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Published: July 17th 2013
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The mini bus drive to Pai took around 3 hours and was up hill and windy most of the way. Arrival in the village of Pai was just in time to check into a guesthouse overlooking the surrounding hills and perfect for watching storms move in and out. We headed out for some lunch but struggled with this, not through shortage of eateries but, as we quickly realised, because most of the village were only just waking up and at 1pm it was breakfast time not lunch time. We opted for an omlette and then spent most of the afternoon wondering what the deal was with this strange quite isolated but popular village. It is obvious that Pai has seen an explosion of tourist activity in just the last few years and shops, cafes and markets whose main trade is not from western custom are few and far between. It is hard to imagine what Pai was like before the influx of travellers and tourists. Amazingly, the village, although small, has more than one of each of the following; travel agent, activity centre, moped hire, burger bar, french restaurant, full english breakfast specialists. Given the apparent lack of original Thai culture, we initially thought that our visit here would be quite short but in fact the village remains quite peaceful and quiet despite western infestation and is actually quite a nice place to be. As well as the displaced breakfast time there were other clues that a nightlife existed somewhere but apart from a few open-mic or acoustic guitarists bars, we didn't really see anything very lively at night. Perhaps in high season things are different.
We hired a moped for 3 days and rode out in the hills to a few points of interest on the map. Mor Paeng waterfall was a nice ride but a little disappointing after the lovely waterfall we saw outside Chiang Mai. Pai Canyon was quite fascinating. It didn't look that grand until we walked the narrow ridge and felt the vertigo. It was extremely hot that day and we we were quick to seek shade - the canyon a bit of a blur now. We also rode through a nearby Chinese village and up an extremely steep track to a view point where entrance was b20 with a free cup of tea which was really good and perfectly refreshing in the heat. I walked rather than rode scared pillion down the bank.
During our exploration (and after spotting adverts in the village) we confirmed Pai Paranha fishing park as a suitable excursion and one morning rode backpacks and all to the park for a days fishing and a night in one of their bungalows. The park is well thought out with 3 pools and 5 bungalows. Perched front feet in the water, our bungalow front was a great spot to sit fishing. We had a rod each (although i only had a few casts) and fished the same spot until midnight apart from an hour on the 'paranha' pool hoping for a paranha but this was unsuccessf. 11 fish of 9 different species were caught that day the biggest being a common carp. Math wasn't sure what all the fish were but there were a couple of varieties of catfish and a tilapia (seen at street vendors and on most Thai menus).
The next morning having arranged a lift for me and the bags back to Pai with the Dave, the owner, we were ready to leave at 8.30 but Dave wasn't happy to let us leave without catching a paranha. With some insider tips Math cast again into the other pool and caught one more catfish then, in a frenzy of splashing a paranha was hooked. Math was naturally cautious to hold it and pose for a photo and me even more so to get a close up of its teeth... a surreal experience.
In spite of our initial observations we have actually integrated quite well here. In our Pai local Math played pool with the owner and subsequently his two sons. We cheered on the kids from our guesthouse at their game (a cross between ping pong and football). Plus, one evening Math even helped a couple of local guys lift some bikes off their pickup for which they were very grateful.
PAI -
What to eat - street food is very good and very cheap. Western food tempting but expensive and very heavy.
What to drink - cocktails and shots are 'on offer' everywhere to pull in the drinkers but for a more authentic experience stick to either beer or a local liquor (whiskey/rum) like sangsom. Buying a half bottle between two plus mixers whilst people watching is a cheap way to spend the evening.
What to do - there are lots of options for activities and / or sightseeing but the best free activity is to sit opposite or ride past the moped hire shop and play a 'hazard awareness' game with everyone else. Expect the unexpected with this but points to look out for are learner moped riders, cats, dogs, chickens, moped sidecars, JCBs, snakes, umbrellas, street vendors and lizards.
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