Mae Hong Son แม่ฮ่องสอน Hotels and Guesthouses

See the location of the hotels, guesthouses and resorts on Mae Hong Son Hotels and Guesthouses Google Map by #treasuresofthailand

Ampha House: 3 Padungmuayto Rd. "Homely", says the review on travelfish.org


Baiyoke Chalet โรงแรมใบหยก ชาเล่ต์: From 1000 Baht. 90 Khumlumpraphat Road. The restaurant has live local folk music in the evening. Read reviews on travelfish.org and tripadvisor.com. Rooms overlooking the back are quieter, notes frommers.com.


Baiyoke Chalet, picture by Asean on Wheels


Fern Resort: From 2500 Baht. A twenty minutes drive outside of the town, with shuttle. Bungalows set in a lush garden in a peaceful und quiet green valley with rice fields. Very good reviews on tripadvisor.com. See pictues by pigsy, newleypurnell and andyknoedler


Fern Resort lies between rice paddies


Greenwood Garden Lodge:
Greenwood Garden is an eco-adventure lodge and retreat center located in Huay Unn Valley of Mae Hong Son, on the southern border of Thampla-Phasua Waterfall National Park.

The lodge will have a main building and 5 Bungalow style villas, each designed, build and funished using local materials, including hardwoods, stone, and clay. The interior funishings and decorations of each villa are unique to a specific culture (i.e. Balinese, Shan, Thai, Hill-Tribe, etc.), including funiture pieces, bedding, decor, art, and textiles.

The lodge hosts individual guests and special interest groups, including adventure travelers, naturalists, educators students, mountain bikers, off-road riders, enduro riders, photographers, painters, botanists, entomologists, ornithologists, and zoologists, to name a few. Yoga, meditation, other personal healing and fitness retreats can reserve the lodge exclusively for their groups.

See their homepage Greenwood Garden Lodge and a lot of Pictures in Panoramioand a video on youtube.com


Imperial Tara: From 2464 Baht. 149 Moo 8, Pang Moo, Muang. A few kilometres outside of the city centre, with shuttle service to town. Quite good reviews on tripadvisor.com


Breakfast terrasse


Swimming pool in front of Tara Imperial Hotel


Johnnie House: Read reviews on travelfish.org


Jongkham Guesthouse: 7 Odon Chaonithat Road. "A row of rather basic chalets set in a garden and a large wooden house with rooms for rent", two minutes from the lake, notes travelfish.org


Jongkham Guesthouse


Mountain Inn Hotel & Resort: From 1400 Baht. 112/2 Kunlumprapas Road. Read mixed reviews on travelfish.org and tripadvisor.com.


Picture by Chuck Holton


Ngamta Hotel: From 800 Baht. 5-9 Khunlumpapas Rd. Good review on travelfish.org


Ngamta Hotel


Palm House: Read reviews on travelfish.org

Panahuts: From 600 Baht. Wooden bungalows in a cultured jungle. 15 minutes to walk to the town. Read review by travelfish.org


Panahuts


Panorama Hotel: From 450 Baht.


Piya Guesthouse: From 600 Baht. 1/1 Khunlumphrapat Soi 3. Basic, near the lake and the centre of Mae Hong Son. Good reviews on tripadvisor.com and travelfish.org. See picture by gunther v and maeghantracy


Princes Guesthouse: Read reviews by travelfish.org


Princes Guesthouse with view towards the lake


Rom Thai Guesthouse ร่มไท เกสท์เฮ้าส์: 22 Cham Nan Sathit Road. Read review on tripadvisor.com


Picture by tomazhg



Rooks Holiday Hotel and Resort:


Rooks


Sang Tong Huts: Around 10 walking minutes from the market. See gallery by buddhamountain. And read reviews on travelfish.org and tripadvisor.com


The Dai Resort:


The Dai Resort


The Residence Guesthouse:


The Residence


In the mountains near Mae Hong Son:

Ban Ruam Thai and Pang Ung Lake: You can put up your tent under the pines near the lake and find bungalows there (Pang Ung Garden Houses). Call the Royal initiative Pang Tong 2 Project: 0-5369-2056, 0-5368-1740, 0-5368-1323 for reservation of accommodation, which range from Bt1,500 to Bt2,000. Tents are for rent from Bt250 to Bt400.


