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Published: November 9th 2009
Long and Winding Road
1095 from Pai- Mae Hong SonAfter a couple days wandering around wats, eating street food and dealing with touts and tuk-tuk drivers, I was ready to get out of the cities of Bangkok and Chiang Mai and head for the hills. I planned to complete the Pai - Maehongson loop in the mountains of northern Thailand but after arriving in Pai, I found it hard to leave. This is the general concensus amoung travelers here and it has certainly had it's effects on what was recently a very small village. There are now two 7-11's in town. I hear KFC has tried to get a slice. It's a little depressing to see but the town still has a very laid back, easy going feel to it.
Everyday has been full of new adventures and new friends. Motorbikes cost about three dollars a day to rent and this has made it easy to get off the beaten track. After visiting a couple of the more popular waterfalls, I heard about Mae Yen - a waterfall which requires a six hour round trip trek through the jungle. I asked around and could not find any tourists who had done it. I think most people who come to
Pai are up for relaxing, partying and soaking up the vibe. I didn't want to trek through the jungle alone, so for my first week in town I was determined to find some willing souls.
After a couple of "maybe's", I found some new friends from Germany and Australia who were committed. We heard mixed stories about the trek. One local told me it was easy to find. Another told us there was a ninety-nine percent chance we would get lost. He offered to guide us for an exorbitant amount. We took our chances and agreed to turn back if we felt like we might be getting confused. We spent three hours following the river, crossing the river, and navigating the jungle. We saw two other Germans on their way down from the falls. We reached Mae Yen and ran into a few French girls and a French guy with their guide who had been walking from Burma and staying in the jungle. They left the falls to us as soon as we got there and we enjoyed a dip and some lunch.
Most days here have been filled with rides on the beautiful, winding mountain roads, visiting
Misty Morning
Pai, Thailand waterfalls, caves and swim spots. We found a Thai woman named Nuk who has become our good friend and tour guide (free of charge). She has been such great company and has helped us farangs navigate the area, order delicious food, and laugh a lot.
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