Pai

Minibus from Chiang Mai was a bit of an adventure, very tight turns weaving our way up and down mountain sides until we reached the little village Pai on the flats surrounded by mountains. Pai is a busy little village full of lots of different people, foreign travelers, Thai travelers, locals and travelers who have become semi locals. It reminds me of Byron in a way but not as commercial, has a hippie village feel. Anyway I have been really sick with the flu so it hasn't been a bad place to chill out for a few days and get better, there is a little cafe which sells healthy food and lots of teas so I have been hanging out there reading and drinking ginger, honey and lemon tea. I my first night's accommodation was in a bit of a party area so found it hard to sleep with loud music, and was woken again when my neighbors got home at 2 in the morning and turned up their music. I moved first thing in the morning to another place which is great, I have my own little bungalow right on the river with a hammock on my balcony where I can read and listen to the river run by. Feeling a lot better today so I did a 2 hour yoga practice at a little school next door hoping that it might help clear my head a little, class was great it was up high on a platform surrounded by trees, came away feeling much better. Thinking of staying in Pai for another day or two before getting bus to the Laos border. Spent another day in Pai, feeling a lot better still not up for much activity so I lay in my hammock and read for most of the day then got a Thai herbal massage and a lemon facial massage was almost 2 hours of massage for 400B which is less than $15. Was getting late by that stage so time for dinner I found a great little restaurant, so busy! fully run by only two little Thai girls open kitchen so you can watch them cook. They are surrounded by 4-5 woks each cooking like mad stopping only to take customers money, you write your own order down and its put on string line with a peg. I had the best red curry with fresh prawns and a spicy Thai salad with crispy tofu, lemongrass, mint..... so good! all for 120B. I have booked a bus leaving Pai 8.30 tomorrow morning to the Laos border will be hard to get up as I have been sleeping in to 9am for the past week.


My little bungalow, Relaxing on my hammock.