Pai, Thailand

Well, I hope that your Christmas break was peaceful and rejuvenating! I had a tranquil vacation in a very small town in northern Thailand. The town’s name is Pai, situated about three hours northwest of Chiang Mai, and it’s nestled into a valley among mountains rising over 2,000 meters. The town is a tiny backpacker’s haven on the route from Mae Hong Son to Chiang Mai. It could most aptly be described as “sleepy” with no more than two traffic lights, a collection of shops along four roads, and a smattering of restaurants. The town is populated by a mixture of local farmers and tourists, and these two groups commune each night for libations, music, and conversation. The climate, in particular, is wonderful compared to Singapore. The high temperature during the day seldom tops 85F while the low reliably drops near 60F. The ambiance, to say the least, was beautiful. The town is actually the setting for a recent Thai romantic drama, and I’m including the trailer for a little bit of context. The majority of the scenes displayed are in the town itself with a few scenes from Bangkok.

We flew into Pai in a tiny, ten-seater propeller aircraft from the Chiang Mai airport.  We chose to take the twenty minute flight over a few mountain ridges instead of the nauseating, circuitous three hour car drive ,and the experience was nothing like a typical commercial flight. We sat directly behind the pilots and we could see right out the front window, and the pilot was continually pointing out cultural or historical landmarks along the way. They handed us a paper sack filled with snacks as we were boarding (as though we could actually develop hunger pangs in that short amount of time!). Upon landing at the airport in Pai, we disembarked onto the tarmac and proceeded to the baggage claim that was, in fact, disguised as a bamboo rack. I noticed a group of departing passengers waiting inside the tiny terminal hut, a structure mainly consisting of a metal detector located directly between the front and back door.

We caught a ride to our hotel that was located just outside the city limits, and we discovered a pleasant collection of two-room huts set among terraced rice paddy fields. The name of the hotel was the Phu Pai Art Resort and I would recommend the place to anyone staying in the area. In the daylight, we had a direct view of the surrounding hills beyond the paddy fields and, in the evening, the stars were brilliant in the cloudless sky.

The hotel provided a 10 minute shuttle service to the center of town and we used it frequently. We quickly discovered, unfortunately, the operating hours of the shuttle never extended beyond our evening plans, and thereafter we found that there weren’t any taxis or tuk tuks for hire in the whole town. We discussed our options briefly before helping a local cowboy push start his motorbike. It felt nice knowing we weren’t alone in our immobility. Considering our desperation, we were lucky to find a friendly, obliging restauranteur to give us a lift back to the hotel. I’m pleased to say that humanity is not doing so bad in Pai.

All in all, I’ll admit that we didn’t get much accomplished in Pai. We immersed ourselves in the culinary expertise made available at the local restaurants. The shops obviously weren’t investing any resources into the ambiance; the space consisted mostly of plastic furniture arranged among a mess of cooking supplies. The service wasn’t that remarkable, either. The food, however, was unbelievably delicious. The people of Pai maintain the art of Thai cooking with serious proficiency, and they aren’t shy about admitting the superiority of their dishes. After asking a few waitresses what was noteworthy on the menu, they all scoffed at the audacity of such a question. Each reassured in the same manner by throwing the menu on the table, “Everything is good.” They were right and I gently reassured myself that you can’t have decent price, quality, and service. At other times, we lounged around reading and relaxing along the banks of the Pai River.

We did take a short day trip out into the surrounding hills to examine the scenery and confirm the roads were, in fact, a disaster. We drove about 45 minutes outside of Pai to a scenic viewing point atop a ridge and then on to the scenic Tham Lod Cave. Every portion of this road can be likened to Lombard Street in San Francisco. I attempted, briefly, to do some reading on the road before realizing I was doomed. The destination proved beautiful, nonetheless, and we enjoyed a bamboo raft ride through an ancient river cave. The large cave was carved into the mountain by the Lang River, and the cave has been used by people for at least a millennium. We docked the raft at a few points and explored on foot before hiking around the nearby forest.

In the end, I’ve returned back to the tiny island of Singapore and I’m getting back into my regular routine. The creature of habit is creeping back into my life, and I’m feeling more reintegrated into this fast-paced lifestyle with each day. I wish everyone the best and brightest in 2010, and I look forward to sharing more experiences and catching up with all of you soon!