A traveller's reflection: Thailand Borders 12: Mae Sai

“When you undervalue what you do, the world will undervalue who you are...” – Oprah Winfrey

(Masjid An-Nur, Mae Sai)

Day 12: Thursday, 21 Nov 2024
Route: Chiang Khong - Mae Sai
Distance: 111 km (2:04)
Hotel: Victory Hotel, Mae Sai

We had a simple complimentary breakfast of toast, fried egg and coffee while watching the sunrise.

(Having breakfast at the break of dawn)

(A nice view of Laos on the other side of the river)

(Time to head to Mae Sai, the Thai/Myanmar border town)

(Feeling energized after a good night sleep)

This morning we headed towards Mae Sai, the border town of Thailand and Myanmar. Had our muddied bigfoot cleaned at a car wash at the Chiang Saen PTT. Bought provision at 7-eleven while waiting.

(The view of the routing from Chiang Kong to Mae Sai)

(Good highways throughout the journey)

(Taking the right junction to Mae Sai)

(Elephants are everywhere)

(The Bigfoot needs a thorough wash)

We arrived in the Golden Triangle quite early. The Golden Triangle is a large, mountainous region in northeastern Myanmar, northwestern Thailand and northern Laos, centered on the confluence of the Ruak and Mekong rivers. Today, the Thai side of the river confluence, Sop Ruak, has become a tourist attraction, with the House of Opium Museum, a Hall of Opium, and a Golden Triangle Park. This area was originally the opium-growing region of northern India Thailand, eastern Burma and western Laos, but is now mainly a tourist attraction. At the Golden Triangle we took some pictures then bought Thai pants and some embroidery threads from the souvenir shops.

(Entering the tourist area in the Golden Triangle)

(Big Buddha and Naga temples)

(Capturing moments at the golden gate)

(Lost counts of the many times we were here)

(The place has become livelier after the pandemic)

(Enjoying the view from the Thailand river bank)

(Muddy waters at the confluence of the two rivers)

(Souvenir shopping is a must in the Golden Triangle)

(The House of Opium Museum)

Arrived in Mae Sai around 11.30 am. Saw a signage to the 2nd Sai River Friendship Bridge but the road to the bridge was very narrow. We traced our journey to the highway heading to Mae Sai town. Headed straight to Mae Sai border check point. We had crossed this border into Thachiliek, Myanmar once during our Q3 4-Nation Ride. When we arrived, the border area was very crowded. There was an on-going cyclists event at the border so we had to park quite far from the check point.

(Not so good road from Chiang Saen to Mae Sai)

(Many check-points nearing the border)

(No through road to the Thai/Myanmar Friendship bridge)

(Arriving in Mae Sai on a scorching afternoon)

(Thai/Myanmar border crossing check-point)

(The Siam Bike Tours in Mae Sai)

(The end of the road for the cylists at Thai/Myanmar border)

(Cyclists taking a much needed rest under the shade)

We had nasi goreng daging, sup ekor and omelette for lunch at Jasmine Mae Sai Kitchen located near Masjid An-Nur Mae Sai. There are a few more halal eateries in the vicinity.

(A small halal restaurant next to the mosque)

(A photo with the friendly owner from Yunnan)

(A heavy lunch for hungry travelers)

(Our lunch, simple and delicious)

(Another Muslim restaurant across the road)

After lunch we performed our solat jamak at the masjid. Masjid An-Nur is located about 350 m from Mae Sai Border Check-point. There are two main buildings in the mosque complex. The older building is where the main prayer hall for the male jemaah. The newer building with Chinese architecture is where the female prayer hall and class rooms are located. The washroom is very clean. The mosque surrounding area is very well maintained.

(Masjid An-Nur of Mae Sai)

(Two buildings with different architectures)

(The main prayer hall)

(The entrance to the ladies prayer hall)

(The ladies praying hall cum classroom for religious study)

We checked in Victory Hotel at RM58/night. It is located off the main road. The are many halal eateries around the corner. We had ample time to send our dirty cloths to the laundry shop located near the hotel.

(A home-based laundry shop)

Victory Hotel is good for family as it has a large swimming pool with a nice ambience. We requested a room on the ground floor which is quite spacious and has a breakfast table for two. The beds were a little squeaky. We noticed quite a lot of ants in the room and there was a small centipede in the bath room. My advise is to bring insect repellent if you are staying in this hotel as there are mosquitoes too.