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Nong Jong Kham Lake, Mae Hong Son

Mae Hong Son, Thailand – Quiet Mae Hong Son, beset by green mountains and surrounding a small lake, isn’t know for its food.  In this small town, residents are early risers who tend to eat dinner at home so restaurants and street stalls are more limited than elsewhere, but if you mimic the town’s routine, you can eat well for very little.  

Breakfast: Some of the best travel advice I received was to hang out in the markets and that’s just what I did when I arrived at Mae Hong Son at 5:00 a.m. bleary-eyed after a 9-hour bus ride that twisted and turned across mountain roads.  At the town’s local market, located on Th Phanit Wattana, the action is early, really early. Between 5:00-7:00 a.m. saffron-swathed monks from local wats walk the streets gathering food and that’s when the market is at its busiest. Get there early to grab some freshly fried dough, which you can dip in sweet coffee while watching shoppers buy produce and flowers.  You can also get a bowl of rice noodle soup or rice porridge with egg, slivers of ginger and scallions, and crispy noodles.  Colorful Thai desserts in whites, pinks and greens get snatched up before 9 a.m. so it’s worth picking up a few before settling into breakfast. Or purchase some custard apples or bananas for snacking on later.

Coffee or Tea? You get both. Mae Hong Son Market

Rice Porridge Vendor, Mae Hong Son Market

Mon (Thai Dessert), Mae Hong Son Market

Lunch: You can return to the market for lunch, by which time it is much quieter and some of the stalls have sold out, and settle into a seat for noodle soup, curry or fried chicken.  Or wander off the town’s main streets, where open-air restaurants are serving noodle soups and grilled meats.  I had a delicious Issan lunch of moist grilled chicken, sticky rice and spicy papaya salad while chatting with a local tour guide, who told me that some Thai girls eat only papaya salad for dinner to stay thin. Crazy talk.

Fish Broth Noodle Soup, Mae Hong Son Market (I actually had this for breakfast, but it’s available at lunch and unfortunately it was either too dark or I was too distracted to get any lunch pictures.)

Dinner: There is a dinner market from 5:00-7:30 p.m. up the street from the town’s market on Th Phanit Wattana, where residents pick up food to take home.  There is no seating or dinnerware, but you can snack on waffles, cut fruit, grilled meats and desserts.  Better yet, pick up a bowl, Chinese spoon, soup spoon and fork earlier in the day so that you can taste some of the saucier offerings.  I got mine for 23 baht (about $0.68) at the supply store on Th Rung Ruang Kaan Ka off of Th Khunlum Praphet across from the Toyota dealership (they’re also sold in the Mae Hong Son market).  You can grab a curry, sticky rice, noodle soup or a stir-fry and bring it to a bench by the lake or to the top of Doi Kong Mu to watch the sun set over the mountains. 

Fried Chicken, Mae Hong Son Dinner Market

Grilled Meats, Mae Hong Son Dinner Market

Deep-Fried Wontons, Mae Hong Son Dinner Market

For more pictures, click here.