the counter.
Then get a seat, wherever point you are seated, you will be accompanied by the wonderful view.
Here is the clearer look of the noodles that cost THB40!
And the priceless happy looks of the boys.
No matter where your standing point is, you will be greeted with jungle-covered mountains views stretching between the skies, the cooling weather and a bowl of warm noodles soup.
Another fun part of the restaurant is there are special seats where your legs can swing and dangle freely in the air.
This eatery is extended by bamboo poles so do take note of your steps.
What a great "dining in the air" experience to dine in such a humble wooden setting while slurping a bowl of delicious noodles while enjoying the magnificent views of the mountains. Here are more pictures of the exterior.
Located right next to this eatery, there is this very famous viewpoint for some great pictures.
Wat Tham Poo Sa Ma
Within the temple, you will find many beautiful architectures in different styles from the Burmese multi-tier roof design to Japanese-inspired shrines, as well as the monk hall covered in beautiful wooden carvings. It's all free to enter like most temples in Northern Thailand and it opens from 7 AM - 6 PM every day.
This temple is also connected via a bamboo bridge: Su Tong Pae Bamboo Bridge
This traditional bridge that built with bamboos is specially created for the monks from nearby temples.
Here is the closer look of the bridge which looked like hand weaned.
As the sun was very glaring, we did not walk on the bridge, all these photos are taken from the temple.
Wat Phrathat Doi Kong Mu (Hilltop temple in the city)
Beautiful contrast of blue sky and white stupa, located on the top of the hill overlooking the city of Mae Hong Son, including the airport too. The beautiful Wat Phrathat Doi Kongmu is the biggest temple on the top of the city.
The bigger stupa was built in 1860 by a merchant and the smaller stupa was built in 1874 by the first ruler of Mae Hong Son - Phaya Singhanat Racha. It is said that holy remains of eminent monks are housed here.
It is encouraged to perform merits and seek blessings from reverends in all temples.
It’s nice to see the entire town including the small airport that runs just adjacent to the town. It must be also beautiful to visit at early morning with fog or night with pretty lights.
Before Sunset Coffee
Another million-dollar view.
Fantastic coffee shop gazes over Mae Hong Son, up into the mountains. The coffee is really good and wonderful value.
This little coffee shop with just less than 20 seats, stands on the roadside on the way to Wat Phrathat Doi Kongmu. There are also few retails shops opposite.
There are seats by the edge of mountain where you can dangle and swing your feet.
The food available consisted of cakes and brownies and there was a variety of hot and cold coffees/teas. Overall, the atmosphere is very relaxed and calm.
Meanwhile here are more pictures of the surrounding.
Mae Hong Son Day Market
Known as the town market, the market comes to live every morning from 3am and shops start to retire by 11am. It comes with a wet market selling all fresh food related product and a dry market that sell groceries, household, kitchen products. To the local, this is the place to get whatever things they need. Here you can also come across many tribal products from Myanmar and Shan Tribe.
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1095 Garden - Dinner Time
Located in the heart of Mae Hong Son, directly opposite the Airport where we can get the runway view. Mae Hong Son is not a big place anyway.
Glad that we can have the taking off & landing views of the plane despite it is a domestic airport.
We are being rewarded a great sun set.
The wonderful sunset view in the midst of mountain, that moment is absolutely magical.
Though it is located in the heart of Mae Hong Son, this place is rather quiet and less crowd, love this serene atmosphere.
The food served here is delicious too, the service is good and the view around this cafe is great.
Mae Hong Son Night Market
Totally different feeling as Bangkok's night markets. This night market is car free between 6pm to 9pm daily.
Though there are tourists from the west, Asia and even few more Singaporeans too, the main shoppers here are still the locals. Vendors are able to speak English and English menu too. The touristy feel here is considered mild, compared to Bangkok.
Beside selling local street food, most stalls are selling local handicrafts.
Really nice place with a great local atmosphere.
