My first stop after Sukhothai was the border town of Mae Sot, which turned out to have little to see other than gem dealers and buckets of wriggling eels at the market, but was interesting for the mix of people. Burmese men in their longgyi long skirts tied at the top into a knot , Muslim girls in their headscarves, Shan women riding side-saddle on the back of a bicycle, and a handful of foreign volunteers working for area NGOs provided a unique multicultural kaleidoscope.
In fact, the tourist infrastructure that existed seemed mainly to cater to this volunteer group rather than to travelers passing through, as the first hotel I checked made abundantly clear. However, this was something of a relief after the prior two weeks of visiting places that seemed to exist solely for tourists, and I enjoyed people-watching in a town where everyone seemed to be Sunset in Mae Sariang With the Burmese hills in the background going about their daily non-tourist-related business.
Whereas the locals in the cities up to now had generally either just gone about their way without taking notice of the now common sight of tourists, or else had pounced upon them as potential purchasers of their wares, I solicited only subtle looks of curiosity from the smiling faces in this town. It was an experience that was to repeat itself frequently along the Mae Sot-Mae Sariang-Mae Hong Son trail and one that was definitely a welcome change. The road hugged the grass alongside the brown river, which provided a brief pause from the fields of green and the purplish mountains on the horizon - the earthiness of the water making the colors of the landscape and the clear Village boy in Doi Leam sky all that much more brilliant.
It was just as well, however, since the town of Ban Mai, where we eventually stopped, was no less appealing than any of those spots along the way. The next day I reached Mae Sariang, with more of the same landscapes along the drive and a charming riverside view upon arrival. The muddy waters of the wide Yuam River and the long green grasses beyond reminded me of the scenes I conjure up imagining African riverscapes, and the mountains marking the Cabbages and Mountains Landscape north of Soppong Thai border with Burma provided the most delightful backdrop for the sunset.
And once again, the phenomenon of the curious passersby brought a smile to my face as our eyes locked and their mouths turned up as well. Around Mae Sariang, Mae Hong Son, and Soppong, the main focus of my activities was visiting hill tribe villages while ogling the verdant mountain panoramas and waterfalls. The area contains Shan, Hmong, Lisu, Lahu, and Karen villages, though the proliferation of treks in the area mean that most of them are quite highly touristed, and the distinctions between the tribes have become less noticeable as many villages now contain people from a number of tribes all living together.
