Pai, Thailand is a gorgeous town that lies in a valley between high mountain peaks, about 150km (95 miles) northwest of Chiang Mai. To get to Pai you have to take the van from Chiang Mai or drive yourself. I would only recommend driving if you are experienced driving on Thai roads. The road to Pai has 762 curves, and some of them are incredibly intense and quite dangerous. During our research we were informed that the ride would take a total of 4 hours. Not a bad stint. Our drive took 3. It was as if our driver was in the Indy 500 race and gunning for 1st place. I was so thankful we took motion sickness medicine prior to the trip or we would have both been sick. There were at least 2 times I thought we were going to be in a head on collision as our impatient van driver insisted on passing every vehicle in front of him even without visibility from the curve ahead. I had to keep trying to comfort myself by thinking “he does this every day…” I zoned out on some heavy metal, which comforts me more than any other genre of music, and soaked in the glorious views of the mountains and valleys surrounding us. Thankfully, it was over quickly.
When we got to our stay at Pai Happy Village we quickly realized we planted our digs a little too far away from the center of town for walking. We were estimating about a 20 minute walk to the center of town, or the walking street, and we were actually about 45 minutes walking distance from there. Our host, Alec, drove us into town so that we could get some food and figure out our transportation plans. I quickly realized on the drive there that there was no way we were capable of biking up and down the steep hills on a bicycle to and from our home for the week. A motorbike would be our only option. Our only experience with motorbikes had been as passengers. I am not a fan of motorbikes or motorcycles. I have personally seen a horrific accident before my eyes and nearly lost a loved one. I’ve also had loved ones who have had some pretty serious wrecks on them. Road accidents are the leading cause of non-health related deaths in Thailand. As I mentioned before in the post about our time in Bangkok, driving here is like driving in another world. Hell, even being a pedestrian here you must always keep your head on a swivel and never leave room for error.
Over lunch we discussed the issue. Bradley was pretty insistent that he would not be getting on a motorbike. And even though he was comfortable with me being the driver, I went back and forth in my mind terrified and angry that I didn’t have the balls to just do it like all these other foreigners. I couldn’t work up the nerve. So we decided we would try to find a taxi home in the evening and reevaluate. After eating street food and hanging at this super chill bar that was totally our scene (located down a magical secret groovy hallway) called Spirit Bar, we tried to get a taxi without any luck. We had to walk home in the dark. It was a long and exhausting walk uphill. There were street dogs barking at us from all sides and there were moments where it felt like the jungle was creeping up on us. My anxiety was through the roof and I hadn’t been that truly scared in a very long time. You don’t have to really worry about people here, but you do have to worry about street dogs and some pretty fierce creatures that call South East Asia home. Not all street dogs are friendly and have their shots, and we were literally in the middle of nowhere. My heart was racing and I was pouring sweat in the crisp cool mountain air. When we made it safely home, I vowed that we would never make that walk again. It gave Bradley and I both the jolt we needed to overcome our fears and try this motorbike thing. Fortunately, during our exploring of the city we had come across a sign advertising motorbike lessons and decided that’s how we would go about it.
The next morning we woke up in the clouds. Literally! We looked outside our window expecting to see our glorious mountain view only to find it covered in a milky white haze. It was quite cold in the morning since we were “glamping” in a basic cabin that was not fully sealed or insulated. We had to dress in our light down jackets and pants to enjoy coffee and toast until the early afternoon sun burned the clouds and the cold away. Our host drove us into town again after we had to admit to our fears. He laughed, of course, since Thai’s are typically on motorbikes within their first few days on earth but was kind and did not mind driving us at all. The three of us sang along to “Hotel California” together on the way into town and it was super adorable. After eating some tasty burgers we met up with our instructor, Allen. It was a truly fun and wonderful experience. He was a very thorough teacher and patient. He had an entire curriculum and lesson plan. Very professional and I was impressed! He took his time with each of us after driving us a ways out of town to a remote practice area. We successfully learned how to drive the motorbike, a skill we would have and “can do forever!” as Allen put it. We both felt a lot more confident and comfortable. Fears overcome! I felt very empowered. The roads of Pai are nowhere near as busy as Bangkok or Chiang Mai. If we were going to practice, this was probably the best place for us to do so. So we rented a bike! We drove our motorbike home and enjoyed some time in the sun by the pool and one of the best views in the whole city.
