Trekking Adventure in Pai

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After our third day in the Chiang Mai area, we decided to book a van to the town of Pai up in the mountains to the north. We figured it would be better to do some trekking there. Perhaps it was just a little bit, more remote than Chiang Mai and maybe we would have a more authentic trekking experience. The scenery on route was certainly spectacular, but the mountain passes were at times frightening. It was barely a highway; often the van driver played chicken with on-coming traffic on what was a very narrow, winding road. The drop offs to each side were sometimes thousands of feet. One could never really see what was coming around the bend.

Along the way, the driver stopped at a local roadside cafe for a lunch break. Many dishes were cooking in multiple woks. You just had to point to what you wanted. I chose three or four things and asked for a coke as well. The others also ordered their meals with drinks. The bill for the three of us came to under a dollar. Talk about a cheap eat and the food was good too!

Upon arriving in Pai, it was clear that this was no ordinary Thai village. There was a hustle and bustle to the place with many vans and buses converging on the town’s center. We unpacked our gear and began looking for a place to stay. There was all manner of accommodations here, so we proceeded to knock on doors and look for available bungalows. The first place on the river was unfortunately full. The next one was more upscale. Upscale in Thailand is $33.00. There were some primative huts across the river which looked like little villages that only cost $3.00, but we decided to spoil ourselves with the more resort like facility. It had the beautiful river view, served breakfast in the morning and seemed like a very restful oasis on the edge of town. The beds were made of the softest cotton I have ever felt. They were very plush and perfect for the cool night air. This is after all a higher elevation.

Pai isn’t a very Thai place at all and clearly has been created more for the Farang (pronounced falang, meaning foreigner) than for Thais. You know you are in Thailand, but somehow you’re not. We decided to try an Italian restaurant built near the bridge on the road as you leave town, and were surprised how good the pizza was. I’ve been to Tuscany and I must say this pizza was a very close rival.

One of the reasons to come here is to experience all the restaurants and bars scattered about. The place has a very laid back vibe and just hanging out is sometimes the only plan you need. It does have a bit of a night life and has a lively music scene. Elizabeth and I saw an open aired concert with one of the big bands in Thailand, called Carabao. As the concert began, a group of fans rushed the stage carrying the antlers of several water buffalos. The large crowd was definitely in a party mood. Elizabeth seemed to enjoy what she was hearing and purchased their CD. The Asian styled rock was still strange to my ears and I still haven’t formed a firm opinion about them. It was just fun to be at an event holding my Chang beer (pronounced Chung) with the free time to chill and experience the vibe. Things just seem to happen here on their own schedule and who am I to argue.

While there, Dana and I decided to do a day trek up to some villages. Our guide was called, Mr. O. He and his partner picked us up at the travel boutique on motorcycles. Being not use to riding fast or even riding a motorcycle, I couldn’t help but notice that they didn’t give us helmets. They wore helmets! That kind of made me nervous on the bumpy, pot holed, dirt roads. Dana didn’t seem to mind, but I’m not a big fan of head injuries. I’d rather be a little less free and not in a coma, thank you. When we stopped at Mr. O’s house he introduced us to his family. He had a teenage son and a much younger son who is seen here (photo) being held by his wife. The house was made of wooden sticks and clay and was situated in a small, contained enclosure where animals wandered freely about the yard.

We began our trek up into the hills from here. He made sure we had walking sticks to make the hike easier. About one mile into our journey, he stopped to weave hats from They were a little corny, but we put them on anyway to pose for a photo. We ascended up into the hills and were soon surrounded by patches and patches of fields growing every manner of vegetables, fruit and spices. Mr. O would cut off pieces of many different plants and give them to us to taste or sometimes to just smell. He didn’t speak good English, yet he was very patient and would somehow get across his meanings with gestures.

I began to notice that many ingredients (spices) that were in my daily, breakfast soup were all growing here in the hills. Surprisingly, this little adventure turned into a living classroom experience complete with lessons in botany, much more informative than the advertised, superfluous goal of merely reaching a waterfall (the waterfall, more of a water run off, by itself wasn’t worth the effort). We reached a resting point at a mud, baked cabin (used to manage the fields) where several farmers were smoking the world’s largest pipe. I kind of wondered what they were smoking, but it turned out to be just tobacco. Darn! I kept asking if he was a tribal person, but he kept saying no. His colorful pants seem to indicate something else. Our communication was shaky at best.

