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Pai, Thailand - Good Vibrations March, 2008 |
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When the bus pulled into Ma Ma Lai, it was already full, with people shoulder to shoulder in the aisles, yet fifteen more eager to board people stood in line at the stop, and my wife and I were last in line. Little did I realize that three hours later, I would still be occupying that same one-foot section of the lower door, as even more people squeezed in the back section of the bus. As the bus looped through endless switchbacks on the uphill climb to Pai, my body occupied a space half in and half out the bus, and I developed a survival rhythm - relax on the left hand turns as my weight was thrown inwards, and maintain a death grip on the right hand turns as my mass was thrown outwards. Slowly, the kilometers passed as the creaky old bus ground up the mountains, and I constantly shifted my weight to prevent one leg from falling asleep. At one point, I even considered hopping off and jogging alongside, it was moving that slowly. I watched the landscape from the door, careful to duck inside when we passed low-lying branches, or the driver cut a corner too sharply. Finally arriving in Pai, the money collector brazenly asked for full fare, whereupon I smiled and negotiated a much smaller fee for the luxury of a standing room only seat. After a three-day stay, we had
left the small town of Tha Ton, north of Chiang Rai in the Golden
Triangle of Northern Thailand. We were somewhat Tha Ton, on the other hand, was a more appealing option. Spanning the Kok River, it borders Burma with a limited number of guesthouses scattered throughout town. Not many tourists come here, and those that do use the town as a base for visiting local hill tribes - in fact, you can simply walk from downtown and visit a number of indigenous villages. We’re somewhat ambivalent on these hill tribe visits. Some have big signs on the side of the road and charge admission, some are tucked away and require a few hours walk to get to, while there are others (like the Karen long neck tribe), that deliberately create a market for themselves. On the one hand, it’s a source of income, yet how would you feel if a big tour bus dumped a load of people in your neighborhood and they proceeded to wander through your yard taking pictures. Hence the ambivalence – we like to observe, but not to intrude.
Tha Ton itself is smack up against the border with Burma. Early one afternoon, we meandered down a dirt road and came upon a gate guarded by some military person who would not let us pass. Later that day, someone explained that there is military that watches the Burmese border in order to discourage people from sneaking across into Thailand. We did hear the sound of gunshots every now and then, and we think this was the ‘discouragement’ we heard about. Tha Ton is a wonderful destination and the Garden Home Nature Resort is a gem of a place to stay. Cute bungalows right on the river at $15/night, it’s owned and operated by a local family who also rent motorbikes. We heartily recommend this as a two or three day stopover – three hours north of Chiang Rai by local minibus. Unfortunately, we spent most of
one day getting to Pai, set in a valley in the northwest quadrant of
Thailand. Fortunately, we arrived in this In the guidebooks, they describe this town as a hippie mecca, although it seems to have moved beyond that and is somewhat more upscale. Accommodations range from $2 to $200. There is the usual backpacker appeal here, with cheap accommodations in flimsy huts along the river, along with the seedy tattoo parlors that are so appallingly appealing to these knuckleheads - isn’t it about time this stupid fad came to an end? If you cannot find something in Pai that satisfies your accommodation appetite, I do not know where else you could.
Yikes, it seems that Pai has squeezed its way unto our already crowded favorite place list – and justifiably so. The place we stayed is three months old and it’s called the ‘Baan Suan Rim Pai Resort’. Located right downtown at $22/night, it has wonderful atmosphere, and a great local owner. With coffee, breakfast, and internet access a half a block away, we stayed four nights and could have hung around another week. As we said, many, many places to choose from, all very nice and very cheap. Next stop Soppong, an hour up the road from Pai, for maybe two nights, then on to Mae Hong Son, another two hours further, for three or four nights. Northern Thailand is very appealing, people are friendly, scenery is magnificent, and costs are minimal. All in all, definite good vibrations. Moreover, you never know what will happen when you take the local buses – three days afterwards my upper thighs were still sore when I attempted to do squats.
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Like
an episode from ‘Survivor’, I clung to the doorframe of the rickety bus
while standing on the lower step, wedged between my wife and another
person. Shifting my weight to alleviate the onslaught of cramps, I
challenged myself to hang on just a wee bit longer, hopeful that
someone, anyone, would get off at the next village and create just a few
inches more of personal space, perhaps enough to even sit down. 
neutral on Chiang Rai; having spent two days there, it did not really
merit any more time. Perhaps we were somewhat jaded after a delightful
month in Laos, one of our favorite destinations. They do have a festive
night market with a better than average selection of merchandise and we
did get to see the ‘White Temple’, a magnificent wat just outside of
town. This wat is whitewashed in color and embedded with thousands of
pieces of reflective glass. Depending on the sunlight, its reflective
look changes – at times appearing bright white, then cooling to blue as
clouds pass overhead - beautiful, but hard to describe. Would we
recommend Chiang Rai? – sure, for a day or two. 
One
day we rented a motorbike to tour some of the outlying areas – they’re
cheap, everyone rents them and you can see every wat within 30 miles if
you so choose. We drove up to the highly touted Mae Saelong, a Chinese
settlement set high up in the hills, which took most of an hour. Other
than the beautiful drive up, we didn’t think there was that much to see
or recommend in this town, unless you like to shop Chinese souvenir
stands that sell basically the same thing – tea and dried fruit. 
charming
town and found that it is one of the best places we’ve visited in
Thailand so far. Early on in our trip, we had run across someone just
completing their yearlong tour of the Southeast Asia. When we asked her
favorite places, Pai was at the top of the list, so we always intended
to make the circuitous route to get here. There are more accommodations
than you can imagine, there is a large nightly food market to satisfy
most everyone, a surprising selection of bookstores, outstanding local
scenery, coffee shops and bars, outdoor jazz, and a great mellow
atmosphere. In fact, we would say that half the places are
accommodations, a quarter are restaurants and the rest rent motorbikes. 
We
rented a motorbike for a ridiculously low $4/day, with insurance no
less, and toured all the local sites – hot springs, various wats, and
small villages. One very hot day we stopped at a resort, paid a buck,
and swam in their pool for a couple of hours. At another wat, we were
chased off by two very angry dogs intent on chomping into my leg.
Somehow, we managed to escape their wrath by speeding around the temple
and out the back door. You need to be alert when visiting these temples,
because the monks who live there care for many homeless dogs, and
perhaps they become a little territorial. I was thankful we had our
rabies shots; just do not let your guard down. It’s obvious why everyone
loves Pai, it’s a laid-back place set far enough from civilization that
one could get lost in it for a long, long time. 
