Pai
Overlooking the peaceful rice paddies in Pai
After a couple of action packed days in Chiang Mai with Wiwat, we were ready for a weekend of relaxing. Wiwat had some plans that weekend, so it made for perfect timing for a long weekend in Pai.
Wiwat seemed a bit skeptical of our choice of Pai. Apparently Pai has a reputation of being the place to score some opium. Ha. Hahaha. That makes me laugh. If there were any two people that not only were unlikely to know about the drug trade there but also be the last to seek it out, it would be us. (My friend Anita says that if it weren't for my tattoos, I would be the vice president (she's the president, of course) of the "Straighty 180 Club".) Our parents should be pleased to know that we couldn't get much straighter, at least compared to some of the heathens we work with.... Me and Kyle going to a little village to smoke some opium? Haha. What a funny notion.
Anyways, still being an incredibly accommodating host, Wiwat picked us up early to drop us at the bus station for our minivan to Pai. (We ended up on the minivan rather than the bus I think mainly because Wiwat thought the bus didn't sound very luxurious. Brings a smile to my face. (He would've been horrified to see some of our transportation options a couple weeks ago in India.)
Spotting a very basic gas station en route to Pai
After a short 3+ hours on a very windy road, we were in the lovely little town of Pai. With only 3000 permanent residents, it is thought of as a hippy town probably mainly due to the backpackers that arrive into town and decide they don't want to leave. I didn't imagine that we would fall into that category until we arrived to our accommodation.
By recommendation of our friends Ed & Nicky whom we had met in Bolivia, we booked in a hut at Pai Chan (http://www.paichan.com/). Unfortunately our booking got messed up for the first night which meant we were squished into a double bed, but we were assured that we would be moved to the larger bungalow the next morning. A bit tight, but it was only for one night.
Our view from our small room was green and secluded
After dropping off our gear, the first thing on the agenda were cold beers and some tasty Thai noodles next to the pool. There is nothing wrong with a little "flashpacking". Places like this definitely help soften the disturbing memories of a few of the less memorable places...
Our view of the pool and the paddies
Enjoying a sweet Thai iced tea with our lunch
Then we did the next sensible thing to do on a lazy afternoon in Pai - hired a scooter and drove up to one of the nearby waterfalls.
We managed to get a not to0 dodgy scooter at 100 baht per day (just over $3), but as always, it comes with a caveat.
Brief synopsis of the interaction at the scooter hire shop -
"Oh, you want helmet?"
"Uh, yes please."
"How about this one? It's blue and looks nice."
(Thinking to myself - Unfortunately this one is big enough to fit two of my heads in, but I have a sneaking suspicious, which has just been confirmed that it's the only size they have. Ah, Thai safety standards. Helmet shmelmet. Well, let's keep this baby upright Kyle.)
At least one of the helmets fit
We popped on our helmets (with mine hanging at the back of my neck like a cowboy hat) and we were off to explore. We had no idea where we were going and no map, but there weren't many roads in town. Pretty tough to get too lost!
As we got further and further about the twisty roads through the rice paddies, women would pop out from the little huts near the road and yell something at us. It took a couple of instances before we realized that they were trying to sell us opium. Ah, it is easy to find here.
Without too much trouble, we found the waterfall we set out to find. It was lovely and was filled with locals splashing around and a few daring backpackers using the steep rocks as a makeshift slippery slide. It looked fun, but if there were any sharp bits on those rocks, you wouldn't want to be waiting for a scooter ambulance with 5 people on it to take you and your ripped up backside down to the nearest medical center (which was likely to be 3 hours back to Chiang Mai). Maybe we'll pass today. A lovely setting though.
Others enjoying a swim
The rainbow that we saw on the winding road back to town
To round out a nice relaxing day, we had a big American-sized burger for dinner. (A local burger joint that was owned and operated by an ex-American army man who made his home here after being stationed somewhere nearby. Probably not a rarity story, but he did make some tasty burgers!)
In the morning, as promised, we were upgraded to the large bungalow with the views on the rice paddies that we'd been hoping for. How divine.
Our bungalow next to the pool
Our view - picture perfect
Relaxing in our bungalow and catching up on some journaling
As it seemed appropriate, we let the feel of the place dictate what we got up to for the next few days, ie not much. You just can't be in a hurry in Pai. It's was hot and humid so it was conducive to relaxing, absorbing the quiet and serenity and just chilling out. We loved it.
Loving the scenery out of the city
One of our beverages of choice to fight the heat
It's such a tough life here (the guardian of the house at Pai Chan)
Enjoying the scenery around our little bungalow...
Of course, in between relaxing and napping, we scooted around to enjoy the local scenery.
The huts & rice paddies next to our bungalow
Kyle with his big yellow scooter
Another lovely rainbow
Bridge
The bridge is only used for foot traffic now and stands as a monument
A couple elephants (and their trainers) making their way along one of the back roads
A common sight - trucks loaded as full as they can get
The temple on the hill
Other favorite spots around town
Our favorite coffee place. Great to duck into when you get caught in unexpected rain shower!
We didn't actually have coffee at this one, but the view and the gardens were very pretty.
Yes, of course we'll have another one. We're in Pai. What else are we going to do?
Just as we were on the way out of town, we stopped in to take a look around at the temple just next to the bus station.
A very emaciated-looking buddha. (I can't remember the story of this one.)
It was pretty obvious to us that these few days were not about seeing the sights, but rather recharging our batteries and that was definitely accomplished. We felt much better for our stay in Pai.