We drove back into town later that evening to enjoy more of the walking street, which comes alive every night. We shopped a bit and ate more street food. I won’t lie, it is not the greatest city for food in Thailand. Pai is mostly known now for being a hippie mountain town that caters to backpackers and the party scene. It’s very foreigner friendly and the food reflects that. If you’re a vegan, drink lots of coffee and tea, and love to party, Pai is the place for you! I was not impressed by any of the meals we ate in Pai except for a couple of street food snacks and one ladies’ rendition of Kao Soi in a fried noodle dish form. It’s an absolutely gorgeous place surrounded by all the mountains and it’s easy to see why so many backpackers end up staying or coming back regularly, but it’s very touristy and you don’t get a true Thai culture experience there.
The next day we spent some time at an animal rescue sanctuary called Pete’s Mission. It is founded and run by Ryan Godden, who Bradley worked with at Elephant Nature Park a while back. They were close friends and helped a lot of animals in their time working together. The mission is mostly home to dogs, but you will find pigs, chickens, and even a horse that have found safe solace there. I was very excited to meet Ryan for the first time and of course, play with dogs! My first introduction was to the “Wheelchair Mafia” group. I couldn’t hold back my tears as I was loved on by ‘Harrison Ford,’ an older dog that doesn’t have much vision or the use of his back legs. I kept asking this baby how he could still be so sweet after all the pain he had gone through. It was deeply inspiring. We don’t deserve dogs. We met all of the animals over a tour of the place and helped feed them their breakfast. I had a ball! I was showered in kisses with dogs crawling all over each other just to get to me and use me as a jungle gym of lovins. These amazing creatures have such big and forgiving hearts. There they are one big family, finally safe and sound, and receiving the care they need. It was absolutely heartwarming to experience.
As we were leaving Pete’s Mission, we had some trouble starting our bike. I had this strange feeling as we spent about 15 minutes trying to get it going. I wanted to return the bike and switch it out. Our breaks were really squeaky but they were working and it just seemed like it was ridden hard throughout its life. It wasn’t a smooth ride like the bike we learned on. But I thought maybe I was just being paranoid and anxious. We were able to get it started and returned home to rest and I spent some time by the pool journaling and watching Bradley swim. I soaked up the sun and the mountain air. The water was far too cold for me to swim and I was still a little traumatized by the green hair incident in Sukhothai to jump all the way in. We decided to go into town before the sun was fully set and enjoy some more nightlife. One of the funniest things about being in Pai is how the locals dress. They BUNDLE UP. When you look around, you would think you were in Colorado in the dead of winter. It still really tickles me! Thai people are known for wearing pants and long sleeves all year round to protect their skin from the sun and they even swim fully clothed, but I was sweating and could not understand how they were dressed for literally freezing weather. The lowest it got while we were there was 14 degrees Celsius or 57 degrees Fahrenheit. Seems quite silly when you’re from Texas and survived Snowmageddon 2021.
We had a nice night out walking around and people watching, but it had been a long day and we wanted to retire to our room and binge watch Netflix. On our way home, driving and winding through, I was enjoying the stars. It was nice to finally see them since it is quite remote and dark enough in Pai for them to shine. We were going downhill before having to go up the last steep hill just before our turnoff when the bike started to shake. The brake was squeaking loudly and Bradley was unable to control the shaking bike going down hill. So we went off the road and into the shoulder away from the oncoming traffic. I was so proud of Bradley for keeping calm and remembering what our teacher taught us, should something go wrong. I didn’t panic either. I just stayed close to him to maintain the center of gravity and we were able to stop safely a few feet away from a parked truck in front of someone’s home. We didn’t lay the bike down and thankfully, neither of us were hurt. We got off the bike to calm down and refocus. We were so close to home, about 200 meters. Just one last big uphill sharp curve. Bradley couldn’t shake his nerves and was psyching himself out attempting to drive the rest of the way with the shaky bike. He wanted to walk it off. I got on the bike and I drove it just fast enough to keep balance and get uphill while staying close to the shoulder. I never once got anxious during the whole event. I have this weird ability to be abnormally calm and focused in emergency situations. To fight through and get the job done at all costs. I only freak out and have panic attacks when it’s completely unwarranted. Go figure. I got the bike home though, and I had a lot of trouble braking again going down the steep driveway into the car park so I had to get off and limp it before almost laying it down just to park the damn thing. Our host, Alec, was incredibly concerned for us when he didn’t see Bradley with me on the bike. He could hear the break squeaking all the way in his office. We told him about the whole incident and he offered to give us another ride into town if we needed it the next day. A kind man.
