utopai-thailand

Do nothing in Pai

2008-05-08T00:21:00.002+07:00

From link::roryseiter.blogspot

Four hours North of Chiang Mai lies the small village of Pai. It consists mostly of guesthouses and restaurants. A few years ago there were no ATMs, dirt roads, and sleepy locals. Then people like us arrived. We arrived by the thousands. Walking down the streets was like walking through a small Hawaiian town. There were stalls selling anything that you could want. Music was playing out of everywhere, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bob Marley, and Jack Johnson.
Every morning, Pai is blanketed in a cold mist. The people of Pai dress as if they are living at Everest base camp. Nepalese looking hats, scarves, gloves are all common in Pai. As the sun makes its entry, it slowly burns off the mist and the days get pretty warm.

Little did we know that we would be arriving in Pai for the biggest event of the year, the “Pai Music Celebration”. This was a festival that was a Vans Warped Tour, country fair, and swap meet all in one. Entry fee = about $1. There was a small stage with a local band playing Thai rock music. Then there was a big stage of a Thai band playing Bob Marley covers.

There isn’t much to do in Pai, but that is the appeal. The most popular things are trekking, elephant riding, and white water rafting. The trekking consisted of overnight camping for a couple days and we were only there for one night. The white water rafting was in a river that looked toxic. Brown and slow moving wasn’t appealing, so we opted for the elephants. Very happy that we did!

From link::roryseiter.blogspot

Other links::Nina the Lone Explorer!
About Pai - Thailand

Party Of Five

2008-05-08T00:10:00.003+07:00

From link::In The Land Of Smiles

We had a couple days to kill in familiar Bangkok before the girls arrived. After re-aquainting ourselves with the over-stimulation that is Khao Sarn Road, we dropped off a couple kilos of excess backpack weight & had an amazing Italian feast at Chatree's place, got to know modern Bangkok downtown at the malls, & lay out at Lumphini Park in front of a pond full of massive lizards that we initially assumed to be either anacondas or snakes (hey, you never know in Bangkok).

An era ended & a new chapter began when the girls joined us on the other side of the world- we officially went on a vacation from our vacation. Conveniently we decided not to acknowledge Tara & Mindy's jet lag & on their first day we dropped them at the Royal Palace, took an hour long cruise of the canals, squeezed all five of us into one tuk-tuk across town where we weaved our way through hectic chinatown, explored the uber-modern central world mall, & then head to the train station where we hopped on an overnight train bound for Chiang Mai.

Immediately after checking into our hotel we called up the same massage parlor we'd visited during our first whirl through town & arranged for them to pick us up ASAP. After being chauffered, we all changed into those same orange pajamas & sipped pandanus tea in a row while our feet were scrubbed clean. The former-inmates/current queens of massage lay us out on floor cushions & introduced Tara & Min to what Thailand really has to offer... tiger balm & all. We spent the rest of the day & into the evening perusing the Sunday walking street that had erupted outside the salon unbenounced to us. Every street inside the moated area of the city had closed down & been completely taken over by vendors offering up a unique selection of food, art, & souvenirs. It seemed nearly every person in Northern Thailand was floating through the maze.

The next day Lauren, Jenny, & I separated for the first time in months. Tara, Mindy, & I went off into the suburbs for a 7 hour intensive cooking class while Lauren & Jenny head to the Chiang Mai Zoo. While we learned & successfully made everything from heavenly mango sticky rice to drunken noodles, the girls got up close & personal with hippos & giraffes. We met up later for a cruise through the Night Bazaar & a couple St. Patrick's Day beers at an Irish Pub.

Next stop: Pai. Lonely Planet's description of this Northern expat haven sucked us right in.

"The hippie trail is alive & well in Pai"

After a long, overcrowded, winding trip through the mountains of Mae Hong Son we found ourselves beyond perfect accomodations at the Golden Hut Bungalows where from the benches surrounding our patio you could see the bright orange robes of monks (who we could also hear chanting at dawn) through the palm trees at their nearby wat. The town was quiet, bohemian, & fully enamored with it's own unique vibe. Small galleries sold postcards & other souvenirs baring cutesy recognition for Pai's Pai-ness...

"utoPAI"...

"insPAIration"...

"Pai in the sky"...

"Do nothing in Pai"....

We spent our first day poolside & surrounded by mountains before heading out into town to scope out the perfect spot for Jenny's birthday celebration. At the edge of town we stumbled upon Ting Tong Bar (which means "crazy... but in a good way"), a huge open air bar ran by a lively bunch of locals who promise nightly fire shows & live to entertain. We dropped word of Jenny's birthday to this fun loving bunch & extraordinarily the next day employees donning customized Ting Tong shirts passed out flyers inviting the entire town to join in the celebration of Jenny's 23rd. Strangers were actually stopping the herd of us on the street to wish Jenny a good one. While the girls found a new pool to spread out at, Tara & I spent that afternoon playing alone in a nearby river with a couple loveable elephants. We rode bareback through the countryside & got repeatedly dumped into the river as our new friend plopped himself over repeatedly. Tara had been waiting a long time to hang out with a real elephant & the experience could not have been more ideal.

0 . 2 . 8 . 4 . 0 .

That night, after a candlelit pregame with appetizers on our bungalow patio, dinner at a local restaurant, & a quick bar crawl for some cocktails & live music, we made it fashionably late & spent a memorable night at Ting Tong. Another unique 23rd birthday in Southeast Asia!

Are you Ting Tong?

The next day we left Pai behind & took a bus all the way back to Bangkok where we've been wandering for the last couple days. After a final Thai experience in the Red Light District last night, Tara flew back to the US & now the four of us have only a few hours until we get on a bus that will take us back down South where we'll spend our final weeks on the beach :)

Yet another chapter begins....

From link::In The Land Of Smiles

Other links::Hippyland, Thailand
Living with Lisu Hilltribe

UtoPai

2008-05-08T00:02:00.002+07:00

From link::2headedturtle.wordpress

They’ve got Bird Flu in Vientiane: a woman and a young girl died recently. Chickens are generally to be avoided there: Much of our time in Laos was spent barely avoiding them as they dashed across the roads.

The presence of Bird Flu may in fact explain the psychology of the suicidal road chicken, a common phenomenon across SE Asia. These silly birds dart across the road as traffic approaches, usually barely avoiding rubber in their determination to get to the other side. Why? Are they sick, depressed?

How bad, I wonder, is the incidence of suicide among Burmese chickens, now that Bird Flu has again broken out in Myanmar?

The chickens were healthy and not the least depressed in Pai, in northern Thailand, where we spent a few days (too few) before returning to Bangkok. A much greater concern in Pai is the Westerner on a motorbike.

The sidewalk eateries of Pai’s main streets are lined not with chickens awaiting the worst moment to cross a crowded street, but with wounded white people nursing bandaged heads and arms in slings, trying with difficulty to see their breakfasts through puffy, bruised eyes. A reminder of the dangers of navigating the roads and alleys in an alien driving environment – if we needed any reminder after six weeks in this motorbike-crazed part of the world.

It is said, though I don’t believe it, that five accidents a day occur in Pai – a town of little more than 4,000 – caused by Westerners who can’t handle their Vespas.

There are some mishaps, certainly. But the pathetic wounded notwithstanding (or standing at all) I figured there was no better time to learn to ride: Pai is a small, chilled-out town and the roads are generally open, and wide enough, all things considered. Also I’m very safe on the roads, as all who know me will agree. So we rented a motorbike one day and tooled around town, a first for us both, and had no mishaps besides once almost falling sideways off a bridge.

The countryside around Pai is normally dry this time of year, but this season the aridity has reached drought proportions. Dust and the smell of burning are everywhere. We buzzed up to a waterfall several kilometers outside of town: only a trickle of water spilled over the edge of the rock. Rafting trips, one of Pai’s chief industries, have been cancelled until rain comes – supposedly in April, but no one is confident anymore that that will happen. To the south, Chiang Mai is in a state of emergency because of the health-hazardous dust.

Zooming haphazardly around the sidewalk-like roads of Pai, ignoring the dust, was the most we accomplished in six days. We also mustered the energy to get a massage. It’s a nice town, admittedly overrun by touristic types but ideal for lazing around and eating well – and cheaply. Also for improving your talent for haggling: but all of SE Asia has honed that ability in us.

Not everywhere afforded us a chance to learn to pop wheelies down main street while scattering chickens, roti vendors and crippled Swedes.

Ha, ha. Kidding. About the Swedes.

Pai was a great place to relax after Hanoi, Land of Honking Horns. In an upcoming post we’ll tell you all about our adventures in northern Vietnam, mostly on four feet. In the meantime keep your wheels on the ground and your knees in the breeze. Like they do in Pai.

Places we recommend in Pai: Breeze of Pai Guesthouse; Na’s Kitchen (best food in town); Phu Pai, for coffee and great music nightly; and Bebop, for great atmosphere, and music, nightly.

From link::2headedturtle.wordpress

Hilltribe village tour around Mae Hong Son

2008-05-07T00:01:00.002+07:00

From link::cactuschild.blogspot

I decided upon a tour of the surrounding hilltribe villages for today, which i booked through Nam Rim tours. The company were recommended in the Lonely Planet, and the guide, Dam, seemed a very funny and knowledgeable guy with a fantastic grasp of the English language. He also knows a lot of the various Karen languages, and as he has a Kayan (longneck) girlfriend and used to work in Myanmar (where the Karen people have migrated from), we (me and a French lady called Francoise) did get a little bit of a more intimate and personal view of their lives.

Nai Soi Village

It costs 250THB to gain entry into the Karen village of Soryolay (or Nai Soi as it's more commonly known), yet only 10% of that goes to the Karen people themselves and the surrounding refugee camps. So they make their money selling handicrafts, which did give the village a very tourist-orientated feel.

The Kayan (longneck) people wear their rings from the age of around 5 or 6 years old. Some wear them on their limbs as well but most solely on the neck - hence the name 'longneck'. Contrary to belief, the rings do not stretch their necks; they depress the collarbone and ribcage, which gives the impression of the neck being unnaturally stretched. The rings around the neck can weigh up to 14kg but the normal weight of the ones worn by an adult woman is 5-6kg. The rings are only taken off 9 times in the women's lives : to change them as the collarbone and ribcage become more depressed.

The rings are worn for 3 reasons :

1.
To make the women look beautiful
2.
To warn off the interest of Thai men
3.
To distinguish them from other hilltribes

Also in the Nai Soi village live Kaya (red Karen) and Kayew (long eared Karen). There is a school in the village where the children learn Karen, Thai, Burmese and English languages. The villagers are a mixture of Buddhist and Christian religions so you will see both temples and churches existing side by side.

A great deal of time on the tour was spent in Nai Soi but we also visited a nearby Shan (Thai Yai) village which is part of the Royal Project for the King and Queen. The Shan cultivate coffee and tea and avocados in place of opium and the women spend their time making embroidery. The King and Queen have instigated the supply of electricity and fresh water to the village so that these projects can be undertaken more successfully.

Hmong Village of Huai Mae Korsom

After lunch and the best cup of coffee i've had in Thailand at the Shan village, we visited a local Hmong tribe. Their houses (made of wood or thatch) sit on the ground. Their belief system is Animism (taken from the latin word 'anima' meaning 'breath' or 'soul') and is a belief that a soul or spirit exists in every object, even if it is inanminate. Pologamy is also poermitted in the Hmong tribe, so some men have up top 4 wives.

Mae Aw
Mae Aw is 22km north of Mae Hong Son, on a mountain peak at the Myanmar border. Mae Aw is it's Chinese name, as it's a Chinese KMT settlement, but it's name has recently been changed to Ban Rak Thai (Thai loving village). There's not a lot to do here other than drink lots of tea (we tried Green, Jasmine & Udong) but the surrounding scenery is stunning.
Tham Pla (Fish Cave)

Tham Pla is a water-filled cavern in the Tham Pla National Park, where hundreds of Soro brook carp thrive. They grow to 1 metre in length and are found only in the provinces of Mae Hong Son, Ranong, Chiang Mai, Rayong, Chanthanaburi and Kanchanaburi. There's also a shrine centered around a statue of the Hindu rishi called Nara, said to protect the holy fish from danger. Just at the start of the walk up to Than Pla are several (it's difficult to tell how many as they're all entwined together) Monkey Ladders, which - until now - i never knew existed other than as a strange and interesting product you could buy from The Pier back in the UK!

Photo is of a Kayan (longneck) women with baby, Nai Soi, Nr Mae Hong Son।

From link::cactuschild.blogspot

Other links::The life of Pai
Lovepaihome

The life of Pai

2008-05-06T23:52:00.002+07:00

From link::cactuschild.blogspot

There seemed to be more people eager to leave Pai than were arriving : had a struggle finding my way off the bus through the crowds getting on! I also had a struggle finding somewhere to stay within my price range : i must have wandered around Pai's traveller-filled streets for about an hour and asked in about 20 guesthouses, all of which were full. I finally settled upon one (The Swan guesthouse) a little over my budget of 200THB per night but as i basically have my own apartment (missing any kind of furniture in what should be the lounge!) then 250THB isn't bad considering!

Once i had settled into my accommodation, i took the east road out of Pai, to reach the temple on the hill (Wat Phra Tat Mae Yin) in time for sunset. There are several guesthouses, eateries and quality handicraft shops you pass on the walk out, which are well worth checking out. The view from the temple, of the surrounding valleys, is pretty awesome, especially if you catch it just at the right time as the sun is disappearing behind the clouds, giving the sky a wonderful orange hue.

