Mae Salong: Tea, Yunnan Kitchens and the Story of Santikhiri

Mae Salong’s morning market is winding down by the time many day-trippers leave Chiang Rai. Arrive the evening before and you can see the produce trade around dawn; come for the day and tea shops, a Yunnan lunch and the town’s memorials still make a substantial visit.

The settlement is officially Santikhiri, in Mae Salong Nok subdistrict, Mae Fa Luang district, Chiang Rai province. Doi Mae Salong is the mountain name, while Mae Salong remains the familiar name for the town and surrounding tea country. Mae Salong Nai is a different subdistrict. Keep สันติคีรี and ดอยแม่สลอง with your saved map pins: similarly named temples, plantations and hotels are not necessarily next door.

Much of the settlement sits roughly 1,100–1,200 metres above sea level, below the upper chedi at about 1,500 metres. Houses follow a ridge and roads drop away from it. A short distance on a map can involve a considerable climb, so central shops are a different walking proposition from scattered estates or hilltop monuments.

Dawn produce, daytime tea shops

The small morning market near Shin Sane Guesthouse serves residents and people arriving from surrounding villages. Go around dawn and before about 8am for its main activity; individual stalls do not all keep identical hours. Later, the roadside market and the shops around the kilometre marker give you a different outing: tea, preserved foods, souvenirs and goods sold through the day. Missing dawn does not mean finding the whole town shut.

Look beyond packets of tea. Dried plums, shiitake mushrooms, fermented tofu and Yunnan-style ham connect the shops with the kitchens. Some goods are brought in from elsewhere, so ask where something was made if local origin matters to you. Osmanthus flowers, called hom muen li, also appear among the tea products; they are used to scent oolong. Before taking food gifts abroad, especially meat or plant products, check the destination’s customs and biosecurity rules.

For textiles and handicrafts, ask the seller who made the item and whether it is locally produced. Agree a price before buying, and ask before taking someone’s portrait. A market transaction does not include permission to photograph the seller or their children.

Street art adds a newer layer to the town. Artists from Taiwan worked with Chiang Rai Rajabhat University on murals here, bringing a contemporary collaboration into streets already shaped by Chinese-language signs and Yunnan businesses. Leave time to notice the painted walls between shops rather than treating them as a separate attraction with an opening hour.

How a military settlement became a tea town

After the Communist victory in China in 1949, remnants of Nationalist Kuomintang forces withdrew from Yunnan into Burma, now Myanmar. Some later moved into northern Thailand. General Tuan Shi-wen’s group settled at Mae Salong in the early 1960s. Their relationship with the Thai state included military service against communist insurgents, while the armed groups were also involved in the region’s opium economy. The tea landscape belongs to a later transformation, not an unbroken story of peaceful farming.

Legal settlement happened in stages. Permission to reside in Thailand in 1972 and the issuing of identity cards in 1978 are distinct from accounts of citizenship granted after military service in 1982. Santikhiri, commonly translated as “hill of peace,” expresses the settlement’s changed public identity; it does not erase the years of conflict.

Agricultural change also required knowledge, planting material and markets. Taiwanese assistance brought agricultural training and cultivars used for Taiwanese-style oolong, alongside Thai efforts to replace opium-based livelihoods. Tea could become a commercial crop because growers learned how to cultivate and process it, not simply because the mountain was cool. That connection helps explain why a community with roots in Yunnan sells teas labelled Jin Xuan and Soft Stem rather than being defined solely by Yunnan’s better-known pu’er tradition.

Santikhiri’s Chinese heritage is prominent, but the wider area is home to several communities, including Akha and Lahu, as well as Mien (Yao). Family histories, languages and identities differ.

Two places that remember the former soldiers

Chinese Martyrs’ Memorial Museum

In the memorial’s Chinese-style hall, the wooden spirit tablets name deceased soldiers, including those who died in combat and those who died of natural causes. The museum rooms do different jobs: the left-hand exhibition follows the soldiers’ journey and military history through photographs, objects and models of battlefields and marching routes; rooms to the right describe relief assistance, including supplies and education support. Reading those rooms together makes the settlement’s development easier to follow than a quick circuit of the courtyard.

