When you think it can't get worse it gets worse. The trip from Mae Sot to Mae Sariang yesterday started in the usual pick-up truck but one little detail was different compared to the other pick-up rides - the roof was lower. At the beginning there was no problem because I could sit diagonal but when more and more people entered I had to sit upright, which I couldn't because of the low roof. After hours of torture stooping my back, I finally decided to do like the garbage men and stood on the footboard. I was even able to overlook the baggage stored above and could anticipate curves and other obstacles. We saw a huge refugee camp on the way. I guess there were some ten thousands of Burmese people living there. Again, we can only hope that things improve!! The landscape in Northern Thailand is really nice, mountains make it more diverse and there is no deforestation so far. Due to the higher altitude the nights get quite chilly with a minimum temperature of around 10°C. During the day the temperature can achieve 30°C, but there is no humidity, what makes the climate quite enjoyable.
Anyway, at the end of the pick-up ride we even loaded a motorbike which got broken. I have some funny pics which I will upload next time. Mae Sariang is a quiet little town with only few tourists. In the evening I had some beers with Al from Alaska, who is travelling Thailand every year with his off-road motorbike when there is no work in Alaska due to the strong winter. He is working for a construction company as a carpenter.
Today I rented a motor bike like everyone does here to go to the Salawi National Park. My Honda 125cc motor scooter (no, I don't have a driver's license for that) was really robust. Even though it is not designed for off-road trips, I went everywhere in the park. I first feared that it could have a flat tyre with all the spiky stones, but nothing! It was my first trip on a motor bike and I am really proud that I could even drive off the beaten track! After driving through the park for I don't know how many kilometers, I arrived at Mae Sam Leab, a small village outside the park, situated at the Eastern boarder of the Salawi river, the natural border between Thailand and Myanmar. I was the only foreigner there and everyone on the way was waving to me and smiling. The people are really so nice! Someone told me that in the village there is a petrol station. My scooter was terribly thirsty so I needed to refuel. I stopped at a small house to ask the way to the petrol station. As I don't speak a single word of Thai, I pointed towards the fuel indicator with my finger. Then they gave me two plastic bottles with petrol - the petrol station, it's that simple!
The landscape on the way was not overwhelming but it was nice to see all these remote villages. This part of Thailand is the most original, not yet packed with tourists and I am enjoying it a lot! I will try to go on a 2 or 3 day hiking tour tomorrow. It is really not easy because you have to wait until there is a reasonable number of people (maybe 5 in a group), otherwise it's getting too expensive. If I can't do it here, I will try in Mae Hong Son, my next destination.
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