Today i decided to make the 8km (i'm sure it was more than 8km!) journey up to Nam Tok Mo Paeng waterfall, and stop of at a Lahu and Lisu village on the way back. I'm very relieved now that i decided to hire a bike for the experience, as although it was all uphill on the way there (i ended up pushing my bike for much of the time!), it was a breeze on the bike on the way down! I had to keep my hands on the brakes for the majority of the journey to prevent myself from tumbling rather violently into the nearby rice field!

I'm not sure the waterfall was worth the physical effort it took to finally reach it, but it was a pleasant place to do a spot of sunbathing (you can also swim in the pools if you remember your costume, which i didn't!) and the scenery along the route up was beautiful : lots of rice fields, banana trees and sugar cane plantations in lush green valleys. I failed to locate the Lahu village and there were more Lisu people in Pai than there were in the Lisu village! Moreover, it wasn't the kind of village prepared for tourists so i didn't feel comfortable playing voyeur and snooping around in these people's lives. So i returned the bike and spent the remainder of the afternoon perusing Pai's art shops.

This evening there was a powercut in town so all the streets were candlelit, creating a lovely peaceful atmosphere. However, businesses continued as normal : shopowners served by candlelight, restauranters cooked by candlelight, the only traders made redundant were the internet cafes! I had a delicious meal, eaten by the light of the oil lamp on the table before me, at Ginger's house, a vegetarian restaurant just off Ratchadamnoen Road. The only sounds around were the odd motorbike passing at the top of the street and the quiet conversation between travellers at the tables beside me. After my meal, as i wandered down to Edible Jazz to savour a nice cold beer Chang whilst writing a few postacards, the power was briefly re-instated. I say briefly because after about an hour the skies opened and it poured with rain! It hasn't rained in Thailand since September! Subsequently, this downpour knocked the power off again, so i continued to write my postcards in candlelight while i waited for the rain to stop. It didn't, and the ground was still wet this morning . . .Pai RecommendationsPai corner. Owned by a Thai/German couple. Cool, chilled out atmosphere and the best green curry i've tasted to date. Perfect consistency, perfect spiciness, perfect almalgamation of flavours, and they serve it with sliced banana which compliments the spiciness of the dishGinger's House. Owned by an Australian guy. It's a vegetarian restaurant, all dishes served with brown rice (which makes a refreshing change), the veg/fruit juice mixes sound really tasty (unfortunately i couldn't try one due to the powercut), and the food is delicious. The place has loads of character and all seating is on the floor Japanese style.Edible Jazz. Lovely setting just off the road and surrounded by bamboo gardens. Chilled out staff, chilled out atmosphere, chilled out tunes.All About Coffee. Huge variety of real Thai coffee, as well as teas, the iced variety of both, and fruit & yoghurt shakes.Mitthai Art Shop. Quality and unusual postcards and prints and customised handmade t-shirts & pants. The shop next door (the name escapes me) sells much of the same, and both are well worth a look.Final thoughts on Pai

Pai, in my opinion, isn't the place to come if you want to do anything particularly constructive (the treks offered are pretty much the same as you'd get in Mae Hong Son and Mae Saraing but with many more tourists (so i'm told!)). However, if you want to spend your days perusing art galleries and sipping coffee (and it's real coffee, none of that nescafe s**t!) or fruit shakes and watching the world go by, or sampling some of the tastiest food in Thailand and soaking up some real music (Pai has an excellent live music scene) then pay Pai a visit and you may end up staying longer than you'd planned.

Photo is of the sun setting over the valleys outside Pai, viewed from Wat Phra Tat Mae Yin

From link::cactuschild.blogspot

Other links::Pai In The Sky
Pai - Riverside Lodge

Thailand's most relaxing town, Pai, Thailand

2008-05-04T17:21:00.002+07:00

From link::Thailand's most relaxing town, Pai, Thailand

Pai is a sleepy little town nestled in the mountains in the far North of Thailand. The Northern area is famous for its hill tribes, spectacular scenery and relaxed way of life. On the day I arrived it was pissing down and covered in cloud so I didn’t really see much in the way of scenery, but the friendliness of the locals was immediately apparent.

Wil had already been in town for over a week and was more or less settled into a guesthouse already. There was a spare room so I joined him there. Ting Tong guesthouse is quite small with only four rooms, a shared kitchen, and a living area complete with TV and DVD player. The others in the guesthouse were Chessy, an English travel writer in Pai for a few weeks already, and Francesca, and Italian photographer for Armani in Thailand to photograph local and traditional fashion (or something like that). The owner of the guesthouse- Tu, and his brother Chuwawa were possibly the nicest people I’ve ever met. They also owned a bar across town where we spent most evenings.

Straight away I fell in love with Pai. The feel of the place is so laid back and everyone (foreigner and local) are so cool and friendly. Just about every Westerner I met there had come for a week and stayed for a year!

In the week I spent in Pai I mostly sat around watching episodes of Oz, or cruised around of the scooter I hired. In the evening we’d go out for a drink at Ting Tong bar or to one of the Thai Whiskey bars across town. Then retire with a few beers at home with a DVD.

In the last few days there were torrential rains in North Thailand that caused widespread flooding and did a fair bit of damage. Only weeks earlier there was a serious deluge in the region that Pai was only just recovering from, so fresh floods were the last thing they needed. But is the spirit of the Thai’s the whole community got stuck straight into the clean up and repair job and after 2-3 days most of the work was done.

As our time in Thailand was drawing to an end we forced our selves to say a sad goodbye to Pai and all our new friends there, and made the trip back to Chiang Mai to prepare to cross into Laos.

Laters

Roh
From link::Thailand's most relaxing town, Pai, Thailand

Other links::Pang Mapa, Thailand - Cave Lodge
Just chillin in Pai, Pai, Thailand

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Just chillin in Pai, Pai, Thailand

2008-05-04T17:10:00.003+07:00

From link::Just chillin in Pai, Pai, Thailand

Travelled up north of Chiang Mai today for about 4 hours to a little village called Pai.Its lovely we hired out a moped for afew days because theres loads of places to see.
We went to a place called spa exotic, which was like a really warm swimming pool,ah bloody lovely it was. We then just walked through the village at night which was lit up and looks really romantic.

Day 2
Today was spent travelling round from place to place on our moped it was great fun and we loved it.We had a Indian on the street at night which was o.k but we`ve had better,then we wondered round the village, most the the little bars are converted vans and small trucks they look really cool.
We stopped at one and everybody seemed to be smoking what looked like a bong,after asking we tried one it was just flavoured smoke nothing to special but unsual.After afew beers we strolled home to our hut by the river.

Day3
Today has been spent chillin out, we treated ourselves to an all over oil massage which was really relaxing.We will defiantely be investing in some more of these.After the massage all we wanted to do was soak up the sun and read our books.
Pai is definately a cool place to spend anything from afew days to alot longer.They was more than an ample amount of what one of our friends(paul) would call banana pancake munchers here(really hippy travellers with dread locks etc..)

Day 4
Another day just spent chillin,and walking around trying food from all the different street carts, i love it, trying as many differnt food groups as i can and it hardly costs a thing.
We are going over to Loas tonight at 10pm so have been wasting time all day really.We should arrive at the border for about 4.30/5am.

From link::Just chillin in Pai, Pai, Thailand

Other links::Hippyland, Thailand
Pai In The Sky

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Amphoe Pai - Wikipedia

2008-05-04T16:54:00.002+07:00

Amphoe Pai

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pai (Thai: ปาย) is the northeasternmost district (Amphoe) of Mae Hong Son Province, northern Thailand.
Geography

Neighboring are (from west clockwise) Mueang Mae Hong Son, Pangmapha of Mae Hong Son Province, Shan State of Myanmar, Wiang Haeng, Chiang Dao, Mae Taeng, Samoeng and Mae Chaem of Chiang Mai Province.

The important rivers are the Pai and Khong River.

Symbols

The district slogan is Pai River, worship Luang Pho Un Mueang, spread good kind of garlic, surrounded by lush forests, way of life evenly between hot and cold.

Province:
Mae Hong Son

District office:
19°21′31″N, 98°26′24″E
Area:
2,244.7 km²

Inhabitants:
29,526 (2005)

Pop. density:
13.2 inh./km²

Geocode:
5803

Postal code:
58130

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PAI INFORMATION

2008-05-04T16:01:00.006+07:00

PAI INFORMATION in Pai Maehongson Thailand

IMPORTANT CALLS IN PAI DISTRICT in Pai Maehongson Thailand
Pai Police Station 191, 0 5369 9217-8
Pai Tourist Station Police 1155, 0 5361 1812
Pai Hospital 0 5369 9211
Pai District Office 0 5369 9196
Shuttle Bus to Chiang Mai 0 5320 7134
Bank 0 5369 9029
Tourist Information 0 5369 9385

HOTEL/RESORT/GUEST HOUSE 01 in Pai Maehongson Thailand
Abodaya 0 5369 9041
Amy’s Earth House 0 5369 9899
Baan Krating 0 5369 8255
Baan Mai Kon Muang 0 5369 9499
Baan Nam Hoo Bungalow 0 5369 8172
Baan Nam Pai 08 1930 1161
Baan Nena 0 1289 6408
Baan Pai Charming Home 0 5369 9796
Baan Por Kamnan 0 5369 9382
Baan Sang Heaun 0 5369 9859
Baan Tawan 0 5369 8116
Baan Tayai 0 5369 9579
Baan Visarut Resort 0 5369 9400
Bamboo Housse and Trekking 0 9953 3605
Banana House 0 5369 8149
Bell Garden 0 5369 9762
Belle Villa Pai 0 5369 8226
Best Bee House 0 4804 6934
Big Guest House 0 5369 9938
Blue Lagoon Hotel 0 5369 9998

HOTEL/RESORT/GUEST HOUSE 02 in Pai Maehongson Thailand
Blue Sky 08 1881 6056
Blus House 0 5369 9401
Breeze of Pai Guest House 08 1998 4597
Brook View 0 5369 9366
Bulum Buri Pai 0 5369 8302
Cafe` Del Doi 0 5369 3230
Charlie’s House 0 5369 9039
De Pai Resort & Spa 087-015-3525
Duang Guest House 0 5369 9101
Eden House 0 5369 9112
Evergreen Guest House 0 4048 6294
Family House 08 9700 2362
Family Hut 08 1028 0843
Farmer Home 08 9953 3617
Gasalong River Lodge 08 9999 1235
Golden House 08 9854 3058
Golden Hut 0 5369 9949
Good View Guest House 08 9852 5792

HOTEL/RESORT/GUEST HOUSE 03 in Pai Maehongson Thailand
Hut Ing Pai Resort 0 5369 9781
is am are 08 1208 8410
John Bamboo Hut 0 5369 9886
Kanravee Guest House 0 5369 8122
Kenter House 0 5369 9362
Lanna Guest House 08 6911 7086
Lemon Grass Hut 08 9755 3211
Lisu Inn & Guest House
Love Pai Home 08 9138 8961
Mae Yen House 0 5369 9321
Michel Bungalow 08 6118 6999
Misty View Guest House 08 9070 1031
Mounjtain Blue Guest House 0 5369 9282
Mr.Jan’s Guest House 0 5369 9554
Muang Kon Guest House 08 9266 0041
Muang Pai Resort 0 5369 9988
Noon House 0 5369 9383
P.P. Orchid Guest House 0 5369 9159
Paddy Fields Guest House 08 9507 6765

HOTEL/RESORT/GUEST HOUSE 04 in Pai Maehongson Thailand
Pai Buree 08 7189 3151
Pai Cabana 0 5369 9190
Pai Guest House
Pai Highlands Resort 0 5369 9316
Pai Hillside Resort 0 5369 9189
Pai in The Sky Guest House 0 5369 8145
Pai Lanna Resort 08 9635 7556
Pai Mountain Lodge 0 5369 9995
Pai Na Home 0 5037 7188
Pai River Corner 0 5369 9049
Pai River Hill Guest House 0 5369 8230
Pai River Lodge 08 1439 4490
Pai River Mountain Resort & Spa 0 5369 8105
Pai River Park Darling Guest House 08 9559 6267
Pai Tree House 0 5369 3271
Pai Valley

HOTEL/RESORT/GUEST HOUSE 05 in Pai Maehongson Thailand
Pailin House 0 5369 9058
Painam Paidoi 08 9831 1639
Pairadise 0 9838 7521
Palm House 0 5369 9074
Pana Village 08 6190 2516
Pi Ganwsh 08 1366 8505
Pichai House 0 5369 9388
Pravee House 0 5369 9368
Puan House
Rainbow House 08 6921 3528
Rim Pai Cottage 0 5369 9162
River View Bungalow 0 5036 2131
River Park Guest House 08 9559 6267
Riverside 2 Guest House 0 5369 9915
Shan Guest House 0 5369 9162

