Want to know something interesting about the bus network here in Thailand? They don't need a bus stop to drop people off or pick people up. So when I told the bus driver I wanted to get off at the Basang so i could catch a soong taow to Mae Salong, they just let me off on the side of the road. Actually, it was more like a very busy highway. Anyway, they stop the bus, I get off, then i have to cross the very busy highway (without a cross walk) to get to the other side. It's like I was "frogger." Good god. I thought I was going to die!
Eventually, I made it across and got to the soong taow hang out. Come to find out, that the soong taow costs 400 B if I wanted to leave right away, or I could take my chances and hope other people will want to go to Mae Salong too, and thereby split the cost with me. The soong taow driver was another relentless salesman. After I told him I would wait, he kept coming over and telling me that no one else was going to come and I should just fork out the 400B. Litle did he know, I had all the time in the world. So I just sat at the corner noodle shop and had a bite to eat while waiting for some last minute stragglers.
Enter Ryan and Bood. Ryan and Bood are this cute couple from Singapore. Well, he's Singaporean and she's from the south of Thailand. They had just graduated from college and were taking a few weeks off to travel. They just hitched a ride from the Royal Gardens and were looking to get up to Mae Salong. So after more pushing from the driver, we finally gave up on the wait and we all three got in the soong taow.
We drove for what seemed like days. Through hills and hills of windy roads, much like the one I fell down on Saturday. But the scary part was, even the soong taow had issues getting up some of the hills. Seriously, you could just hear the poor engine working it's little heart out trying to get up the hills. After a two hour ride, we finally made it to the promised land - Mae Salong.
Now, Mae Salong is not a "happening" place by any stretch of the imagination. It's actually a small sleepy little town with, like, one main road, one bank, one 7-11 and a gazillion tea shops and guesthouses. It has a strange bit of history in that, if I remember correctly, it was initially settled by the Chinese army who were originally stationed near the border. Either they deserted or something, but in any event, they built a little town there and the majority of the population are Chinese descendants of the army or have come to Mae Salong from China because of the Chinese presence. They mainly grow tea, as seen by the numerous tea plantations that cover the surrounding hills. But, keep in mind, not all tea is created equal. I guess there are vastly varying degrees of tea within the little Mae Salong community. So caveat emptor tea buyers.
Ultimately, the reason for me going to Mae Salong, was I just wanted someplace to chill. Someplace far, far away. Mae Salong fit the bill perfectly. Also, I wanted to see the Wat Phra Boromathat Chedithat I had seen on a postcard. It was so stunning that I had to see it for myself, which I did. Actually, after Ryan, Bood and I checked into the Little Home Guest House, we decided to take a walk up to the temple on the hill. To get to the temple, we had to walk up a steep road and from there climb 718 steps to the top of the mountain, where the temple is located. It was a beautiful site, not just the temple, but the view from the terrace. You could see for miles and miles. Unbelievable.
The next couple days I just walked around. Had dinner with Ryan and Bood. Ryan even tried giving me scooter lessons. Unfortunately, I think I'm just too uncoordinated to drive a manual scooter especially in that area with all the hills and winding roads. But, it was fun all the same.
On Wednesday, Ryan and Bood left for Fang and I went back to Chiang Rai. The package my parents sent was due to come in and I still needed to collect the rest of my luggage, so off I went back down the mountain, with plans to return in the next few days. Yeah...I liked it that much.