This is also a place of community remembrance. Its emphasis on sacrifice, service to Thailand and assistance from Taiwan presents a particular account of belonging. Keep the wider history of displacement and the opium trade in mind while looking at that commemorative narrative. The memorial is valuable partly because it shows how the community remembers its past, rather than providing a detached account of every side of the conflict.

The published museum listing gives daily hours of 8am–5pm and admission of 30 baht for Thai visitors and 50 baht for foreigners. These are planning figures, not a guarantee of the cashier’s arrangements on your visit. This charge belongs to the museum; it is not a fee for entering Santikhiri or the hilltop chedi. Ask about children’s admission separately.

General Tuan Shi-wen’s tomb

Tuan’s tomb is reached by a narrow, steep concrete road and a staircase above the village. Ask about visiting hours, the current drop-off and the remaining climb if mobility is limited. Inside the white Chinese-style pavilion, the marble tomb stands beneath a portrait of the general, with historical photographs adding context.

Dragons flank the stairway, and a large gold Chinese character associated with good fortune forms part of the approach. Tuan is remembered locally not only as a military commander but as a leader involved in schools, farming and infrastructure. That helps explain why this is a place of respect for the community, beyond its view over the rooftops. There is no guaranteed guide waiting to interpret it for visitors.

Understanding the tea before choosing a plantation

Green, oolong and black tea can all come from Camellia sinensis. Processing, especially oxidation, creates much of the difference. For green tea, heat is applied early to halt the enzymes responsible for oxidation. Oolong is partly oxidised; black tea is more fully oxidised. The “fermentation” mentioned on many tea descriptions usually refers to this enzymatic oxidation, rather than the microbial fermentation used to make some other foods.

For oolong, picked leaves are withered to lose moisture, then agitated or bruised so oxidation develops. Heating stops that stage; rolling shapes the leaves, and drying prepares them for storage. Sorting and packing follow. Those steps make a tasting more intelligible even when a factory is closed: the same hillside can supply leaves that become quite different finished teas.

No. 12, often labelled Jin Xuan, and No. 17, often sold as Soft Stem, are useful names to recognise. They identify plant varieties, not a universal strength or quality grade. A producer may also sell red oolong or other processing styles. I’d compare two clearly labelled teas with the seller explaining the difference, rather than choosing purely by the biggest number or the most ornate tin.

Osmanthus and jasmine teas are different scented products. Ask whether flowers or other ingredients have been added, especially if you want an unscented tea or have an allergy. Shops also carry green and black teas, herbal products and brewing equipment. A shop’s “organic” or health-related wording is not proof that every packet has independent certification or a medical benefit.

During a tasting, notice the aroma, mouthfeel and aftertaste, and try another infusion if it is offered. Ask how much leaf, what water temperature and what steeping time the seller recommends for that particular tea. Bringing those instructions home is more useful than assuming every rolled oolong should be brewed identically. Establish whether the tasting is complimentary or charged before settling in.

Compare the net weight and price of the tea you actually tasted. A small packet is a sensible purchase if you are uncertain about brewing it at home. Keep the leaves sealed, dry and away from sunlight or strong smells. If buying a teapot or infuser, check how it pours, how it will be packed and whether it suits the amount of tea you normally make.

101 Tea Plantation

101 permits plantation walks and tastings, but its processing rooms are restricted for hygiene and confidentiality. It currently offers no guided factory tours, and production dates vary. Arrange group visits and any charges in advance, and ask before entering work areas or photographing workers.

The restaurant welcomes outside diners as well as overnight guests. Its Thai and Yunnan menu includes vegetarian choices; discuss dietary needs beforehand. A willingness to discuss halal food is not certification. The restaurant page and FAQ disagree on evening closing, so arrange dinner directly.

Wang Put Tan and other producers

Wang Put Tan is a different tea producer from 101. Its range includes oolong and black teas, and named products have won awards, including Sweet Blossom Oolong at the 2025 Golden Leaf Awards. That gives a tea enthusiast a concrete reason to compare its products with another grower’s. An award for one tea is not a ranking of every drink or packet sold under the brand.

Wang Put Tan’s entrance is marked by large Chinese lions and a teapot. Its production premises are separate from the visitor areas; ask before entering.

WATA KHIRI at the Wang Put Tan plantation and Wang Put Tan Boutique Hotel are separate accommodation names. Use the exact property name and booking pin, especially when arranging a pickup. A reservation at one should not be treated as a reservation at the other.