HOTEL/RESORT/GUEST HOUSE 06 in Pai Maehongson Thailand
Shangrila Guest House 08 1951 0101
Simply House 08 9065 6306
Sipsongpanna 0 5369 8259
Spa Exotic Home 0 5369 8088
Star Guest House 08 9559 6065
Suan Doi Resort 08 9192 6766
Suan Hom Flat 08 7193 6314
Suan Mon Guest House 0 5369 8275
Tamarind House 0 5369 8111
Tha Pai Spa Camping 0 5369 3267
The Countryside 08 7172 6632
The Mountain View Guest House 0 5369 8274
The Sun Hut 0 5369 9730
Tine Top Guest House 0 5369 8016
Tonsa Guest House 0 5369 8229
View Pai Hotel 0 5369 9174
Villa De Pai 0 5369 9109
Wahlin Rooms
Wonderland House 08 7177 2619
Yod Tong 08 9955 7872
Yoonaan Cottage 08 1025 6718

RESTAURANT/COOKING CLASS 01 in Pai Maehongson Thailand
Abodaya Restaurant 0 5369 9041
Amido Pizza Garden 08 1179 7283
Angie Kitchen 08 9726 7698
Aoy Bakery 0 5369 9938
Baan Benjarong 0 5369 8010
Baan Mai Kon Muang 0 5369 9499
Baan Pai Restaurant 0 5369 9912
Baan Pai Village 0 5369 8152
Blue Restaurant 08 1911 3640
Boogie Burger 08 7074 1973
Burger House 08 6763 7829
Charlie Kitchen 08 9908 2684
Chez Swan 0 5369 8235
Cristina Restaurant 0 5032 0174
Dang Thai Food 0 5369 9937
Duang Restaurant 0 5369 9101
Fubar 08 1726 6638
Fuid Swimming Pool 08 7186 5320

RESTAURANT/COOKING CLASS 02 in Pai Maehongson Thailand
Ginger House 08 1345 1286
Happy Yim 08 7265 9809
Hut Ing Pai Steak House 0 5369 9841
June Restaurant 08 7173 3124
La Terrasse
Laan Tong
Latina 08 1595 8031
Little Home Restaurant
Lux Pai 08 9558 4825
Mai Pen Rai 08 9998 0632
Mama Falafel 08 1020 0129
Milk Inter Pai 0 5031 3465
Mountain Blue 0 5369 9282
Na’s Kitchen 08 1387 0234
Nong Beer
Own Home 0 5369 9125
Pai Blues 08 9157 6997
Pai Center Restaurant 0 5369 9872
Pai Cookery School 08 1706 3799
Pai Corner 08 1030 3195
Pai Doi Restaurant 0 5369 9189
Shark Riverside
Smosorn 08 9700 4547
The Link

COFFEE SHOP/LIVE MUSIC/CAFE’/BAR in Pai Maehongson Thailand
50 Satang Bar 08 9852 4610
All About Coffee 0 5369 9429
Baan Raan Bar 08 6010 8023
Bamboo Bar
Be Bop Bar 0 5369 8046
Bell Beer 0 5369 9762
Charnon Bar 08 9908 2684
Da Vinci Cafe 08 7178 1756
Edible Jazz Menu 08 9912 8628
Groove Yard 08 9560 8561
Mellow Yellow 08 1381 9141
Monkey Magic Bar 08 1784 3798
Red Orchid 08 6192 5031
Shisha Bar 08 1672 3909
Sun Folwer Caf? 08 9950 1798
Take a Seat 0 5369 9023
Taku Art Bar 08 9431 6118
Ting Tong 08 4807 3781
Walk In 08 4803 7757
Witching Well 0 5369 8296
Yin Yang Bar

SOUVENIR/CLOTHING/ART SHOP in Pai Maehongson Thailand
Come Pai 08 1287 7131
Local Focus 0 5369 9775
Matsaya indian Leather 08 7111 3602
Mitthai Art Shop 08 6910 2718
Mom & Me 08 4150 7248
One Thousand Eyes 08 1845 1108
Pai Tribe 08 6186 4580
Sabaidee Gallery 08 6923 5309
Siam Used Books 0 5369 9075
Siver House 08 9700 7089
Together 08 1447 6411

INTERNET SERVICE in Pai Maehongson Thailand
A Adventure Internet 0 5369 9503
Eye Com Internet 0 5369 9472
Good Net 0 5369 9390
Happy Internet 0 5369 9315
Jib Net 08 9263 4599
Pai Travel Internet 0 5369 8148
PNC Internet 0 5369 9961
Quick Net 0 5369 9961
Zquence Online 08 7179 4215

BIKE & MOTORBIKE FOR RENT in Pai Maehongson Thailand
Araya Service 08 7189 3791
Aya Service 0 5369 9888
Dang Motorbike for rent 0 5369 9390
Duan Den 08 6828 6016
Haruethai Service 08 6196 0168
The Good View Motorbike 08 9999 1715

ELEPHANT CAMP in Pai Maehongson Thailand
Noi’s Elephant Camp 08 1960 8568
Joy Elephant Camp 08 1881 3923
Thom’s Elephant Camp 08 9851 9066
Twin Elephant Camp 08 1951 8008

Lovepaihome

2008-05-04T14:03:00.006+07:00

Lovepaihome
hip home,fusion food & sunset bar
62 moo 1 wieng neur,pai district, mae hong son, thailand 58130
tel : 08 9138 8961
http://lovepaihome.multiply.com/

Travel In Pai Mae Hong Sorn Province

2008-05-03T16:02:00.003+07:00

From link::thailand-northern.blogspot

Pai district is situated about halfway between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Sorn, the misty town on the Burmese border. At about 600 meters above sea level, surrounded by high mountains. Pai offers one of the most fertile and beautiful nature in the North of Thailand, clean air and no pollution. People from many different tribes live here peacefully together and still maintain their traditional way of living.

The serene Pai river runs from the northern border with Burma through Pai town and along virgin jungle to Mae Hong Sorn. Hardy adventurers use this route for exciting rafting.

How to get to Pai?
Start from the main tourist hub: From Chiang Mai on route 1095 towards Pai it is 132 kilometer. The bus from Chiang Mai Arcade bus station takes about 4 hours.
Buses from Chiang Mai to Pai:
7.00, 8.30, 10.30, 12.30, 16.00
Buses from Pai to Chiang Mai:
7.00, 8.30, 11.00, 12.30, 16.30
From Mae Hong Sorn town: Along this route pine trees and wild vegetation line both sides of the gently rising road passing nice scenery along the way. In Mae Hong Sorn are motorbikes and jeep available for rent.
Population of Pai
Mainly Thai Yai (from Burmas Shane state) and hill tribes (Lisu, Lahu, Karen). In town mainly Thai, Thai-Chinese, some Thai-Muslim and some foreign residents.
Occupation in Pai
Agriculture - mainly garlic, rice, fruits, lychee, cotton
Climate in Pai
Cool season: 12? C - 28? C from November - March
Hot season: 24? C - 35? C from April - June
Rainy season: 24? C - 32? C from July - September
Tourist Attractions in Pai and around
Old temples:
* Wat Nam Hu
* Wat Phra That Mae Yen (mountain temple)
* Wat Klang and Wat Luang (temples where Thai Yai / Burmese architecture is preserved)
Wonders of nature:
* Ta Pai hot spring
* Pong Duad hot spring
* Mo Paeng waterfall (near Lahu village)
* Mae Yen waterfall
* Lod caves (these are beautiful and ancient caves on a large area where graves of prehistoric civilization was found. The area is a national park with lots of different birds.

Activities in Pai
* padelling rubber boat along Pai river
* adventure rafting and canoe along Pai river
* explore caves or go mountain trekking
* elephant riding through jungle
* mountain bike cycling or motorbike-trekking (Nop's bike shop offers 2 - 3 - 4 days motorbike trekking with 250 ccm trail bikes around northern part of Mae Hong Sorn province. Guide available or on your own. Also available Honda Dream, good maps and other information.)
* jungle-treks: Pai is well known as a base camp for trekks to hill tribes. Walk through green jungle and spend the night in a hill tribe village to experience their traditional way of life. In Pai there are local or hill tribe guides and porters available.
* Herbal Sauna and Thai Traditional Massage as well as herbal medicine or Burmese Massage
* Reading (Nop's book shop)
* Thai cooking course at Peter's and Wandee's Hut in Mae Yen

Culture in Pai
Both local Thais and hilltribes still keep their traditions alive by their traditional dressing, house style, food and entertainment.
Here are some of the highlight festivals:
* Loy Kratong (full moon night in November)
* fireworks competition at Wat Luang (beginning of November)
* Kin Wo (hill tribes New Year, February)
* Thai New Year (13 - 15 April)
* bamboo throwing festival (to ask for rain, May)

Facilities in Pai
Pai is a small town but can offer enough facilities such as a post office, hospital, long distance call and fax service. Accommodations and food are good and cheap. Most of the guest houses are in town and the scenic most beautiful ones are along the river. Local restaurants and western style restaurants are available (e. g. Chez Swan Restaurant, Thai Yai Restaurant) with home made brown bread.

More Information About Pai Please visit to Thailand Online

From link::thailand-northern.blogspot

Hippyland, Thailand

2008-05-03T15:57:00.001+07:00

From link::therangelife.wordpress

If you’re wondering where all the hippies went after Jerry Garcia died, I found them here in Pai, Thailand.

Well, that’s a little unfair. Marjan (the Dutch woman I met in Chiang Mai) and I did, after all, *just* get here after a hot, cramped, torturous, and lovely 4-hour bus ride from Chiang Mai. So before I blurt out any more ill-informed opinions about Pai, why don’t I recount what I’ve been up to.

When I last left you, I was in Chiang Mai at the beginning of 3 straight days of being soaking wet whilst celebrating Songkran, which is the Thai new year. Chiang Mai is Thailand’s “other” city - they say that while it has a slightly more northern Thai feel (in terms of architecture, food, and ethnic groups), its smaller population and more laid-back attitude allows visitors to experience to real Thailand without the struggle that characterizes doing so in Bangkok. All that said, I still don’t really know what Chiang Mai is like, because the city was shut down and turned into Water World for Songkran.

My first night in CM (Saturday) I had stayed at The Royal Guest House, which is outside the old city. Sure, it had a small pool and internet on the premises. And for a mere 300 baht (around $9.75) I was given the privilege of walking up 5 flights of stairs to a run-down room with no air-con, no hot water, no towel and no toilet paper. Gah.

In the morning (Sunday) I tried to avoid the water wars by visiting various Wats (Buddhist temples) around town. Wat Phra Singh, the main temple in the old city, was surrounded by people selling food and drink to worshipers (or followers?) who spent the day picnicking, listening to talks by monks, and watching what appeared to be hilarious, aggressively amplified amateur theater played on a makeshift stage. I escaped the shrill actors’ voices by returning to the streets, where I was greeted with buckets of Songkran cheer. I wove down side streets back to my guest house to drop off my bag (so my stuff wouldn’t get soaked) and joined in the fun.

That night I switched guest houses to Eagle House 2, where for 200 baht ($6.50) I got similar conditions but without the 5 flights or the attitude. I chose it because it’s friendly, centrally located in the old city, and it has a good reputation for organized treks to visit hill tribes in the surrounding area. I neglected to realize that in this case “centrally located” meant “sounds like the crappy cover band at the bar next door is actually playing in your bathroom.” So I was serenaded by some Thai dude’s renditions of hits by The Grateful Dead, Oasis, Nirvana, The Allman Brothers, etc. until around 1:30 am. At least the music distracted me from the sagging bed frame.

So while I haven’t been tremendously successful in getting sleep, I have been having fun. On Monday I joined a 2-day, 1-night trek organized through Eagle House to visit some villages of the Karen tribe. There were 11 of us: our guide, named Doh (heh heh); Boom (really!), the schlepper/sherpa-like guy who carried our food; Allison, a Canadian living in Bangkok and teaching Thai children at an international school; Roberta and Greg, Allison’s parents visiting from Montreal; Sam and Lisa, a lovely couple from York, England, who were on month 10 of their year-long trip around the world (again, I feel like a travel-schmuck); Cami (from Texas) and Sara (from Ohio), friends who had just finished their TOEFL teaching certification in Phuket; and then Matt, an Aussie with a British passport (or Brit with an Aussie accent?) who was in the midst of an existential crisis. He regaled us (so to speak) with conspiracy-like theories about pharma companies and the Aussie government, his hatred of capitalism and greed, the true secrets of life (there are many) and many, many, many other things.

There’s a ton to write about the trek, but right now I’m starving so I’m off to grab a bite. Also, this internet cafe lets you upload photos, so I’m hoping to add a few thousand words’ worth later today.

From link::therangelife.wordpress

Bye Pai

2008-05-03T15:53:00.002+07:00

From link::therangelife

Just came back from a day riding around the countryside on a motorbike for most of the day. Beautiful, but hot and exhausting. For lunch we went to Sipsongpanna, a place in the village of Wiang Nur that Chris, Howie’s friend, recommended. Deelicious Thai vegetarian food, if you ever get up this way (and if you can find it!).

Yesterday Marjan and I took a Thai cooking class at Pai Cookery School. The proprietor, Gaew, was extremely gracious, knowledgeable, and patient (especially when we decided we wanted to customize the menu a bit). The class included a trip to the local market, where she told us about Thai ingredients and dishes other than what we were making. The market sells everything from papaya to roasted cicadas and various other bugs. Which reminds me - I neglected to mention that I *tried* a roasted cicada during my trek last week. (I removed the head before eating - I couldn’t bear the eyeballs.) It was…salty and crunchy and I got little legs caught in my teeth. I shan’t eat them, unless I’m under great duress.

