Finally Maehongson

Leaving the big city...

...for a somewhat smaller one!

Jongkham Lake

Wat Doi Kong Mu

View from Wat Doi Kong Mu overlooking the city.

Long time readers of this blog will know that the province of Maehongson nestled on the very northwest edge of Thailand along the Myanmar border is near and dear to my heart. After finishing up the rice harvest at the end of 2019, I tried to get here last year but the Covid restrictions were too many. So finally as February was ending I was able to fly direct from Bangkok to this place where I am home - and just in time to experience a few cool nights before the really hot season arrived. And though I usually stay in the homes of friends, I decided that now as an adult:-), I like to control what and when I eat and not be on someone else's schedule, so I ended up staying the past six weeks at a small but beautiful and beautifully managed guest house called Jongkham View which as its name suggests is nestled right next to Jongkham Lake in the center of  town. 

Considering that I have spent most of the pandemic travelling and based out of four countries - AND that I couldn't even get to Maehongson last year due to the strict covid restrictions in place, it is ironic that I have had multiple covid exposures since arriving here  - largely  from friends who didn't realize it when we shared a meal or travelled in a car together.  Thankfully all of my  subsequent ATK tests have been negative, though covid has remained rampant the entire time I've been here.   Schools were scheduled to end at the end of March and they finally gave up about two weeks before the end of the year as they literally kept sending whole classrooms or grades home for a week only to have them return and another kid would test positive. Wash and repeat. Why the schools weren't testing regularly - for example, testing everyone on a Monday or once a week as students arrived prior to class and then just sending those who test positive home, I don't know. It hasn't been very well thought out IMHO. Covid also made visiting different villages difficult as each village would want you to show a negative test result from the previous three days - and some villages had their own flare ups at various times that I tried to avoid. I only made it to Patyng twice and never was able to get to Napajat.

Though I didn't make it to Napajat, I saw P'Toi frequently in town.

Visiting Patyng, but keeping my distance as Auntie Yui wasn't feeling great that day and Auntie Peng (Uncle Yurn's widow) had also been exposed to covid the day I was visiting.)

Patyng and 'my' rice fields

Dry rice fields, dry hills, dry and hot everything...

So for the most part I have stayed in MHS town proper spending my days doing my KonTerra work with frequent excursions with friends and their kids to drive or hike to favorite local waterfalls and rivers to cool off. (There's another post coming with those photos!) Those of you who have followed me on this blog or fb have probably seen more photos of this area during the rainy season when everything is more green than you can imagine. To see the hills various shades of brown and gray and  the trees barren and bare as they bake in the hot sun is quite the contrast. 

Many mornings I would begin the day by running up the hill right next to town that provides the best views of Maehongson from the top at Wat Phrathat Do Kong Mu. Unfortunately, given that this is the season when fields and forest underbrush is often set on fire, the views were often not great but the haze and smoke did result in some beautiful sunrises and sunsets. 

To get here, you can drive or...

...zigzag hike up the hill...

or if you prefer, take the stairs...either way it's hot!

...and a steep climb!

Some days the view wasn't great due to haze and smoke

Other days it was a little better.

Alright kids, this post has taken forever and I'm not sure I even like it that much - it just feels hot and tired and blah. Perhaps it's representative of what it feels like to slog through daily 100 degree (feels like 115 degree days.) I have to hand it to my parents (and most people here) - they survived day after day, year after year, long before their was air conditioning and sometimes even no electricity. Or perhaps they did what the next post will highlight - finding some watering holes to cool off in. (But this town still remains one of my favorite places on the planet!) 

Before I wrap up though...two highlights of the hot season...1) mango trees burst into full bloom and they sure smell good  and 2) March/April is the only time you can find the amazing Marian Plum (Maphrang) and they are worth every drop of sweat that comes out of you at this time of year.

Mango tree in full bloom

Duncan