Chok Chamroen, also written Choke Chamroen, is the producer behind Emerald Thai Tea. Its range includes Jin Xuan, Soft Stem, Four Seasons and Ruby Oolong, making it a further producer to look for if you want to compare teas beyond the two best-known visitor stops. Contact the producer before planning a factory visit or tea-picking session.

The chedi above Santikhiri

Phra Boromathat Chedi Srinagarindra Sathit Maha Santi Khiri was completed in 1996 in honour of the Princess Mother, Srinagarindra. Its design adapts the older Lanna shrine at Wat Pa Sak in Chiang Saen into a larger building with usable interior floors. The stepped square bases rise from grey at the lowest level through white upper storeys to a gold bell. Arched openings, lotus-patterned stained glass and Buddha images in exterior niches reward a closer look. These openings bring daylight into the interior, giving an older architectural form a different practical purpose. An adjacent hall continues the Lanna-inspired architecture. From the chedi, the view takes in the town, tea plantations and the winding approach road.

Inside, the first level contains a life-size seated bronze image of the Princess Mother, the second her ashes, and the third Buddha relics. Ask which interiors are open during your visit.

Wat Santikhiri is the lower temple associated with the foot of the ascent; the upper chedi is another map destination. The walking route is commonly described as 718 steps. Treat that as an indication of a long stair climb, not a promise about every step on your chosen approach. Wet surfaces and the return descent deserve particular thought with children or anyone managing knee, balance or stamina difficulties.

A winding road of roughly four kilometres provides an alternative approach from the village. It avoids the full staircase, but it does not certify step-free access from the parking area through the buildings. The published visitor information lists the upper chedi as free, with daily hours of 6am–5pm. Plan a daylight visit within those hours rather than assuming a sunset photograph allows entry after closing.

Dress for a working place of worship, cover shoulders and knees, and remove shoes where requested. Keep voices low near people praying. If step-free access is essential, ask specifically about the drop-off, remaining steps and toilet route before making the climb.

Another distinct religious site is Phra That Sri Maha Pho Mongkhon Boon Chum, beside the Chinese memorial museum. Local communities and supporters worked with Kruba Boon Chum on this temple. Its revered Buddha image and a Guanyin figure facing the community give it a different devotional focus from the Princess Mother’s chedi. Combining it with the museum is geographically more sensible than confusing the two hilltop names.

Wat Phra That Santitham is different again: its modern octagonal chedi stands beside a southern approach road and can be seen from the town. It can make a short temple stop on that route.

A Yunnan meal, then an evening in town

Braised pork leg with mantou is a useful starting point for the local cuisine. The steamed wheat buns accompany the meat and its braising sauce rather than simply replacing a side of rice. Yunnan-style fried noodles offer another substantial dish: yellow noodles stir-fried with egg and vegetables such as onion, carrot and cabbage. Im Pochana is one established place associated with these dishes; do not confuse it with Nong Im Pochana when choosing a map pin.

Tea-leaf salad can be less predictable than its name suggests. One local preparation combines fresh tea leaves with tuna, onion, tomato, lemongrass and a lime dressing. It is not automatically vegetarian and is different from Myanmar’s fermented-tea-leaf salad. Dumplings and Yunnan hotpot broaden the options, but ask what is available rather than expecting every kitchen to offer the same menu. Yunnan-style khao soi is another noodle option. Check portion sizes: a shared dish and an individual bowl call for different orders. Tea eggs, hard-boiled eggs steeped in tea and soy sauce, are another snack to ask about.

Salima, often identified as Salima 2 in visitor listings, offers a Yunnan Muslim alternative. The regional tourism directory lists a Salima restaurant in Mae Salong Nok as serving halal food; this is useful for finding it, but anyone requiring certification should verify that with the restaurant. Do not accidentally use the separate Salima listing in Chiang Rai city.

Yang Ming is a small option known for vegetarian versions of Thai dishes, including curries and stir-fries. State whether you avoid eggs, fish sauce, oyster sauce or meat stock rather than relying on the word “vegetarian” alone. For a severe allergy, explain the ingredient and cross-contact issue directly; a translated menu name cannot answer that.

Sweet Maesalong gives the bakery stop a different emphasis: croissants, cakes and a balcony setting, rather than another tea-shop purchase. It makes sense for a daytime pastry or coffee break. Check that it is open before going out of your way.