In the evening after class we met up with Chris. We tried to meet at a bar, but they were all closed last night - no place was allowed to sell alcohol (though the markets still sold bottles) because today is election day, and the government figures if people drank they wouldn’t get up to go to the polls. That’s a new one for me.

Anyway, instead we went to a local bakery and Chris told us about his 4 years living in Pai, and how much it’s changed. Definitely interesting to hear about the place from an adopted local!

So tomorrow morning I’m on a 7am mini bus back to Chiang Mai, then on a plane down to Phuket, where the nice people at Similan Diving Safaris are sending a taxi to pick me up and bring me to them in the town of Khao Lak, on the Andaman coast. They’re even going to help me find a guesthouse nearby for Monday & Tuesday nights. Then on Wednesday I’m off on a 4-day, 4-night dive trip on the M/V Dolphin Queen to the Similan Islands, Surin Islands, Koh Bon, and Richelieu Rock. YEAH.

From link::therangelife

Pai

2008-05-03T10:26:00.002+07:00

From link::Pai

Pai (ปาย) is a small town (pop. 3000) in North Thailand, between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son on Route 1095. The surrounding district is Amphoe Pai. Both are named after the Pai River.

Understand

Pai is a predominantly tourism-oriented town, offering a relaxed atmosphere with a broad traveller & backpacker scene. In early 2006 a sudden boom in guest-house and bar construction has resulted in a great deal of spare capacity - capacity that is partially taken up by an increase in Thai people visiting after Pai was featured in a romantic Thai film.

By road

Route 1095 which connects Pai with Mae Hong Son (50km as the crow flies, but approx. 110km by road) and Chiang Mai (135km) is a very scenic route through the mountains which takes several hours (but worth it). It's a steep and windy drive, with lots of curves, so take a plastic bag and some motion-sickness pills if you need them.

By motorcycle

Route 1095 isn't as bad as people make it out to be. There isn't much traffic and you can hear the cars and trucks coming. If you're a little adventurous, rent a motorcycle in Chiang Mai and make the ride up to Pai. You can stop at the waterfalls and small towns along the way, and you'll really enjoy the trip, as opposed to being motion sick in a bus for hours, and being forced to stop at the driver's friends restaurants. The scenery is absolutely gorgeous and being on a bike makes you feel like part of the mountains. The locals will think you're crazy, and the construction crews get really excited when you come through. Make sure to take some warmer clothing on your bike, as it tends to get a bit chilly in the higher portions of the ride. As a novice rider, expect the trip to take around 5 or 6 hours, including stops at sites and restaurants along the way.

By bus

Buses and minibuses go to Chiang Mai (Arcade terminal) and Mae Hong Son. Regular public buses take around 4 hours and charge about 80 baht; minibuses take around 3 hours and tickets (sold by travel agencies) cost about 160 baht. One strategy is to get to Pai using the public bus so that you can get an idea as to how winding the road is and then you can decide if you want to splash out and get the mini bus back to Chiang Mai.

To feel less travel sick and save some money take the regular public bus. The scenery is lovely and the winding roads are much easier on one's stomach if you take things slowly.

By plane

The nearest domestic airport is Pai. It now has daily service from Chiang Mai. Tickets can be bought at Aya Services in Pai, or from the ticket office in the Chiang Mai airport. It's near the Air Asia office, on the far end. Chiang Mai to Pai - SGA departs daily from Chiang Mai at 10:55am and arrives in Pai at 11:30am. Return flights are at 11:45am arriving at Chiang Mai at 12:20pm. [1]

the nearest domestic airport accepting flights from Bangkok is Mae Hong Son Airport, which has direct flights to/from Bangkok (Thai Airways and PB Air).

The nearest international airport is at Chiang Mai.

By train

The nearest train station is at Chiang Mai.

Get around

The town itself is best explored on foot. For exploring further afield, bicycles (40-100 baht/day) and motorbikes (from 100 baht/day) can be rented from many agents along the main street.

Motorbike taxis are also readily available.

See

The town itself has no special sights; most people come simply for the relaxed atmosphere. Nearby attractions include hot springs and waterfalls, and a hilltop temple. There is also a wonderful canyon which provides the perfect spot for a sunset. This is a great spot to visit after seeing the WWII bridge built by Japanese-held POWs.

Do

Rent a bicycle or motorbike and visit one of the nearby waterfalls and hill-tribe villages. Pai is also a major starting point for organized trekking tours which are offered by every guesthouse and travel agent.

Whitewater rafting trips abound and there are numerous elephant camps. Additionally there are several hot springs in the area.

Geocachers - there are two caches in the area [2] and [3]

Visit Cave Lod, approximately 55km from town on the road towards Mae Hong Son, 9 km from Soppong. About an hour and a half on motor bike, or join a tour. Visit just before sunset (3pm-6pm) and see the thousands of birds descending into the cave for the night.

Waterfalls

Mae Yen - 7 kilometers out of town with no bikes allowed for the last 6km of that. Head East over the bridge heading out of Pai and follow the signs.

Pam Bok - on the road to Chiang Mai before Pai Canyon. Nice secluded waterfall with high cliffs surrounding it, making this a very cool place to escape the heat. Go for a relaxing bathe in the shade during the dry season.

Mo Paeng - West of the city past Santichon (Chinese refugre Village). The upper section of this waterfall is a natural water slide during the dry season. The rocks are smooth, just find a small section and slide on down like the locals do!

Buy

Take a look at some of the hill-tribe members selling handcrafts.

Pai has an abundance of bookshops, some of which carry harder to find titles. Many are along the bus stop road, past Aya services.

Eat

For such a small town, there's an astonishing number of restaurants, most of them catering for needs/tastes of foreign travellers; just choose the one that suits you best.

Burger House - The owner Ed & wife Jec offers 12 different real beef hamburgers, chili, sandwiches, specials, dinners, pork chops the size of a Clive Cussler novel, beer, wine, etc. Located 100 meters east of the traffic light on the main road.

Chez Swan - Has the best western breakfast in town, for 100 baht. Also offers great western foods for lunch and dinner, if you have a sudden craving for home.

Drop Inn - offers gigantic versions of Western dishes for 120-150 baht.

Good Life - Veggies and vegans will love this place. It serves organic and vegetarian foods at decent prices. It's not half bad either. The delicious breakfasts are great value. Best fresh coffee in Pai too!

Kin J - This little vegetarian restaurant between the main traffic light and the afternoon market serves a selection of purely vegetarian food daily. Get there early, as it's mostly sold out by mid-afternoon. It's only 25 baht for brown rice and two dishes.

Na's Kitchen - Debatably some of the best Thai food in town. Na still works in the kitchen everyday, serving delicious northern food to tourists and Thais. She speaks great English, and will even teach you a bit of Thai if you ask nicely. Na's is always a favorite of the long-stay travelers and the ones returning for a second, or third go at Pai.

- The Thai local restaunt of choice. Find it directly opposite the Pai District Office. Very few westerners to be found, but the menu is in English. Excellent Thai salads and sticky rice.

Curry Shack - Order a curry served in a coconut!

Drink

There are many Western-style bars, especially along the main street that leads to the Chiang Mai bus stop. There are also many tea and coffee shops, including herbal brews.

Bebop Bar is famous for live bands.

Shisha Bar next to the police station offers a convivial atmosphere, delicious Beer Lao, excellent music, and an irresponsibly difficult drinking competition.

Fubar is slightly out of town and stays open till very early, playing excellent music and great food.

Phu Pai is a popular hang out. Live music, great atmosphere. Go along and say hi to Siam who brews his own rum. Cocktails with his rum in it are some of the cheapest around (100 baht)

Reggae Bar is on the road to Chiang Mai, just pust Ting Tong. This hard to find bar is the place for hippie hang outs. Look for the people sitting around a camp fire with acoustic guitars and jembi drums. Live music every night sometimes provided by the customers - feel free to bring along your own instrument!

Sleep

There's an abundance of guesthouses in Pai, most of them in the budget range (a bungalow goes for around 100-500 baht depending on amenities included). Mid-range options are rare and there's no top-end hotel. But Pai is not a package-tour-place.

Heading out of town there are swarms of bungalow setups.

At the bus station there is a 2007 (!) map of Pai. Get this as it will show you the location of most of the guest houses (> 100 places). There is also a discount for motorbike rental.

For cheap accommodation with lots of character try out a bamboo hut on the river. Head East from the bus station and either take the first left or continue straight. Either way you'll reach a bamboo bridge. Across the bridge you'll find plenty of cheap accommodation (about 200-400 baht per night).

Other accommodation:

Phi Chi, East past the main traffic light, past Burger House on the right. 'Phi Chi' is Thai for older brother. Approx. 300 Baht per night. Quiet, clean, hot water showers, western toilets, some rooms have TV and close to everything.

Rim Pai Cottages, 99/1 Moo 3; +66-26730966 (fax. +66-22119656) is one of the more "upmarket" options in Pai and offers several kinds of wooden cottages starting at about 500 baht (double) including breakfast, which is served on a nice open terrace overlooking the Pai river.

Mountain View Guesthouse+66-841711486 - Located at the top of the hill, opposite Bebop. An unpretentious, peaceful guesthouse with gorgeous views overlooking Pai.

Pai River Corner Resort, Tel/Fax+66(0)53699049, www.pairivercorner.com is a small upmarket boutique resort 300m east of the bus station on the river with luxury guest rooms in secluded gardens, river and mountain views and modern amenities (incl. A/C, cable/sat TV, free wireless internet, jacuzzi, restaurant, bar, petanque and swimming pool)

Contact

Pai has several Internet cafés, most on Thanon Ratchadamnoen and Thanon Rangthiyanon. They are a uniform 30 baht/hour for ADSL. There are some places with free Internet for customers of food and drink. There is also one place that accepts donations for use of a wireless connection. The Internet supply has improved in Pai.

Get out

Join a trekking tour
Chiang Mai
Mae Hong Son
Pangmapha

From link::Pai

Pai In The Sky

2008-05-03T10:13:00.004+07:00

Pai In The Sky
Pai, Thailand
By Tim Schorzman

From link::www.bootsnall.com

Pai is the kind of place I'd be inclined to despise if there wasn't so much that I liked here. You run into similar situations all over Thailand and most of southeast Asia. Farang, Westerners, come through, stay awhile, find something about the place they like and then never leave. Over time, word of mouth gets out and others flock to the area. Everybody contributes what they will and the next thing you know, the place is transformed into whatever these farang want it to be, dragging whatever natives are willing with them, pushing the unwilling into their corners of town to deal with themselves.

This is the conundrum of tourism, I suppose - a cancer that moves from place to place, leaving its mark wherever it goes until it gets saturated, cursing its own poison and wondering why nobody wants it anymore. It is a virus whose only purpose, in the end, is its own pleasure, knowledge and enrichment. It is whatever we choose to do with all these experiences that makes the difference between a compassionate wanderer and a lethal death-ray 3000 culture-killer. The ride to Pai from either direction - east from Chiang Mai or west from Mae Hong Son - is on one of the most beautiful, gut-wrenching mountain passes known to man. You get plenty of chances to gawk as the bus or truck or van huffs along, trying to climb these hills, gears cranking, pistons screaming, brakes threatening to snap in half, animals scurrying in all directions for fear the Great Metal Devil will veer right off the road and chase them into the jungle. Three-thousand feet hills, covered in jungle forest, dominate the landscape and jagged peaks everywhere. It is an unpredictable terrain - as though God designed it while riding a bucking bronco. You zoom down the hill and there's the little town, scrunched in between. You feel cozy the second you step off the bus. There are three guest houses, two restaurants, a small store and a place to rent motorbikes within 50 steps of the bus station - food, bed, transportation at the snap of a finger. As you turn left down the main street, the only thing you notice is the swirling mass of a marketplace. A lady spins scarves and blankets on a loom to your right. Bead shops, yoga classes, massages, 500 ways to find inner-peace-through-meditation courses. A girl zooms by on a bike, stuffing a flyer for an acoustic guitar show at a Sheesha bar in your hand. Every conceivable food stand, even fried beetles and frogs, surround you. Fresh-baked bread shops, tribal crafts, motorbikes crashing into the shoulder-to-shoulder foray are everywhere. Rafting and trekking guide offices, internet shops and the biggest assortment of bookstores per capita than any other place in Thailand. A Mosque. You can see everybody, from longhaired, hippie professors on sabbatical, to kids fresh out of school, to punk rock Thais and wrinkled old men playing checkers. The whole place reeks of incense, patchouli, grilled sausages and curry. It's a 15-minute walk out of town, across the river and through a meadow to the Sun Huts, my chosen place of lodging. I got some advice along the way to stay there, and from the looks of it, it is good advice. Five kittens, two tail-wagging dogs and a rabbit greet me. The orange and black bird in the seven feet-tall cage announces my arrival. Orn, one of the owners, is a tiny, middle-aged Thai lady with a soft voice and that cute, homey, motherliness demeanor. She shows me how to write my name in Thai script. She gives me a sample of a yogurt made from herbacea plant (which apparently helps my heart and digestive system) before I've even signed myself in. A small pool with a waterfall sits next to a gazebo with books, games, pillows and the ultimate monument to chilling out, hammocks. Hammocks are everywhere. You can help yourself to the coffee, tea and Ovaltine. And grandma makes the best banana pancakes. If you've been traveling for awhile, from places like Austin, New Orleans or Chicago, the Bebop Café is the perfect place to feel homesick. Brick-walled, high-ceilinged, leather couches and B.B. King paraphernalia. The house band for the weekend - a strange hodgepodge of Thais that look like Bootsy Collins, Les Claypool, and Snoop Dogg mixed in a blender - jam out all night playing a Bob Marley-meets-Parliament with James Brown free styling in really bad Thai-English kind of funk. Purists scoff, but everyone else is feeling good, knowing they would. Booze is cheap, vibes good, and half the world is represented. Now if I could just find my motorbike. Most of the Thais who live around Pai descend from one of the nearby hill-tribe villages. If you hike in any direction, you won't go far before you run into one of these quaint little places. The Opium Trade from the Golden Triangle extends all the way down here. Almost every village has seen substantial financial benefits at some point. In fact, villagers attribute most major improvements to opium money. Addiction levels are high, obviously, but you won't hear too many complaints, especially from the older people. Opium is given medicinally, almost like cough syrup, to almost everyone. It rivals prescription drugs in the West. It's an interesting problem. "Just try living on two cups of rice and a few chilies a day, in thatched-leaf huts in a difficult terrain," says Mr. Lert, our trek guide who hails from one of these villages, "and it's easy to see when someone offers you a 50-pound bag of rice, five pigs and 10 chickens for a crop of opium, why you keep growing it." The government is beginning to crack down. The resurgent push to address the drug problem in the country puts these villages in the cross hairs - fields burned, people arrested, even worse. There is growing concern as to their futures without this crop. The battle rages on. Hiking across these lands can be as rewarding as it is challenging. We bushwhack our way through thick jungle, up one hill, down another, for days on end. Yet from the peaks of one of these hills, you can see Pai in the distance, and the stunning views of valleys and trees in all directions. Bamboo trees double as rice cookers, pottery, rafts, recliners, teakettles and eating utensils. You can even craft a popgun - only a sharp carving knife away. The smorgasbords of jungle fruits are face-scrunchingly sour and nuts are plentiful. We had to beat two cobras out of our camp over the night, and there's a whole zoo of millipedes, lizards and spiders to keep things exciting. Pai means "go" in Thai, which is interesting because nobody seems to go anywhere once they get here. It's terribly overrun with farang, people who get caught up in the magic and forget to go home. It's a powerful place. If you plan to move on in three days, five days later you're polishing off your third mango shake, lazily heaping yourself out of the hammock and deciding to ride to the hot springs down the road, which you meant to do the second day. A night sipping homemade Chai tea - listening to jazz in the Tea Room - a few days of hiking or rafting down the Mae Nam Pai - one of Abodya's masaman curries - and you're caught in the Matrix too. Another victim who fell in love and just couldn't leave. A Jedi craves not these things.