Bungalows of Pang Tong Project


Ruam Thai Guest House (0-5361-1244) offers rooms with a beautiful-lake view at Bt250 per night.


Ruam Thai Guest House


Walk a bit further to Ban Lung Pa La home stay (0-5369-2144) to experience the local way of life. The room with breakfast and coffee is between Bt100-350 per night.

Be aware, that the weather can be cool, in the winter there can be a thin film of ice on the lake. Read more about Pang Ung. Pang Ung lies around 30 km from Mae Hong Son. Take the route to Pha Seau waterfall until you reach Ban Na Pa Paek and then turn left and go on for 6 km.


The weather is cool throughout the year. In winter, the temperatures hover around 10 degrees Celsius.


Read more:
Your Guide to Mae Hong Son



Recommend this blog on Twitter and Facebook

Doi Inthanon ดอยอินทนนท์: Rainforest and birds

Picture marhas1


Doi Inthanon ดอยอินทนนท์, formerly known as Doi Ang Ka, is the highest mountaintop in Thailand (2565 meters above sea level. A mountain chain joins it to the Himalayas. It supports Himalayan flora and fauna and is one of the famous birding heavens. Read, what Mong Cor Mun found here and more about birdwatching by green-jungle.com.

Doi Inthanon National Park has beautiful natural scenery as many waterfalls. Read more by Thaiparkwordpress.com. The best period for viewing the waterfalls is May through November, while the best period for viewing wild flowers is December through February and for ornithologists is November through March.

Nearly on the top ypu find the Ang Ka Luang Nature Trail, which was surveyed and designed by Michael MacMillan Walls, a Canadian volunteer biologist who devoted to his work and died from a heart attack on this mountain. This trail, 360 metres long, passes through wet and cold areas in a lush valley. The forest is covered with lichens and wild orchids. Indigenous plants that needs a high level of nutrition, organic deposits, and rare species of birds are seen along the trail.

Picture marhas1
Sphagnum Moss along the Ang Ka Luang Trail.


Picture marhas1


Picture marhas1


Picture marhas1


More on Doi Inthanon: www.tourismthailand.org See also the Photo Gallery by Brian McMorrow.



Discover more:
Your Guide to Chiang Mai



Recommend this blog on Twitter and Facebook

Old Chiang Mai - discover the Wat Ket Community

See the locations on Chiang Mai Google Map by #treasuresofthailand

It's not so easy today to find authentic scenes of life of Chiang Mai's past. But in Wat Kate, on the East bank of Ping river, there are places, where time seems to stand still. Wat Ket วัดเกตุ community has been trading on Ping River for 500 years. Therefore the architecture is multicultural with Western, Chinese and ethnic influences as Haw Chinese and Khmu. So you find Chinese shop houses, Christian churches, colonial style schools and traditional Lanna buildings, the Dara Academy โรงเรียนดาราวิทยาลัย and the victorian buildings of Prince Royal College and also the around 140 years old wooden house of Doctor Chinda Singhanetre. The RarinJinda Resort has conserved it in its traditiona style and is using the upper floor for traditional Thai massage. Read more here.



Picture Rarinjiinda


Another witness of the past is the "Sala Bart", where women used to bring food to be prepared and presented for merit making.


Wat Ket was also the site of Borneo Company Limited, which had a concession from The Chiang Mai King for 100 years for teak wood. Read the blog of tourcm.blogspot.com

There is a plan of Chiang Mai City, to put Wat Ket into a zone for commerce and construction, where residents are opposiong, as The Nation noted.


Wat Gate Ka Ram วัดเกตุการาม: Also: Wat Ket Garam. See the Gallery of Ram J. This temple has been founded around 1428, it is of Lanna origin, but some buildings show Chinese and European influence. It's first name was Wat Sa Gate. At the center of the temple is the large chedi,whose corners are guarded by garudas. East of the chedi is the ubosot, whose stairs are guarded by nagas. The roof of the viharn has five gables, what is unusual. At the back you find a mirrored tile tree - a decoration you usually find at Lao temples.