Xin Shi Dai Bakery, near the central guesthouse area, also serves meals. Its mix of baked goods, Thai dishes and Chinese-influenced choices can be useful when people in the same group want different food. Evening opening varies between businesses. Choose dinner while shops are still open, and establish the last order time rather than discovering after a hillside excursion that your intended kitchen has closed.

Where to sleep depends on the evening you want

Shin Sane and My Place put you near central food options and the morning market. Phumektawan offers mountain-facing hillside accommodation outside the centre; arrange transport if you want dinner in town.

101 Tea Green View lists scooter rental at 350 baht a day and a free village shuttle for staying guests. Check availability, rental conditions and shuttle times, especially before depending on it for the early market or dinner.

Mae Salong Villa offers Chinese-style garden accommodation with balconies, fan and air-conditioned categories, and a family category for up to four people. That gives families a concrete option to investigate, but occupancy is not a bed plan. Confirm the number and width of beds, any extra-bed charge and whether the advertised arrangement suits the ages of your children.

Some listings for Baan Hom Muen Li and Mae Salong Mountain Home describe particular rooms with balconies or a Jacuzzi. Those are room-category features, not facilities to assume throughout either property. Twins Farm is another small-resort option, with breakfast delivery described in its listing. If one of these features is the reason for booking, obtain confirmation for the exact room and dates, including whether breakfast is included.

Before paying, settle the unphotogenic details too: stairs between parking and the room, bathroom privacy, reliable hot water, child safety on balconies, and access to meals. Ask about parking, luggage help, check-in and checkout, cancellation terms and the cost of transfers. A room’s low headline rate is not the whole cost if you must hire a vehicle each time you eat.

For remote work, ask about the connection inside the room you would book, a suitable table, power sockets and mobile reception as a backup. “Wi-Fi available” does not tell you whether a video call will work there. Anyone with a mobility or dietary requirement should agree the necessary arrangements before booking, not after reaching the mountain. Prices change with dates and room categories; an old starting price is not a dependable winter-weekend budget.

Getting up from Chiang Rai

From Chiang Rai city, allow roughly 60–75 kilometres and 1½–2 hours before sightseeing stops. There are two approach corridors to keep separate: Pa Sang, north of Mae Chan on Highway 1, gives access to Route 1130; Mae Chan connects westward to Route 1089 and the uphill junction around Kiu Satai. Route 1234 serves the final approach into Santikhiri. Choose the corridor that fits your departure point and planned stops, rather than mixing their junctions into one set of directions.

Fill up before the mountain section, usually in the Mae Chan area. Curves, fog and a slow vehicle ahead can change the driving time considerably. For a private pickup, send the exact terminal or hotel pin, arrival time and mountain property to the driver.

Coming from Chiang Mai via Fang and Thaton makes this part of a longer northern journey. It is not the same outing as a day trip from Chiang Rai. If travelling without a vehicle, arrange the separate connections and the final mountain leg; an old account of a Thaton songthaew is not confirmation of a through service on your date.

Bus and songthaew

Start enquiries at Chiang Rai Bus Terminal 1 for the northern services towards Mae Chan or Mae Sai. Tell staff you need the transfer for Mae Salong. Mae Chan town and the Pa Sang highway turnoff are different places, so do not accept those names as interchangeable pickup instructions. Ask whether a through service is operating on your date, where it departs and where it drops you; otherwise, confirm the separate mountain connection.

A local accommodation operator publishes shared-truck departures from Mae Chan at 9am and 1pm, with departures down from Mae Salong at 7:30am, 11am and 3pm, at about 100 baht per person each way. Treat these as provisional planning information, not a carrier-confirmed timetable. Ask where to board, whether the service is running and where it will drop you, and confirm the return before going up.

A shared seat and a chartered truck are different purchases. For a charter, agree the whole-vehicle price, passenger and luggage capacity, route, waiting time and return pickup. Photograph or save the agreed meeting location. If a driver takes you to a distant plantation, make clear whether they are waiting or whether you must arrange another ride back.

101’s published transfers cost 1,200 baht one way or 2,000 baht return from Chiang Rai city or the airport, for up to two adults without sightseeing. Confirm eligibility, luggage and payment when booking. This is one property’s offer, not a mountain-wide taxi tariff.

