The Imperial Tara Mae Hong Son Hotel

Last day of treking, i think everyone was feeling alot more healthy. I gave a chocolate bar i'd brought to the kids in the village we stayed at when we were leaving. Only one said thank you, she was my favourite after that. We had a long walk that day but it wasnt too steep either way so it was a really nice walk, there were great views and the pace we were walking at gave us time to see them. A ...

... me, including the three year old with her palms firmly squeezed together in prayer position....my heart melts. I also spent time working on logistics, trying to get mattresses for the nursery, getting Stephen who has gone to the camp to buy more products from the weavery and how to get them back to NZ etc, and also picking up flower seeds! ;)<br><br>My next stop was to go to the village of Pai, a kind of 'super cool' backpacker town, with a combo of massage places, health food ...

... road became very curvy and I was glad I had my motion sickness pills ;) But the view into the mountains was worth sitting 8 hours in a bus without air conditioning. <br><br>Nevertheless, I left Mae Hong Son already the next day to continue the loop back to Chiang Mai with a stop in Pai...<br>

Thank god its over. On Monday, we slept in in Chiang Mai (completing the Adventure race recovery, but still with cramped legs), and got a 12pm bus to Pai (about 150km NNW of Chiang Mai, on a road of 1,000 turns). We arrived at 3.30pm and checked into our lovely Lilu Hotel, but there was no electricity which further motivated us to squeeze the time in. We hired a motorbike and went and visited some thermal springs which were lovely and relaxing, no ...

... sesame seeds. It was actually very delicious! The food we prepare isn't too spicy, as most Thai dishes, which my mouth is thankful for. Second Home is located in the valley between beautiful rolling hills with a village and a temple nearby. There are many banana trees, bamboo trees and plenty of other plants I've never seen. Its the rainy season now so it rains at least once a day. But never for very long. I am here until the end of July, so I have plenty of time to soak this all in!

... a bit difficult. The important thing was to maintain fluids as were sweating bucket loads of water! We arrived at our bamboo hut about 4. We were staying in a guesthouse made by one the local men which was made out of bamboo but large enough to house us all. As soon as we had dropped our bags off we went down to the nearby river to wash and play. The water was quite cool, but due to the general heat it was quite refreshing. Dinner was cooked by ...

... night stop of Kuan Yuam. The roads soon became incredibly steep and narrow and the drive was excellent both for the scenery and for the excitement of the 1st gear ascents and descents around 180 degree bends. I hadn't understood the severity of the road when planning my timings and so night set in before I was off the mountain. Along with the darkness came mist and drizzle. It was a well 'ard drive and I was ...

... amidst ancient mountains near the Burmese border. The local population are Shan people - largely immigrants from Burma. They speak a different dialect and have very distinctive cultural traditions. While they are still Buddhists, their temples are of a very different construct than those in central Thailand. Our resort was called Fern Resort - an eco-style lodge with absolutely lovely grounds fed by streams, with beautiful foliage of every sort ...

ola entretanto chegamos a Mae Hong Son (no extremo Noroeste). Ja tivemos uma aula de culinaria....aprendemos a fazer pad thai...e delicioso!!!. e amanha vamos fazer uma caminhada com viagem de barco de bamboo e tb de elefantes (e vamos dormir a ...