Magical Mountain Town

After Chiang Dao, we drove up to a small mountain town called Mae Salong. The drive was beautiful, winding along small mountain roads with wonderful mountain panoramas. To get to Mae Salong, you turn off the main road and drive along a very tiny two-lane road that climbs and climbs up into the mountains. The day we went was crystal clear. I really love driving around up here on days like that when the sky is BLUE and the mountains are GREEN and it’s all complimented by a few fluffy WHITE clouds. So beautiful.

Mae Salong is a unique mountain village in that it is populated by Yunnanese Chinese who fought for the Kuomintang and fled China after the Communist victory in 1949. They fought their way out of China, led by General Tuan Shi-wen, and lived a nomadic life in Burma before seeking asylum in Mae Salong. In return for asylum granted by the Thai government and Thai citizenship, they fought against communist insurgents along the border until 1982. The area was previously famous for being one of the top opium growing and producing areas until the warlord Khun Sa was routed in the late 1980s. At that time, in an attempt to disassociate the area with its previous reputation, the Thai government renamed the town Santikhiri (meaning “hill of peace”), though it is still commonly known by its original name.

The town sits on the highest peak of the Doi Mae Salong range, lending it a temperate mountain climate that is always crisp and cool and quite cold during the winter months of November to February. The region is now famous for its high-quality Oolong tea. You can find many tea shops and agro-tourism and homestay farms in the area. We didn’t have a lot of time to explore since we spent most of the day driving there and then had to leave early the next morning, but it intrigued me enough to make me want to go back for more. There seemed like there was a lot to explore and we didn’t even scratch the surface.

You can get a mini-van up from Chiang Rai, but I would say if possible try and make the drive yourself so you can really enjoy it along the way. Though be warned that it’s only for the hearty and experienced driver. The roads are narrow and winding and more often than not you get stuck behind an overloaded farmer’s pick-up truck going about 20km/hour that you can only pass at peril to your own vehicle. All part of the adventure of driving in Thailand!

Overall I would say it was definitely worth the trip and somewhere I want to make a return trip to to explore more. It has a very unique feel to it and a sense of peace that you only get in a sleepy agrarian town. Combine that with the spectacular mountain setting and it’s a top spot in my books!

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mae_Salong