Pai is a town in the Mae Hong Soon Province of Northern Thailand. A backpacker haven and popular holiday destination. It sits in a valley on the banks of the Pai River and is known for its nearby gorges, hot springs like the Tha Pai Hot Spring and waterfalls like Mo Paeng Waterfall. The last two hours of a five hour drive to Pai consisted of very twisty roads around glorious mountainside. 762 turns to be precise! There was a poor woman on our ride who’s stomach contents threatened to not stay put by the time we arrived. (Indeed, we saw her about half an hour after we arrived being sick on the roadside, poor woman!)
Our beautiful little guest house overlooking the valley was a little out of the main town away from the hubbub (!) of the young backpackers below .
The day after we arrived we hired a moped to explore the area further. Taking in the delights of the Big Buddha, Historical Bridge and the wonderful
Thai Pai Hot Springs where you could take a dip in the water. The water was so hot from the mouth of the springs you could boil an egg, in fact many were! With steam emanating from the mouth it looked like something from a Jurassic Park movie! Further down the from the mouth were various pools. Here you could take a dip in the water which was hotter than a hot bath! Very surreal experience! But immensely relaxing nonetheless. Then rounding off the day from sunset point to watch the sun disappear behind the mountains in the distance.
The following day we headed North West to find the Pam Bok Waterfall. Along the way there was a farm that had suffered a huge land split. A huge crack that lasted for several hundred yards right through the middle of the farmland. You could walk right through it. (Hoping it didn’t suddenly decide it was going to close up!) The farmer had rather enterprisingly set up a juice shop for visitors which was most welcome as the day was scorching hot. (I guess a means to recoup some of the money lost from the now unfarmable land.)
After a short wander around the site we continued to the Pam Bok Waterfall. The picturesque chute cut deep in to the cliff rock with beautiful pools at its feet. Wonderful to wade in to and sit on the rocks and simply relax while listening to the water and the local wildlife.
Once we had had our fill we headed on to the Bamboo Bridge. Now we had visions of a bridge over a stretch of water simply made of bamboo.
What we saw when we arrived was not quite what we had imagined. Probably several miles of raised pathways made of bamboo snaked around a paddy farm with shrines, buffalo or other distractions peppered along the way. An exceptional place with a quiet and serene Buddhist temple at the very far end. We’re very glad we came here.
There’s plenty to do in Pai and day three was no exception. Our trusty moped took us up the rather precarious road to Mo Paeng Waterfall about eight miles out of town. A lush natural area with an impressive and multi faceted waterfall with many pools to take a dip. A wonderful place to take in the fresh air and epic scenery. A few hours in and we were ready to head to our next destination, Santichon Chinese Village.
Santichon Village (more favorably referred to by locals as Pai Chinese village) was once a settlement for the Chinese who escaped the Mao regime. It’s said that the local culture was once a mixture of Yunnan Chinese and Thai. The village is not quite an authentic village and more of a commercial centre. But there was plenty to see and was an interesting place nonetheless.
Behind the Chinese Village and high up the hill is the Yun Lai Viewpoint. A predominantly Chinese establishment with utterly spectacular views across the valley and mountains overlooking the Chinese Village below. We enjoyed a pot of tea while taking in the dramatic scenery. Next stop is the the Pai Canyon.
Pai Canyon is an impressive sandstone canyon set in the Pai countryside. A labyrinth of precarious pathways bridging the gaps between outcrops of rock surrounded by sheer drops either side. You really need to pay attention here as the sandstone is very soft. (We got covered in it!) It is advised to wear decent shoes and definitely not flip flops! The views from the top were nothing short of breath taking!
After our epic day we made the long trek back to our guest house to freshen up. We had heard from other travellers of a ‘happening’ bar in town so decided to go check it out.
The bar was part of a very large hostel complex and so was very popular with younger travellers. When we arrived there were hundreds in attendance. By the time we were a couple of drinks in we were treated to a dazzling fire display of poi, staff and hoops from a dozen or so performers. The excitement in the crowd was unmistakable. When the performers had completed their routine out of nowhere a guitarist started a rendition of ‘Sweet Child of Mine’. With everybody joining in with the singing. The vibe had become electric. A very special moment that still makes the hair on the back of my neck stand when I think of it.
Truly wonderful.
Link to our Pai Gallery here.
This featured blog entry was written by philosipha from the blog A Million Smiles Away.
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