• 
• 
• 

Throngs of tourists flock to Pai, an isolated valley in Mae Hong Son, for the wintry breeze, and so do I, going with the flow in December.

It's my third time in Pai, in fact. But the ribbon of high roads, plus 762 sharp curves, always send a shiver down my spine every time the driver negotiates the winding roads. The mountain is high, and the valley is deep.

Every once in a while, I see the passenger vans stop aside the road, and let a poor passenger out to throw up.

No matter when I come here, I still feel excited about the ocean of fog, the misty mountain and cold breeze of winter that the city dwellers, including me, hardly experience in Bangkok.

 This time I have five days to stay in and around Pai and do something more. Actually, I planned to stay at Huai Nam Dang National Park but changed my mind because the cottages are fully booked. There wasn't a small patch of place to pitch your tent.

Instead, I pay the landlord Bt200 for watching the sea of fog from 5 to 9am, and take photos among the crowd of holidaymakers. Alas, beauty always has a price. It's a little bit absurd to pay for the outlook, isn't it? But the view is rewarding. It's so cold in Huai Nam Dang, where the temperature drops to six degrees Celsius.

In the afternoon I go around Pai by a hired motorcycle (Bt120 for a decent bike) to see several touristpacked attractions. At World War II Memorial Bridge I saw the rafts on Pai River, Pai Canyon or Kong Lan for the sunset, and Santichon Village as Yunnanese Chinese community, where I experienced authentic cuisine as well as culture.

The most attractive thing was its tribal Ferris wheel, where you can get a "spin of adrenaline".

 After seeing all of Pai, I purchase a day trip (Bt500) the day after to Pang Oong. The van picks up me at 4am at a guesthouse for a long ride to the remote valley. After the van, the trip continues on a pickup truck (Bt40 each) on the hill through strong cold wind. It's extremely cold.

In Pang Oong I'm surprised by its striking scenery of the sunrise shining its golden rays through the mist on its lake's surface and of pine forest with a camping area surrounding the irrigation reservoir. It is a memorable experience.

Pang Oong is a kind of hill station. With a peaceful lake setting against the backdrop of hilly pine forest, it's a perfect photo opportunity for romantic couples.

After that I go on to the nearby village, Baan Rak Thai, for breakfast for awhile. Not far from the village is Pha Suea Waterfall at Phuklon Country Club, which is a popular place to use mud rich in minerals for face and body treatments and has a longneck Karen community for shopping, the Fish Cave, Wat Phra That Doi Kong Moo the Burmesestyle temple on Doi Kong Moo hill, and Kew Lom, as the last destination for the sunset.