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Location Date Singapore 1489708800 Vietnam 1489276800 South Korea 1484697600 Hong Kong 1462143600 China 1461798000 Taiwan 1461711600 United Arab Emirates 1441407600 Cambodia 1432162800 Mongolia 1370559600 Thailand 
1367276400 -
Location Date Bangkok 1367276400 Chiang Mai 1367190000 Pai 1367103600 Mae Hong Son
1367017200 Mae Sariang 1366930800 Hat Yai 1366671600
Day 7
27.4.13
Mae Sarieng- Mai Hong Son
I found it better to book a non air-conditioned room and choose a room with a fan for the night as I wanted to get used to the heat quickly. Today I found out why I was not coping well. At the end of today's ride I pulled in at a Guesthouse in Mae Hong Son. Today had not been as hot as yesterday.
All thermometers in the guest house showed 42degrees C. I now wonder what the temperature had been yesterday, I guess 45 degrees C.
I woke up at 4 am and could not get back to sleep. As I had a nice room all on my own I switched on the light, got the laptop out and started to familiarize myself with Face Book and how to put pictures on the site. I got all done by 7 am and got up, had a short walk, packed up and left the Hostel. Just down the road I purchased some bottles of water and set off on the road to Mae Hong Son. The riding was good but the rest not what I had expected. The vegetation was dry and there had been a lot of burning off. The roads were in good to very good condition. I was glad I brought the air seat as the Kawasaki had a hard and narrow seat,
At the markets I had also purchased two cans of fish: mackerel in tomato sauce plus a plastic spoon. After about 100 km I stopped at a service station / 7 Eleven and bought some bread rolls. Lunch can be very simple but was good. On one of the mountain tops I stopped at a small roadside shack consisting of a bamboo and planked shop with a leaf sheet roof. After ordering coffee I sat down and noticed some French people engaged in a busy conversation. The young couple had come from Mae Hong Son and the older couple from the same direction as I had come from. I found out that the older couple lived in Chiang Rai and had been living there on a low budget for ten year and … they said… the loved it. The guy was my age-63. He had been an architect all of his life and made up his mind one day when they discussed what to do with their life; Is it money or a good life we are after they had said. They now live off the rent from their house which they vacated ten years ago. I knew their story well. Why work hard to get money to pay for high bills. Eliminate the bills and live on a lower budget. He said that the money they are living on now does not differ much in value from what they had been living on in France due to the difference in the cost of living. Except they did not have to work for it now. Anyone over 55 years of age can get a 1 year visa providing you can look after yourself. Yes I am listening. Would I want to do that? Yes I would.
The guesthouse in Mae Hong Son overlooks a small lake in the centre of town. Not much tourism here as it is a bit off the beaten track. This afternoon I visited the "long necks" These people are refugees from Burma and have been living here for 20 years. They have no rights like the Thai’s have, so they live off of tourism. It is an interesting way that they do this. Before you enter their village you have to cross a narrow wooden bridge which cost a toll of 250 Baht. (Approx 7dollars) This money goes to the community. Once inside the village they sell their own handicraft. They all stick their neck out to get your attention to buy stuff. Not much luck with me because I don’t want extra luggage to carry around. Glad to see that they don’t ask for money when you take pictures. Nice people though.
I had a chat with one of the ladies who told me that her husband was not allowed to work as they were illegal immigrants. The children needed to go to school which they had built themselves with the help form the money coming in from tourism. Several European teachers are there to teach them the basics. The teachers are volunteers. The girls are also made into long necks as they want to keep their tradition alive and because it guarantees them a future income. Indeed their neck looks long but it is an optical illusion as you cannot make your neck longer as such. First of all due to the rings they keep their neck and back straight. As they start from a young age their collar bones are pushed down making it appear as if they have a long neck.
27.4.13
Mae Sarieng- Mai Hong Son
I found it better to book a non air-conditioned room and choose a room with a fan for the night as I wanted to get used to the heat quickly. Today I found out why I was not coping well. At the end of today's ride I pulled in at a Guesthouse in Mae Hong Son. Today had not been as hot as yesterday.
All thermometers in the guest house showed 42degrees C. I now wonder what the temperature had been yesterday, I guess 45 degrees C.
I woke up at 4 am and could not get back to sleep. As I had a nice room all on my own I switched on the light, got the laptop out and started to familiarize myself with Face Book and how to put pictures on the site. I got all done by 7 am and got up, had a short walk, packed up and left the Hostel. Just down the road I purchased some bottles of water and set off on the road to Mae Hong Son. The riding was good but the rest not what I had expected. The vegetation was dry and there had been a lot of burning off. The roads were in good to very good condition. I was glad I brought the air seat as the Kawasaki had a hard and narrow seat,
At the markets I had also purchased two cans of fish: mackerel in tomato sauce plus a plastic spoon. After about 100 km I stopped at a service station / 7 Eleven and bought some bread rolls. Lunch can be very simple but was good. On one of the mountain tops I stopped at a small roadside shack consisting of a bamboo and planked shop with a leaf sheet roof. After ordering coffee I sat down and noticed some French people engaged in a busy conversation. The young couple had come from Mae Hong Son and the older couple from the same direction as I had come from. I found out that the older couple lived in Chiang Rai and had been living there on a low budget for ten year and … they said… the loved it. The guy was my age-63. He had been an architect all of his life and made up his mind one day when they discussed what to do with their life; Is it money or a good life we are after they had said. They now live off the rent from their house which they vacated ten years ago. I knew their story well. Why work hard to get money to pay for high bills. Eliminate the bills and live on a lower budget. He said that the money they are living on now does not differ much in value from what they had been living on in France due to the difference in the cost of living. Except they did not have to work for it now. Anyone over 55 years of age can get a 1 year visa providing you can look after yourself. Yes I am listening. Would I want to do that? Yes I would.
The guesthouse in Mae Hong Son overlooks a small lake in the centre of town. Not much tourism here as it is a bit off the beaten track. This afternoon I visited the "long necks" These people are refugees from Burma and have been living here for 20 years. They have no rights like the Thai’s have, so they live off of tourism. It is an interesting way that they do this. Before you enter their village you have to cross a narrow wooden bridge which cost a toll of 250 Baht. (Approx 7dollars) This money goes to the community. Once inside the village they sell their own handicraft. They all stick their neck out to get your attention to buy stuff. Not much luck with me because I don’t want extra luggage to carry around. Glad to see that they don’t ask for money when you take pictures. Nice people though.
I had a chat with one of the ladies who told me that her husband was not allowed to work as they were illegal immigrants. The children needed to go to school which they had built themselves with the help form the money coming in from tourism. Several European teachers are there to teach them the basics. The teachers are volunteers. The girls are also made into long necks as they want to keep their tradition alive and because it guarantees them a future income. Indeed their neck looks long but it is an optical illusion as you cannot make your neck longer as such. First of all due to the rings they keep their neck and back straight. As they start from a young age their collar bones are pushed down making it appear as if they have a long neck.
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