Foto by www.differentscene.com

See more pictures


Wat Ketkaram Museum: At the back of Wat Ket. Owned by 87 years old Jack Bain, who's Scottish father William worked for the East Asiatic Company and married a Thai and owned Bains compund. A lot of things from the past life as the first bank notes of Thailand, textiles, ceramics, old grammophones... You will see a collcection of old photographs going back more than 100 years to the early days of western trading with Chiang Mai: Old river boats, markets and temples. Read more at Chiangmainews.com and read about The Life of Jack Bain.


If you turn north from Bain’s compound and the front gate of the temple and turn left to Nakorn Ping bridge you will see a teak house, that belonged to the former prime minister, Dr. Sukij Nimmanhemin. A brief walk toward south brings you to Baan Tree House, that belonged to the Tantipong family and “Baan Orapin”, which is an over 90 year old, teak wood residence built in European, colonial style. Such huge houses were usually the home for merchants and another, called “Baan Khun Arak” was the residence of a rice trader. See pictures in an article on chiangmai-chiangrai.com

Picture Derek
Baan Orapin Guesthouse


Read more: The Wat Ket Neighborhood of Chiang Mai.

The history of Chiang Mai: A collection of articles for a book: Click.


Discover more:
Your Guide to Chiang Mai



Recommend this blog on Twitter and Facebook

Elephants and Elephants - a trip from Chiang Mai to Lampang

Picture marhas1
Elephant Trekking near Chiang Mai

If you sit in front of one of the music bars on Nimmanhaemin Road in Chiang Mai at night, you can be nearly sure, that a mahout with his elephant will pass by and try to sell you bananas or sugar cane to feed the elephant. More than 200 elephants are said to wander around in Thailands cities, from Phuket to Bangkok and Chiang Mai. And that means stress for the animals: standing and walking on the concrete damages their feet, street- and bar-noise irritate them and the polluted air is poison for their lungs, and sometimes they are injured by traffic accidents (read the report by Cindy Tilney). But since Thailands government 1989 banned the logging with elephants in the wood - to protect the wood and prevent erosion and floods - the elephants and their trainers have to look for another income to survive. The ban let 2000 animals and their mahouts unemployed. But a way to employ elephants has been developped: Many camps have been created in a natural surrounding for a get-together of elephants and tourists. Many treat their elephants well, but some don't have proper working conditions for the animals. So if you want to be sure to do someting for the protection of the elephants, you can head to the National Elephant Institute in Lampang. There are shows presenting the traditional logging work, of course you can go riding on a saddle, but there is a homestay program too: You will stay at the home of the mahout, accompany him during his day with the elephants and learn how to ride without a saddle. And some elephants even know how to play music in an elephant orchestra - read more.

Find your way: Take a bus at Chiang Mai Arcade Bus Station for Lampang (timetable). One way will take one and half an hour. Ask the driver to stop at the elephant center. Another possibility is to travel by train, but the trains to Lampang leave Chiang Mai only in the afternoon (see timetable), so you will have to stay for a night in Lampang to go to the elephant shows in the morning. In Lampang you take the bus for Chiang Mai at the bus station and ask the driver to let you out at the elephant center.



Discover more:
Your Guide to Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai: Cool Nights

See the locations of clubs, bars and restaurants on Chiang Mai Nightlife Google Map by #treasuresofthailand

Updates about coming events you find on Chiang Mai Music Scene

Nimmanhaemin Area นิมมานเหมินท์

Nimmanhaemin Road (also: Nimmanhemin) is the place to be for the local nightlife scene, mostly students from the nerby universities or youn working adults: "Young, beautiful and trendy Thais partying like there's no tomorrow!", writes Jaxon Toh in his blog.

Warm Up Cafe: 40 Nimmanhaemin Road. Popular hangout for young Chiang Mai with two glass enclosed dance floors, DJs and often live music and an outdoor zone for sitting, talking and watching.

