My day in Pai

We drove into Pai at 10 AM Saturday morning. Still freezing. I had been clenching my jaw so tight to keep my teeth from chattering that I had given myself a headache. My calves were sore from having tightened my muscles to try to keep warm. But we had arrived. The town was just waking up, eating breakfast and enjoying their morning coffee. We drove through the streets and found the hotel my coworker's friend was staying at. The hotel didn't have additional rooms so we would have to go hotel hunting. While my coworker's friend rolled out of bed and came to see us I stood in the sunlight to try to warm up. I was grateful for the warmth of the sun.

The first thing we needed to do was to find a place to throw down our bags. We got some recommendations from the hotel owner who didn't have room for us and off we went. We headed slightly out of town which made me so happy. Pai is set among beautiful mountains and countryside. The thought of being surrounded by the beauty of fields and nature filled my soul. I felt so at home. After a few attempts we finally found a place with 2 bungalows available. They were the cutest little things. I even wondered about just making it my second home. And for just over $21/night, the price was right.

While I was quite in love with my little room I was starving and anxious to see the town and surroundings. I left my coworker and headed out for brunch. I drove through the streets of town and determined there wasn't much to entertain me there so I grabbed food and then headed for the countryside to see what I would run into. I started driving down a main road and then found a little side road that look like it had potential. Sure enough the street wound through the countryside and I stopped to watch farmers in their fields and then I went a little further. I stopped to watch men working in the river. What they were doing is not clear. Pulling out rocks, maybe laying irrigation lines. Whatever it was it seemed like the perfect job for a day that was quickly going from cool to hot. My gloves and jacket had come off and feeling the wind as I drove felt nice.

Not far from the river workers was a special treat. A strawberry patch selling all things strawberry on the side of the road. Strawberry jam, strawberry wine, but most importantly...fresh strawberries. I was happy to take a break and enjoy this surprise. For 100 Baht ($3) I bought a container of small strawberries and began to pop them into my mouth. They were so small but packed such sweet flavor! My intention to just eat a few flew was short lived. Sitting on the side of the road eating sweet strawberries freshly picked from the patch just behind me enjoying the breeze, surrounded by mountains and green fields was my idea of perfection.

Deciding it probably wasn't a good idea to sit and eat strawberries all day long I wrapped up the rest of the strawberries, hopped back on the bike and backtracked up the road to find my next stop.

Along the way I passed monks walking in their orange robes, a dog riding on the seat of a motorbike behind its owner, the driver, cows feeding on the leftovers of dried up, harvested fields, through several villages and lots more ordinary southeast asian countryside. Then I turned off a side road of a side road of a side road and the atmosphere changed. I was suddenly surrounded by a very Chinese atmosphere. The color red, dragons, pagodas, dried herbs, teas, all things Chinese. This must be the Chinese village I had heard about. I parked the scooter and went walking up the main (perhaps only) street. The village was definitely geared towards visitors with several shops filled with an assortment of clothes, teas, tea paraphernalia and other touristy kinds of things. I ended up walking into an open area which held what I only know how to describe as the prehistoric ferris wheel. I sat in a chair and several men hoisted the ferris wheel into circular action taking me up and around, over and over again. It was pretty fun!

I met some new friends who enjoyed the ferris wheel after me. A group of Muslim Thais from the southern most part of Thailand bordering Malaysia. We had a good giggle over the childlike experience of being swung around and around. While they chose to ride the ponies afterward I opted for a bite of Chinese buns and continued on my way. What would I run into next?

Next was a less than impressive waterfall I found after climbing up a mountain side. I wondered at times if my bike would make it up the hills. I'm sure the waterfall would have been much more impressive had it been rainy season and more water had been gushing over the edge of the cliffs. Maybe I'll have to make my way back there to see it in a few months.

I decided it was time to head back towards town. My tank was near empty but I was pretty sure I'd have enough fuel to make it back. I ran into a slight problem when I realized I'd taken so many side roads it was hard to remember how to make my way back. Luckily, at a critical intersection there was a friendly man who was able to point me in the right direction and also informed me that either either direction would lead me back to the town.

Once back in town I met up with my coworker and his friends who were enjoying drinks and telling stories. We made plans to meet up for dinner and then make our way to the Reggae Festival. A reggae festival...that that would be a most interesting experience. I decided to go along for the ride. Another of life's memorable moments.

We bundled up for the cool evening and headed out for pizza and then mounted our motorbikes to ride to the festival. Making our way under the moonlit, star filled sky, we turned down a dirt road and made our way over the bumpy road to the festival which was in full swing. The music was pretty good and the company was very interesting. Definitely a different crowd than the one I normally hang with. With drugs and alcohol flowing freely people watching was at its best! In fact, I could write a whole blog just on that night! But I'll just highlight the fight that almost broke out between one of the girls I was with and a French girl that liked pushing buttons. It made for some tense moments but luckily no one was hurt.

I had a great conversation with a girl who was trying to decide what to do with her life. It was funny to have such an deep conversation with a stranger in a wild and crazy place but I was grateful for the distraction.

At midnight I decided I'd had enough fun and told the group I was headed home. They would remain until 3 AM and then make their way to another bar before heading home. I heard that riding a motorbike after several drinks ended in a mostly harmless tipover...and this by the girl who already has a scar on her face from driving a motorbike intoxicated. Meanwhile, I was shivering in my bed in my cute bungalow, fully dressed trying desperately to stay warm. My feet were so cold it was impossible to fall asleep. I finally grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my feet. That provided the warmth needed to allow me to fall asleep. What a terrific day!