A ride-hailing app may find a driver for an uphill trip from Chiang Rai, but that does not promise an available car for your mountain return. Confirm the return arrangement before relying on an app as your only transport. The same applies to a late arrival: a visible destination pin is not evidence that a driver will accept it.

Riding and local travel

Riders need the correct vehicle-category licence and any international permit required for that licence and nationality. Confirm insurance for your intended riding and engine size. Both rider and passenger need properly fitting helmets. Never leave your passport as rental security.

Inspect tyres, brakes and lights before leaving, and do not use a larger engine as a substitute for experience. Wet bends, steep descents and poor visibility can defeat an otherwise short itinerary. If those conditions are beyond your ability, arrange a car with a driver.

Arrange local rentals before you need them. A bicycle avoids an engine, not the climbs or traffic: consider your fitness, braking ability and the uphill return before setting off. Walking works for a central shopping circuit; for outlying stops, decide how you will get home as well as how you will get there.

Dates, flowers and visibility

November through February is the main cool-season window. Bring a warm layer for early starts and exposed viewpoints, and expect busier weekends and holidays. Book ahead if you need a particular family room or accessible arrangement. Cool mountain mornings do not mean every afternoon is cold.

Wild Himalayan cherry, or nang phaya suea khrong, supplies the pink winter blossom often advertised as Thai sakura. The trees flower before their later fruiting season; their small fruit is sour, so this is not a sweet-cherry-picking trip. The upper chedi is one place to look for the flowers around Mae Salong. January is a useful time to watch local flowering reports, but the display depends on sustained cool weather. Confirm what is flowering shortly before travelling rather than assuming the trees will be in bloom throughout winter.

Expect rain broadly May–October, sometimes beyond; it need not wait until afternoon. Heavy rain can make steps slippery and cause landslides, damaged roads or closures. Check the Thai Meteorological Department and local road advice, changing plans when conditions deteriorate.

Dry-season haze can obscure the view and make outdoor activity unhealthy, including outside a narrowly defined “March burning season.” Check Air4Thai close to departure and during the trip. A clear promotional photograph says nothing about the day’s air. If pollution is high, reducing outdoor exertion or changing dates is more sensible than climbing to another viewpoint in search of a clearer photograph.

Mae Salong’s tea and cultural festival brings growers and community traditions together. The 27th edition, held from late December 2024 into January 2025, advertised a tea-quality contest, community cooking competitions and ethnic cultural performances. That explains its appeal beyond buying a cup of tea. Check the current programme with Mae Salong Nok’s local authority before planning around the next edition. Chinese New Year is another local tradition; ask about its own dates and activities rather than assuming it coincides with the tea festival.

Occasional plantation dining events have been promoted separately from ordinary restaurant service. A photograph of a set table among the tea bushes does not mean you can arrive for that experience any evening; special dates, reservations and group conditions need to be confirmed.

Putting the visit together

For a day trip with a car, arrive for tea and time on the permitted plantation paths, then eat in Santikhiri and browse the shops. The museum adds historical context; the upper chedi adds the climb and mountain view. Put the stop that matters most to you before the afternoon begins to slip away, and leave enough daylight for the descent. A normal breakfast-time departure from Chiang Rai will miss the dawn market.

Without private transport, build the afternoon backwards from the confirmed return truck. Finish near its pickup point rather than at a distant estate, and keep some margin for getting there. The provisional 3pm departure is a reason to verify your options, not to book an immovable onward connection around it.

Arrive in the afternoon for a tasting and the museum, then have dinner in town. Save the market for dawn and the chedi for after breakfast, subject to weather and opening hours. A second plantation is most rewarding when you want to compare actual teas or growers, rather than repeat the same photograph.

A longer stay becomes useful if you are arranging a community visit, want sustained time with tea producers, or intend to make the separate trips below. Price the trip in parts: the city or airport transfer, local transport and waiting time, accommodation, meals, drinks, tea purchases and any paid admission. There is no single Mae Salong ticket that covers them all. Keep a transport reserve rather than spending the last cash on souvenirs.

Beyond the town: choose the direction first

Choui Fong’s visitor plantation and cafés are in the Mae Chan area, below Mae Salong. The company’s history also reaches into Doi Phaya Phrai in Mae Fa Luang. That original growing area is a different destination from its two visitor cafés. Save the Mae Chan café pin. This can fit the Pa Sang side of a drive, but it is not automatically on every route up the mountain.