From link::www.bootsnall.com

Other links::Living with Lisu Hilltribe
Chiang Mai -water festival

About Pai - Thailand

2008-05-03T09:57:00.003+07:00

From link::paithailand.chiangdao.com

The sleepy hippie town of Pai is situated 135kms northwest of Chiang Mai, roughly halfway to Mae Hong Son. As you enter the Pai area, the mountain road makes a meandering decline into a large green valley of rice paddies and fruit groves. Mountains shelter the town, which is named after the river that runs through it. Pai is just a tiny place with four main roads, but offers a rich bohemian atmosphere where you can collect your thoughts and commune with nature. There are plenty of charming guesthouses, relaxed restaurants and bars catering to both Western and Thai palates, and local trekking companies and handcraft shops.

A decade ago, Pai was virtually unknown and it has today developed into a thriving, multi-cultural town. Fortunately, it has retained its down-to-earth feel and the prices here are still cheap, making it especially popular with backpackers and free-spirits who sometimes stay here for months.

Pai – Thailand Attractions
Lazy days in a hammock are a favourite in Pai, along with just staring out at the mountains or the river. However, you can make you way to the hot springs, which are well worth the effort. Nestled in a charming forest setting, about seven kilometres out of town, the springs are warm and relaxing, and a visit in the early morning is recommended.

Before you arrive at the hot springs, you will have passed the elephant camps, where you can ride one of these majestic creatures. One of the companies in operation here even offers bareback rides down the river, which is a unique experience that should not be missed.

Pai’s other natural attractions include a pretty if not too impressive waterfall and a canyon. The surrounding areas are stunning, especially during or just after the rainy season. White-water rafting on the Pai River is a favourite with adventure-seekers and some of the rapids are fairly breathtaking. For those looking for a more relaxing experience on the river, bamboo rafting and tubing on a gentler stretch of the river are fun alternatives.

Pai is also a superb base from which to trek into the surrounding mountains and visit hill tribes and other waterfalls. In season, there are two- to three-day treks departing daily to Karen, Lahu and Lisu villages. You can also obtain a local map for self-guided hikes to nearby waterfalls and caves. Massage and yoga are also good activities to pass the time in Pai, and a couple of permaculture farms offer places to hangout and learn about farming and building.

Those that want to do some sightseeing at temples can visit Wat Klang, next to the bus station. It has several small pagodas surrounding a central stupa. Also of interest are Wat Hodana and Wat Nam Hu, west of Route 1095. Wat Nam Hu is known for its Chiang Saen-era Buddha, whose hollow head is filled with holy water.

Pai is also a good stopover point on the popular Mae Hong Son loop. This three- to four-day self-drive/ride excursion takes you from Chiang Mai through the amazing mountain scenery to Mae Hong Son and back via Doi Inthanon national park. Along the way you can experience the beauty of Huay Nam Dang national park (before Pai), the caves at Soppong and numerous waterfalls.

From link::paithailand.chiangdao.com

Other links::Pai - Riverside Lodge
A Piece of Pai, A Slice of Heaven

pai map

2008-05-03T09:42:00.004+07:00

for look Guest House, Resort, Bungalow, Restaurant, Bar, Pub, Cafe, Live Music, , Coffee Shop,, Bike for rent, Souvenir, Clothing, Artshop, Bookstore, Internet Service, Elephant Camp, Bus Station

Nina the Lone Explorer!

2008-05-03T02:39:00.003+07:00

From link::by Christina Smith

Hi everyone!

We had a great time yesterday with our cookery class. It was just the two of us so we were happy that we wouldn't look like fools, especially me with not knowing what any vegetables are! First of all she took us to the market and showed us all the different ingredients and then we went to the kitchen and started preparing our masterpieces!

We chose to make spring rolls, pad thai, thai green curry, sweet and sour chicken and a coconut and chicken soup. We did really well and I think the pad thai was one of the best I have had, even if I do say so myself! There was only one funny incident when she told us to squeeze the limes into our soup and mum admitted that she had already thrown hers in the soup about 5 minutes ago. The teacher found it funny to point out that you don't usually boil limes as they are pretty bitter!

The spring rools were the most fun and we were very impressed with all our dishes. There will definately need to be a thai style party when we are both back. We were so stuffed afterwards that we couldn't eat another thing for the rest of the day.

That night we went to the night market and managed to resist buying anything which was good. We were knackered from a whole day of activities and the heat makes you so tired all the time so we just had some drinks back at the room and got totally sucked into watching braveheart until 12:30am even though we couldn't understand a word that the scottish people were saying!!

This morning we got a minibus for 4 hours to Pai (my fav town) and it has become mum's fave town too. Its a real hippy place and nobody bugs you to buy hings so we are very chilled out. It has actually rained a bit today which I have loved as it has meant the weather has cooled down loads. I might actually be able to wear my trousers today which is very exciting. Tomorrow we might be going for an elephant ride as long as we can find one that has a proper seat because mum won't go on it otherwise.

I'm thinking there might be some buckets tonight so keep an eye out on facebook for drunken pics!

Lots of love,

Neen and Julie xxxx

From link::by Christina Smith

Other links::Chiang Mai -water festival
So this is where all the other farang are

Pang Mapa, Thailand - Cave Lodge

2008-05-03T02:25:00.004+07:00

From link::KB's travels

I decided to hire a scooter for a couple days and check out a remote area of northern Thailand. The woman at the rental shop only said, "hmmm... bring back the other bike and let me give you good bike." ha! Besides better brakes, the new Honda Icon actually had great features like a horn and an odometer, which came in handy when trying to figure out if the bunch of huts I just passed was actually the village I was trying to find. Also, several places have multiple names which resulted in some confusing fun! Before I set out I did some research on the condition of the local roads and used the "terrain" feature on google maps to ensure that the mountain roads weren't too steep. Riding steep downhills on a bike without gears is not my favorite thing to do.

Left Pai and traveled to Soppong, then continued north and ended up in Ban Tham. The ride was broken up by photo stops and waiting for herds of wandering cows to clear the road. The cows here all wear wooden cow bells and as a herd moves along they create a really pleasing, relaxing sound
stayed for three nights at Cave Lodge, a clustering of bungalows built by an eccentric Australian, John Spies, who traveled to Thailand 30 years ago and never left. John has spent his time here learning the hill tribe languages, photographing the tribes, and publishing articles about the area. He has also created detailed maps of the surrounding area, including hundreds of caves that hold 2000 year old carved teak coffins. Very little is known about these coffins and the people who placed them there. You can see some of his AMAZING tribal photographs here: http://www.cavelodge.com/tpics.htm He has also published an autobiographical account of his time in this region and its a fascinating read full of local history, politics, and archeology.

I stayed in the Ban Tham region three days. Did several hikes, visited some local hill tribes, and went into a couple caves. This area contains such a mix of people. The women working at the lodge spoke Shan, not Thai, and the local hill tribes speak yet another language. I paid some of the local villagers to guide me through various caves. The only English word one guide knew was "hello." He would point to a stalactite. "Hello." He would gesture down a dark tunnel. "Hello." Or he would wave good-bye. "Hello, hello."

From link::KB's travels

Other links::Pai, Thailand - The life of Pai
Chang Mai- Pai (Thailand)

Pai, Thailand - The life of Pai

2008-05-03T02:20:00.002+07:00

From link::KB's travels

Found my groove here in Pai! Pai is one of the best towns I've visited yet. The minibus here from Chiang Mai took about 3 hours on curvy, mountain roads. Pai is northwest of Chiang Mai and is a little over 100k from the Burmese border. The central town only has about 6 main roads and motorbikes vastly outnumber cars. Cafes, art and yoga studios, used book stores, restaurants, and hill tribe vendors line the streets. The town is renowned for its live music scene. It sounds pretty touristy but in fact there are very little touristy sights to see. The town population is an interesting mix of Thai, Thai-Chinese, hill tribe people (including the hill tribe called Karen!!!), Muslims, and farangs (westerners) who just never left. The result is an interesting blend of people who feel free just to be themselves.

The power in the town has gone out for a few hours in the evening time each night that I've been here. It doesn't seem to be planned, but it also doesn't really seem to bother anyone. Candles appear instantly and light the shops and streets, creating a beautiful scene absent of the humming of air conditioners and blaring Thai television dramas. I get the sense that electricity is considered nice, but not seen as a necessity.

Today was an amazing day. I rented a scooter (3 USD per 24 hrs) and zipped around town and the surrounding countryside. (Yes, my bike was pink with a basket on the front.) The minimal traffic in this area is ideal for motorbikes. Riding on the left was a surprisingly easy adjustment. It felt so good to be on the road in charge of my own destiny, free to stop at whatever roadside looked interesting. Buses are cheap and convenient, but they don't offer the luxury of roaming. I visited a hilltop wat (temple), drove past a lot of cows, water buffalo, and elephants, and tried to go to a waterfall. I say tried because I had to hike to it from the road and about 3k along the trail there was a small fire that was next to the trail. The hill tribe people do this as part of their farming routine. Anyways, it looked like it was growing and I didn't want to get trapped on the other side! So I turned around. Which was OK because its been over 100 degrees F with high humidity. Really not ideal weather for hiking.

Its amazing how quickly we can adapt to our surroundings. I've noticed on my travels that the first week or so in a new country is a bit overwhelming and strange, but then the new country seems completely normal. For example, I'd been sitting here typing, completely at ease, and then a gecko just ran across the computer desk. Oh yeah, I'm in Thailand!

Sidenote: I've been corresponding with family and some tech-savvy friends using Skype, a VOIP program thats FREE when talking computer to computer. The sound quality is amazing and I can't recommend it enough. You should give it a try if you haven't already. The internet cafes are full of travelers using it. For example, the German girl next to me was just talking to her roommate and her cat. Mostly her cat.

From link::KB's travels

Other links::Chang Mai- Pai (Thailand)

Chiang Mai -water festival

2008-05-03T02:11:00.002+07:00

From link::AsiaAdventure

After arriving back from Pattaya I was able to pick up my new passport several days later and promptly purchase myself a bus ticket for Chiang Mai, the main city in Northern Thailand where many of the big time thai massage schools exist. The overnight busride up took forever, about 12 hrs, and I had a horrible air conditioner vent streaming right down at my face the entire time. The bus was the cheapest way to get up to Chiang Mai, otherwise I would have taken a train, which I will probably do on the way back as they have beds on them. Also possible to take a airplane up north, but I didn't feel like paying the extra prices for.