Once at the waterfall, Mr. O busied himself cutting large pieces of bamboo which surrounded us. He fashioned a kind of drinking cup from it and signed his initial to the bottom. I still have that cup. One tribal person was walking towards us carrying a rifle, hand carved entirely from wood. Mr. O wasn’t concerned and indicated that it was used to go birding. Whew!

After our lunch, we came upon one of the hill tribe villages; a tribe called, the Lahu. Very little was going on, I think maybe because it was the heat of the day. Unfortunately, it wasn’t one of the more colorful tribes. Their dress had become highly westernized, but I still got some great photos of children playing in front of their house. They loved to see themselves on the digital display. As we left the village to continue the trek, we passed through an area of chickens plagued with droppings. I couldn’t help but think about the transmission of Bird Flu, we quickened our pace to get through it. Mr. O didn’t blink an eye. Just before our departure to Thailand, the American media had waged a big campaign to create fear about a possible pandemic. No one in Thailand seemed to know or have any concern about this. Interesting.

We continued to climb; it was very hard on Dana. He has high blood pressure and it made him very dizzy. You could see his veins bulge out on his hands. Mr. O and I waited at the top for him to adjust to the elevation. Up in the highlands, we came upon many individuals living in make shift huts in their fields. It is a common practice to stay under cover in the heat of the day. Along the way, we happened upon a large, grave that was made of stone and covered in Chinese glyphs. Something, I didn’t really expect to see up here. Mr. O. offered no explanation. At this point we were heading back down into dense jungle. I became increasingly concerned about snakes. Thailand has many poisonous varieties. I decided to make a lot of noise walking the narrow trail and banged my stick to ward off any unwanted friends. After about 45 minutes of jungle trekking, we burst out we burst out nto a spectacular vista of the countryside, worth stopping to take a photo of.

Upon returning to Mr. O's house, we climbed aboard the scary motorcycles to go visit another tribal village that Mr. O identified as the Lisu. This time, I borrowed Mr. O’s teenage son’s helmet and could actually enjoy the experience. This village seemed to be much more industrious than the other, its inhabitants were very busy sewing garments of all types and description. Some of these garments were no doubt for the tourist trade in Pai. After finishing our visit, we were returned to downtown Pai. Upon our arrival back at the guest house, Elizabeth was fast asleep on her hammock. We informed her about how she had missed something special. She seemed content with her choice of activity and felt no jealousy. Drat!

The last day in Pai, Elizabeth and I opted to rent some bicycles and see more of the countryside. My bike was way too short for the size of my legs, luckily Elizabeth didn’t mind switching. One of our goals was to cross the bridge (where that good pizza place was) and head off for a park whose major feature was its natural, hot springs. Along the way, we saw an elephant chained to a pole. The chain momentarily made me reflect about the mistreatment of elephants in captivity, animals that would probably be better off roaming freely in the wild.

Upon arriving in the park we walked to the very top of the trail, where the hot spring’s source could be found. Here the water was scorching hot and simply could not be touched. Returning downstream, we found cooler pools were people were bathing and spending the day. It was very tranquil here. So, I made my best Zen like pose and thought about our next journey to Siem Reap and the mystical temples of Angkor in Cambodia. Later we looped back on the highway and climbed a series of hills that returned us to the other side of the river and back to Pai. It was quite a work out! Elizabeth wasn’t even fazed.

We returned to Chiang Mai the next day for a quick flight to Cambodia.

To be continued ……………..

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Photos

View across the river.
Misty morning view of the cheap $3.00 huts across the river. Mr. O told us there was malaria here. There is always a hidden cost!

Guest House Bungalow
Here is our upscale bungalow. $33.00 per night!

Mrs. O
Mr. O's wife and young son (left). Their neighbors are dryng strips of bamboo in the street, what they make with them I don't know.

Morning Trek
Dana and Mister O on the morning trek. Everywhere you look are fruits, vegetables, bamboo, as well as, herbs and spices growing in the fields above Pai.

Mud Baked Hut
This farmer is smoking what has to be the world's biggest pipe. The hut seems to be used as a way station to work in the fields.

Lahu Children
Entertaining these children was as easy as taking a photo and showing them the results. They squealed with delight.

The Hills above Pai.
Me on our trek in the hills above Pai, as we just emerge from a dense jungle.

Lisu Village
Lisu woman sewing garments for the local, textile industry.

Hot Springs
Doing my mantra in the hot springs outside of Pai.