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Apart from admiring the town's Burmese-style wats, there's nothing pressing to do in the outpost of MAE SARIANG , 183km from Chiang Mai, but most visitors make a day-trip to the trading post of Mae Sam Laeb , 46km to the southwest on the Salween River, on the border with Burma. It's no more than a row of bamboo stores and a riverside gambling den, but the Salween swarms with smuggling traffic and floating teak logs. Sporadic songthaews to Mae Sam Laeb (75min) leave from the bridge over the River Yuam in Mae Sariang. Buses depart from Chiang Mai's Arcade bus station and enter Mae Sariang from the east along its main street, Thanon Wiang Mai, terminating on Thanon Mae Sariang, one of two north-south streets. The other road, Laeng Phanit, parallels the Yuam River to the west. The bone-rattling 230km south to Mae Sot is covered by songthaews (7 daily; 5hr), which makes a scenic link between the north and the central plains. The best place to stay in town is the See View Guesthouse (tel 053/681556; B200-300), which has nice rooms, dorms and bungalows across the river from the town centre; they also have an office at 70 Thanon Wiang Mai and rent mountain bikes (B40). Rooms in the traditional River Side Guesthouse, nicely located at 85 Thanon Laeng Phanit (tel 053/681188; B160), are a little cheaper. Don't be put off by the shabby appearance of the Inthira Restaurant on Thanon Wiang Mai - it's the locals' favourite, and serves excellent Thai food. Motorbikes (B150-300) can be rented from Pratin Kolakan, opposite the bus terminal.
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