Pai is a little very touristy town 4 hours drive from Chiang Mai. The ride is an adventure on its own with it's 726 sharps turns. Finally , there are mountains and jungle around.
Pai is what it is ... touristy little place with restaurants, bars and bamboo huts to make all the tourists feel adventurous, unfortunately not much of a Thai feel.
I took a lesson in Scooter riding in preparation for my Southeast Asia adventure. It went good and I rented a scooter for the day to did a loop around the area, visiting hot springs and waterfalls ( not too special). I got to feel the breeze in my hair and enjoyed the ride.
So far, Tahiland is more touristy than any of the places I visited so far and I was reading the little print in Lonely Planet to find a place of the beaten track ( more like beaten freeway so far). So I got on the bus to Soppong. Only an hour from Pai, this place is it! Authentic Thai experience. I am staying in Cave Lodge, wooden bungalows set in the green mountains, near river with caves and tribe villages in a walking distance, you can hear the gibbons in the morning and there are snakes and spiders and lizards here too. And only few tourists! This is the place... the travelers paradise! How happy I was to leave all the drunks behind in Pai.
Just following the map from the lodge I visited local Karan Village, good 10 km hike up the hill.
There is a huge cave near by I went to see yesterday, taking the bamboo raft through it. We came back in the evening to see thousands and thousands of Swifts coming back to the cave for the night. Amazing! So many of them, so much noise.
Today is a much needed chill day. I have a cold. It is a good place here to just read my Lonely Planet, planing my next move and chat with the fellow travelers.
Cave Lodge
What an awesome place. So peaceful, set up in the hills. I liked hearing the birds and the gibbons in the morning. I stayed for 4 nights, there is no rush to go somewhere else, when you find place like this.
I hiked to the Karan village with my friends one more time. The 6km of steep hill up and down was much more fun with a good company. We bought more weaved products, feeling good about buying directly from woman who made it. Jess bought a blanket for $25 and we were estimating how long could it take to make, weeks?
This village gets only few tourists there, unlike some other places that the trekking companies take you to, turning the villages into human Zoos. It was different when walking around alone, smiling, saying hi and watching locals who were curiously watching us too.
We took the river trail back, following the river back to our village. It was bit of a bush-whacking, and lot's of river crossings.
I headed back to Chiang Mai for one night. Little more shopping and street food eating.
I had a lovely breakfast for the base for the antimalarics that I am starting today. The main side effects are that they can be harsh on your stomach and that you could get sensitive to the sun (getting sun-burn blisters and rush!). Let's hope I will not get either....
I took a local bus to Taton, little village 4 hours north. I am getting good at staying off the beaten track. There are only handful of tourists in the town. I was enjoying the river views, the lush green hills and the Buddhas set in the hills overlooking the village.
I am only staying one night, taking the slow boat to Chiang Rai.
Pai is what it is ... touristy little place with restaurants, bars and bamboo huts to make all the tourists feel adventurous, unfortunately not much of a Thai feel.
So far, Tahiland is more touristy than any of the places I visited so far and I was reading the little print in Lonely Planet to find a place of the beaten track ( more like beaten freeway so far). So I got on the bus to Soppong. Only an hour from Pai, this place is it! Authentic Thai experience. I am staying in Cave Lodge, wooden bungalows set in the green mountains, near river with caves and tribe villages in a walking distance, you can hear the gibbons in the morning and there are snakes and spiders and lizards here too. And only few tourists! This is the place... the travelers paradise! How happy I was to leave all the drunks behind in Pai.
Just following the map from the lodge I visited local Karan Village, good 10 km hike up the hill.
There is a huge cave near by I went to see yesterday, taking the bamboo raft through it. We came back in the evening to see thousands and thousands of Swifts coming back to the cave for the night. Amazing! So many of them, so much noise.
 |
| The "little dots" are birds.. |
Today is a much needed chill day. I have a cold. It is a good place here to just read my Lonely Planet, planing my next move and chat with the fellow travelers.
Cave Lodge
What an awesome place. So peaceful, set up in the hills. I liked hearing the birds and the gibbons in the morning. I stayed for 4 nights, there is no rush to go somewhere else, when you find place like this.
I hiked to the Karan village with my friends one more time. The 6km of steep hill up and down was much more fun with a good company. We bought more weaved products, feeling good about buying directly from woman who made it. Jess bought a blanket for $25 and we were estimating how long could it take to make, weeks?
This village gets only few tourists there, unlike some other places that the trekking companies take you to, turning the villages into human Zoos. It was different when walking around alone, smiling, saying hi and watching locals who were curiously watching us too.
We took the river trail back, following the river back to our village. It was bit of a bush-whacking, and lot's of river crossings.
I headed back to Chiang Mai for one night. Little more shopping and street food eating.
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| It is good to keep the spirits happy... Fanta should do it! |
I had a lovely breakfast for the base for the antimalarics that I am starting today. The main side effects are that they can be harsh on your stomach and that you could get sensitive to the sun (getting sun-burn blisters and rush!). Let's hope I will not get either....
I took a local bus to Taton, little village 4 hours north. I am getting good at staying off the beaten track. There are only handful of tourists in the town. I was enjoying the river views, the lush green hills and the Buddhas set in the hills overlooking the village.
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| Garlic from the local farm. |
I am only staying one night, taking the slow boat to Chiang Rai.
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