Chiang Mai is an amazing city. Absolutely full of incredible and centuries old Buddhist temples with Buddhas of all sizes and styles inside. Many of the temples are quite rundown with crumbling brick formations and look like they have been around forever. Some are several hundred feet high with surreal looking Buddhas lodged halfway up on the side. It is very mesmerizing being around them and their sense of history. Also many Buddhist monks of all ages walking around in their orange robes. Was talking with a few of them and asking where some good monasteries to go meditate would be. Many options in Chiang Mai as well as throughout the country. Some of the western monks I was talking with have been living in the forest monasteries for 10 yrs or more.

I picked a great time to make it to Chiang Mai. The Thai New Year is celebrated each year from April 13 -15. The new year celebration is referred to as the Songkran Festival, sometimes called the Water Festival. Everybody is going crazy in the streets dumping buckets of water on everyone, hosing everyone, and squirting water on everyone who passes by, except for older folks and monks who are given upmost respect in the Thai community. This goes on for about 4 or 5 days and the main streets in the city are mayhem. It is a crazy party and everyone is drenched with water. There are big barrels of water filled up from hoses everyone dips into for water. Many times people dump large blocks of quickly thawing ice into them so that you get really cold water, the best water for dumping on people and really shocking them. I got a nice little squirt gun that is fun spraying into people's faces with. Lots of others got huge pump squirt guns that really blast water in your face and body. Pretty much everyone and all ages are involved, the little kids on up to middle aged and older folks. So cool seeing the excitement and exhilaration in the young kids faces as they are enjoying themselves. The busiest activity is on the roads along the water filled moat surrounding the square shaped old city portion of Chiang Mai. Here there is lots of fierce water battling between people on pick-up trucks cruising the streets and those on the sides.

I read somewhere that the dumping of water on everyone is a way of washing away bad luck for the year. Also a great way to cool down in the heat of the hot season in Thailand. The heat is not as bad up here as it is down in Bangkok. Bangkok was almost unbearable at times. Chiang Mai is so much more cleaner and peaceful. It has an amazing spiritual vibe about itself with all the temples, monks, thai massage schools, and healing centers throughout the city. The mountains and hill tribes are nearby and tons of opportunities for trekking are available.

Seen several elephants being walked around town during the evenings. It's amazing seeing how huge they are in person, standing over 10-15 ft high. Hopefully get a chance to ride one later on during a trek in the mtns.

From link::AsiaAdventure

Other links::Pai, Thailand
Living with Lisu Hilltribe

Living with Lisu Hilltribe

2008-05-03T02:04:00.003+07:00

From link::AsiaAdventure

While in Pai I was in close proximity to many of the colorfully attired hilltribe villages living in the area. I had noticed flyers advertising homestay opportunity with one of the Lisu hilltribes with the chance to learn a little bit about their culture and lifestyle. They also had a very nice website describing their village while explaining and describing the various classes offered in the village. Several of the classes offered which interested me included learning Lisu style massage as well as the chance to meet with their village shaman/medicine man and learn a little bit about their healing work and spirituality, primarily a combination of animism and Buddhism. Other classes including learning about Lisu arts and crafts, jewelry making, meditation, detox, etc.

While it is strange enough that a seemingly primitive hilltribe village would be technological savvy enough to have their own website, it turned out to be the creation of an American expat living in the village, married to one of the Lisu women. Albert, in his 60's, has been living in Thailand for 5 yrs and in the village for several yrs. He is married to Susanan, a Lisu woman in her 40's. Together they take care of the majority of the services provided by the homestay experience. Albert takes care of the meditation, detox, jewelry making classes, etc, while Susanan the primary person instructing about Lisu arts and crafts, Lisu massage, hikes into the hills and forest to identify medicinal plants and herbs, etc.

The drive from Pai to the village of Nong Tong, near Soppong, was an extremely picturesque and windy route over a mountain pass and down into the next valley to the village of Soppong. I drove the route to Soppong and the village the day before I joined the homestay on a motorbike. Took a little over 1 hr each way and was comparable to driving Independence Pass in Colorado. The scenery was beautiful driving through the the mountains on steep narrow roads, seeing the ricefields, workers in the fields, cattle on the roads, and everything else common to the area. The next day I took a bus back to the town to start the homestay for 3 days. Wasn't sure exactly what to expect but seemed like an interesting way to experience authentic Thai life while getting away from the masses. Also hoped to learn something new and exotic while studying Lisu massage.

I was able to practice Lisu massage the day after I arrived with Susanan. It was described on the website as a meridian and energy balancing technique with acupressure. While it was a nice massage, I didn't find anything exotic or particularly different about it than I had learned in the past. It was in some ways quite similar to shiatsu which I had learned in the past. However, there didn't seem to be a focused emphasis on balancing out energy and meridians in the body. Susanan's English speaking was ok, but not good enough to be able to communicate about balancing energy and sensing nuances in people's bodies. To me it seemed quite similar to a clothed shiatsu massage that followed a routine on the body with possible focus on real tight or troubled areas of the body, of which I didn't really have any. It employed a few Thai style stretches but otherwise didn't take much from Thai massage.

I was able to receive several times from Susanan and another woman in the village, possibly a relative of hers although she didn't speak any English. Then I went through the routine myself. I had been planning on perhaps working with them for several days on learning Lisu style massage, however after experiencing the work I really didn't find it that necessary. In looking back, I believe I thought that in learning with the village women living in a tribe that they may possess some kind of secret insight or wisdom of the body which I hadn't learned or experienced yet. Perhaps their relative isolation from the modern world would have enabled them to hold onto some ancient knowledge lost from most modern people. However I didn't find this to be so. I thought the website really hyped up the massage, as well as many other aspects of the homestay, as though it would be sometime totally unique and different. This I didn't find to be so although I did enjoy the experience and enjoy taking chances in learning something new.

Another feature advertised on the website is meeting with the village shaman or medicine man and experience Lisu spirituality and healing. In talking with Albert he mentioned that I may be disappointed with the experience. Apparently the shaman speaks no English and translation from other Lisu folk possessing beginner knowledge of English wouldn't help too much. I decided to skip out on this offering of the homestay. It would have been cool if there had been a ceremonial healing or other event involving the shaman that I could have watched and experienced. However during my 3 days there nothing of that nature occurred.

From link::AsiaAdventure

Other links::Pai, Thailand
Pai (but no pie in sight!)

Pai, Thailand

2008-05-03T01:59:00.002+07:00

From link::eganstrip

Was feeling better a day after not feeling well after 4 days of the water festival celebrating the Thai New Year. Took too many buckets of dirty water to the face and mouth, likely source being the canal surrounding the old city section where much celebration was occurring. Here lots of filthy and contaminated water flows. The Thais had no problem jumping in it and swimming while also using it as a water source for filling up their buckets during the water celebration.

After a day of rest I took a minivan to the quieter, hippy town of Pai, about 2.5 hrs northwest through the mtns on slow winding roads. Lots of beautiful scenery on the ride which gave me my first glimpse of the rice fields of Thailand. I had heard lots of great things about the town and been planning on checking it and surrounding area out when I got to the Chiang Mai area. It is nestled in a valley with mountains and wilderness surrounding it on almost all sides. Not Colorado sized snowcap mtns but sizeable and majestic enough in themselves. Unfortunately I can't see a super clear view of much of the mtns as the weather is hot and hazy, obscuring some of the clarity. Also lots of landed being burned to clear space for growing crops, sending lots of smoke in the sky. There is a nice river flowing through town but not at its highest level since rainy season ended last fall and is coming up soon in several months. Also nearby are hot springs, some beautiful waterfalls and various caves. A bit too hot for the hot springs at the moment unfortunately as hot as it is.. The river and waterfalls would be awesome during and after the rainy monsoon season coming up soon. Lots of rafting and tubing opportunities available with local businesses. Tons of trekking and other opportunities to visit the hill tribes in the nearby area are also available.

As the weather is currently summertime and in the middle of the hot season, it is hot as hell and the prime tourism season has ended. Very quiet and lowkey here in Pai. Great chance to relax from the crowds and madness of the Thai New Year and the big crowds of the past few months. Kind of a Nederland, Colorado type feel to Pai as it is nestled in the mtns with a sizable hippy contigent. Also similar to Boulder with the amount of healing centers, meditation classes, and vegetarian restaurants around town. There is a big live music and jam session scene thriving in town. I found a cool little cafe serving fresh wheatgrass grown in the front of the store. Also a huge tea selection with all kinds of herbal and medicinal teas available. I got a large bag of very good Chinese herbal tea acclaimed for its healing and immune enhancing effects, exactly what I need at the moment. Can't remember the name of it as I had never heard of it before. Nice place to hang out and meet interesting people traveling from all over the world. Met a beautiful Japanese girl there traveling byself and passing through Pai for the day. I sat with her and another crazy Austrian guy telling wild stories of traveling on the trains and busses in India 10 yrs ago.

Prices are outrageously cheap at the moment as it is the low season and not as many people in town. My first few nights I had a cheap 100 baht a night - $3 - bungalow along side the river. Thank goodness the mattress had a mosquito net as there were huge gaps all throughout the dwelling allowing easy access for anything to come inside. Not worried about snakes entering as much as the nasty centipedes and spiders. I don't need them crawling into bed with me. After 2 nights in that space I upgraded for tonight. Now paying 200 baht for a place I believe would be over 1000 baht during the high season. Still doesn't have an air conditioner but as long as I have a fan i'm ok.

From link::eganstrip

Other links::More Wildlife Wanderings in Pai
Pai, Thailand02

Chang Mai- Pai (Thailand)

2008-05-03T01:52:00.003+07:00

From link::kateharland.vox.com

So I left you last time- in Chang Mai, at a nice comfy hotel- along with both of our stomachs! We left 9amish and climbed into a small minibus with a rather loopy driver. Unfortunately, Jamie and loopy drivers do not mix at the best of times and after several hours of THE windiest roads I have seen in my life, he wasn't feeling very happy with himself!

However windy the roads were, the mountains made up for it...so so pretty. We stopped half way for a loo break and I ordered a banana shake which I later came to regret...read on and you'll find out why! I gave Jamie the sea sickness tablets we had for sailing in Barbados, suprisingly, he accepted them and felt much better afterwards...strange that!

We arrived in Pai with slight concern as to what we were actually going to do for a week...a village with 3,000 people only, a hippy heaven...we weren't sure what to expect. So as we piled out of the minibus, we sort of just stood, with our backpacks on, in the middle of the road, just gazing! There were literally dozens and dozens of cafes, restaurants, guesthouses, bars, mexican eat houses in all directions! Things were boding rather well!

We made our way in the 35 degree heat of the day to the nearest bar for a much needed coca cola, and tried ot figure out where to stay. Low budget, whatever we could get I guess. Jamie got chatting to a couple of Spanish hippies who directed us towards a bamboo bridge across the river where we would find a selection of cheap bungalows! Great!

So off we trotted- aggh, face to face with a rather rickety looking bridge...10 bamboo poles in a row again tethered together with little bamboo mats with holes in. Not being a huge fan of these types of bridges, can imagine things going terribly wrong, we slowly made our heavy way across to the other side and for 150 baht (2.60) we received the keys to a bamboo room on stilts with a matress on the floor, a mozzie net and fan, complete with hole in all four sides! Comfortable and would do happily for a night.

I slept like a log, as usual in these rather uncomfortable places, Jamie however was not so lucky and woke up several times with a dead shoulder and leg! Around 2am, leaving Jamie asleepish, I headed out to the shared toilets (they were lit with electricity). As my dad fondly remembers me as a child with my panties around my ankles screaming at the top of my voice with my feet in the air whilsta rather large spider raced at the toilet...he will sit and giggle at the idea of a tarantula doing a similar thing at me, now 19 years of age! IT WAS NOT AMUSING AT ALL! I have never removed my bottoms so fast! This massive spider just came out of nowhere, I literally jumped off the loo, stripped off, then jumped up and down trying to either kill it or scare it away. Then ran back to the hut in my knickers holding the trousers and crawled back into bed shaking next to Jamie! He just sat there and laughed at me- the bugger!

The following mornng, a very quick decision was made that a private bathroom was needed that was totally secure to the outside world. So we upgraded, and now we have a bamboo bungalow complete with tv and a real bed! SPider free...not so, after about 10 minutes of being there, I noticed a smallish one above Jamies head! I pointed out to him and he jumped out of his skin and joined me at the other side of the room. On a ratio of fear, he lost and had to grab a glass and paper to get rid of it outside! hahahaha!

After that, we hit our swimming pool! Yes, for 2 pounds each a night, we have our own swimming pool!! Ice cold, very refreshing! After a few hours at the pool, I began to feel funny...o oh, quick dash back to our bungalow and the beginning of a fun few days began. It turned out that- beingthe only thing that I had and Jamie did not, the banana shake the previous day had been made with local water- straight from the river...well we saw for oursleves and flushed it oursleves what the Thai people pump into their rivers! I do not need to expand on details, but 48 hours later and after buckets of magic pills, I was feeling much better! Jamie looked after me well and made up for leaving me in Chang mai...he is forgiven!

Donning the sunglasses as I had not been outdoors in a while this morning, we headed out for a breakfast of steak sandwich and french fries (or chips as I keep forgetting to call them now). After that, we decided we needed an adrenaline rush- so we hired a 125cc motorbike! Those who know me, and those who know Jamie will realise that neither of us have ever driven a bike before in our lives! Hahahahahaaa! It's perfectly legal out here to drive without a liscense- we have seen children younder than 10 doing it! We were given helmets though- among the few on the road who do wear them...most people are husband wife and 3 children on one bike and whoever sits on the back will get the one and only helmet they can afford to own.

