Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [352]
Garden Huts (Boonyaporn Garden Hut; 0 5556 1093; www.boonyapornresort.com; 8/1 Mu 6; r 200-1500B) Operated by a sweet older couple, this collection of bungalows of varying degrees of comfort and size fronts the river. It features pleasant sitting areas and a well-cared-for garden.
Trekker Hill (0 5556 1090; 620 Th Pravitpaiwan; r 300B) This rustic collection of huts on a steep hillside has hot water and views of the valley and Um Phang. The restaurant serves three meals a day and also has satellite TV.
Ban Suansak Resort (0 5556 1169, 08 9839 5308; r 500-1500B) Just outside the city on the road to Palatha, this ‘resort’ has 13 rooms in a new two-storey building and three bungalows that can sleep from three to 10 people. The beds look pretty thin, but the place is spotless and has its own restaurant.
Umphang Country Huts (0 5556 1079; www.umphangcountryhut.com; r 500-1500B) Off the highway 1.5km before Um Phang, these huts enjoy a wooded hilly setting. Some of the rooms in the middle price range have two levels and balconies looking over a stream. The cheapest rooms have cold-water bathrooms.
Tu Ka Su Cottage (0 5556 1295; www.tukasu.net; 40 Moo 6; r 600-1800B; ) This is the cleanest and best-run accommodation in Um Phang. The attractive collection of brick-and-stone, multiroom cottages is surrounded by flower and exotic fruit gardens. All bathrooms have hot-water showers with an outdoor feel. The cheaper bungalows are also vast and comfortable, and terrific value. The owner is a great source of local information and free wi-fi is available throughout.
Eating
Um Phang has several simple restaurants, morning and evening markets and a couple of small shops.
Bankrusun (dishes 20-35B; 6.30am-8.30pm) Owned by a Thai musician, this souvenir shop/cafe offers good coffee, drinks and basic breakfasts.
Pa Ni (no roman-script sign; 08 9676 3721; 7am-9pm) Has a brief English-language menu, which includes a couple of veggie options (the Thai menu is much more expansive). It’s generally considered the best kitchen in town. The restaurant is just across the bridge on the road leading out to Ban Palatha.
Phudoi Restaurant (0 5556 1049; dishes 30-70B; 8am-10pm) When open, this restaurant has decent food. There’s a bilingual menu and it’s often the only place open past 9pm.
Getting There & Away
There are frequent srng·ta·ou to Um Phang from Mae Sot (120B, four hours, every hour from 7.30am to 3.30pm), stopping for lunch at windy Ban Rom Klao 4 on the way.
MAE SOT TO MAE SARIANG
Route 105 runs north along the Myanmar border from Mae Sot all the way to Mae Sariang (226km) in Mae Hong Son Province. The winding, paved road passes through the small communities of Mae Ramat, Mae Sarit, Ban Tha Song Yang and Ban Sop Ngao (Mae Ngao). The thick forest in these parts still has a few stands of teak and the Karen villages continue to use the occasional work elephant.
Nam Tok Mae Kasa, between the Km13 and Km14 markers, is an attractive waterfall fronting a cave. There’s also a hot spring in the nearby village of Mae Kasa.
In Mae Ramat, don’t miss Wat Don Kaew, behind the district office, which houses a large Mandalay-style marble Buddha.
At Km58, after a series of roadblocks, you’ll pass the immense refugee village of Mae La where it’s estimated that 60,000 Burmese refugees live. The village is at least 3km long and takes a couple of minutes to drive past, bringing home the significant refugee problem that Thailand faces.
There are extensive limestone caverns at Tham Mae Usu, at Km94 near Ban Tha Song Yang (there’s another village of the same name further north). From the highway it’s a 2km walk to Tham Mae Usu; note that it’s closed in the rainy season, when the river running through the cave seals off the mouth.
At the northern end of Tak province, you