Sidetrack: Long-Neck karen villages is another tourist attraction here in Mae Hong Son. We strongly recommend do a little research before deciding whether or not to visit them. For us, we skip this place as we strongly feel these villages are not zoos.
Driving back to Ban Rak Thai is not easy as there are few parts of the road that are without any lighting, some roads are with reflective stickers lights, some are with streetlamps. The mountain roads' curves at nights are really scarier than in the day.
Our second day here ended with priceless memories uploaded. What a tired but fulfilling day. Our third day tomorrow will start with some more sightseeing before we head over to Bangkok where we will meet up with the rest of my family.
Our third day here started with a cloudy day where the sun rise was blocked by the low clouds. There is not a drop of mist today at all. We were lucky to have our fill yesterday. That's the power of Mother's Nature... up to her pleasure to give you what she wants.
The same breakfast being served before we check out for more sightseeing.
Li Xian Eatery
I been looking for this place, I wanted to dine here for Shan Tribe's food, but I cannot locate it yesterday as it is located at the other corner of the village... This humble shop is very famous in the goggle, the lady boss - Ms Lixian speaks fluent Mandarin, she is an origin from the Shan Tribe, she is very friendly and always has a smile on her face.
I hope I have the chance to come back here again.
😔😔😔GOODBYE BAN RAK THAI, TILL WE MEET AGAIN😘😘😘
Pang Ung Lake
Located in Ban Ran Thai area.
This place used to be a Poppy Plantation for opium until King Bhumibol visit in 1979 where he projected to convert this place to a park. Growing herbs, flowers and tree were encouraged instead of Poppies. Villagers supported this idea, and all came together to replant, regrow and relive this place to today's charm.
Beside a lake, a park, this is also a designated camping ground.
Highly recommended place to visit especially in the early morning during winter, where you can catch the sun ray hitting the water and the smell of pine trees.
The swans & geese on the lake looked so magical.
You can also go bamboo rafting on the lake at 150THB. If you are lucky, you will chance upon the famous black swan here.
Pala Coffee House
Located in Pang Oung area, this coffee house offers accommodation too, beside serving coffee.
Bai Fern restaurant
Located in the heart of Mae Hog Son town. It claims to serve the best Thai Food in town and true enough .... they lived up to this claim, the food is very delicious. The lunch crowd size is average, I think most people are resting at home on Sudays most diners are tourist, and we are the only table from Asia.
The place is very big and clean, staff are very polite and attentive.
We are leaving Mae Hong Son now for Bangkok.
Finally, I can have a clearer look of the airport.
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Indeed, a small airport snuggling in between mountains, the town center is just 5 minutes' walk away. This is a 2 levels simple and clean building, there is a small convenience store, a small coffee bar, a small souvenir shop and ATM.
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Though it is small, with 2km runway, but I think it is unique & charming in her own way.
Summary:
Sit back and enjoy the beauty of its green landscapes.
It is an ideal destination for people seeking peace and quiet and a taste of authentic local life. After spending 3 days here, we feel that it is extremely safe here. The people are very friendly, welcoming and helpful although language is a barrier here. As this place is surrounded by mountains, the roads here are rather steep and curved. Do be extra careful to those who have less experience driving on mountain roads, especially on wet weathers.
We have come to the end of this blog, please spare some of your time to visit my other blogs of The Netherlands 2022 where we visited Amsterdam's Repeat, The Hague , Rotterdam , Kinderdijk , Naarden ,Muiden and my favorite Haarlem .
Coming next will be the blog on Bangkok where we will be meeting the rest of our folks there.
Stay tuned.
Feel free, you are most welcome to browse through my other blogs to France, Japan, China, Thailand, Malaysia and cruises etc. I will be deeply blessed if you can like my Facebook page: followblueginger
"I travel because seeing photos in books and brochures was not good enough for me, To be there, that was everything"
Cheers & Good Luck! 😍
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