So there we are, teaching ourselves how to drive a bike...Jamie is a natural the lucky thing, he took to it straight away and has decided he wants to get a liscense in the UK...shock horror! Me however, after revving the engine by accident whilst trying to turn it around, I only nearly hit several fences! Corners aren't so great either! I did better on the long run though, Jamie was on the back- I'm getting better at starting off as well, there's only a moderate chance that we'll miss the forward position and hit the ditch instead...maybe I will let Jamie drive tomorrow!

We spent a fantastic afternoon with the wind in my hair (Jamie's is much too short at the moment), and cruised around the country roads of Pai. It is beautiful, forests are similar to ours at home in the UK, only greener and hotter. Roads are full of potholes, and crazy people are always overtaking at horrendous speeds, but rather them than me! Here we actually get to see what they are talking about on the news all the time...the farmers here do not understand what damage they are doing, but they just set fire and to and burn vast parts of the forest down to clear space for agriculture...rice paddies. Fires have been burning on the surrounding hills since we arrived here, it's very sad to watch. We cruised past more elephant camps, actually met one on the road- the same as passing a horse, only 5 times the size and a rather bizarre sight! We stopped off in a roadside cafe for some drinks, it turned out the man lived there, he had a breeze block room which when he opened the door for our change, it contained only mats and blankets to sleep on- that's all he had. Poeple are very very poor over here, even more so than Mexico or Belize. They just spend their days swinging in hammocks waiting for white people like us to come and buy their goods so that they can eat that night...we can't buy everything and I always feel so bad refusing things.

Anyway, returning home, we did the usual, bought more water, climbed into our room, had a cold shower and sat under the fan watching tv cooling off...a lovely end to a lovely day out on the bike! Off for something hopefully edible to eat now. We leave for Chang Mai on 26th March ready to catch a boat into Laos that will take 2 days...from there...we have no idea what it will be like. I will probably update again in Chang Mai, if you do not hear from us for a couple of weeks, do not panick, we are way off the beaten track and the chances of there being normal things like tv, internet, phones...are slim!

Goodbye for now!

Kate and Jamie xxx

From link::kateharland.vox.com

Other links::More Wildlife Wanderings in Pai
Pai (but no pie in sight!)

Pai (but no pie in sight!)

2008-05-03T01:36:00.003+07:00

From link::www.travelpod.com

The journey to Pai was again spectacular and we ventured through some beautiful hill country and it has to be said steep and windy roads but Pai was well worth it! Its a v laidback little town and a bit of a backpackers haven really!

Pai proved to be our first attempt at killing ourselves exercise wise by sensibly hiring bikes in the heat of the day and attempting to ride 8km to a waterfall which was all uphill! You can imagine how enchanted I was! Why do you think I never rode a bike growing up...hills I hate them and it proves how unfit I am (that's the real reason!)

My husband - Mr Stamina - just keeps going while I puff and pant away geting frustrated with the gears (can you believe I'm 27 and have never used a bike with gears before! How embarassing!) Anyway, after stubbing my toe about 6 times and swearing like a good 'un, we finally reached the waterfall which was lovely and worth the perspiration but was I glad the way back was all downhill! Think I'm going to have to work on the old fitness levels!

In the late afternoon, we went to a nearby elephant camp and went on an amazing trek on the back of an elephant around the Pai countryside and through the river! We timed it just right as it all happened just as the sun was setting - stunning and really peaceful! It could even have been classified as romantic - although I'm sure Paul would disagree! He was too busy taking pictures of the elephants going to the toilet! NICE!

We finished the day having a very chilled out meal in a little restaurant which I think led to the demise of my tummy over the next few days.....

From link::www.travelpod.com

Other links::More Wildlife Wanderings in Pai

So this is where all the other farang are

2008-05-03T00:52:00.006+07:00

From link::www.travelpod.com

Arrived in Pai on Saturday the 18th, a 4 hour bus ride east of Mae Hong Son. It turns out the reason I hadn't been seeing that many tourists in Thailand is because they all came here, and decided to stay. Pai seems to have more tourists than locals, although obviously this is partly due to me spending my time in the tourist areas too. It was a very small, laid back hippie town a few decades ago, but now there are shops and tours to meet every tourist desire, and American, Mexican, and Italian restauants, among many others. Pai also seems to be afflicted by the same maladies as many a beach town around the world, by which I mean reggae, tatoo parlors, and lots of white people with dreadlocks. Nothng necessarily wrong with any of this, it's just all not very Thai. And when I say reggae, I mostly mean soft-rock/folky covers of Bob Marley songs. Ew.

Anyway, like most travelers who make it here, I stuck around for a few days. The pull of the familar is difficult to resist. I rented a motorbike for the first time in Thailand, and explored the countryside for a day. Passed through hill tribe villages (much more modern ones than the one I visited), fed an elephant a banana at an "elephant camp", visited Pai Canyon (not terribly grand), saw another waterfall, and later that evening took a swim in a hot spring pool. A great day all around, and learning how to ride the motorbike proved very easy.

Hung around Pai for two more days after this, doing some internet stuff, reading and generally being lazy. Also went to the local pool (of the non hot spring variety), for an afternoon. One of the other things that made Pai such a compelling place to hang around in was that they have a few places where you can rent DVDs and watch them in rented rooms. I couldn't resist taking advantage, as I have been experiencing severe movie withdrawal, so I rented a movie one evening at Cinema Paradiso. You couldn't find it if you searched all the Blockbusters in America, but this small northern thai town had Eurmir Kusterica's Underground. So now I miss movies even more, but I'll just have to get over it.

The only other notable occurance of my time in Pai was the discovery of a tick on top of my head. Probbaly picked it up treking. My head had been sore but I thought at first that it was just the result of bumping my head on one too many small doorways. The woman who ran the guesthouse was very grossed out by this and said it had probably been there for about three days based on its size. They pulled it out for me and put some iodine on the spot to disinfect it. Still a bit sore now. Lucky for me the doxycycline I'm taking as malaria prevention also protects me from whatever disease that little tick might have wanted to infect me with. Having dealt with my first medical issue, I packed up and headed a few more hours southeast.

From link::www.travelpod.com

Other links::A Piece of Pai, A Slice of Heaven

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A Piece of Pai, A Slice of Heaven

2008-05-03T00:24:00.005+07:00

From link::www.travelpod.com

A piece of Pai, is like a slice of heaven tucked in between lush green jungled mountains in the North West of Thailand. Pai means "bye" in Thai, which is kind of ironic because once no one seems to go anywhere once they arrive here. A traveler once wrote that "Pai is the kind of place I'd be inclined to despise if there wasn't so much that I liked here." Pai is nothing more than a tic-tac-toe of small streets making up a small village hidden amongst mountains that has become disgustingly overrun with tourists through the years. Generally speaking, I avoid places that are overrun with tourists, and wherever my travel guide book tells me to go, I go the opposite direction. But, after a month of Asia, this refreshing "farang" retreat was just what I needed.

The road from Chaing Mai to Pai offers beautiful views of densely forested mountains and plenty of opportunities to put your face in a barf bag. Constructed by the Japanese during WWII, the road curves and winds its way through jungle passes. Busses struggle to climb the steep upgrades, gears cranking and pistons screaming, tires nearly slide off the edges of the cliffs on 300 degree turns or come to a screeching halt in avoidance of cows roaming in herds. But, once you descend from the mountains, and your stomach settles upon arrival in this quaint village, you quickly come to say, "I love this place!"

Streets are lined with the typical Thai tourist attractions of river rafting and hill trekking, but more so attractive are the local hill tribes-women weaving purses and hats in brilliantly vibrant colors. Bakeries and restaurants galore offer international cuisine and coffee and internet shops offer a chance to retouch with those back home. The towns' aroma is a pleasant mixture of patchouli oil and Thai curry. Just outside town offers chances to relax in hot springs or visit waterfalls. But more than what this town offers to travelers, is its feeling and spirit which makes it so enchanting.

We settled into Villa de Pai, a lackadaisical little village of straw thatched roof bungalows with outdoor bathrooms on the banks of the muddy, racing Pai River. We arrived the night after a major flood and were welcomed to our bungalow with mud up to our mid-calves. At first, this was a deterrent, but quickly the mud became fun, shoeless we trudged through the area meeting many Israelis on holiday. I quickly re-named the Villa de Pai, the Gaza Strip, and once again felt like a minority. Villa de Pai became a picturesque community of backpackers, strumming guitars, smoking hand rolled cigarettes whilst sharing travel stories and watching the river pass by from our patios. On Sunday evening, a few of the men organized and prepared a community BBQ with fresh meats and vegetables, whisky and beer, and we all gathered around to eat and drink until the wee hours of the morning. It felt like living on a kibbutz.

Always the adventure seeker in me, I had the chance to learn to river kayak down the Pai River. It was my first time kayaking in a river and it was a rush to say the least. An intricate and almost sensual balance of body weight and positioning, I quickly picked-up the basics and off I went down the small rapids. I managed the small rapids while managing not to tip over which brought on cheers of praise from my friends on near-by kayaks. The river flows through the jungles offering stunning views of the outlaying mountains and bamboo huts along the banks. The low laying clouds sit atop the mountains as sprinkles of rain softly land adding to the force of the river flow.

From link::www.travelpod.com

Other links::Pai - Riverside Lodge
Pai, Thailand01

Pai - Riverside Lodge

2008-05-02T21:38:00.003+07:00

From link::www.travelpod.com

After leaving the bitter taste in my mouth from seeing what Chiang Mai had become, I took one of the luxuries of tourist hell traps that I enjoy, expensive door to door tourist minivans, to Pai. On the bus, I met an American from of all places Lincoln, Nebraska. I've been a lot of places around the world and besides Dano, Mark is the only other Nebraskan that I've seen outside of Nebraska. I spent about an hour looking for a nice place 2 chill out before I gave up and just rented motorbikes to cruise around the beautiful valleys and hills around Pai.

I did find a beautiful serene place on the river, Pai River Lodge, but it was full.

I could tell that the vibe was exactly what I wanted tho when no one greeted me and I had to look around to find a long haired hippy Thai dude, to tell me, "dunno, maybe check back tomorrow". He sorta personified Pai's feel of a very chilled out little hippy haven. It's a picturesque little town in the north of Thailand about 20K from the Burmese border set alongside a small river encircled by mountains. The main part of town is basically 2x2 streets with roads leading off to other villages nearby. Unfortunately, but of course, all the best bars are a bit out of town and quite a hike to get to without a motor bike. We decided to head to a nearby hot spring for a dip. What we didn't know was when they say HOT springs, they mean it! The water temperature was 80C or 176F, hot enough to boil eggs (for reference, hot tubs are usually set around 103F). Glad there were some guys around to tell us that because there certainly weren't any signs.

We stopped at Unicorn, a great little restaurant in the valley, for lunch and a couple beers. You can't beat 25B/ dish. Unfortunately, after we ate I stepped off the bamboo platform directly onto the proverbial rusty nail. OUCH! This pretty much defined what I was gonna do in Pai as the T-shirts say, "Do nothing in Pai". I went to the hospital and got my wound cleaned, a tetanus booster and a course of antibiotics for the mere price of 267 not dollars, but Baht, around $7.50. The rest of the time in Pai, I spent pretty much chillin on my hammock and eating.

From link::www.travelpod.com

Other links::A Piece of Pai, A Slice of Heaven
More Wildlife Wanderings in Pai

Canyon Land in Pai, Thailand

2008-05-02T21:13:00.003+07:00

From link::Canyon Land in Pai, Thailand

These are pics we took one day while hiking around the outskirts of Pai in the northern part of Thailand.

Beautiful Sunset!

This trail is really fun. On either side are steep, 100 foot drop offs.

From link::Canyon Land in Pai, Thailand
Other links::Pai - Riverside Lodge

More Wildlife Wanderings in Pai

2008-05-02T20:35:00.002+07:00

From link::Smiley Nix Big Adventure

Just thought I'd take the opportunity to do another update between the morning and afternoon session of ,, School!

This morning I learned about different Thai ingredients and made a red cury paste, which I used for a really delicioua penang curry that we ate for lunch. Later we are learning about and making soups and stir fries for tea. I'm also going to get the low down on a desert consisting of Thai sticky coconut rice with mango - because it is to die for ... well almost!

Today, on the course which is entitled 'Let's Wok with Tee', there is me, a German girl called Helena and the teacher 'Tee'. We each make a different dish so that we can learn how to cook lots of different things.

I have a recipe book and detailed notes, so hopefully I can cook up a proper Thai treat for you all when I finally get settled again :o)

Yesterday I hired a very rickety mountain bike and got in some serious excercise peddaling around and about. I think I must hve covered about 20-30km on the bike and also walked about 10km. The scenery is so beautiful. The walk was through the forest and through and along a stream/river in search of a waterfall. Unfortunately I had to give up and turn back before I got to the falls because they were further than I thought and I didn't want to be in the forest after sunset! There were lots of beautiful butterflies but ost of them were too fast for me to photograph.

I saw a snake as I was cycling along the highway back to Pai but it too was quick and had disappeared by the time I had stopped and got my camera out! But I managed to get this chameleon ok. Hasn't he got fantastic colours?!

