Readme before you journey
7 days on the road, this road is the most beautiful, the view is the most beautiful…really…like I said yesterday, so today
"The sky and clouds are the most beautiful"
Today's route is to see Tung Bua Tong Doi Mae U Kho and stay overnight at Phu Chi Phoe
From Ban Huai Hom, we stopped for lunch in Mae La Noi district and then drove straight to Khun Yuam district to see the flowers. But the distance we had to travel was quite far, about 122 kilometers, with hundreds of winding curves. The Mae Hong Son curves are famous for being very steep and winding, so we couldn't ride our bikes very fast. It took us about 3 hours to get there.
Plus, my "butt" is still sore from yesterday's bumpy road. It's like a dull, aching, tingling pain. I could cry just talking about it. I'll just have to endure it and look at the beautiful scenery. Take some pictures, and soon we'll be there. Then the pain will just become a familiar ache.
Okay, let's get going.
The path coming out of Huai Hom is very beautiful. Yesterday we came another way, and on the way out we went another way, not the same way.
The view from Mae Tho in the past was mostly of bare mountains that villagers had cleared for cornfields or cabbage farms. But today's view is of a mountain forest, with dense, dark green trees overlapping in layers as far as the eye can see, creating a beautiful layered effect. Today, the sky and clouds are very cooperative.
It's a breathtaking view, the kind that makes you gasp "Wow!" and stare in awe without realizing it.
I took a lot of pictures, not sure if I'll ever get the chance again. But one thing's for sure, I'm never riding a motorbike on that dirt road again. A pickup truck would be much better.
This photo shows a road going uphill. The clouds are so close to the road and mountains that it looks like a collage. It's very beautiful.
Enjoy the scenic views along the way. These are just a few of the many beautiful sights we saw. We wanted to share them with you.
Passing through the city center of Mae La Noi district, we had lunch to recharge our energy. Once we entered the main road, the road and the view were ordinary and normal.
We passed Mae La Luang and parked at a temple along the way (I can't remember the name of the temple).
Turning onto the road that leads to Doi Mae U Kho, the road view starts to get beautiful again.
The closer you get, the more sunflowers you see along the way.
We have arrived at the viewpoint of the Tung Bua Tong field at Doi Mae U Kho. This curve is the most beautiful of the day.
It's a pity that we came when the sunflowers were starting to wilt, so we didn't see the field in its full golden glory.
Feel free to stop by and take photos. I came across a stall selling strawberries, so I decided to try some. They may not have looked very appealing with their small size, but they were incredibly sweet! (That's a satisfied face, not a sour one.)
Relaxing with the sky, the mountains, and the flowers is enough for now. Next, we'll be heading to Phu Chi Phoe, where we'll be spending the night. It's going to be an intense experience, just like yesterday at Huai Hom.
Phu Chi Phoe
Phu Chi Po is located in the Mae Hiot Watershed Management Unit, Khun Yuam District, near the Tung Bua Tong Flower Field, Doi Mae U Kho, at an altitude of 1,818 meters above sea level.
From the Tung Bua Tong Flower Field, we can see the peak of the mountain. It is not far away. As for the way up the mountain.....after leaving the main road, it is a narrow gravel road with red, damp, slippery, and potholed soil. We rely on riding in the tracks of large vehicles where the soil seems to be a bit firmer, gradually climbing up. It is a ride with the utmost caution.
Suppose we rate the difficulty of riding a motorcycle.
The way to Huai Hom, which is considered brutal, is 8.5/10 points because at least it is a flat road. Phu Chi Po, I would give it a 10/10. It is very steep, narrow, slippery, and the forest trees are tall and dense. You can hardly see the sky.
I was tense with every breath, worried about my friend who was driving, afraid of the car falling, afraid of falling off the cliff, afraid of getting lost, afraid of it getting dark before we reached the top, afraid of everything because the sun was setting when we went. If it gets dark in the middle of the mountain, it will be terrible. I thought about all kinds of things. I had to be careful every centimeter the car moved.
We reached the top of the mountain just as the sun was setting.
The entrance to the Mae Yod Headwaters Management Unit Park and the park's accommodation where we will be staying tonight. There is actually a place to pitch tents as well, but we booked a house.
The house we are staying in this time seems to belong to the officials who are stationed here. The house has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, but the condition is not very good because it is owned by the government, not a private company. Don't expect much comfort. It's good to have a place to sleep.
The view in front of the house today is blocked by trees. We have to wake up early to watch the sunrise at the viewpoint on the top of the mountain. It's quite a long way up.
One of the must-do activities every day is waking up early to watch the sunrise. We traveled hundreds of kilometers from Bangkok, riding a motorbike for a very long distance. No matter how tired we were, waking up early and watching the sunrise wouldn't be as difficult as what we had been through. We climbed up the mountain, taking breaks when we were tired, and sniffing essential oils when we felt faint. We had to drag ourselves up no matter what.
