Mae Hong Son Loop, North Thailand – 1. Introduction

If there is a riding mecca in South East Asia, the Mae Hong Son loop has got to be it. Probably the most popular riding route in Thailand, the Mae Hong Son loop is also known as the road of 1000 hairpin bends. Besides exhilarating bends on well-paved roads, the loop passes through scenic mountain regions blessed with points of interest such as caves, waterfalls, national parks, hot springs, temples and hill tribe villages.

The Mae Hong Son loop provides a good opportunity to visit North Thailand’s rugged north-west frontier. There are many possible side rides to places such as Mae Sa valley or even Chang Rai of golden triangle fame. This region of Thailand is also home to the famous Karen hill tribe. If the name does not ring a bell, the images of women with long necks adorned with brass rings would probably be familiar to you.

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Packing Light for Your Travels – A Step by Step Guide

Packing for a backpacking trip can be daunting for the first timers. How to pack and what to pack?  While part of it comes from experience, travelers should not worry too much about bringing the wrong stuffs, not bringing the right stuffs or packing it the wrong way. At most, there would be some minor inconvenience to your trip, surely nothing too detrimental to the enjoyment of your overseas holidays.

But to make things easier for the new traveler, I have written a short packing guide. As you can see from the article, I do not carry a lot of specialty traveler items. I carry a small backpack (34 litre Osprey Stratos) but I did squeeze (too) many items in it.

Please note that these photos were taken when I was half-way through my East Asia trip (China, South Korea and Japan), a 6 weeks long trip.


For this trip, besides the clothings I am wearing, I brought along another 2 pairs of convertible pants, 3 tshirts, 1 small towel, 1 light jacket, 3 pairs of underwears and 2 pairs of socks.


Roll the clothings into a pack-it bag.

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