Mon Tulay, a challenging climb (January 26-28, 2017).


General Information


Doi Thu Le, also known as Mon Thu Le or "Thu Le Ko" by the Pga K'nyaw people, translates to "Golden Mountain." This mountain stands at an elevation of 1,350 meters above sea level and runs parallel to the Mae Moei River, which forms the border between Thailand and Myanmar. Doi Thu Le is located in Ban Mae Jwang, Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province, Thailand.



Plan - Journey - Provisions


This trip included four participants: Bang (photographer), Pum (cook), Off (guide), and myself. We scheduled the trip for January 26-28, 2017, to enjoy the quiet and privacy of the mountains.

To fully immerse ourselves in the local experience, we opted for the 999 Bus service from Bangkok to Mae Sot, followed by a shared taxi from Mae Sot to Tha Song Yang.

For provisions, the chef prepared simple and easy-to-cook meals such as instant noodles, canned fish, porridge, bread, jam, boiled eggs, and salted shredded chicken.

To make the trip more exciting, we decided to read reviews only about the journey and leave the rest to discover on the spot.

Embark on a journey


January 25, 2017


Meet at Mo Chit 2 at 9:00 PM. (The bus departs at 9:30 PM.) (Thank you, Mai, for dropping me off.)

This time, I had to travel a long distance, so I chose to book a VIP bus so I could sleep comfortably and wake up in Mae Sot. (VIP: Comfortable seats, private bathroom, legroom, blanket, drinking water, snacks, and food coupons at the rest stop)

Note: There is a reading light on the bus, but it flickers a lot. Where is it going to flicker to?

The bus departs at 9:30 PM and arrives in Mae Sot at approximately 5:30 AM.


The weather in Bangkok was not cold when I left, so I didn't bring any warm clothes. Of course, I got into trouble. It was already cold on the bus, but it was even colder when I got off at the Mae Sot bus station. I knew then that I would freeze on the mountain. I was doomed.

Upon arriving at Mae Sot Bus Terminal, I freshened up and prepared for the next leg of my journey. Initially, I planned to have breakfast at the terminal, but the restaurants were still closed. Coincidentally, a driver approached me and inquired about my destination. I informed him that I was heading to Tha Song Yang. He then invited me to join him on his shared taxi. I was initially hesitant, as reviews had indicated that the first bus departed at 7:00 AM. Nevertheless, I decided to accept his offer, negotiating a fare of 10 baht. I tossed my backpack into the back of the vehicle and hopped in. As soon as I settled in, the driver informed me that we would need to transfer to another vehicle at Mae Tan. I chuckled and agreed, accepting the unexpected change of plans.


No sooner had we set off than Off's friend fell asleep, but the other three couldn't sleep because it was freezing cold. The air was cool and the wind was blowing. Oh, from thinking that we would have fun, it was almost terrible... Around 8:30 am, we arrived at the transfer point. The uncle took us to the roundabout (purple) to find something to eat. Before getting off the car, my friends felt like eating porridge, rice soup, or something like that. A kind local person pointed the way and told us to walk to the nearby market.


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The bustling market offered a variety of fresh produce, including pork heads, fish, and vegetables. While there was no sign of porridge, the market provided warmth in the form of sweatpants for both Pam and Off, each costing 80 baht.

"Where are you going?" the vendor asked.

Off: "I'm going to Tule."

The vendor exclaimed, "Wow!"

"Why?" Off asked.

"It's so cold," the vendor said. "I've been to..."

……………

We could only stare at each other in disbelief. (Auntie has been here all along and she's still complaining about the cold. What about us? Hehe. #But she's stubborn and won't buy sweatpants. We're enduring it.)

In the end, I got rice with curry to sustain myself, and sticky rice with grilled pork to eat while walking up to the Toole.


At approximately 9:00 AM, the vehicle we were waiting for arrived. This vehicle would transport us to our destination, the Tha Sao Yang Subdistrict Administrative Organization.

