DOI ANG KHANG

I’D NEVER HEARD of Arunothai til I saw it on Google maps, searching for some nice mountains to ride. 120km and two hours north of Chiang Mai, it was surrounded by forests, farms, Burma. A little further north was the Doi Ang Khang Royal Agricultural Station, some bird watching spots, and the map showed a guesthouse. I was sold.
The Thai-Burma border ran through the back of town, so close that I crossed it without realising a few times. Yunnan immigrants had settled in the area I don’t know when, bringing their food, and there were Shan and Lahu villages around, as well as a Mon temple in town.
The farms around town, as well as up the road to Doi Ang Khang were incredibly green, fertile and pretty. Several spots along the road were marked for twitching, including army bases…..