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Published: November 10th 2008
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Hello readers. WOW how another week has just flown past, but what a week. What started out as a few days in Pai has turned out to be a good 6days. We just cant get enough of it here, if anyone does think about Thailand then Pai is a place that should be visited. The journey from Chaing Mai though is not one for the weak stomach. There are 724 bends in the road on the way here through the mountains....you have been warned!
Pai is like the little sister of Chaing Mai, but better. Pai only stretched for about 4blocks maximum. There doesnt appear to be a speed limit yet everyone just cruises by. Dogs all have owners yet are free to walk around the town chasing cars, sleeping in roads and just plain being dogs. When the sun goes down there are no red or green traffic signals and people seem to survive. No matter what direction you look you can see clear skies and mountains surrounding you. People dont speak as much english but are far more friendlier then anywhere we have been. During the day it seems some what of a ghost town but when
the sun goes down road side stalls appear, live mussive, good food and VW vans. It seems to be if you want to set up shop here a VW van is the way forward, and everything that you can bye here is just retro. Old school sweets, toys, clothes. People come to Pai to do nothing, to relax all day and do tge same at night. Its difficult to put into words how amazing this place really is.
Although we have been here over a week we havent been none stop busy, we blended in with our very chilled outlook on our days. We are staying at a guest house with the most noisey cat, hard to explain but it sounds like he is walking across hot coals? Hes happy though, we think??
We did educate ourselves with a Thai cookery course which was very interesting to see how much sugar there is in every meal. We were taught and cooked 6 meals and had to eat all of them. Also we were taken to the local market to try food we would dare and shown how to tell the difference between good and bad food. Then we
came to the insects, which I was brave enough to stomach and in all fairness it wasnt too bad, I tucked into a cricket and it was just really crunchy and salty. I was put to shame after my one cricket when the teacher crunched on a handful. Cleary my cooking was better then Kims but I'm not one to brag.
The following day we took on our adventurous side and went white water rafting. I'v never been before but it was AMAZING. Literally the most exhiliating thing I have ever done. When we got there it was all very one word instructions, as in HAT and JACKET. Then we got put in our boats, then came the instructions and safety talk, which talk all of 1min, and seemed like a comedy sketch. The morning was pretty tame, we caosted alot of the way down the Ping River, saw giant butterflies, lizards and monkeys. Then after lunch we went to a waterfall and hot springs. But it wasnt till then, when we were feeling the work out a bit that it really got awesome. There were 17 rapids all together once we had joined the Pai River, one after
another. No time for much of a breather. I was chucked all around that raft but not once fell out. Scott, who is the same Scott that we have been bumping into since Koh Chang, feel out a couple of times though. I then got involved in body rafting, which is literally when you can get out of the raft and go down the rapids in just you life jacket. Between the rapids it was pure solitude, but then when the instructure tells you to stay in the middle of the river when you get to the next rapid, to then find out that he was joking as there was a huge boulder there wasnt too relaxing. In fact it hurt when I elbowed this boulder, but its all part of the fun. A very tiring day and you wake up with the numbess bumb from sitting on the edge of a raft!
The nightlife also comes together at night and most places will be by the river and have a nice fire going. So a few nights were spent here. Unfortunatly one night I did get myself cornered in a pool tournament against the staff to then realise
that they practise all day. I wont mention the score.
Well its safe to say were not happy to say goodbye to Pai, BUT onto bigger things. We make our 3 day journey into Laos tonight, were not looking forward to it as we have heard some stories. Sooooooooooooo if we dont make it, then thanks for listening.......
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Kat
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It is so good to see you guys having such an AMAZING time!!! VERY well documented Brynley, there's a writer in you yet! Let me know if you fancy a book deal. And I suspect that I know what present you will bringing back for me if you ever return from your travels. (.... baby hedgehog?! am I right? I'm right!!) Are all the pictures of animals taken by demand of Kim? hehehe I'm missing you guys lots and lots, especially with seeing your smiley faces on here, but I will do my best to come out and visit you sometime next year -- it looks like I'm going to have no choice with the amount of fun you're having. And I don't think it'll break the bank by the sounds of it! can't wait to hear more from you both! Kitxxxx