Waking up before dawn, I carried a flashlight and climbed a very high mountain to reach a viewpoint. Actually, some people climb the mountain before sunrise just to watch the sunrise, but we stayed overnight on the mountain. At first, I thought I wouldn't have to walk far, but when I opened the door of the house, I was greeted by fog. But... I was wrong. I had to climb the mountain like everyone else.
It was a hike where every step was painful, because my legs were still sore from the previous hike. The pain was relentless, and I felt like I was going to die. I couldn't catch my breath, and sweat was pouring out of my pores. The air was cold, but I was sweating profusely. But I made it to the top, and it was worth it! The view was amazing, but I couldn't capture it in a way that did it justice. My skills aren't there yet, and I still have a lot to learn.
It's a similar view, but the different times and lighting create a different kind of beauty.
The sun is the same one we see every day, and it may even burn us during the summer. But today, it is much more beautiful when it is in a different environment than usual.
There are many people waiting to see it.
I've come all this way, exhausted to the point of collapse, just to see this.
The golden hour, the most beautiful light of the day
Please allow me to indulge in a few selfies, as I spent the entire day capturing breathtaking landscapes and riding in the back of a truck, leaving little time for posing.
As the sun rose higher, we slowly walked back to our accommodation. In the morning, we could finally see the path a little. When we were climbing up, we couldn't see anything even with the flashlight, we could only see the next step.
I stopped to take pictures on the way down, it was really beautiful. I could press the shutter anywhere and it would be beautiful.
But today we didn't see the sea of fog like a real sea at all. Foul is the 3rd day. Where did the fog go? There are still 3 days left. I have to meet you one day. (Comfort yourself)
From this mountaintop, we can also see the field of sunflowers that we visited yesterday. If we had come during the sunflower bloom, we would have been able to see the entire mountain covered in flowers from this spot. It must be incredibly beautiful. It's a shame we missed that season, but there's still so much to see.
After showering, getting dressed, and packing our things, we set off on foot. We walked ahead, and our friend would pick us up later by car. It was a relaxing downhill walk with beautiful views... if we didn't get lost.
Today's outfit is Korean, Annyeong. The colors are very bright because I still don't know my fate, what will happen next. I almost took off my long-sleeved shirt and used a scarf to wipe my sweat instead.
The uphill climb was already difficult, but driving on slippery dirt roads like this, we thought the downhill was twice as hard because it was so steep. My friend kept hitting the brakes, and we had to maintain good balance because the car had to drive very slowly. My friend and I, who was the pillion rider, decided to walk ahead. Walking down the hill wasn't tiring at all. We could enjoy the view and take our time.
The peak was when my friend caught up with us and we got back in the car. But because we were driving so slowly, we lost sight of the lead car and our lives encountered a fork in the road...one way up the hill, the other down.
...Guess which way we (car 2 and car 3) chose?
We chose to go down the hill, because we were already going down the hill.... Our lives changed from that moment on... We got lost... Our lives went downhill to the valley below because it was already getting late when we came, and we followed car 1 until no one could remember the way anymore, so we got lost on a path that plunged down to the bottom of the bottom, to the bottom of the valley where there was still a path with tire tracks. We thought, "Oh, there are cars running, it must be the right way." No, it was the tire tracks of villagers, not a normal road. The road that climbed the mountain folded back and forth, plunging down into the ravine, narrower and steeper than before.
We drove until car 1 started to feel like it had been gone too long. They called and said that was the wrong way, we should turn back the way we came. That way, it doesn't lead anywhere, it might even lead to another district... So on the way back, it was an uphill climb, back the way we came, very high and steep, and the dirt road was slippery. So my friend and I decided to walk down instead.
And so it was a walk up the hill, in a forest that looked the same everywhere. We found a piece of wood from the side of the road to help us climb up the hill. It was so tiring, oh my god.
Yet, we all made it through safely. What followed was "aching pain, tearing" all over my body, from head to toe. The pain had accumulated from Huai Hom and the hike up the mountain to watch the sunrise. Before it could even fully subside, it was compounded again.
This is just the winter season. If it were the rainy season, we would need a four-wheel drive vehicle. The road is very rough. As I mentioned, there are two岔路, one going up and one going down. If we choose the uphill path (which is the correct path), we will go up a hill for a hundred meters and then down to the main road. But if we choose the downhill path, we will go down the valley. It's crazy!
Then head out to the main road. Next destination: From Doi Mae U Kho, head towards Khun Yuam, passing through many curves to Mae Hong Son city, a distance of about 70 kilometers (including the lost ones T T)
You can see reviews from other days at
7 Days Cycling Clockwise Chiang Mai - Mae Hong Son ::::::::Day2::::::::Ban Huai Hom
7 Days Circle Clockwise Chiang Mai - Mae Hong Son ::::::::Day3:::::::: Tung Bua Tong - Phu Chi Po
7 Days Circle Clockwise Chiang Mai - Mae Hong Son ::::::::Day5:::::::: Jabo House
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SandyHappy
Friday, September 27, 2024 10:18 AM