11:00 AM: We arrived at the Tha Sao Yang Subdistrict Administrative Organization (SAO) (this is considered very late to start a hike). After paying the entrance fee, Uncle Pan, who would be driving us to the starting point, picked us up at the SAO. Before heading out, we stopped by a convenience store for our last chance to buy supplies. I asked Uncle Pan if there were any places to refill water on the mountain. "Yes!" he replied loudly and clearly. I was relieved and decided to only bring six large bottles of water, planning to refill the rest on the mountain. With that, we were ready to go!

Obstacles


The journey began with a hitch, as the porter we had requested was nowhere to be found. We were initially suspicious when Uncle Pan arrived to pick us up without the porter. (Uncle explained that he would find one in the village before we started the climb, assuring us that there would be one.) However, reality proved otherwise. We drove around the village once, but still couldn't find a porter. (I couldn't help but wonder why Uncle hadn't arranged for one beforehand. Instead, he drove around honking the car horn and shouting, "Anyone want to go? One porter needed!" (Uncle spoke in Karen, but I believe that was the gist of it.))

Despite the lack of passengers, the guide suggested to Uncle Pan, "If he's worried about being alone, he can take two porters." The reason for the lack of interest was likely due to the late hour and the heat of the climb, or perhaps some porters' limited Thai language proficiency made them hesitant to go alone.

Finally, two teenage porters, aged 16-17, were found.

Everything is ready. We will depart around 12:00 PM.


The trail consists of three main points: Mon Thu Le, Khui Luang, and Mon Khui. You can hike up from either direction, starting at Mon Thu Le and descending to Mon Khui, or vice versa. However, I noticed in a review that the ascent from Mon Thu Le is more challenging. I'm up for the challenge, so let's start at Mon Thu Le.


The reason why there are few pictures is because we were exhausted. We brought two large bottles of water, and one was already gone halfway through. We arrived at the halfway point at 3 pm, and we didn't know how much further we had to go. We didn't dare to finish the water, but then we heard a voice from a young porter saying that we were almost there. So we decided to drink all the water and eat again when we reached the top. "There's no turning back, and we can't reach it if we keep going." It was already 4:30 pm, and we were still far from our destination. We were so thirsty, but there was nothing we could do but grit our teeth and keep walking. Finally, at around 5:30 pm, we reached our resting place.


Upon reaching this point, I must admit that I felt a sense of unease. There was no water to be found. What were we to do now? Our porter was in a similar state of despair. She mentioned that there might be another spot further upstream where we could find clean water. We decided to take a chance and trek back up the river. Thankfully, our efforts were rewarded. We found a source of clean water, allowing us to continue our journey.

No need to worry about drinking water, just carry your tired body to watch the sunset. It's so beautiful, it's really worth it.
In the picture, there is no dad. It's not that he's cooking, he just hasn't arrived yet. 55555



A frigid night


As the sun sets, darkness descends, bringing with it a chill. After enjoying the sunset, we joined the chef to prepare for the night. We divided tasks, gathering firewood, setting up the tent, and preparing food. It was a fun experience.
For dinner, we had simple fare: leftover sticky rice and grilled pork from lunch, along with bread from the bus and hot instant noodles. While we ate, the sky was breathtakingly beautiful, filled with countless stars. But first things first, we had to satisfy our hunger.

The beauty, however, was short-lived. Dark clouds rolled in, and before we knew it, we could no longer photograph the stars. We had no choice but to accept the situation and retire for the night.

The night was unbearably cruel, as everyone had warm clothes to shield them from the cold. I, however, was left shivering in my shorts, the only one without proper attire.



I will continue later.

Mon Tulay


"Who wants to watch the sunrise?" Bang woke up early and was ready to wake everyone up.

I'm staying put. It's freezing out here, and I wouldn't leave the tent for anything. Pop also said he's tired and wants to sleep in. Only Bang and Off are out there waiting for the sunrise since 5:30 AM.

I woke up intermittently and realized it was almost 7 am. I thought to myself, "It's been a while since I've been here, so I might as well go up and take some photos." So, I gritted my teeth and carried my body up to brave the cold wind on the mountaintop.

Lost track of time. When I realized, it was already 8 am. As usual, our chef didn't come up to boil water and make congee for us. Oh well, he's a good person (actually, he's just lazy to walk).



