Week 8- Thailand (Maehongson) Day 5

So today we headed to Maehongson from Chiang Mai via bus. None of us knew what to expect because it's not a standard place for travellers and also the lady in our hostel had basically told us not to bother. Nonetheless we had heard it was good from a couple we met along our journey and wanted to see less touristy places! We had pre booked our tickets yesterday so all we needed to do was find the bus station! We got up at about 9 and packed our bags up ready for check out. We headed up the road to get some breakfast, it was SO good! Myself and Katy both had omelettes and Gemma had granola. We all enjoyed a really fresh mango juice!

Once we had checked out the hostel we found a tuk tuk to take us to the bus terminal for 100baht. When we arrived we were a bit confused because there were quite a few terminals but luckily the tuk tuk driver knew where to take us! We went to the counter but the lady didn't really have a clue about our tickets and originally told us we were in the wrong place. However, after much confusion a man rang the travel agents and sorted it out for us. Our rucksacks were attached to the top of the bus which was rather entertaining. Particularly because we knew the journey was full of lots of steep hills and tight corners! We were quite relieved when we saw the bus because we had all been preparing ourselves for the worst but it was a mini bus that looked in good condition!

The bus journey was supposed to take 3 hours but it was actually took us 6.5 hours. It went completely out of our way all through Pai (which is where we are going next) and the roads were VERY bendy so they driver had to go slowly. We were all pretty fed up and ready to get off by the time we arrived in Maehongson. We were worried that we would have no means of transport from the bus station to the hostel because it was such a rural area but luckily there were a couple of tuk tuks about (not many). It was a good job too because Gemma was threatening to sit on her bag and have a tantrum if we had to walk to the hostel (although it would have been entertaining to watch!).

The hostel is amazing more like a hotel. The owner is really sweet, it seems very quiet with not many people staying. We think they had been sat waiting for us to arrive! The ladies grabbed our bags as we arrived to take them up to our room, I don't think they were expecting them to be so heavy, they struggled just a tad! The room is lovely, really well kept with a massive four post bed and a single bed. There are also floor to ceiling windows which are amazing with the scenery around us.

We were all starving and ready for some dinner. The lady offered to take us in her car into the town and show us where to get food. The restaurant was really good and we all had a feast trying some local dishes. Myself and Katy even had a cocktail! The lady then picked us up again (it's like having our own chauffeur). We have made a few plans for tomorrow and all had a shower to freshen up before bed. It feels incredible to have air conditioning again, it's so cold we can get snug under the duvet. Happy days!