Our Accommodation in Pai
After three nights sleeping on the tile floor at the monastery, any formation of a bed would have been adequate enough for us upon arriving in the backpacker and hippie haven of Pai, Thailand for four nights. But, fortunately we chose even more wisely than that and really ended up enjoying our space at JJ & J Garden, located an ideal 20 minutes stroll from the bustling main walking street.
Odds are quite high that if you visit Pai, you’ll either end up in a hostel, or a bungalow. Craving some quality sleep and solitude, the latter was undoubtedly the best option for us. Our $25/night bungalow (booking) was tucked into a tranquil garden space, and included a blissful nap sack.
Our room was basic, clean and with super fast internet. A/C was not provided (or needed) with the temperatures dropping into the brisk 50s F/teens C at night. The outdoor space was perfect for having morning coffee and happy hour beers. We also had a kitchen area with a fridge, sink and stove (which was apparently for decoration). Fortunately, hot water, unlimited coffee and bananas were available elsewhere on the property.
There was also designated areas for smoking. We’d soon find that absolutely everywhere in Pai had signs to indicate whether it was ok…or not ok….to smoke weed.
Mandy tried to swim laps in the small pool, which she managed to do until an older, quite bubbly, French lady decided to come join her testing every crumb of French knowledge in the deep recesses of her brain.
Bubbly was inevitability the name of the game at the garden because the mother/daughter combo that ran the hotel were also quite giggly and giddy. The mother, who we literally referred to as “mum,” did give us something that tasted a bit like pickled pot as a welcome gift, so that may have been the culprit….🤣
The Hippie Haven of Pai
If you consider yourself a backpacker…or a hippie…or simply an open-minded and/or hippie-appreciative traveler…odds are you have a pin on your Google map for Pai. If not, you should. Pai is northern Thailand’s premiere bohemian nirvana for this crowd and though quite touristed, like many hippie/hipster havens, we found ourselves loving it. It was a place we walked around with wonder and asked ourselves why we hadn’t discovered it 20 years ago, when we would have appreciated it even more.
That said, the age of the crowd is across the board and there is truly something for everyone. It has an air of Laos’ Vang Vieng with its abundant happy hour specials and outdoor exploration opportunities, but is much more polished, more diverse, more rustic chic, much more Thai with deluxe spas and massage opportunities everywhere, and everything we put in our mouths was the best we’ve had in Thailand….maybe ever.
From the bus station on our way to our hotel (see yesterday’s post), we had the immediate opportunity to meander along Pai’s main walking street, which comes alive every night with street food, shopping, and activity.
Blended in with the copious amount of elephant pants and teeny tiny tanks, Bohemian chic is prevalent here. Both in the shops, and on the people from all over the globe.
And, you guessed it…it is very easy to eat healthy and/or vegan here as well. Of course, that kale comes with a heftier price tag than a normal smoothie at $3.50. Along the way to our place, Pai Flora Resort features little cottages that look like they fell out of coastal New England. It seems the majority of accommodations in Pai are either hostels, or bungalow-style.
In our four visits to Thailand, we’ve had a copious amount of extraordinary meals. But, the tucked away Rancha Khao Pad Restaurant (and bungalows…of course), may be the best restaurant we’ve ever experienced in the country. Despite its very budget price, everything we had was superlatively seasoned, and created with precision and care. We loved it so much we visited twice, spending $4.50 on one visit and $6 on the second, for a salad and two entrees. Dishes photographed included: Papaya salad, Penang Chicken, Tom Yum Soup, and Pad See Ew. We really do not understand the point of spending more money for food in a culinary paradise like this one.
And…the restaurant’s icing on the cake…was literally named Cupcake….the squishy faced kitten. We were sold in every sense of the word.
Okay, sometimes we understand the need to spend more…when Indian food is on offer and you need a break from Thai. Fortunately, Pai Indian is here for that, and although it was a definite splurge ($16), the palak paneer and chicken tikka masala were so divine.
Another Thai lunch from a very local joint, which we grabbed while our coin operated laundry was spinning next door. The laundry cost $2.35 for a wash and dry, and the lunch consisting of fried eggs, stir fry veggies, and kale with oyster sauce for $3.70.
Near our hotel, one could find a whole different level of pump-yourself gas…coin operated, quite vintage and possibly questionable. 🤣
Every evening, we headed down to the Pai Walking Street for dinner and to be entertained. Some nights it was immensely more flooded with people than other nights.
One thing that is quite obvious in Pai that you don’t always find in other Thai communities, is a prevalence of Halal food created by its Islamic community. This chicken dumpling soup was from one such stand featuring food of the Yunnan province of China. It cost $1.75.
This minority is seemingly accepted in the predominately Buddhist community because they even had a very beautiful mosque located near the walking street where the Halal food is clustered. Some of the Muslims in Pai, and in northern Thailand, may be part of the ethnic Shan or other groups with historical roots in the regions. There are also Muslim refugees and migrants in Northern Thailand who have fled conflict or persecution in nearby Myanmar.
A visit to the Halal doner stand served by women in full burkas is highly recommended. But naturally, it was a startling contrast to witness them amongst the westerners…some wearing as little as bikini tops and swim trunks as they cruised around the walking street…at night…in the cooling weather to offer their services as unobstructed mosquito buffets. It must especially be bewildering to her young eyes.
On the flip side, a few stalls down, you will enter the high of Pai where prices start as low as $1.75 for an elaborate pot-pourri of selection. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t appeal to us like it did long ago.
