Mae Sai has markets along the main road, the quirky hotels along the side streets.

As soon as the sun goes down, the town shuts up like a bank vault.

Does anyone know anything good about Mae Sai besides the visa run?

Is there any reason to stay in Mae Sai longer than one night?

Is there any night life, any interesting clubs to speak of?

sarpesius

Nothing much here..

after the visa-run, the shopping, the new temple, not a great deal on offer

karaoke bars catering mainly to locals..

worth more than one night? IMHO... No

Sarpesius,

Right now Mae Sai is not worth staying more than one minute....in fact my opinion is that right now because of the high levels of smoke in the air all of Chiangrai and probably all of the north are not worth visiting. If I didn't have to stay here to do my farming (some things can't wait) I'd take a vacation right now and go south. Its really unpleasant up here right now....if you have a choice on where to go for a visa run you should probably consider elsewhere until this smoke disipates (probably when it rains).

Chownah

Sarpesius,

Right now Mae Sai is not worth staying more than one minute....in fact my opinion is that right now because of the high levels of smoke in the air all of Chiangrai and probably all of the north are not worth visiting. If I didn't have to stay here to do my farming (some things can't wait) I'd take a vacation right now and go south. Its really unpleasant up here right now....if you have a choice on where to go for a visa run you should probably consider elsewhere until this smoke disipates (probably when it rains).

Chownah

..overreaction..

Sarpesius,

Right now Mae Sai is not worth staying more than one minute....in fact my opinion is that right now because of the high levels of smoke in the air all of Chiangrai and probably all of the north are not worth visiting. If I didn't have to stay here to do my farming (some things can't wait) I'd take a vacation right now and go south. Its really unpleasant up here right now....if you have a choice on where to go for a visa run you should probably consider elsewhere until this smoke disipates (probably when it rains).

Chownah

..overreaction..

...just calling it like I see it.

A day/night in Mae Sai will be plenty. You'll find the shopping pretty good (cheaper on the Thai side for almost everything) for clothing and the usual outdoor market fare. Eat in Maesai before crossing as the food vendors in Taichelek are pretty questionable.

Don't buy porn in Burma, you'll almost certainly get pinched bringing it back. Playing cards are another somewhat innocuous item that can get you in trouble.

You may want to take a look at Chiang Saen, and the rest of the Golden Triangle. Maybe take a boat ride on the Mekong. In the mountains there are hilltribe villages and parks. A lot depends on your mode of transport.

You may want to take a look at Chang Saen, and the rest of the Golden Triangle. Maybe take a boat ride on the Mekong.

Seconded... and a longtail boat trip at the triangle will take you over to the Loas duty free market... 400 baht for the boat for an hour or so... only 20 baht landing fee... no passport required.... good cheap alcohol and ciggies to be found, as well as the usual cobra and scorpion whisky etc.

for natural beauty make sure you visit Chiang Saen Lake..

A quiet idyll and a wildlife haven..

there's even a couple of resorts should you wish to chill here longer..

You may want to take a look at Chang Saen, and the rest of the Golden Triangle. Maybe take a boat ride on the Mekong.

Seconded... and a longtail boat trip at the triangle will take you over to the Loas duty free market... 400 baht for the boat for an hour or so... only 20 baht landing fee... no passport required.... good cheap alcohol and ciggies to be found, as well as the usual cobra and scorpion whisky etc.

The problem with chang saen is that there is less happening there than even in mai sai.

Mae sai shuts up like a bank vault as soon as the sun goes down, but before that there is something happening.

The only reason to go to chang saen is if you really don't want to see anybody or do anything social. Maybe if you have a huge stack of books to read.

sarpesius

From Mae Sai, visit the Hall of Opium. World class museum run by the Mae Fah Luang Foundation. 300 baht entrance fee but every baht well spent. Need two hours to walk through the galleries and absorb all of that information. This is located near Sop Ruak or what is popularly known as the Golden Triangle.

Mae Sai has markets along the main road, the quirky hotels along the side streets.

As soon as the sun goes down, the town shuts up like a bank vault.

Does anyone know anything good about Mae Sai besides the visa run?

Is there any reason to stay in Mae Sai longer than one night?

Is there any night life, any interesting clubs to speak of?

sarpesius

Mae Sai is a day trip for shopping, visa runs, etc. Not many stay the night except back packers.

There are some bargains there. Optics-binoch's, telescopes, cigs, umbrellas, toys, nuts, reading

glasses, calculators, cheap chinese made anything, cheap viagra and others-maybe. Night time

is dead last time i was there.

Mai Sai is a day trip for shopping, visa runs, etc. Not many stay the night except back packers.

There are some bargains there. Optics-binoch's, telescopes, cigs, umbrellas, toys, nuts, reading

glasses, calculators, cheap chinese made anything, cheap viagra and others-maybe. Night time

is dead last time i was there.

I just saw an internet ad for a guest hostel called Monkey Island. It says a private room is 100 Baht, but I have not seen prices like that for years in Thailand. I would bet that when you got there, the price of a room was 250 Baht.

As for night life, if you walk south back on the road to Chiang Rai a bit then turn right (going west) you find a group of small clubs mainly for college age people. This is only night life I have found in Mae Sai.

sarpesius

Border towns

mae sai yes, not much to do. I bring a bicycle and peddle east along the south side of the polluted river - rather serene but not much else.

there are bunches of 'tamada' restaurants if you enjoy msg laden fare.

I just saw an internet ad for a guest hostel called Monkey Island. It says a private room is 100 Baht, but I have not seen prices like that for years in Thailand. I would bet that when you got there, the price of a room was 250 Baht.

There is a sign at Monkey Island saying 100bt a night but I was told its share bathroom. If u go about 50 metres past there a fairly new hotel has good rooms with prices u can negotiate

There is a sign at Monkey Island saying 100bt a night but I was told its share bathroom. If u go about 50 metres past there a fairly new hotel has good rooms with prices u can negotiate

I may have stayed in it, but I was never able able to negotiate down below 250.

Getting a room on the river is not much fun at night because the Burmese shine this blinding spotlight straight toward the Thai side.

sarpesius

Sarpesius,

Right now Mae Sai is not worth staying more than one minute....in fact my opinion is that right now because of the high levels of smoke in the air all of Chiangrai and probably all of the north are not worth visiting. If I didn't have to stay here to do my farming (some things can't wait) I'd take a vacation right now and go south. Its really unpleasant up here right now....if you have a choice on where to go for a visa run you should probably consider elsewhere until this smoke disipates (probably when it rains).

Chownah

..overreaction..

Far from it, more of a friendly heads-up that the air quality up here right now is poor to the point of being dangerous to health.

JxP

Sarpesius,

Right now Mae Sai is not worth staying more than one minute....in fact my opinion is that right now because of the high levels of smoke in the air all of Chiangrai and probably all of the north are not worth visiting. If I didn't have to stay here to do my farming (some things can't wait) I'd take a vacation right now and go south. Its really unpleasant up here right now....if you have a choice on where to go for a visa run you should probably consider elsewhere until this smoke disipates (probably when it rains).

Chownah

..overreaction..

Far from it, more of a friendly heads-up that the air quality up here right now is poor to the point of being dangerous to health.

JxP

I've never seen it so bad, I flew out last week and we would have been at at 6000m before we cleared it. By comparison Bangkok was as clear as a bell.

I've never seen it so bad, I flew out last week and we would have been at at 6000m before we cleared it. By comparison Bangkok was as clear as a bell.

So if you wait till the haze clears up north, it will be the rainy season. Then there will be danger of flooding.

one day trip would be more than enough. nothing much to see. mostly shopping and casual walk.