Pai - Soppong - Mae Hong Son - Pai

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Dear Grace & Mag,

Had a really chilled out week, so relaxing. But also had a bit of adventure as well because we (Kirsten, Aiden and I) hired scooters and rode round to different towns over a period of about 3/4 days. Was so good because it gives you so much freedom.

Anywho... on the first day I arrived in Pai there were no scooters left (it's really hard to get them) so we got a taxi to Mhor Phaeng waterfall and swam & sunbathed up there for a bit and climbed up the rocks to the top. It was quite difficult getting up the rocks though as they're quite smooth so basically got to hoist yourself up with your hands- thought I was going to fall back at one point which was really scary but I didn't so happy days! 😊 I was trying to be little mermaid at one point. propping myself on a little rock in the water but it's safe to say she did it a lot more glamourously than I did haha (you will know the photo I mean when you look through).

The next day we woke up really early and was at the motorbike place when it opened at 7 but still had to wait over an hour - very popular company! Then we were on our way! Woohoo! Went to a really cool place just outside Soppong called cave lodge. It's like a backpacker guesthouse in the jungle, all made from wood with bamboo huts dotted all down the hillside and dorm rooms where the beds were a matress on raised wooden platform (very comfy though) and a river to swim and cool off in down the bottom of the hill. It had a common area where people ate, chatted, read books and just hung out really. There was a bonfire area for people to sit around at night (it cooled down at night quite a lot there), hammocks, swings and little tables to eat at where you had to sit crossed legged on the floor. So quirky and cool - would definitely recommend it! Had a tour of a really large cave near there and feed the fish in the water bit. You get on a bamboo raft float through into the cave then get out on the dry bits and get shown around then back onto the raft! At unset all the swifts (birds) fly into the cave in there thousands. Looked quite fascinating to watch they'd circulate then fly so quickly into the cave.

The next day we were on our way on the scooters to Mae Hong Son. We only stayed there for one night so didn't see too much of the place but had a nice market at night time and a beautiful lake and our hostel/guesthouse was right next to an amazing temple.

When we got back to Pai it was a very chilled time. Got a nice hut to share by a river (again made of bamboo - as was the bridge that you had to cross to get to the huts) and just read books, strolled around in the evening and enjoyed the peacefulness of it. I did get on the scooter and go to hot springs though. Some of them were too hot to even dip a toe in and others were good temperature. Felt weird getting in hot water with bikini on though. It's wrong - like getting in the bath and forgetting to take your underwear off haha.

Leaving Pai to revisit Chiang Mai for a couple of days also meant leaving Kirsten and Aiden so next entry will be me, just me!

Love you both lots xxxxx

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