We have a hard morning ahead of us - a 1500m high hike to be precise. We needed to have a good breakfast to give us a good kick start. I've read up on many reviews about Salween River Restaurant and their breakfast menu - it has been commented about how good Nang (the owner) bakes her fresh breads. I ordered the vegetable omelette with toast. I took a bite into the bread and felt like I was in heaven, I haven't had proper bread in a while. The bread was still warm from the oven, the crust was crispy but the centre of the bread was nice and soft. This was real bread that I was devouring into. Clarice had a chicken sandwich that looked healthy and awesome too. We all enjoyed breakfast - this is highly recommended restaurant. By the way, the restaurant is also listed in guidebooks such as Lonely Planet.
We arrived at 'Wat Phra That Doi Moon Ku" (temple) just across the road from Wat Kam Ko. We were confronted by two giant Burmese lions guarding the very steep and derelict stairs. This series of stairs (over 350 steps) were in such bad shape, with cracked concrete and overgrown vegetation covering. The stairs takes you up to half the height of the hill, and then you join the other path, starting at Wat Muo Taw (another mini temple). Those stairs were a major workout. I haven't worked out in months and I was really struggling. We were all taking it easy, taking one step at a time - sweating from head to toe. The second path is a little easier to climb, it consists of a zig-zag of ramps with short flights of stairs at the switch-backs.
Making it halfway, we were all overwhelmed with the gorgeous view of the whole city in front of our eyes. We rested for a few minutes to catch our breaths and took a few photos. We finally made it to the top - up another flight of steep stairs. From here, we saw a spectacular view of the countryside, the whole city and surrounding mountains and valleys. Breathtaking.
Wat Phra That Doi Kung Mu is the oldest landmark in Mae Hong Son. It stands atop Kong Mu hill and can be seen from anywhere in town. What is so unique about this temple is that it reflects a strong influence of the Burmese. The temple has two Burmese-styled chedi, the larger of which was built in 1860, and contains the relics of Phra Moggalana, one of the disciples of the Buddha. The smaller chedi was erected in 1874 and has different Buddha images for each day of the week. The images associated with specific days are:-
Monday - Preventing calamities : Stopping relatives from fighting and overcoming disease
Tuesday - Reclining Buddha : Figure in reclining attitude
Wednesday - Holding an arms bowl : (for Wednesday morning) : The most common. For those born on Wednesday night, another pose is something given. This is the retreat in the forest : the Buddha accepts a beehive from a monkey and water pot from an elephant
Thursday - Meditation
Friday - Comtemplation : Sculpture with both arms crossed over the chest in a thoughtful, introspective attitude
Saturday - Figure is sheltered by naga
Sunday - Open-eyed posture : Image standing with his right hand placed over the left on the upper thigh in a mindful attitude
It is very important for Buddhist people to recognise the day of their births (Burmese and Thai), otherwise, he or she may not know which part of pagoda platform to go and make special devotional acts. They believe in an eight days week, therefore Wednesday is divided into two days; until 6pm, it is Wedesday, but after 6pm to midnight - it is Rahu's Day.
As we were leaving, Clarice wanted to ring the bell - it was LOUD. We quickly ran off. In one of the sections of the temple sat many black open bowls on a table - this is used for the monk's collections of alms. At around 6am, the novice monks set out to collect the day's alms - a daily routine that follows morning chanting. They walk through the streets and stop when a Thai layperson peeks out of their home or storefront with bags of food to donate. After each of the bowls has been filled, the donor quickly kneels down and bows, their hands pressed together in a 'wai' (A Thai greeting : consists of slight bow, with palms pressed together in a prayer-like fashion) of respect. The monks will perform a quick chant, rendering the Thai person blessed for their good merit, and then take off down the street. I haven't learned that monks and temples do not prepare any food - all foods are donated by laypeople. Another thing that I found extremely interesting was that not all monks are vegetarians in Mae Hong Son - actually majority of them aren't, this is because the foods are being donated are accepted as is - one thing they are forbidden to do is to make any requests.
Located in the centre of the city, we stumbled across the market. There were varieties of fresh and dry food to buy. The colourful fruits and vegetables are sold in front of the market by hilltribe traders and whilst walking the through market, you can smell the lingering freshness of fruits. There are so many different Thai herbs and spices that are very interesting to touch, smell or even taste. We quickly browsed through the market and Dawid bought a bag of rambutans for only 20baht.
This is the tuk tuk taxi. There are not so many around in Mae Hong Son as it is not such a touristy place. However, I have seen a few westerners take these tuk tuk taxi around - especially when they first arrive in Mae Hong Son with their luggages. I've probably only seen two during my week here in the 'sleepy town'. I also heard that a year ago they had to close down KFC as it was not making any money to keep the business going.
For a snack, Dawid bought some fried baby frogs. Clarice and I were both really grossed out as we watched Dawid bite into the frogs. He said it didn't really taste like anything as the herbs and spices were overpowering the frog itself. eeeeeeeekkkk..! I bought braised pork and eggs with rice for 30 baht - bargain. We chilled out laughing and chatting away before our tummies starting to call for food again.
We went to the night market and grabbed a little bit of everything for ridiculously cheap prices. We sat at the bench by the lakeside and devoured into our foods with the company of Chang beers. We have never been disappointed with the market food and are always trying something new. We sat and talked for a while enjoying the nice cool breeze and randomly seeing fish jump out of the water. The three of us has gotten along extremely well over the last few days. I feel so comfortable around Dawid and Clarice, I have no shame when I burp about 20 times a day or when Clarice tells us random gruesome or dirty facts - we are very open and can talk about literally everything. I'm really enjoying their company and it's great to have such awesome people around to experience life as a local in the sleepy yet relaxing town of Mae Hong Son. We said good night to Dawid as he made his way back to the temple. It's been a great day.
Good night world.
XOXO
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