Greetings everyone, for this Songkran, I have the same plan as before, which is to go up north.

October 4, 1959

Departing from Chonburi to Bangkok between 5:00 AM and 7:00 AM, arriving at Hua Lamphong Railway Station. I chose a free ticket for the free train service, which departs at 1:45 PM and arrives in Chiang Mai around 4:30 AM.

November 4, 1959

Upon arriving at Chiang Mai Railway Station, I took a shared songthaew to the Arcade for 30 baht. From there, I purchased a ticket to Mae Hong Son and opted for the bus as the minivan was full. The bus journey was considerably slow, taking approximately 10 hours compared to the minivan's estimated 6 hours. I wouldn't recommend this option unless necessary. The bus ticket cost 133 baht, while the minivan typically costs 250 baht. Buses depart from the Arcade between 7:00 AM and 4:00 PM.

Upon reaching Mae Hong Son Bus Terminal, I took a motorbike taxi to P.A. Moter motorbike rental shop near Wat Jong Kham for 40 baht. The shop offers a variety of motorcycles, both manual and automatic, with varying rental prices. I opted for a manual motorbike for 180 baht per day and rented it for three days. The shop's phone number is 053-611-647, in case anyone needs it.

After renting the motorbike, I decided to ride to Pang Ung, approximately 23 kilometers from Mae Hong Son city center. I spent the night there. While there are several restaurants in the area, many were closed as it wasn't the high season. The weather was pleasant and not too hot, despite being the summer season.

December 4, 1959

Today, I woke up late because I woke up to take pictures of elephants at 3 am. I left Pang Oung around 10 am and traveled to Nam Ta Pha Suea, which is about 10 kilometers from Pang Oung. I then went to Tham Pla, which is another 10 kilometers away. I had lunch at Tham Pla and then went for a walk and took some pictures. The weather at Tham Pla was not too hot. For tonight, I rode my motorbike back to Rak Thai village, which is about 25 kilometers from Tham Pla and involves a steep uphill climb. It was a tough journey because I had a lot of luggage. I chose to camp by the river in Rak Thai village. The morning air here is quite cold.

April 13, 1959

Morning:

• Departed from Rak Thai village at 8:00 AM.
• Traveled to Su Tong Pae Bridge, approximately 35 kilometers from Rak Thai.
• The weather was very hot.

Afternoon:

• Around 11:00 AM, traveled to the Karen Long Neck Village in Huay Suea Tao, approximately 10 kilometers from the city center.
• Stayed at Jonny House guesthouse in the city for 150 baht per night. The room had a fan and shared bathroom. The guesthouse was located near Wat Jong Kham.
• In the evening, visited Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu, approximately 5 minutes from the guesthouse.
• Took photos of the area, including Wat Jong Kham and Wat Phra Non.
• The night was quite beautiful.

Date:

• April 14, 2016

I left my accommodation around 11 am and went to the bus terminal to travel to Chiang Mai. I took a van to Chiang Mai for 250 baht. I bought a bus ticket from Chiang Mai to Bangkok for the 8 pm bus, which cost 379 baht. I arrived in Chiang Mai on May 15, 2016.

Miscellaneous Expenses

Travel expenses 762

Motorcycle rental fee 540

Food expenses plus entrance fees to tourist attractions 1000

Accommodation fee 150

The daily expenses are not specified, but they do not exceed 2,500 baht for this trip.

Train Travel

Bangkok - Chiang Mai 13:35 - 04:39

Chiang Mai - Bangkok 06:30-21:00

Minivan from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son

Prem Preecha has a queue of vans departing every hour. Information about buses from other queues is unavailable.

This trip was not very expensive because I chose to go camping.

Where will I travel to next? Stay tuned to find out!

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