We both decided that we were not going to be motorbiking the rest of our trip and arranged for the rental company to come pick up the bike. It was not safe for us to drive it again. We were so lucky. In that moment, I promised myself I would always listen to my little feelings from then on. They never steer me wrong and yet I still second guess myself. Our travel insurance wouldn’t have even covered us if something had happened since we are not licensed to drive a motorbike in Thailand. We decided to leave Pai Happy Village and reserved the rest of our stay at a cheap hostel smack dab in the middle of the town. At first I was really disappointed because we were going to need the bike to travel to the temples, hot springs, and waterfalls I wanted to see there, but we found a tour company that provided a guide to do an entire day trip of all the things we wanted to see. It was more expensive than renting a bike, 1,200 THB versus 150 TBH, but worth every baht and the peace of mind. Once we were moved and resettled, we decided to get really drunk at Paizy Bar while listening to live music. It was much needed and a really good time. Even when the cops showed up to stir up the nerves, everything kept going. (Bars were still under strict COVID guidelines and protocols on these dates). It seemed to be more of a formality or a gathering intel thing. It was a little thrilling, as if we hadn’t had enough of that on our trip already.
The big exploring day had come and we made sure to have a filling breakfast at Lemon Thyme Cafe. It was so good! Probably my favorite restaurant there. We met up with our guide and began our day trip with the waterfall, Namtok Mo Paeng and worked our way back down the mountain. We saw spectacular views from different look outs and farmlands, fields of rice that had just been harvested, wildflowers galore, and all the butterflies.
We stopped at a temple and a Chinese village and tried some strange and delicious roasted nuts. We had coffee and pad krapow while swinging in chairs admiring the mountains and savoring the moment. We got to visit a strawberry farm and had the sweetest strawberry shake.
We saw the breathtaking Pai Canyon and the impressive World War II bridge. It was wonderful! We even got to swim in hot springs for the first time and it was so relaxing. If you get the chance, do go. But being a foreigner, they charge you 6x the Thai rate for the entrance fee, 300 THB. Yes…6x the rate the Thai nationals are charged. It was really unsettling.
Our guide saved the best for last, Wat Phra That Mae Yen or the temple on the hill. There are 353 steps that lead up to the awesome big white seated Buddha. You can see all of Pai from the top. It was really quite something. It was so peaceful up there and we were able to find a little corner with some shade from the beating sun to admire the statue and rest. I had the opportunity to meditate for maybe 15 minutes and it ended up being a very special and empowering meditation. I felt so much emotion in those few moments and I involuntarily shed silent tears. It felt like time stood still. Shortly after I had finished, an entire class of monks arrived with their teachers. I was respectful and kept my eyes low, only taking glances every now and then, since I am a woman. It seemed as though they were celebrating and honoring the Buddha for some milestone or achievement as a group. The students were dressed in white while their teachers were frocked in the traditional orange robes. The teachers took photographs of the class spaced out evenly in rows and then they all proceeded to pray and chant and walk around the giant Buddha in formation a few times before leaving the temple. It was really interesting and gave me more questions on my ever growing list for when I can finally have a chat with a monk.
It was a perfect day with my favorite person and a great way to end our stay in Pai. While I wasn’t obsessed or completely in love with Pai like most people seem to be, it was an absolutely gorgeous place and I had a good time. I would love to go back again someday, especially to volunteer at Pete’s Mission. Our return to Chiang Mai was just as curvy and crazy. I had to snap into EMT mode when a fellow tourist thought he was having a heart attack! We had to stop the van on a dangerous curve because he was screaming “I need help! I need a hospital!” I quickly decided I should take action and care for him given my experience and education. I checked his vitals and gave an assessment with the tools I had and reassured him that he was not having a heart attack, but a panic attack and he was safe with me. The poor man had never experienced one before which led him to believe he was having a heart attack. This is very common when people have their first experience with a full on anxiety attack. After some time, care, and breathing work, we continued on our way. Everyone in the van was thankful to have me there and it was yet another moment where I knew I was in the right place, following the right path.
We learned some tough lessons on this trip, but it has only made us stronger and more savvy travelers. I’m thankful for every crazy moment and that Bradley and I are safe and on this incredible journey. If you would like to see more pictures of this captivating city, check out my Facebook Page for the Pai album! Also, if you would like to get involved and be a part of Pete’s Mission just click the link. You can help from anywhere in the world.
What a beautiful journey! I enjoyed every word and felt like I was right there through it all. I especially loved reading about the monks and novices and could visualize it so clearly even without photos. Keep writing – such fun to travel with you!