DOI MAE SALONG

Doi Mae Salong is one of those places where the journey there is more beautiful and worthwhile than the place itself. Don't miss this trip, as it leads on a very good road through beautiful mountains. The splendid views on the way alone are worth driving to Mae Salong. The little town was founded in the 1960s by former Kuomintang (anti-Communist) soldiers who had been expelled from Burma (Myanmar) and settled on the lovely mountain, unfortunately only in order to compete with the local drug barons for a sizable share in the opium and heroin trade.

At that time Mae Salong was more or less a fortress. When the Chinese were defeated by the more powerful Shan lord Khun Sa they opted for the more peaceful and socially acceptable business of fruit growing. The peaches and lychees from Mae Salong are delicious and justly famed. Today MAE Salong is entirely safe and peaceful. On the way lies the Akha village Ikoh San Yuek that is worth a detour. Although it is nowadays overrun by tourists its shops nevertheless still offer a good selection of traditional hill tribe handicraft. After the village the road parts - the road to the right should be avoided (it leads into dangerous territory), instead drive ahead.

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Mae Salong is 1800 meters above the sea level and cool enough for Japanese cherry trees to bloom - as you will see if you come in the right season. The town has Chinese temples, open air bazaars, and shops that offer Chinese specialties as tea and locally grown preserved fruit. There are several little restaurants that offer good southern Chinese food, and even a couple of simple, but clean guest houses. Mae Salong is also a market place for the Lisu and Akha from the surrounding hill tribe villages. For these reasons it is definitely worth spending a few hours in the town, to walk around, savour the special atmosphere, and to enjoy the grandiose mountain panorama.