The 2nd day, we left for
Pai in a mini van that was packed shoulder to shoulder with angmoh backpackers. The only Asian passengers were my folks and I. Heeding the advice of a journalist friend C (who warned about the winding 3-hour journey), we chobed the front row behind the driver for a better view of the road while L sat in front. That - unfortunately - didn't prevent mommy from feeling carsick and she was purging into a few plastic bags mid-way. Luckily I had my magic oil with me and rubbed it on her temples.
Dad, on the other day, was having a conversation with himself after I gave up trying to talk to him (becos sometimes his know-it-all tone is damn irritating). The reason why he can't shut up and enjoy the ride like the rest is he believes if no one talks, the driver will fall asleep! C'mon, the guy's a pro the way he's handling the gear stick and handbrake. So you can imagine these 2 old foggies - one puking and the other yakking away in the van as we weaved past the hills and small kampungs. We arrived at Pai in one piece (mom pale and grateful), and L and I immediately went to check out the accomodation. There was no lack of rooms at this time of the year and we could even bargain on the rooms for 2 nights (however peak season is starting soon in Nov and Dec).
I've never heard of Pai until C recommended it to me and after reading up on it, it seems like a nice hippie place for us to just kick back and relax among nature. Located in northern Thailand near the Myanmar border Mae Hong Son, Pai was once a quiet market village inhabited by the local Shan people. Nowadays tourism is obviously a big industry as you can see from the number of affordable guesthouses, makeshift bars and quaint shops that cater to the droves of backpackers. The whole place kinda reminded me of Vang Vieng in Laos with its lush and rustic surrounds.
Nowadays it also draws Thai city dwellers who wanna do Pai after it's popularised in two local romantic films -
'Jod Mai Rak' and
'Ruk Jung'. Mom and dad seemed to be lapping it up (yay!), esp dad who spoke Thai at every opportunity (he's like me in italia, cannot shut up! ;). After a cheap and satisfying lunch of
pad see eu and
pad thai with
Singha, L and I wished we could rent a motorbike and explore the town on our own. We didn't plan an agenda but just soaked up the 70s vibes and looked out for day trips around Pai to see the elephant camps, waterfalls, hot springs - and even a Chinese Yunan village. Hmmm. Pai is so small that one would feel silly with a map. We made about 4 turns and saw 2 traffic light junctions and were back to square one. Ha.
Luckily for us, there was a night market and some kind of a local rock concert, peppered by various local music/dance acts to celebrate the full moon weekend (it was mid-autumn festival afterall). We woke up from our nap to find Pai transformed. Vendors set up make-shift roadside stalls - outside their shops/ bars, in Volkswagen vintage vans, in every nook - with their traditional tribal wares, self-designed postcards/ badges, 80s
masa-
masa toys, scarves, shoes, and of course a whole range of glorious food. It was like we were back in 1975. Time stood still. And I went shutter mad.
The market stretched for miles in different directions and we tried not to miss any lane. There was a buzz in the air as the sun set, and everyone came out to play. Kids, old folks, vendors, customers, locals, travellers...
What amazed me the most are how creative and resourceful some of the vendors are, despite the locale of this realtively isolated village. And everyone seemed so contented under the soft glow of the full moon against the clear dark night. All is one; our paths entwined. We were happy picking at various local snacks from sizzling bbq squid and fried mee to deepfried banana and steamed silky rice roll (chee chiong fun) filled with vegs and drizzled with a sweet-spicy thai sauce. I felt like a kid again and was drawn to the tower of gleaming balloons from the balloon-man (imagine how big the pile of balloons must seem to a small kid!)
The 2nd day, we left for Pai in a mini van that was packed shoulder to shoulder with angmoh backpackers. The only Asian passengers were my folks and I. Heeding the advice of a journalist friend C (who warned about the winding 3-hour journey), we chobed the front row behind the driver for a better view of the road while L sat in front. That - unfortunately - didn't prevent mommy from feeling carsick and she was purging into a few plastic bags mid-way. Luckily I had my magic oil with me and rubbed it on her temples. 
Dad, on the other day, was having a conversation with himself after I gave up trying to talk to him (becos sometimes his know-it-all tone is damn irritating). The reason why he can't shut up and enjoy the ride like the rest is he believes if no one talks, the driver will fall asleep! C'mon, the guy's a pro the way he's handling the gear stick and handbrake. So you can imagine these 2 old foggies - one puking and the other yakking away in the van as we weaved past the hills and small kampungs. We arrived at Pai in one piece (mom pale and grateful), and L and I immediately went to check out the accomodation. There was no lack of rooms at this time of the year and we could even bargain on the rooms for 2 nights (however peak season is starting soon in Nov and Dec). 
I've never heard of Pai until C recommended it to me and after reading up on it, it seems like a nice hippie place for us to just kick back and relax among nature. Located in northern Thailand near the Myanmar border Mae Hong Son, Pai was once a quiet market village inhabited by the local Shan people. Nowadays tourism is obviously a big industry as you can see from the number of affordable guesthouses, makeshift bars and quaint shops that cater to the droves of backpackers. The whole place kinda reminded me of Vang Vieng in Laos with its lush and rustic surrounds. 
Nowadays it also draws Thai city dwellers who wanna do Pai after it's popularised in two local romantic films - 'Jod Mai Rak' and 'Ruk Jung'. Mom and dad seemed to be lapping it up (yay!), esp dad who spoke Thai at every opportunity (he's like me in italia, cannot shut up! ;). After a cheap and satisfying lunch of pad see eu and pad thai with Singha, L and I wished we could rent a motorbike and explore the town on our own. We didn't plan an agenda but just soaked up the 70s vibes and looked out for day trips around Pai to see the elephant camps, waterfalls, hot springs - and even a Chinese Yunan village. Hmmm. Pai is so small that one would feel silly with a map. We made about 4 turns and saw 2 traffic light junctions and were back to square one. Ha. 
Luckily for us, there was a night market and some kind of a local rock concert, peppered by various local music/dance acts to celebrate the full moon weekend (it was mid-autumn festival afterall). We woke up from our nap to find Pai transformed. Vendors set up make-shift roadside stalls - outside their shops/ bars, in Volkswagen vintage vans, in every nook - with their traditional tribal wares, self-designed postcards/ badges, 80s masa-masa toys, scarves, shoes, and of course a whole range of glorious food. It was like we were back in 1975. Time stood still. And I went shutter mad. 
The market stretched for miles in different directions and we tried not to miss any lane. There was a buzz in the air as the sun set, and everyone came out to play. Kids, old folks, vendors, customers, locals, travellers... 
What amazed me the most are how creative and resourceful some of the vendors are, despite the locale of this realtively isolated village. And everyone seemed so contented under the soft glow of the full moon against the clear dark night. All is one; our paths entwined. We were happy picking at various local snacks from sizzling bbq squid and fried mee to deepfried banana and steamed silky rice roll (chee chiong fun) filled with vegs and drizzled with a sweet-spicy thai sauce. I felt like a kid again and was drawn to the tower of gleaming balloons from the balloon-man (imagine how big the pile of balloons must seem to a small kid!) 
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