Northern Thailand

Our time in northern Thailand flew by. A waning visa gave us about two weeks to explore the north, although we could have easily spent two months there. The mountains, people and the food were all amazing, and I don't have the energy to sufficiently do any of it justice, so I'll let the photos do most of the talking. Liz has many other choice photo selections, but she chooses to spend less time in front of the computer that we left home to escape than I. A constantly morphing itinerary ended up looking something like this.

Phitsanulok and Sukhothai
Phitsanulok is a small market town where we took a deep breath to enjoy normal life and then visited nearby Sukhothai to take in the ruins of one of Thailand's ancient capitals.


Chiang Mai
The cultural center of the north, Chiang Mai was a surprise to me even after having heard so much about it. Art galleries, new world coffee shops, markets running day and night, and delicious food of all origins and for all budgets. It was hard to grasp what exactly was going on in Chiang Mai for me, but it was certainly an entertaining place to spend four days. But alas, we are mountain people and the peace and quiet of the hills called us further north and west to the remote province of Mae Hong Son.


Soppong & Cave Lodge
Soppong is a small yet surprisingly busy market town high in the hills where many of the surrounding hill tribes come to sell their produce and handmade goods. We rolled into Soppong on a bouncy orange bus, spent one night and day checking out the little town and then headed for the fabled Cave Lodge. One of the reviews we read said that Cave Lodge was more an experience than a place to stay, and no words were ever more true. From the moment we arrived, staying at Cave Lodge was different than any place we've stayed in three months of traveling. The large open air communal area--inside which nightly camp fires were hosted by the Australian owner--was a great place to meet others, and that we did. The lodge's location in the rural woods just 30 km from the Myanmar border also allowed for many exploring opportunities. We kayaked through a 500 meter long cave, wandered through dramatic limestone karst cliff formations, and biked to a nearby Karen (hill tribe) village where we hired a local guide to take us into the forest and into yet another cave. There is so much to see and do in this small area that we are certain to return, and I would highly recommend a stay here to anyone looking for adventure and fun in northern Thailand. Check out the website in the link above for more.


Mae Hong Son
Mae Hong Son is a small Thai town nestled in the mountains of the northwestern corner of the country. We spent several days here enjoying the town's market, peaceful daily ongoings, and exploring the surrounding mountains and villages on motorbikes and on foot.