A Little Slice of Heaven
Pai quickly became one of my favourite stops on my travels.
I biked up from Chiang Mai. A lovely journey in itself. Winding through the mountains and taking in the views.
I had missed being on a bike, it is an amazing feeling.
Unfortunately, I only had a scooter. While still powerful it just wasn’t the same. The corners aren’t as enjoyable. The sound not as thrilling. But still, it was a great ride.
I arrived in Pai in time for some lunch in town and then headed for my hostel.
The weather, the hostel and the people helped put me in a proper festival mood.
Nothing to do, nowhere to be. I got my chill on and did nothing like a pro. I soaked up the sun, enjoyed the view, read my book and had the occasional dip in the pool.
Peaceful and relaxing. Just what I needed.
By the way, if you are looking for a good book check out Pines by Blake Crouch. This is the second book I have read by him and they have both been great. I read this one in two days.
The Hostel
I stayed at Circus,probably the most well-known hostel in Pai. I was pleasantly surprised. For all it’s fame this hostel had none of the tacky features that usually accompany it.
For example, the quality of the tunes was on point. Check out my Tune Catcher on the place here.
I didn’t hear despacito once!
It also had a pool and a cracking view over Pai.
My bed was super comfy, treating myself to the deluxe dorm. Totally worth it.
Before arriving I debated staying at a different hostel called Buzza’s backpackers. I heard good things and it is in a different location near some other cool bars.
I don’t regret my decision at all though. Circus hostel was awesome.
Maybe a week in each would have been ideal.
The Weather
It was lovely.
The days started cold and foggy.
But by 10 …
The sun was working its magic.
And it was boiling.
For the past month, I have not appreciated the sun. I never sat and basked in its warmth. I never took time to enjoy it. It was only a minor annoyance to me. Making me sweat when moving on to the next air-conditioned coffee shop.
But wow did I appreciate it here. It was hot but not humid. Perfect.
I basked.
I had to be careful with the sun, because I forgot my suncream. So in the morning, I had a half hour blast. Then a few 5-minute stints until about 4. Then I lapped up the rest until sunset.
Gently toasting myself under the suns rays. I managed to become slow-cooked rather than well done. I did well I think, escaping with only a slight red tinge.
The sunset was always beautiful.
Then the night began.
It got fairly cold actually. But I wrapped up warm and quite liked the cold. Espcially in the morning.
The beers flowed. The bonfire crackled. Everyone was sound, everyone was friendly. The hostel had such a good atmosphere. Festival atmosphere.
Probably the lovely setting and sunshine helping to put everyone in an amazing mood. It did for me.
The hostel shut at 12 but bars stayed open late. A nice change from in Chiang Mai where most shut at 12.
Pai and the surrounding area
Pai and the area is beautiful. If you can get yourself to leave the pool it is definitely worth it.
The town itself didn’t seem anything special in the day but at night it turns into a lovely little place.
Amazing street food and market stalls line the streets.
The vibes are high.
The bars are relaxing.
I managed to drag myself away from the pool on one of the days. Me and four sound lads from Valencia went for a cruise on our bikes.
We went for a swim by a waterfall.
Top tip be sure to climb to the top pool, it’s a way quieter. We had it all to ourselves most of the time.
Then we visted the bamboo bridge. A long walkway over some rice fields. The views were lovely and would have been even better if there had been rice growing at the time.
Our final stop was at a place called the land split.
Where a lovely Thai family run a farm. At some point there was an earthquake which caused the land to split, making it unusable for farming so they turned it into a tourist attraction.
You go look at the split.
Maybe have a go on the go-cart.
Then relax while you are served up produce from their farm. Fresh as you can get. All they ask for is a donation, which after their hospitality we were only too happy to provide.
My time in Pai was lovely and the setting is perfect. Time seems to slow down and nothing matters. You can just relax.
It was a great break from the world. No laptop, I barely used my phone. I came back to Chiang Mai refreshed.
I couldn’t have asked for a better end to my trip. I will definitely be back to Pai!
