After the trip in private shared taxi (same price as the regular bus) from Hpa-an, and after a quick land border crossing, the first stop in thailand was in Mae Sot. And it resulted to be a nice surprise. The village is superclean (after one month travelling Burma) and it has many beauiful places, wats, and restaurants.
It has also a burmese touch due to the quantity of expats and refugees. And here it comes the dirty face: Thousands of them live in camps and are being exploited due to their illegal situation. The truth is that they have nothing left in Burma, and they have no choice than to rely in the many NGOs working in the zone…
There is a lot of work to do in Mae Sot, but while you enjoy the town, don’t loose the opportunity to stay and try helping them!