Warm Up 9th Anniversary Music Video:




Monkey Club: Nimmanhaemin Road Soi 9. Open 17 pm to 01 am. Another hotspot for the students. Indie music and outdoor eating.




Drunken Flower: 295/1 Soi 1, Nimmanhaemin road. Open daily from 18 pm to 01 am. Restaurant and bar, visited by a mixed Thai and expat crowd. Most weelends live folk music. Read James' review on tripist.com. "Food is poor, drinks are over-priced, seats uncomfortable and the live music is lame. God knows why we all go there", says the review on chiangmaitouristguide.com.

Picture Drunken Flower


NimMahn Bar: 59/8 Nimmanhaemin Rd. "Cavernous industrial-looking interior, softened with smart leather poufs and sofas", according to the review of Lonely Planet.

Glass Onion: Room 1 project, 61, Nimmanhaemin Road. Open 6 pm to 1 am. Bar with a grand piano, red carpets, red bar-chairs and art deco chandeliers. "James Bondesque", means Lonely Planet. Popular by gays.

Fine Thanks: 119 Nimmanhemin Rd Soi 5. In a restored wooden Thai house. A live band plays Thai and Western songs. Cute waitresses from the universities around the corner, good food, popular with locals.

Tawan Dang: Nimmanhaemin Road Soi 6. Open from 6 pm till 2 am. Live music.


Huay Kaew Road

Discovery: 12 Huay Kaew Road. Live Band, DJ, Video-Screens.

Fashion Paris: Unterground of Lotus Pangsuankaew Hotel. Dancing room and Hip Hop room. Read review of Lonely Planet.

Mo'C Mo'L ร้านน่านั่ง (The Monkey Club and Moon Lover): 233 Huay Kaew Road. Pub and restaurant with Thai, European and Japanese Food and a pond with fish and frogs. And a chic coffee shop. Live Bands (Jazz, Pop, Acoustic). Place of the hip and trendy.

Picture Apirak.
See more of Apirak's pictures


Sudsanan: 30 Ratchaphuek Road. Wooden house with Thai restaurant and stage. Rock, Folk and Jazz-Bands. In the middle of the evening the owners play: Souat (guitar), Houag (bongos) and Pleuay (Khane = Isaan bamboo instrument). Read a fine review of Sudsanan by Delacroixyut.

Isaan Ban Hao live at Sudsanan:





Riverside Area

Tara Bar: 140/1 Chiang Mai-Lamphun Road. Live music, dance. See a video.

The Riverside Bar & Restaurant: 9-11 Charoenrat Road. Thai and western food, good! Western and Thai Pop starting at 19 pm, Jazz on Sundays. Read review of Lonely Planet.

Picture Riverside




The Good View: 13 Charoenrat Road. Thai and Western rock, pop, jazz and country in the evening, Thai, Chinese and Western food.

Picture Good View


Tha Chang Jazz Club: 25 Charoenrat Road. Open 8 pm to 1 am. Live Jazz on Saturdays.

La Brasserie: 37 Charoenrat Road. Very popular for live rock and blues. From 23 pm Thai guitarrist Took and friends play Hendrix, Dylan, Marley. Read the review by ichangmaihotel.com and changmainews.com. And read an interview with Took on Chiangmainews.com

Took plays Jessica from the Allman Brothers, Part 1:



Part 2:




Old City Area

Cafe Souvannaphoum: 20/1 Ratchamanka Road. Wine Bar with music. Read the review of Lonely Planet.

Mandalay Bar and The Dark: 5/3 Soi 1 Moon Muang Road. Multistorey-complex, foreigners get charged at the entrance. Thai live music, dancers, concerts, shows. Read the review of Chiangmainews.com

The Garden: 139, Ratchadamnoen Rd. Every Sunday night live music with the Chiang Mai Blues Club. Warren Simpson ist playing here Delta Blues Music.

The North Gate: Every Tuesday everybody. who can play an instrument, can take part in a jam session. Live music every evening. Read the review on chiangmaiplan.com

Picture North Gate


Spicy: 82 Chaiyaphum Road. You go, when everything else has shut. It's open till 4 am. Who is there? Read review of chiangmaitouristguide.com


Night Bazaar Area

Crystal Cave: 199 Chang Klan Rd, in the Empress Hotel. Disco.

