PAI

It first appears that there’s not a lot to see in Pai (pronounced like the English word `bye’, not `pie’), a peaceful crossroads town about halfway between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son on Rte 1095. But if you stick around a few days and talk to some of the locals, you may discover some beautiful spots in the surrounding hills.

Most of the town’s population are Shan and Thai, but there’s also a small but visible Muslim Chinese population. Attracted by easy living and a small live music scene, Pai

nowadays also features a sizeable collection of long-term visitors — mostly farting and Japanese — who use the town as a place to chill out between excursions elsewhere in Asia.

Doi Tung

Doi Tung is located in Mae Fa Luang District and can be reached by taking Highway No.110 for about 48 kilometers and turning left onto Highway No. 1149, an asphalt road leading directly to Doi Tung. The route winds through beautiful scenery with many interesting sites including the Doi Tung Palace (Pra Tamnak Doi tung), the Mae Fa Luang Garden and Akha and Muser tribal villages. IN addition to scenic lookouts, the most notable attraction is the Phra That Doi Tung Holy Relic, an old religious site atop the mountain.

Also located on Doi Tung Mountain is a beautiful royal residence known as Phra Tamnak Doi Tung. The royal villa, situated on the slopes of the adjacent Pa Kluay Reservoir, was to serve as a royal winter retreat for the Princess Mother, who passed away in 1995 and was originally built on the theory that the local hill tribes would be honored by the royal presence and thereby cease their opium cultivation.