Through stomach to our hearts and the love for Pai...

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It took us around two days and 3 changes of a bus to get to Chang Mai from Nong Khiaw in Laos but we did not have time to stop on the way for longer. We had only 10 days to get to Bangkok for our flight to Burma so we had to distribute our time wisely. We met some nice Ukrainian guys on a bus to Chang Rai and we had a blast talking about our neighbouring countries and other visited places. Shame that they were staying in Chang Rai and we were just swapping buses there. Buses in Thailand are a luxury when compared with Laos and actually cost the same price. Everything seemed so modern straight away. 7Eleven on every corner, western brands everywhere, highways etc. We even got cookies and water from a stewardess on a bus – were we still in South East Asia?

In Chang Mai we went on a quest of finding some place to stay that did not charge 500Baht or above per night (15$) and even though it was late we walked for a bit and found very traditional guesthouse with nice double room en-suite for 250Baht (7,5$). What we did not know at the time was that they had this amazing little restaurant serving probably the best breakfast we had so far. Everything we had to eat there and other places around Chang Mai was so fresh and aromatic that it did not take us long to fall in love with Thailand;-) Food is always a big factor for us and this place was definitely ticking all the boxes. As usual we did not have any specific plan of things to do in town with an exception of a Cooking Course. We got so lazy in Laos that even thinking about sightseeing was too much work for us. We pulled ourselves together and went for a walk around town to see some old timer Wats and to find the best offer for cooking class. We were very lucky to stumble on a promo and we got whole day course for 700BHT/21$ each only (normally prices range from 1000BHT upwards). We could not wait for the nest day.

We got picked – up around 9 am from our guest-house and even though they said come with empty stomach we already consumed our favourite breakfast and had some tribal coffee - amazing. I simple cannot start a day without eating as that is how I was brought up and even at home I cannot leave the house in the morning without one. And it was not such a bad idea as we had to do a bit off learning about herbs and spices and walk to the local market before we even got to touch a wok. Initially we had a group of 8 and there were 3 groups like ours but we later on found out that only 4 of us stayed for the whole day...weird as price difference is only 200Baht. At least it seemed like an almost private lesson to us;-) We had so much fun cooking and eating and learning how to combine all the ingredients together. Thai cooking is based on very simple rules which I already knew cause I do a lot of cooking at home however what we have learnt that day was much simpler and faster than any recipe I had ever tried before. We all had 5 dishes to prepare and both cooked different ones so that we can try more;-) What a feast it was – we did not touch food till the end of the day even though we left the school before 5 pm;-) It happened to be Eastern Sunday and for us Poles it is a day of feast and celebrations so we could not imagine a better one!!!

Lukasz the guy we spent some travelling with in Mongolia happened to be around as well so we had our little reunion. So many months he was always few weeks ahead of us in SE Asia and finally stayed longer in Chang Mai. We had a nice evening together trying local 'whiskey' and we also walked to a night market to see handicrafts and clothes. We heard that Bangkok markets are much better stocked but prices in Chang Mai were so low that we bought some souvenirs and finally after 3 months in 'backpackers land' we decided to get ourselves the baggy trousers everybody is wearing around;-) Why not? They look extremely comfy and they and some nice designs over there. It was the last time we would see Lukasz as we would continue our journey in Se Asia and he would go to India before heading home. When having breakfast one day we saw familiar faces on the street and we happened to bump into Lorraine and Kevin – couple of Scots we travelled with in Vietnam. Do all travel roads end in Chang Mai or something?They were just catching a bus to Pai so we made plans to meet them there.

People say that road to Pai is quite a journey (some say scary) due to the winding road up the hill. What we imagined was small dirty road by the cliff side where car wrecks would be left to remind other drivers of careful driving. Well, those people have not been to China or Laos I guess as this road was perfectly fine, wide and safe with amazing scenery around. Another thing people say about Pai is that it is the best backpacker place in Thailand. We considered it with a little disbelieve as we already had heard the same about Dali in China and it had not been what we thought backpacker mecca would have looked like. Nevertheless we were meeting friends there so that was already a reason to spend some time over there. We arrived in the afternoon and did not have to look hard to find some nice and inexpensive accommodation. As always we began with finding some eating spots and we quickly found out that this place is not a cheapie;-) On the other hand everything looked so cute and sweet and very western so no wonder. The Curry Shack became our spot for lunch and dinner and various different places we tried for breakfast. One of them we just have to mention as it was inarguably best breakfast ever had. I know I said Chang Mai was the best but this was heavens better. Restaurant is called Boomelishious as far as I can remember and it was Lorraine and Kevin that told us about this place. Not really a backpacker budget but what a feast;-) So far best things in Thailand evolved around food haha

We spent our days in Pai on relaxing, rented a scooter again to drive around and spent nice evenings drinking with Scots;-) Again, it would be our last meeting in Asia as they were also going to India and then back home. Next time we would see each other in Europe. We visited old War Memorial Bridge, Pai Canyon (very interesting) and some waterfalls. They were not as spectacular as in Laos but still great to swim in;-) It was few days before the Thai New Year and famous Water Festival and people were already standing by streets poring water on passing by vehicles. For bikes and scooters it was actually quite dangerous but they never hesitated. We got soaked but we arrived in one piece. Well maybe without a small accident at the parking lot when Tomek accelerated a bit too much and we fell to the ground. We had few scratches that is all but it was also the time when our new baggy trousers came handy hahah Loads of westerners had fun as little children running around with 'winnie the pooh' water gun;-) Evenings in Pai are brilliant. Nicely lit streets, cute coffee shops and restaurants, night market, music and snack stalls on the main street give this place a feel of a constant festival. There are signs of heart and love everywhere you look – hard not to like this place even though it is way to touristy for us. We almost felt we would not be able to leave Pai on time as all transportation was fully booked for the day we wanted (mind you we had to catch a flight to Burma) but somehow they added additional buses and we made it...

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Photos

emerald Buddha
not like the one in Bangkok but still nice;-)

our second dish
coconut soup and penang curry

night out in Pai
photo by Lorraine Simpson