getting lost: Pai and paradise

My last day in Chiang Mai was great. Ziplining was a total blast, and I stayed up late nerding out about sci-fi and podcasts while drinking too much with a really cool Australian gal.

I headed up to Pai on Sunday and stayed for two nights. Pai is such a charming little mountain town. I really loved it there. The drive up was gorgeous - the mountains and jungle are so lush. The road was crazy, as well as our driver, but breathtaking still.

bungalows just outside town

the road from town to where I stayed

bungalow buddy!

in town. main walking road

Once I got settled, I explored the town a bit and had a delicious dinner that I can’t remember the name of. On my way back for a nap, I got to talking with a backpacker who told me about an open mic night just in town. I was totally planning to do it, but my nap turned into an all out sleep fest. I woke up long after it turned dark, kicking myself... Just down the road from where I was staying was “Pai Circus School”. I didn’t want to find my way into town to the open mic in the dark, so I decided to see who I could find at the school instead. I met three folks from Ireland who were staying there and they were planning to take the poi class the next day. Poi (apologies for this amateur definition) is a chain in each hand with the ends lit on fire and you spin them in different patterns. Poi originated from the Maori women in New Zealand and is actually meant to look like a dance. I’ve never really had any interest, or non-interest, in anything like that, but after a few Changs my new Irish buddies convinced me to join them at class the next day. We started with soft/fabric poi, and then they let us play with the fire!

staff

After class, we all hung around and I got to meet even more interesting people. One guy was a contact juggler from Germany and he gave us a demo. It’s a pretty awesome act - check it out if you haven’t heard of it! Glen, one of the Irish, has been doing diablo since he was 12 and gave us an awesome show as well.

I was tempted to stay one more day and book a tour around Pai, but the flight schedules would have really cut into my time in the islands down South. Now that I’m actually here in the islands, I’m glad I didn’t stay longer in Pai. And here’s why...

beggin'

these little guys are pretty mangey, but so sweet...

sunset on my first night

This place is paradise. A total dream. I think this may be Thailand’s best kept secret, let alone Asia’s. There are only about 30 or 40 tourists here right now. It almost feels like I’ve got the place to myself :) I’ve met some really nice, fun people here. I’m looking forward exploring the island and hanging out over the next week or so.