The rains have come early here this year. It is mostly very hot and dry but every day for about an hour it absolutely hammers down. That' what it's doing at the moment. Hence I don't feel too guilty at being in the internet cafe!

Got quite a packed day tomorrow. Tomorrow morning I plan to go to the hot springs and then Pai Canyon, so will probably hire a bike again. Hopefully I can find one with gears that work this time! At 9pm I'm catching an overnight bus to Chaing Khong, then crossing the river into Laos. I'm then taking the slow boat down the Mekhong to a place called Luang Prabang. The boat trip takes two days, we stop overnight in a small town called Pak Beng and arrive in Laos on Monday evening at about 5pm. So that's how I shall be speing my 35th (ouch) birthday! As a real treat, I have just booked myself into a nice hotel for a couple of nights - check it out! http://www.grandluangprabang.com (This is the website for where I'm staying at the moment by the way http://www.pairadise.com)

It's low season here at the moment (which I didn't realise when I booked). So things are fairly quiet - but in a way that's quite nice. I've still not hooked up with anyone else, but I suspect that is more by choice! I've met lots of nice people but it is all fairly transient and you realise not everyone is on the same wavelength. It's not a problem though, I'm really enjoying the experience and taking each day as it comes.

Well I think that's it for today. I will ask the guys and cooking school to take some photos, since several of you keep nagging me for more pics.

Right I'm off for a coffee :o)

TTFN

From link::Smiley Nix Big Adventure

Other links::Canyon Land in Pai, Thailand
A Piece of Pai, A Slice of Heaven

Pai, Thailand02

2008-05-02T19:00:00.002+07:00

<<Pai, Thailand01

Link::From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Flood of 2005

Pai suffered a huge mudslide and severe flooding in 2005, resulting in major structural damage to homes, resorts, storefronts, and bridges. The town had almost completely recovered by the time the 2006 high season began.

Controversy over Police Conduct

Although it is a sleepy town in the mountains, Pai has over the past decade generated an unusual amount of controversy (even for Thailand) concerning the conduct of its local police, as well as the conduct of Thai drug enforcement police operating there. This is partially due to the proximity of Pai to drug routes from the Shan State in Burma, however given the post-2000 rise in incidents involving foreign tourists, it is evident that other factors are also at work. Some examples of this clear long-term trend in Pai include:

On December 24th, 2001, the local Pai police arrested and jailed the owner of Bebop bar, with the rather dubious explanation that he was "letting people dance in a place of business not officially licensed as a ‘disco.’"^[7] After this event, both Bebob and Mountain Blue received additional discriminatory treatment in the form of illegal, or uneven, application of Thailand's closing-time laws. The so-called "dancing ban" by the Thai Police became a famous and well-known joke which business owners are still talking about in 2008.

Also in 2001, and again in 2003, Pai district officials and police began enforcing several illegal measures ostensibly aimed at increasing "safety" for the local tourists, specifically "a ‘recommendation’ via illegal denial of permits whereby all guesthouses must have walls made from a solid material, such as wood, gypsum, compressed fibre or cement"^[8] rather than the cheaper and more traditional bamboo favored by many guesthouse owners and low-budget backpackers. Most locals suspected other motives were involved, including both a desire to "weed out" low-budget tourists and to encourage higher-priced construction that would generate higher construction kickbacks. Several locals pointed out uneven enforcement of these laws for different businesses, depending on personal relationships with the police or district officials.

The so-called "War on Drugs" launched in February 2003 by former (now deposed) Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, in which "more than 2,000 people in Thailand were killed as the government effectively declared 'open season' on those accused of involvement in the drug trade,"^[9], took a heavy toll on Pai district and downtown Pai in particular. Many locals whose family members were murdered without investigation now take an extremely skeptical view towards any police action here.^[10]

In 2006, the Pai Police purchased a new mobile drug testing vehicle, and there have been numerous reported instances of the police entering bars and other establishments and randomly urine-testing foreign tourists. In many of these cases it is apparent that the searches were not performed legally. In Thailand, "when requesting urinalysis for drug identification purposes, at least one member of the Narcotics Suppression Police must be present. Regular Thai police do not have this right, nor do the Tourist Police. Second of all, there must be probable cause."^[11]. In most cases, apprehended suspects are detained in Mae Hong Son jail for a few days, then released with a "fine" typically on the order of 5,000-10,000 baht.^[12]

On January 5th 2008, Pai made national and international news when an off-duty police officer, Sgt-Major Uthai Dechawiwat, fatally shot Canadian tourist John Leo Del Pinto, and shot and wounded a second Canadian tourist Carly Reisig, fleeing the scene immediately after the event.^[13]^[14] Nearly all involved believe that both the policeman and suspects were drunk at the time. Official police reports differ widely from eye-witness reports and it is expected that the officer will be acquitted by the Thai Justice system. In an extremely unusual development which highlights the deep integrity issues that exist with the Pai police, reporter Andrew Drummond published an editorial in The Nation where he expressed his regrets for publishing views from all sides of the story in his earlier Nation article because:
"While the facts presented were true, they have been wrongly taken in a malicious way by many...What the journalist cannot convey sometimes is his opinion of whether the witnesses are telling the truth or show immediately what links these witnesses have to the police....I am very concerned at several aspects of this case:
1. The police claiming that Reisig was pregnant and this had angered a jealous foreign boyfriend.
2. The claims by the police shooter that he had been out of town before the shooting, when other witnesses were saying the officer was drinking heavily that night in Pai.
3. The threats to prosecute Reisig for assault on police.
4. The automatic bail for the police gunman.
5. The fact that local police are investigating themselves.
6. The claims that the gun had discharged three times accidentally."

In a January, 2008 editorial published in Chiang Mai CityLife (submitted in December, 2007),anonymous author "A Tourist" eerily anticipates the January, 2008 shooting in his/her strongly-worded objection to excessive police actions in Pai:

"I have noticed another significant change over the last year, which is the reason for writing this letter. The method of law enforcement in this small town needs to be seriously examined....I accept that changes are necessary. I also agree that noise pollution should be carefully monitored and controlled, as should drug abuse and any other illegal acts or unpleasant kinds of behaviour, but we ought not to be scared to leave our homes (or guesthouses)! ... One Saturday in particular remains in my memory, where several police officers decided to inspect a party at a bar in town. I believe that they were looking for drugs. I along with many other tourists was especially shocked to see that one officer was carrying a machine gun...This kind of behaviour is likely to scare tourists and leave very negative impressions on them with regards to Pai town as a holiday destination...The police are also actively confiscating other vehicles, testing individuals at random for drugs and alcohol abuse, detaining owners of restaurants and bars for remaining open past the agreed time, and generally making a lot of noise in a relatively quiet town that did not appear to have many problems beforehand....The increased police presence is clearly visible and does not, in my opinion, make Pai town look like a place one would like to visit. There is also a general feeling of unrest here and I feel that it is quite obvious to the tourist travelling through. The police are unapproachable and menacing. This has a strong negative impact on the atmosphere here in Pai town. The previously friendly and welcoming town appears to have changed into a place where everyone is afraid to even walk down the street in case they are accused of doing something wrong. Should the police not be employed to protect civilians? Should they not be approachable in case I or someone else requires some help? They are certainly not even close to doing what a police force is meant to do."

Link::From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pai, Thailand01

2008-05-02T18:27:00.003+07:00

Link::From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pai (Thai: ปาย) is a small town in northern Thailand near the Myanmar border, north of Chiang Mai on the northern route to Mae Hong Son. It lies along the Pai River. The town has thesaban tambon status and covers parts of the tambon Wiang Tai of Pai district। As of 2006 it has a population of 2,284।

Access

Pai is located on Thai highway 1095, which connects Mae Hong Son with Chiang Mai. The Pai Airport, which had been decommissioned for 20 years, was paved and refurbished in 2005-6, and on 1 February 2007, Siam General Aviation began daily passenger service to and from Chiang Mai International Airport.

Tourism and Development

Pai was once a quiet market village inhabited by Shan people (ethnic Tai whose culture is influenced by Burma; see the History section below), but nowadays Pai primarily thrives on tourism. Well-known among backpackers for its relaxed atmosphere, the town is full of cheap guesthouses, souvenir shops and restaurants. In the proximity of the town are spas and elephant camps. Further outside of town, there are several waterfalls and a number of natural hot springs varying in temperature from 80 to 200 degrees Celsius. Some resorts tap the hot springs and feed hot water into private bungalows and public pools. As Pai lies at the foot of the mountains, many tourists use it as a base for trekking and visiting hill tribes like Karen, Hmong, Lisu and Lahu. Another notable attraction is the town's excellent Wednesday Market which brings large and colorful crowds of local villagers and tribal people from all around the Pai Valley.

Recently Pai has appeared on the Thailand tourist map and has received major infrastructure upgrades including an airport with several daily flights, two 7/11's, several small- to medium-size luxury resorts (adding to the more than 118 guesthouses and restaurants which existed as of June 2007^[2]), a couple of live music clubs, beer bars and two sets of traffic lights. This has done little to dampen the small and peaceful spirit of the town out of season. However, it has led to a recent influx of business investment and land speculation by both farang (non-Asian foreigners) and big city Thais. While some hail these sweeping changes as a new age of prosperity for Pai, others point to the loss of Pai's traditional customs and culture.^[3]^[4]

In the tourist high season of November through March there are large numbers of tourists. Prior to 2006, foreign tourists predominated, but now Thai tourists make up the vast majority, particularly after Pai featured in two popular, Thai-made romantic movies, The Letter: Jod Mai Rak (Thai: จดหมายรัก, 2004) and Ruk Jung (Thai: รักจัง, 2006).

Pai has music festivals regularly as well as staging an International Enduro Championship।

History

Unless otherwise indicated, the information in this section is based on local Pai resident Thomas Kasper's history of Pai:

The area of modern-day Pai has been inhabited for more than 5,000 years. About 2,000 years ago, the Lua (or Lawa) Tribe was the dominant ethnic group all over the area of today's northern Thailand, and a few of their descendants still live in villages only about 20km away from Pai.

The recorded history of the area starts about 800 years ago with the establishment of a settlement (today known as Ban Wiang Nuea) about 3km north of modern-day Pai. Ban Wiang Nuea was founded in 1251 AD by Shan immigrants from the region of modern-day northern Burma. Due to the area's remoteness and seclusion, people in those times were mainly cut off from news of the outside world and therefore not much concerned with the politics of Lanna and the rest of Thailand. That changed drastically in the course of the 14th and 15th century, when the first settlers arrived from Chiang Mai. It was part of Lanna policy of the time to send citizens loyal to the Lanna throne to the outposts of the empire, in order to consolidate and affirm Lanna's territorial authority। The result was a conflict that eventually led to a series of wars over territorial dominance in the Pai area. The Lanna troops finally defeated the Shan soldiers in 1481, forcing them to retire to Burmese territory. The Shan families who had lived in the area for a long time, establishing households, farming their land and raising their families, were granted permission to stay by the Lanna prince, along with a certain degree of cultural and social autonomy under the law and authority of the Lanna kingdom. Ban Wiang Nuea as a result became a village sharply divided into two parts by a wall into a "Shan" part and a "Lanna" part.

In the second half of the 19th century, colonial powers France and England, who had already established their influence in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Burma, were viewing the area of modern-day Thailand with increasing interest. To consolidate Siam's influence and authority in the northern border region, the royal house encouraged Northern Thais from provinces like Payao, Lamphun and Nan to migrate to those areas. The result again was conflict: the last fight between Lanna Thai and Shan in Ban Wiang Nuea took place in 1869, when Lanna soldiers finally defeated their Shan opponents in a battle that ended with the total destruction of the village. The entire village was burnt to the ground. All structures standing in Ban Vieng Nuea today are the result of the subsequent rebuilding efforts of the villagers.

There was already a "road" (that took up to a week to traverse) leading from Chiang Mai to Pai in the late 19th century. Many of the new immigrants chose to settle in the area of the connecting road to Mae Hong Son, south of the village of Ban Wiang Nuea. This settlement was known as Ban Wiang Tai, and it developed into the modern town we know as Pai.

During World War Two, the Japanese began several projects to create efficient troop and equipment transport routes between Thailand and Burma, and (in addition to the well-known Death Railway through Kanchanaburi) one of these projects was the improvement of the existing "road" from Chiang Mai through Pai and Mae Hong Son. A wood and steel bridge built by the Japanese still stands about 10 km from Pai on the road to Chiang Mai, just parallel to the bridge later built in the course of more recent road improvement projects by the Thai government. As it turned out, just about when the Japanese supply line reached Burma, the war was over.

The Thai government started developing the road leading from Chiang Mai via Pai to Mae Hong Son, known today as Highway 1095, in 1967, but didn't finish paving the route until the early- to mid-1990s।

Pai's recent history is one of waves of migration: in addition to the aforementioned waves of old Shan and Lanna immigrants, Karen immigrants arrived in the 18th century, Lisu and Lahu people from areas of southern China arrived in the early 20th century, Muslim families from Chiang Mai began arriving to establish trade businesses starting around 1950, a group of Kuomintang fleeing Mao Zedong established a community in Pai in the early 1960s, and finally a new wave of refugees from the Shan State of Burma have arrived in the last few decades, fleeing the turmoil caused by the Burmese Junta to work as laborers in Thailand।

Link::From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Other links::Pai, Thailand02
Canyon Land in Pai, Thailand