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Louise's Section So Wednesday we moved onto Pai to chill out. I asked Chris what we had been doing in Chiang Mai as except for the odd Wat or two and the tigers we chilled out there. So what's the difference here from chilling there? Answer: we have a pool and lots and lots of bars and live bands and hippy stalls.
Today we have been on a cooking course which was ace. I have a new found love of Thai curries, whatever the colour and had great fun making them. Seems like we left the receipes behind in the pub though, doh!!
Apart from relaxing we haven't done much at all, but despite feeling guilty about this I am assured by Chris this is what travelling is about. Most people here go trekking which neither of us fancy this as it's for bloody miles and in 35 degree plus heat. There is a chance we may hire bikes tomorrow but that or a lye in and sun bathe and swim then some beers.
I can confirm that Chris is now The Mozzie Exterminator and in our hut bathroom often sounds like he is leaping around doing
Our pool...
...and I mean ours - we're the only people who use it.somesort of 80's choregraphed dance that involves lots of clapping. Next time I will put some Fame on and see how he looks to that.
The hut is small and we only have one 'changing spot' so we don't get in each others way but the gardens are lovely, except for the animal that makes a weird cuckoo sound but sounds like it has a Thai accent. This thing may be bird, lizard or frog - we aren't sure but at night it lives under the hut and when you mimic it, it calls back. We also have some bigger lizards that like to fight on the roof and then sound like they are about to burst into the hut and our new pet, Mr Gecko who we welcome into the hut to eat the mozzies. It's gecko central here, I mean you can see almost a dozen on one wall space all fighting for the one big ass bug that lands, but fun to watch.
I have also seen a Thai Captain Jack Sparrow in all the get up one night, me and Chris kept gawking but sadly didn't have the camera and still have no idea
if he was fancy dress or just plain odd!
We have one more day here then back to Chiang Mai to catch a bus further up north in order to head to Laos. Looks like the elephants will have to wait til then too as I am slightly concerned about living conditions of them here, heard lots of being tied in chains and baby ones crying!! I don't really want to support that kind of behaviour so Laos it is.
Oh and Gill you would be so proud of my new taste in cuisine, I am now obsessed with fried, steamed or bbq'd red snapper in a sauce with rice, it's heavenly.
Will blog again soon x
Chris's Section I like Pai. It's super chilled out, and although more touristy than it used to be (according to many) it still fits the bill. As Lou said, we've been lazing around the pool and doing very little. I can almost say that I've got a tan! Well, apart from my legs that simply refuse to go brown, even though they've been uncovered in scorching heat for a month - but they have lost their blinding
white glow-in-the-dark Yorkshire sheen though. I'll get the buggers in time!
The cooking course today was ace. We went to the Pai Cooking School. We paid 750 baht (£15) for an afternoon course. We cooked some yummy things, but my favourite was the yellow curry. This, along with Masaman curry, have been a revelation. Oh my god, soooooo gooood. There's a great place to eat here called Naas Kitchen. Everyone raves about it and it's always busy. We both stuff ourselves for about 100 baht (£2) a head. The food is amazing there and great value. The food here is pretty cheap - western food costs more, but you can eat Thai for as little as 40-50 baht (80p - £1). Western food starts at around 80 baht, and can go up to 200-300 baht. It makes sense to eat Thai - it tastes 100x better also. Beer can be a bit pricey. A small beer is around 40-55 baht (80p - £1.10), a big beer (about a pint) is between 60-85 baht (£1.20 - £1.70). Still cheap by western standards, but expensive when you consider that a beer can cost more than a meal. It's real budget killer.
Luckily we only have a couple per night.
Our next stop will be Chiang Mai, then off to Chiang Rai as we has to the Laos border and the next leg of our adventure.
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Paul and Nise
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Thai Food is Awesome!!!
Hey guys- sounds like you're having a great time! We didn't make it up to Pai but we both looooved the food in Thailand! The curries are almost as nice in Laos- especially with the sticky rice! Stay smiling and don't feel guilty about chillin so much- when in our usually hectic lives do we get to stop- take a real breath and do absolutely f#$k all! Enjoy Laos- make sure you go to Vang Vieng- not for anything traditionally Laos but for the most crazy, crazy day combining drinking with swinging off 25m high tarzan swings into the mekong river! All completed on a lazy day's tubing on the river. Keep up the great blogs and only about 23 more shades of white to go before tan Chris- keep it up! Paul and Nise x