I would guess that not many people have....
One way to get there is by taking a small road NE out of Mae Sai...
It is clear that you are on the border
It seemed no 4 wheel traffic had been to North Thailand for a while..
Then it was obvious why. The Sai river had eaten half of the road.
But then the dirt changed to tarmac closer to The North
The entranceway..... a gap in the razor wire...
A lonely boundary marker in a rice field
Nearly there....... a cleared area...
A smashed concrete marker....
An overgrown rock bank reinforcement wall
.... and a smashed glass flagon..
Here we are.. exactly at The North of Thailand.... and it is marked by......... a clump of long grass!
The view is the Sai river, to the left, coming up from Mae Sai to the southwest, joining the Ruak river, coming down from the north, out of Burma and flowing southeast to Sop Ruak and the Khong.
Looking up the Ruak river, Burma on both sides.
The only river traffic...... a lounge settee.....
Looking down the Ruak river between Thailand and Burma
There is one more boundary marker, back closer to the road.
Looking down the road to the east and back towards Sop Ruak.
So, that is what the North of Thailand looks like..... amazingly uninspiring...
No coffee shops..... or restaurants.... or temple..... or shopping area...... so perhaps no reason for most Thais to visit.
I have a feeling that it won't stay like this for long..... in fact it's quite astonishing that such a significant geographic point is marked by... well.... just about nothing......
One way to get there is by taking a small road NE out of Mae Sai...
It is clear that you are on the border
It seemed no 4 wheel traffic had been to North Thailand for a while..
Then it was obvious why. The Sai river had eaten half of the road.
But then the dirt changed to tarmac closer to The North
The entranceway..... a gap in the razor wire...
A lonely boundary marker in a rice field
Nearly there....... a cleared area...
A smashed concrete marker....
An overgrown rock bank reinforcement wall
.... and a smashed glass flagon..
Here we are.. exactly at The North of Thailand.... and it is marked by......... a clump of long grass!
The view is the Sai river, to the left, coming up from Mae Sai to the southwest, joining the Ruak river, coming down from the north, out of Burma and flowing southeast to Sop Ruak and the Khong.
Looking up the Ruak river, Burma on both sides.
The only river traffic...... a lounge settee.....
Looking down the Ruak river between Thailand and Burma
There is one more boundary marker, back closer to the road.
Looking down the road to the east and back towards Sop Ruak.
So, that is what the North of Thailand looks like..... amazingly uninspiring...
No coffee shops..... or restaurants.... or temple..... or shopping area...... so perhaps no reason for most Thais to visit.
I have a feeling that it won't stay like this for long..... in fact it's quite astonishing that such a significant geographic point is marked by... well.... just about nothing......