Blogs from Mae Sot, North-West Thailand, Thailand, Asia - page 5

Mae Sot - en forvokset landsby tæt ved den burmesiske grænse Mae Sot viste sig at være en større by end vi troede. Transport hertil skete i en minibus henover et mindre bjergpas med fuld skrue på fra chaufførens side. Der var en del hasarderede overhalinger, som vi var enige om, at vi ikke ville have foretaget. Men stik imod alt forventning kom vi frem uden skrammer og en ½ time tidligere end programsat. Vi tog til byen for at se landsbyliv og ”vilde stammer”. I stedet var det moderne butikker med guld-, smykker og ædelstene samt teakhandel, som dominerede byen. Og vi så flere store vestlige biler her end vi har gjort i de sidste tre byer tilsammen. Mae Sot ligger kun 6 km fra den burmesiske grænse. Vi lejede derfor cykler og kørte dertil. ... read more

Mae Sot is small town on the West of Central Thailand and sits on the border of Burma. Like many border towns it is a hotbed of illicit activities, drugs, gems and even people are smuggled over from neighbouring Burma. Due to its border location and its proximity to hill tribe regions the town boasts a colourful mix of people, Indo-Burmese, Karen, Chinese, Hmong and Thai amongst others have all settled here and many more people from the surrounding hills come to the town to trade at its markets. Mae Sot also has a large number of aid workers and NGO workers whose presence attests to the human cost of an unstable border. We only spent one afternoon here and we spent it walking around the market which spreads its way throughout most of the town. ... read more

Wie ich euch ja in meinem letzten Blog geschrieben habe, war Tak echt keine schoene Stadt und ich bin froh, dass ich mit Sack und Pack nach Mae Sot gegangen bin! Schon das Ban Thai Guesthouse, in dem ich fuer eine Nacht eingecheckt habe, war wirklich super huebsch und ich habe mich gleich wohl gefuehlt. Nachdem ich ein richtig leckeres Burmese Potato and Aubergine Curry with Brown Rice gegessen hatte, bin ich Richtung Grenze, damit ich meinen zweiten Visa Run starten konnte. Schon der Hinweg zur Grenze war ein kleines Abenteuer. Ein aelterer Opa mit einem Fahrradtaxi wollte mich unbedingt fahren, ich glaube jedoch er hatte nicht ganz begriffen, wohin ich eigentlich wollte... die Grenze liegt naemlich 7km von Mae Sot entfernt... Wir sind dann ein Weilchen fast im Schritttempo gefahren, bis ich am Strassenrand Motorrad-Taxis ... read more

Jac and I were lucky to have our local tour guide Daryl take us around again for the day to see what else Mae Sot has to offer. We were accompanied by his wife and son and it felt like a real family outing. We saw 3 waterfalls and each one was great in its own way. The first one, Tara Rak was not far from town and you could see the waterfall from the road. Jac and I think this may be our spot to celebrate Christmas with a bottle of Baileys, who needs turkey, ham or seafood! You can also go to the top of this waterfall by motorbike. Pha Chareon waterfall was the second sight we visited, which is also referred to as"97-step Rom Klao" and named after the nearby village. There are ... read more

Jac and I were fortunate enough to have a Manager at my work, Daryl take us around the sights of Mae Sot for the day. It not only helps having someone who knows the area but an added bonus when they are fluent in Thai. Quite ironic really, everyone speaks to me in Thai because I look the part however it is Daryl the American they should be talking to, who has lived in Thailand long enough to be considered a local. And yes we have lots of fun with how we pronounce our English words, the Aussie accent versus the American; we are both learning quite a few different slang words. Who said English was easy even for the native speaker? I still think I prefer rubbish over trash and petrol instead of gas so ... read more