Last Saturday, we arrived at the far reaches of Thailand – far west – on the border of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. The city of Mae Sot is bustling, international, and unsuspectingly cool.

Not many tourists venture out this far, which is exactly why we wanted to go!

Located just across the border with Burma, Mae Sot has felt the result of the military dictatorship that has ruled Burma since 1962. Due to repression and civil war, hundreds of thousands of Burmese came to Thailand for safety, work, and to take advantage of better education and health-care. Visiting Mae Sot and spending money here gives you the opportunity to do some good: support the local economy that’s made up of Burmese immigrants and refugees.

John and I have been making more of an effort to seek out responsible tourism. It gives us the opportunity to give back while getting an amazing experience that’s often more authentic than any typical resort. This was John’s 2nd trip to Mae Sot. He visited Mae Sot 3 years ago when he visited Thailand by himself. He fell in love with the town and these places mentioned below and took me to them because he knew I’d love them too – and I did! He knows me so well 

If you decide to road trip out to Mae Sot, there are three absolutes that I recommend:

• Stay at Picturebook Guest House

• Visit Borderline Café

• Eat Ice Cream at Home of Ice

Our stay at Picturebook Guest House was like something out of a fairy tale – magnificent hanging orchid growing out of the sides of trees and succulents lining the garden. As you walk through the grounds, big, bright, beautiful butterflies flutter from flower to flower, making you wonder if you’ve accidentally walked upon a butterfly garden. Roosters caw from neighboring houses, it’s charming, and definitely a great place to relax for a few days.

Picturebook Guest House is a social enterprise created by The Youth Connect Foundation. They’re a sustainable business created in response to the growing need for employment of Mae Sot youth. They help train immigrants and refugees in the hospitality industry to help increase their employability. Staying at the Picturebook Guest House allows you to give back to the community while also getting the best quality of services available.

A basic breakfast is included, and we recommend that you get the “pancakes”. They’re more like crepes, but when you drizzle their local honey on them, they taste simply divine .

Our stay was extraordinary, we had friendly and attentive staff, clean rooms, and an inspiring atmosphere. They’re also not technically dog-friendly, but we called ahead and explained that we really wanted to stay there, and they were flexible in letting us stay there with Daisy for two nights. She loved it. Her favorite thing was rolling around on the bed and sunbathing on the balcony. I would absolutely stay at Picturebook Guest House again .

They also have a sister property called the Passport Hotel which is also located in Mae Sot.

Borderline Café was so good that we ate there twice during our stay in Mae Sot – and even a week later – I’m still dreaming about their food . The Café also doubles as a handicraft shop and art gallery that supports Burmese immigrants and refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border. The Borderline handicraft shop is a curated marketplace for Burmese women living along the Thai-Burma border to sell their handmade items – giving them another outlet and opportunity to generate income. I bought a beautiful, handmade bag that I’m using as my camera bag and a little handmade pillow. These items are special to me now. They came with a little card with the woman’s name who made them, and I feel like even though worlds apart, we now have a connection. Check out their shop here.

Their menu consists of dishes from all over Burma, and each dish is freshly made-to-order. They also offer cooking classes that I’m absolutely devastated that we weren’t able to take. We weren’t visiting the days that they offered it. I’m honestly tempted to make the trek back to Mae Sot just to take a cooking class at Borderline…because how often do you get the chance to learn how to make Burmese food from a women’s collective? The best we could do was to buy a cookbook. I also bought a few extra cookbooks for my girlfriends back in Bangkok who also enjoy cooking! I can’t wait to give it to them.

My favorite dish was the Nam Bia Bae Biote. Nam Bia Bae Biote is a very popular dish in Burma. This is actually a traditional Burmese breakfast item. People order it with Burmese tea and that makes an ideal Burmese breakfast. Although they resemble chickpeas, they’re much smaller – giving them a nuttier, earthier, flavor. They taste less like a bean somewhere in between a nut and a grain. I hope they sell them at Whole Foods back home, because I really want to recreate this dish!

My other favorite dish were the samosas. They were light, fluffy, and stuffed with potato, onion, and seasoned with turmeric. They’re different than Indian samosas in that they are smaller and less spicy. You say samosa and I’m there – Indian or Burmese. I am a samosa lover!

Outside of the Nam Bia Bae Biote and the samosas, everything else we had was also delicious, but those two dishes stood out the most! See their menu here. It’s also worth mentioning that their menu is 100% vegetarian, and many of their dishes can be made vegan upon request!

And shout out to Home of Ice ! We were on the quest for dessert one night and stumbled upon Home of Ice. The owner is the happiest, nicest person on Earth. She has a genuine love for ice cream and takes pride in her ice cream shop! The ice-cream was also delicious and home-made. I recommend trying the green tea or the coconut – divine!

There are a lot of things to do in the Mae Sot area as well! Night markets, national parks, lots of beautiful temples and mosques. I’ll let you look these up yourself! 

Do you ever take the opportunity to participate in responsible, sustainable, or eco-tourism? Do you think that after reading this blog post you might try it? Let me know in the comments section below!