Mae Hon Song

Mae Hon Song is a beautiful, quiet town snuggled deep within the mountains of northern Thailand.  The prettiest part of town surrounds the lake, where Jong Kham and Jong Klam temples reflect off of the waters.

These temples were built over two hundred years ago by Shan rulers. The population of Mae Hon Song is about 50% ethnic Shan, though most people living in the town have assimilated to Thai culture. There are many hill tribe villages in this province where traditional lifestyles are still led.  Members of these communities often come to the Mae Hon Song morning market to sell produce and handicrafts.

Things get shaking around the market at about 5:00am, but we were on vacation!  By the time we wandered in at 9:00, things were getting wrapped up.

The market was thoughtfully placed alongside a beautiful temple, Wat Hua Wian.

This is Ryota at Wat Kum Kor.

Wat Pai Doi rests atop one of the mountains overlooking Mae Hon Song.  This is view from the temple.  The town is typically wrapped in haze during the hot season, so unfortunately it is not that clear.  I've heard that the haze is caused by the slash and burn agriculture which is still being practiced by some tribes in the area.  We certainly did see a lot of smouldering and could smell some of the fires.  Just three days before our departure, flights were being cancelled because some of the fires had gotten out of control.

This temple is Burmese in style, as you can see by the different styles of Buddha and by Ryota helpfully pointing out the Burmese text.

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