Pa Tueng Hot Springs lie west of Mae Chan and can fit an approach using Route 1089. The regional listing gives general opening hours of 9am–6pm and free admission. That does not establish the availability or price of a particular bath, so ask about bathing separately. These are not Mae Khachan Hot Springs on the main Chiang Mai–Chiang Rai road.

Thoet Thai and Khun Sa’s old camp

Thoet Thai, formerly Hin Taek, has a different military history from Santikhiri. It was a base of Khun Sa, the Shan leader whose army was financed through the drug trade, before Thai forces drove his troops out in 1982. His former compound now contains displays about his life, the narcotics business and Shan history, as well as representations of local communities. It should not be mistaken for Mae Salong’s Chinese Martyrs’ Memorial.

The old camp gives a reason to make this separate journey, but current building access and someone to open the exhibits should be arranged locally before setting out. Allow time for the winding roads and for the town itself; a straight-line distance from Santikhiri is not a useful measure of the outing.

Hua Mae Kham and Doi Tung

Hua Mae Kham, in Mae Salong Nai, is a separate mountain outing. Its yellow Mexican sunflowers, or bua tong, usually flower around November, unlike Mae Salong’s pink winter cherry blossom. Lisu and other communities live here. Allow a day for the slow, winding journey. Confirm current flowering and road conditions locally, especially after heavy rain.

Doi Tung’s Royal Villa and Mae Fah Luang Garden make another mountain outing. The villa combines Lanna and Swiss-chalet influences, while the hillside garden centres on flowers and landscaped planting. These are substantial visits in their own right; give them their own time and check admission arrangements separately.

Community visits south of Mae Salong

Hloyo, also written Lor Yo, is an Akha community in Pa Tueng subdistrict of Mae Chan district. Upland rice cultivation, gardens and local knowledge of the surrounding forest are part of its livelihood, alongside some homestay activity. A visit arranged with a host can explain those connections better than driving through to collect portraits. Agree what the visit includes, who will guide you, meals, payment and language support.

Earthen-house accommodation has been associated with Hloyo, but it is not a description of every home or a guarantee of a room available now. Ask the host about the actual house and facilities. Ritual gates and ceremonial swings have religious and communal meanings; do not touch, climb or use them as photo props without explicit permission.

Ban Pa Kha Suk Jai, south of Santikhiri, offers another example of an Akha community with a working agricultural economy. Alongside its relationship with forest and cultivated land, coffee is a documented livelihood: growers sell processed beans into wider markets and roasted coffee directly. Arrange a visit around a willing host or producer rather than assuming the village is an open-air museum.

Nearby Ban Pana is also a coffee-producing village. Arrange any village visit or café stop with a host before travelling. Modern houses and shops are part of community life, not a loss of authenticity. Everyday clothing belongs here too. Do not expect residents to wear traditional dress or perform for a passing visitor.

Community land can include cultivated fields, everyday-use woodland and protected ritual forest. A path on a map does not explain which space you are entering. For a longer walk, agree the actual route with a host, including permissions, the surface after rain and your way back. Carry water and leave enough daylight. Leave the route and expected return time with someone, especially if you may lose mobile coverage.

Small preparations that matter

Carry cash in small notes and a backup payment method; do not make the day depend on a particular ATM working. Save offline maps, the Thai names of your accommodation and pickup points, and your host’s contact details. A charged phone and power bank help, but a screenshot is useful when mobile reception drops.

Pack a warm layer, rain protection, water, sun protection and shoes that grip on uneven or wet ground. Keep the day’s food and drink plan practical when travelling between outlying places. Good light is worth waiting for only when the site remains open and the journey back is still sensible.

For a medical emergency call 1669; tourist police are on 1155. Keep your insurer’s assistance number too. Rural medical facilities and response times can be limited, so these numbers are not a promise of immediate help on a remote road. Discuss important health, access or dietary needs with your accommodation before travelling.

Mae Salong’s proximity to Myanmar does not by itself mean the village is closed to visitors. Border security and crossing rules are separate matters that can change. Follow local instructions at checkpoints and check current travel advice before venturing towards border areas; do not treat a nearby line on the map as an invitation to cross it.