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Published: October 25th 2008
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Crossing the Mekong River from Huay Xai into Chiang Khong was a lot harder than I thought it would be. It was not because I had to swim across the river or anything like that, just the fact that Laos was such a memorable experience and I didn’t want it to end so soon. The entire 2 minute journey across was spent looking back over my shoulder. Should I turn back? However the familiarity once I had stepped onto Thai soil soon made me feel at home again. I was really looking forward to spending a couple of weeks in the North: the heart and soul of the country.
Crossing the river also meant final goodbyes were exchanged between Meghs and I. She was not only my girlfriend but a great person to travel with. She had definitely made me a tougher person and I would like to think that I made her slightly more compassionate. I would be traveling by myself again but was looking forward to the challenge.
Even though Chiang Khong was on the other side of the river the contrast between Thailand and Laos with development and infrastructure was noticeable. Laos was still very primitive
but that was the reason why it was such a gem in the South East. I caught the local bus to Chiang Rai and settled in for a few days to get a feeling for the North.
Apart from having the majority of my Laos photos wiped from the lady at the local photo store I had a quite relaxing time in Chiang Rai. Both nights were spent at the night markets and was a regular at this friendly restaurant that I found. Although it is a great jumping off area for trekking I was waiting until I got to Pai where I had planned to do some treks near the Thai/Burma border.
I continued my journey north the next day up to Pai via Chiang Mai. Luckily I wasn’t hungover because the entire Chiang Mai-Pai leg consisted of constant S bends up, down and through the mountains. I made friends with a rather quirky Canadian character, Eric, who had just spent a couple of months in Borneo with Orangutans working for the WWF. Once we got off the bus we decided it would be a good idea to share a room for the next week, so we
found a nice little hut on the river and shacked up.
Pai was a great place to chill out in. There were many reasons why so many people just fell in love with the town and had a hard time leaving: the local Thai people were so laid back and friendly; great shops, restaurants and bars; funky live music scene every night and the street food was second only to Bangkok. After 8 days I found it hard to leave as well.
So what did I accomplish in my 8 days in Pai? Apart from going on a 3 day trek (which I will get to shortly) my usual day consisted of sleep ins; relaxing by the river; 2 lunches; an excursion out to the hot springs, canyon or waterfalls; an afternoon nap in a hammock after reading, and then the nightly street food circuit.
Most of the action in the small town was encompassed in a square defined by the four main streets. The nightly street circuit tour as Vicki, Eric and myself liked to call it consisted of a variety of noodle soups, meat on a stick x6, fried noodles and curries: all eaten on
the makeshift tables and chairs erected outside each stall. Each night we visited around 6 stalls and it was much like a pub shout as each person took turns in paying for the round.
There were also many small alcohol stands to visit. Our favourite was run by a young Thai girl whose name escapes me that made the best Pina Colada for the equivalent of $1 AUD. Pool was played each night in a dingy little bar off one of the back streets and we would usually end the night with some more street food after listening to some live music. They were good times.
My 3 day trek was a nice break from the daily routine I had gotten into in Pai. The mountains were beautiful near the Thai/Burma border and the villages we stayed in were cute. I spent most of my time playing football with the local kids and drinking rice whisky with Whisky man who drank from dawn till dusk (he looked around 80 but was only 50). We stumbled into a village on the day of a big wedding and were invited in for food and lots of whiskey. It was rude
to turn down a shot of whiskey when it was offered to you but after my 6th shot I had to say no more because we still had a few more hours of walking to go. They did however let me fire a homemade crossbow after completing all my shots. The local who was showing me how to fire it correctly was in the same calibre as whiskey man: probably not the safest thing in the world.
Leaving Pai was much like leaving Laos but it was time to move on. The bus to Mae Hong Son was even worse than the last bus trip and this time I was hungover. It was a peaceful town with beautiful views over to the Thai/Burma border. It was also the new moon and there was a big ceremony at Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu which with orange lanterns lighting up the sky as prayers and songs were sung by the congregation.
I rode a push bike to the Long Neck Karen village which was around 10km out of town. After speeding around a corner on a downhill section of road I nearly ran into an elephant that was coming
the other way: bit different from back home. The tribe had moved from Thailand to Burma after some conflict in the region many years ago. It was a bit of a tourist circus but it was still nice to see.
The scenic bus route along route 108 (349km with 1864 curves) was taken to Mae Sariang and then back into Chiang Mai where I spent a few more days. I had just over a week to go so was winding down and just relaxing before I had to go home and back to work. Spent 1 night in Sukhothai on the way down to Bangkok and rode a pushbike around Sukhothai Historical Park which was the capital of Thailand in the 13th & 14th Century. There were many ruins just like Ayatthuya and some sections of the original city walls were still standing.
I had thoroughly enjoyed my time in the North and look forward to exploring the North East of the country next time: with Thailand you always know there will be a next time.
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