I was up in Mae sai last week doing the Immigration thing. Took a look around and I'm sure there used to be a couple of Farang Type Bars near the river on the left of the border crossing , but no more. There's also what appears to be a huge derelict Backpacker type bungalow place on the Hill.

Was this street ever "buzzing" for want of a better word ? .. Just curious .

I think Brahmburgers ran a chain of massage parlours and MSG free restaurants there between the world wars.

It was busier but not really buzzing. That place on the hill got a few long stayers. With so many more border crossings now people go all over.

If you go back & see a happy group of drunks sitting somewhere along that street stop for a chat.

I stayed in that guesthouse on the Hill October 1999. It was probably the most dirty place I ever stayed at so I only stayed for a month

The bed was OK, the view over to Burma was very good but the so called bathroom was a mess. The price was 100baht/night.

I had it as a base doing trips on an offroadbike all over northern Thailand so I did not spend many nights in the room.

Life in Mae Sai was more interesting at that time, now it is just a big market for bad chinese goods.

I also spent a week with Matthew McDaniel visiting Akha-villages in his Toyotatruck. Someone told me he is a newborn Christian nowadays but I canot belive that.

" Missionary suck" ! I still got a couple of his stickers. One is still on my car!

I stay in a cheap hotel opposite occasionally , perhaps twice a year for the last few years and was surprised to find the two bars closed this time. There does seem to be less and less people on that street . The Guesthouse always intrigued me. Vertigo springs to mind and it does look quite dangerous especially after a few beers. I did notice the odd scary farang , maybe the bad chinese goods scared everyone away not to mention the Viagra/CD & Sunglasses Touts constantly in your face.

I'm sure the place was quite interesting in the early years.

Don't suppose there was as many burmese youths sniffing glue before throwing themselves in the river in the good old days.

It used to be a drug supermarket. When you checked into that guesthouse with all the different designs, they would sell you anything that you might want. Not that I would ever take opium personally.

It used to be a drug supermarket. When you checked into that guesthouse with all the different designs, they would sell you anything that you might want. Not that I would ever take opium personally.

The mere thought of anyone lighting a match in that place makes me shudder, it looks tinder dry, I'm surprised it hasn't gone up in flames long ago.

I had to overnight in Mae Sai 2 weeks ago, The friendly small GH opposite the fire hazard was closed down, so I laid my head down at Blue Sky appartments further down the road - clean, basic and noisy. Midnight - dogs, 1am - woman singing, and 1.30 - cockerells ---- 1.35 sleeping pill!

And what ever happened to the infamous 'Cobra Joe' who used to try to scam you gemstones etc?? A real character and a dump of a place with bullet holes on the walls.

Anyone know of him??

Last I heard he took his extended family to Americaland.