Horizon Club: 132 Loy Kroh Road, in Hotel Centara Duangtawan. House and Hip Hop, popular by young Thais.

The Bubbles: 46 Charoen Prathet Road (Pron Ping Tower). Disco. Read revoew by Lonely Planet


Other Area

Chai Blues House: Music by local artists and classic blues by Chai, a Thai performer, who has moved from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Right now he is looking for a new space according to his homepage and playing in the city.


Houn Soontaree: Houn Soontaree Vechanont is a singer of Northern Thai folk songs in Chiang Mai and restaurant owner. She and here daughter Lanna are singing, while you enjoy Northern dishes.

Lanna Commins sings Ka Sa Long




Discover more:
Your Guide to Chiang Mai



Recommend this blog on Twitter and Facebook

Chiang Mai Nimmanhaemin Road นิมมานเหมินท์

See the locations on Nimmanhaemin Chiang Mai Google Map by #treasuresofthailand

Picture gafas
Nimmanhaemin Road, a place for arts and crafts and trendy bars.

The "arty epicenter" of Chiang Mai is Nimmanhaemin Road (also Nimmanhemin), according to Time Magazine. Boutiques sell pottery, textiles, other crafts and jewels. An Arts-and-Crafts-Show is held here every december, to see the next generation of Lanna artists and designers you come here (see video). This year the Nimmanhaemin Street Fair takes place from December 1-7.

Studio Kachama: 10-12 Soi 1, Nimmanheimin Rd. Waved cotton and silk wall hangings, cushions, table covers. Kachama Perez studied design in Japan and rewaves traditional Hmong, Karen and Yao patterns. More in Soi 1: See this map

Gerard Collection: No. 2/8 Soi 3, Nimmanhaemin Road. Bamboo furnitures. More in Soi 3: See this map

Living Space: Thai and vietnamese lacquerware, tableware, Indonesian silk textiles and leather handbags, chosen by British-French expat Jennifer Dyson.

The Room: 61 Nimmanhaemin Road.



Discover more:
Your Guide to Chiang Mai



Recommend this blog on Twitter and Facebook

Massage by the female prison (and others)

Picture marhas1


Lila Thai Massage ลีลา นวดไท: Naowarat Thanasrisutharat, the director of Chiang Mai's female prison, has established a massage shop, popular by tourists and residents. The women in the prison can learn massage there and earn money and with that they often support their families. As Bangkok Post writes, also women, who have left prison, are working there, because they see it as a way for reintegration in society. You find the shop on Prapokklao Road. Read how Ash and Bi describe this experience.

And more tipps for massage:

Nerve-touch massage: 25-27-29 Ratchadamnoen Road, next to Siam Commercial Bank. "Nerve-Touch" is a method of working on the lines and muscles. It is deeper and more therapeutically oriented than the usual Thai massage. Pressing, rotating and squeezing techniques following the meridian lines. In Lek Chaiya’s family, the traditional Thai Healing Arts have been handed down from mother to daughter. She operates this place now with her son Tananan Willson. A massage with medicinal herbpacks takes 1 1/2 hour. Training courses for 3 to 5 five days are also available.

Picture nervetouch.com

Lek Chaiya at a training course. More pictures


Shivagako Marapa Old Medical Hospital: 5 Wualai Road. Thai body massage and massage training for 30 years. A full massage lasts two hours. The practitioner uses hands, forearms and feet to apply firm rhythmic pressure to almost every part of the body. There is pulling and stretching of arms, legs, fingers and toes, arching the back and neck and even walking on the back. Read more on Easy Chiang Mai.


The Garden Chiang Mai: 139 Ratchadamnoen Road. Footmassage, Thai Traditional Massage and Oil Massage. The homepage gives a lot of information about the massages and the massage schools in Chiang Mai.



Discover more:
Your Guide to Chiang Mai



Recommend this blog on Twitter and Facebook