Meeting up with a new friend we met at the monastery…a 70-something Bulgarian named Дойч, or Doich, who was very impressed that: 1. We spoke a little Bulgarian and, 2. That we smashed all the stereotypes he had about Americans. He was a fascinating and quite intelligent man and we learned a lot from him, including curiously, a mnemonic device on how to count to ten…in Japanese. 🤣
A Thai children’s orchestra playing unique wooden traditional instruments to amuse the crowd.
The food options on walking street seemed absolutely endless, which is why we ended up there every night.
There was also a plethora of trendy cafes, eclectic restaurants, and Christmas-covered bars…
…which looked so fun, even Santa, usually content with milk, wanted to crash them.
So cozy….and truly something for everyone. This included a bi-weekly tubing event involving mud wrestling, foam, a boxing ring, slip ‘n slides and booze….lots and lots of booze. Like we said, can we puh-lease time travel here when we were 20?! 🤣
We might be able to get on board with this winning combo though 🤔 By the way, you don’t have to go to the tubing event to see hunks wrestling. Just take a glimpse inside any of the open concept Thai boxing gyms…
The bridge crossing the Pai River at the southern part of the town was where we happened upon an annual street food festival. As if we hadn’t already stuffed ourselves…
Hmmm…there could be room for more?!
Our departure meal before grabbing our bus to Chiang Mai was at KoiSoi Zister’s…easily the best Khao Soi we’ve had yet. It was served alongside the best tamarind juice we’ve ever had as well. ($6.50 total for two entrees and two juices). Yeah….there’s definitely something about this town…. 😋
The Star of Pai for Us: Pai Canyon by Motorbike
Although we loved the delectable food, the chill, hippie vibe and the vivacious walking street, our favorite part of being in Pai was the chance to explore the dreamy natural attraction of Pai Canyon. This (free) sandstone spectacle, only 20 minutes south of the town, was formed primarily by erosion processes, and is unlike any place we’ve ever been. However, it reminded us significantly of our favorite US national park, Zion, and allowed us to embrace something we’ve been longing for all year…wide open spaces. It certainly didn’t feel like Thailand.
We reached Pai Canyon by renting a motorbike for the day from Pai, which cost $7+ gas. This was also part of a bigger loop of stops we did in half a day and was the best activity we could have done from the town. Most people come up to the canyon on tours at sunset, which is undoubtedly incredible, but by coming at mid-morning, we got to experience it virtually empty.
Greg experienced in his new Tom-esque aviators, slinking through one of the many slot canyons. Yes, if you too wanna embrace that explorer gene…expect to get dirty!
The area consists of sandstone and other soft earth materials, which are highly susceptible to weathering. Seasonal rains, strong winds, and the natural flow of water gradually eroded the terrain, carving out the narrow ridges and steep cliffs that define the canyon.
Over time, these natural forces created the sharp, dramatic ridges some which do require a little bit of valiance to tread over. Where’s Mandy?!
Another such perilous ridge line. Fortunately, the walking paths are well trodden and feel quite safe though with barriers, this would never feel so free and open in the States.
In fact, traversing out onto some of them was well worth it. Such wide open spaces….mountains…and sky. We didn’t realize how much we were yearning for it.
The sandstone almost looks a little yellow brick road-y. What a gorgeous sight!
Maneuvering into more slot canyons. Don’t come here in the rain! Also, one antiquated danger sign. Three languages; the English one very faded. Yep. That’ll do the trick.
More Motorbike Adventures
In addition to the magnificently stunning Pai Canyon, we made several other pauses along our half day motorbike jaunt an eclectic and vibrant cafe, a historic bridge, the (wrong) White Buddha, and a soak in some hot springs pools. This is definitely a wonderful way to explore the Pai region. By its name alone, the hokily named “I Love U Pai” Cafe may have turned us off, but once we witnessed how cute and inviting it was, we had to have a stop for a rare coffee treat. The Thais who named it were clearly just limited in their vocabulary.
It was an idyllic place to fall into a swinging basket chair and enjoy the view, which wasn’t too much yet on the typical cloudy morning. These have enveloped northern Thailand almost every day we’ve been here.
The vintage touches throughout were a nifty blast from the past as well….
…and, in true catering-to-westerners style, they had the BEST ooey gooey chocolate chip cookies, served alongside our Thai tea and cafe mochas. The three items were $5.
Nearby bungalows dropped behind an endearing bridge and sites you find in Thailand when you’re not even looking for them.
The “White Buddha” of Pai. Unfortunately, we marked the wrong “White Buddha” on the map when we meant to check out the “Big Buddha,” which based on the reviews are easily confused. We intended to go to the actual destination later in the day but got sidetracked with some other things.
That is one quite busty serpent.
The Ta-Pai Memorial Bridge, running parallel with the modern one, is a historic WW2 bridge which is now reserved for foot traffic only. It was constructed by the Japanese Army in 1942 during their occupation of Thailand. And provided by, the good ‘ol US Steel Products Company. The Japanese likely built the bridge with local slave labor to create a transport route between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son to support their supply chain for their campaign in Burma (now Myanmar). The Pai River, which the bridge spans, was a significant obstacle for moving troops and supplies. Local villagers were reportedly forced to contribute to its construction.
Our plan after this was to have a soak at Pai Natural Hot Springs, but unfortunately it was closed for the morning. Fortunately, it’s a bubbly kind of community so Pai Hot Springs Spa Resort was right around the corner, which for 100 baht ($2.93) offered us two hot springs pools, and a regular pool.
Filling up on the side of the road for about $2.
