I want to visit Mae Hon Son. It sounds really neat. It is in the middle of a cool tempid forest. There is lots to see, from the Burmese-influenced Budhist Temples, to all kinds of natural and cultural attractions. The market sells mostly food and local handmade items from the local tribes. There are some nice sounding hotels there and good Thai food. There is rhumored to be a small amount of local nightlife. I would probably take a girl with me, though. Or, use this as a sidetrack from the sanuk part of my trip. This information is not first-hand, it is based on my research on the Internet. I hope someone on CH can chime in with some actual first-hand info. If not, I will visit in December and post as much as I can. Thanks, Rasta.

To follow-up to this message, I have been corresponding with a trekking guide in MAE HONG SON. I am planning on staying at an eco-tourist style resort and doing 2 day-treks to local destinations as well as a 1-day jeep tour of some of the hilltribe villages. There isn't much mongering going on up here, but it should be a great naturalistic break from the action. Mae Hong Son sounds very colorful and interesting. I am still monitoring the safety factor, since the Thai border with Burma/Myanmar is a little hot lately over NARCO trafficing issues. Otherwise, seems pretty safe. I'll report from the trail, or possibly prior as more info becomes available. - Rasta

Rastaman - ancient news, 10 years old:

When I visited MHS in '92 the scene was restricted to a small (as in 3-house) brothel area a bit of a hike out of town. Pretty slim pickins. Actually, not all that pretty, nor that slim, now that I think of it. All the moto drivers know the spot, but you can make a nice walk of it once you know where it is. Or was, a decade ago.

Didn't check out this thread until today, December 2, hope it's not too late to warn you that it gets frickin cold up there in the mountains...you can see your breath in the night air. Bring something (and maybe somebody) warm.