Packing up and getting ready to continue the journey, but before leaving Mon Tu Lay, let's stop by to refill the water.


This is our life-sustaining water source.

Kholuang


Today's hike is a short one, with a gentle downhill slope. We will stop for lunch and water refills along the way. (According to the porter we met yesterday, we are nearing our destination.)

The reality was that as soon as we started walking, we went up, up, and up. It was pretty bad until we found a way down. But when we complained about going down, they just kept going down. My knees were about to give out.

Finally, we get to enjoy sticky rice with chicken. It's so satisfying, especially after a long day. The best part is that we can refill our drinks as much as we want. What a treat!


This is the last point where water can be refilled. After reaching Huai Luang, there will be no water refill points until returning to the Administrative Organization (OrBorTor).

After finishing our meal, we continued walking for a while until we reached the campsite. It was around two in the afternoon when we arrived, so we had time to gather firewood, set up our tents, boil water, and eat another round of instant noodles. We even took a nap before heading out to watch the sunset.

After a good rest, we went out to watch the sunset around 5 pm. Today's walk was short and very relaxing.


Waiting for the sunset, we had some time to take pictures of ourselves, so we had some fun with it. 5555


Cook rice


Today is my turn to be the chef. The menu for today is stir-fried minced pork with basil and garlic chicken (ready-made). Of course, to make it delicious, you have to eat it with hot rice. No one in the group has ever cooked rice before, but I've watched Navigator briefly, so I volunteered to cook it myself.

The food was so delicious that I couldn't stop eating. I cooked three pots of rice and ate almost 5 kilograms of it. As usual, the clouds covered the sky and the stars. (#What did I bring the tripod for?)



The sun is not the highlight.


Today, I woke up feeling more energized than yesterday, probably because I had a satisfying meal. I planned to capture the sunrise, but I was slightly disappointed because the angle I chose was blocked by a mountain. However, I didn't let it bother me. Just waking up to the refreshing morning air was enough for me.

After queuing for the sunrise, we returned to the tent to prepare breakfast. This was a hearty meal, and we ate everything that was left. Let's go!


After a satisfying meal, we packed our belongings and prepared to descend. The descent was uneventful, but the views were breathtaking. The scenery was truly magnificent.

We left Klui Luang shortly after 9 am and reached the foot of the mountain around noon. We waited for Uncle Pan to pick us up. On the way back, Uncle Pan stopped at Mon Klui to let us take some photos before driving us back to the Tambon Administrative Organization.

Go home


The Tambon Administrative Organization (TAO) of Tha Song Yang provides restrooms for travelers. From the time I left Mo Chit until I reached the bottom of the mountain, I had not showered. The water here is very refreshing. The TAO also offers Wi-Fi access. After showering and resting, I took a shared taxi back to Mae Sot. At this point, there was no bargaining; I simply continued to transfer vehicles. It was past 6:00 PM when I finally arrived in Mae Sot, making for a very long journey. (At the transfer point in Ban Tan, the driver was very kind. We had not yet had lunch, so he stopped at a 7-Eleven for us. It felt like we had chartered his car!)

I will have dinner in Mae Sot while waiting for the bus to depart at 9:15 PM. I will arrive in Bangkok at 5:00 AM.

Expenses and others


1. Round-trip bus fare: 1,250 baht per person.

2. Porter fee: 500 THB per person (2 porters x 2000 THB / 4)

3. Round-trip songthaew fare: 270 baht per person.

4. Maintenance fee (at the Subdistrict Administrative Organization) 50 baht per person

5. Uncle Pan's car fare, 450 baht per person (1800/4)

6. Food expenses on the mountain, 150 baht per person (700/4)

Including the trip, no more than 3000 per person.

**A round trip from Mae Sot to Tha Song Yang Subdistrict Administrative Organization by songthaew costs approximately 1800-2000 baht.**

Mae Sot offers taxi services. If you are traveling in a small group, consider using a taxi. The fare is 1,500 baht per car.

**Contact numbers for the Administrative Organization of Tambon (TAO): 085-7054459, 089-2680116, 080-0294249, 081-1815820**



Thank you to everyone who has read this far.
If there is any incorrect information, the author apologizes.

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