Mae Hong Song is located in the Northwest "corner" of Thailand, near the border with Myanmar. Geographically, it is not far from Chiang Mai, but due to the terrain, it takes about 8 hours to drive between the two cities. Fortunately, you can choose to fly instead - this takes about half an hour in a small plane.
The airport in Mae Hong Son is located right in the city, so you can pretty much walk there from your hotel.
The lake, the restaurants, the haze, and the temple on the hill in the background. That's all you need to know.
This was my hotel - the Baiyoke Chalet Hotel. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but the rooms were nice and the restaurant/bar/nightclub was very busy at night. It certainly doesn't resemble a chalet.
The hotel had an old fashioned telephone exchange in the lobby. This actually worked. I suspect that people don't receive many phone calls in hotels here, since everyone has a mobile phone. God Bless Nokia.
There is a park with a lake in the middle of town. There are several restaurants nearby that provide decent views, especially during the late afternoon and evening.
At night, the temple was lit up. Overall, it was a nice quiet place to relax during the evening.
... some sort of shrine by the lakeside.
... a small boat, used by the park workings, I think.
... a statue in the park by the lake.
Smaller pagodas on the way up the hill at the western edge of town. Of course, I climbed the hill, and it wasn't as hard as it looked. Bring lots of water.
One of the pagodas at the top of the hill.
Buddhism is heavy on rituals. These people walk around the pagoda 3 times before presenting their offering.
... which is placed in these nooks.
Bells are commonly seen at temples. People ring them "for luck".
The view from the top of the hill is spectacular. Unfortunately, it was quite hazy on the day I was there, due to nearby fires. Overall I was impressed by Mae Hong Son, since it wasn't very expensive, and it was quiet and relaxing.
