June 25,

We were up & about and had our Javas. Around 0900, we went down for our breakfast. I had… Spaghetti! It truly was spaghetti, but with a sweet, almost barbecue-like sauce. Jeff had Shan Chicken Curry, which is Thai, spicy, seasoned bone-in chicken pieces with rice.

When we finished we went back to our room, and pretty much were bummed out due to the very cloudy non-blue sky! It really seemed like it could rain – any minute – all day long. So we decided to go out to do some laundry and a bit of shopping at a grocery store. We also picked up a few items at a pharmacy. While we were waiting on the laundry, we explored the town a little bit in the car (because remember could rain at anytime). When the laundry finished, we went back to the hotel. For lunch we just ate in our room having nuts, crackers with peanut butter, and a brownie we had picked up the night before. Then Jeff did a little bit of planning, we were trying to decide our next destination.

Around 1730, we finally decided to go out for supper. Wouldn't you know, just as we were heading out… it started pouring and pouring. Doesn't it always work this way?!? The rain was pretty intense and it didn't seem like it was going to stop so we just sat in the lobby. We waited for about 15 minutes for it to stop raining. It didn't, but finally let up enough that we were able to get out with an umbrella from the hotel, as ours was still in the car!

We went to Kai Mook Restaurant. It is one of the nicer restaurants in Mae Hong Son. I had Stir-fried Chicken with Ginger and cashews, plus a side of rice. Jeff had a Roasted Duck with Honey sauce and a side of rice. His dish also came with some pickled ginger and a bit of veg salad. Both were excellent dishes.😋 I had a glass of white wine and Jeff had a beer. After we finished, we paid the bill and left a little tip. The total was 710 THB, which is $21.55.

We went back to our room and watched some YouTube. Bed by 2200.

     June 26,

We were both awake by 0600, but I went back to sleep until 7:30. I had a little trouble falling asleep due to my hand being “uncomfortable”. I know the cast is there for a reason but it's not fun.😒 Anyway, we got around, had our Javas, and went to breakfast. This morning I had Pork Congee, which is a savory rice porridge. It had pork meatballs, a poached egg, green onions, ginger, and crispy fried noodles all on top to be mixed into the rice. It was very tasty and hearty. Jeff had an omelette and some veg garnish. His omelette had an assortment of mixed vegetables in it.

After we finished, we went back up to our room and caught up on some YouTube. Jeff then planned and booked our next hotel. Then around 1100, we went out driving, just exploring around Mae Hong Son province. We followed a little road just enjoying the scenery and saw a couple of reservoirs for the town. the road got a little smaller and we saw a sign that said: “Elephant Ahead, Do Not Use Horn.” We both kept our eyes peeled, but we never saw an elephant.😔😢 We then passed by signs for Hill Tribe Villages of Long-necked Karen people, but we're not interested in going to them again. We had done this 14 years ago. It just seems very touristy and like going to a “human zoo”.

We continued on as the road got smaller because of jungle plants encroaching the road. Then we realize how close we were to the Burmese border. We actually came up to the end of the road. It was at a pedestrian suspension bridge over the Pai River. There was a sign that translated as, “Relaxation point… point of entry”. Google Maps put us about 3,000 ft from Burma. I guess you could float to Burma from here, but not for me!!! The river is very brown and fast flowing. After we got our pictures and bought a bag of chips from a little local stall, we backtracked into town. It was a fun little jaunt even though we didn't see an elephant.

Back at our hotel we had a few crackers and some pickled mango to finish our lunch. The clouds are very heavy in the sky and it seems like it could rain again anytime. So we just chilled out the rest of the afternoon. For supper we went out just as it started lightly raining… of course. We went to the closest local Thai restaurant. I had stir-fried rice Thai style with pork; and Jeff had crispy pork with rice. Jeff went and got us a brownie, as we waited. While he was gone the food was served, but it wasn't take-away. So when he returned, which was just a couple minutes, we ate there. It cost 110 THB, which is $3.39. We left and went back to our place. As we got up to our room it really started pouring rain. Wowza! C'est la vie!! Tomorrow we move on.