About 3 hours Northwest of Chang Mai lies the old trading post Pai. It’s rather small with about 2,000 year-round inhabitants living there. Because it’s way up in the mountains it’s warm during the day and slightly chilly at night making for excellent sleeping. It’s become a popular place for backpackers hanging around Chang Mai to visit for a day or two, so unfortunately most of the activities there are aimed at getting young Westerners drunk on overpriced cocktails and beer. In the town itself not much remains of the old trading post – everything has been overtaken by bars offering western foods and live music. So, if you are looking for a weekend-long booze fest, this is the place to be.

We, though, decided to head up there and find a little bungalow we heard about just outside of town in the middle of a rice paddy. It was really quiet and relaxing and we spent most of our time gazing up at the stars at night. When we did venture in to town on our motor scooter it was mostly to visit the many second hand book stores. In just a few days I read The Alchemist, the Rum Diaries, the Last Lecture, and Nickel and Dimed.

We also took the motor bike up to a waterfall outside of town we had heard about from a few locals. It was beautiful, and we had the whole area to ourselves to swim in for quite awhile. The town itself is full of tourists paying too much for knock off liquor and cheap tee shirts, it’s a wonder few of them rent a motor bike and drive a mere 20 minutes to experience some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. I can’t believe people travel half way around the world and venture hours up in to the Thai mountains to consume imported beer and bad pizza, but that leaves the waterfalls and the hot springs all to ourselves. We, of course, had no complaints. The water was deep, chilly, and the sun shining through the cavern overhead was welcoming. Lovely time, and you can’t beat FREE.

On the way back to our bungalow we stopped at a spa near a hot spring. They had these big pools fed by the steaming mineral water. For a mere 100 baht a person you get to spend as much time as you can in the hot pools set in beautiful gardens, plus towel service and showers with lovely moisturizing soaps when you are done. It was hot enough that if it wasn’t for dipping in the cold pool every few minutes we wouldn’t have lasted. The ride back to the bungalow afterwards was incredibly relaxing, weaving around the mountain’s twists and turns with the sun setting just to our left behind the hills.

We also found a little pub/restaurant owned by an English ex pat and his Thai partner called the Witching Well. If you ever end up in Pai, GO HERE! The guys were incredibly kind, the food was delicious, and this is where we found all the local info on the best waterfalls, the best spas, and the best bungalows. We thank Marc and hope to see him again some day.

Also, next to our little bungalow there was a restaurant and guest house run by an American and his Thai wife. We didn’t stay there as we had already checked in to our little place, but we ended up eating their food twice a day because it was so delicious. It’s called Ing Doi – if you are in Pai look them up, bring a book, and sit on their little deck and let them take care of you for a bit.

All in all Pai was really wonderful. But, unless you are looking to get drunk on ‘western’ cocktails and eat terrible pizza, you don’t want to stay there more than a few days. And if you DO stay there, don’t bother with the loud and overpriced guest houses in town. Rent a motor bike (a mere 100 baht a day) and wander the country side for 20 minutes until you come upon some bungalows. Here you can relax in the Pai valley, take in the stars at night, and sleep well in the chilly air under your mosquito net. A great way to sleep off the restless Chang Mai nights and rejuvenate.

Next up, Welcome to Laos.

Check out the Pai Photos: