Paranoid Planet strikes again...

In a town a few valleys away from Doi Mae Salong is Thoet Thai.  This was the stronghold of the opium barron/warlord Khun Sa.  His old home and camp is still there presented as a small museum.  Mr Ho, the owner of Shin Sane, told me there is a road through the mountains to get there.  So, I went on the internet and plotted a route using google maps.  I put this on my GPS, which I am still frustrated about, intending to use it as a navigational guide.  Hmphf!


I'd read in my Paranoid Planet (Lonely Planet) that its not advised to go hiking in the mountains as   a foreigner might be confused with a DEA agent from America by the drug smugglers or a drug dealer looking to make a deal by the Thai Army.  I went out and put this theory to the test.


I got lost along the way and couldn't find the path I was supposed to be on for some time.  I think I did cross a once was poppy field tucked away in a hidden valley.  But I couldn't find anyone that resembled a drug smuggler or a Thai Army personal.  I guess I was lucky.


A the Khun Sa Old Camp I met an eccentric monk who had been a member of Khun Sa's army.  His recollection of Khun Sa is of a good guy that did a lot to help the people in the area.


Because of being lost for a time I was late in getting to Thoet Thai and had to spend the night there.


ps  By my experience I've had an excellent and memorable time going to places Paranoid Planet advises not to go.