Chasing Thailand: Paradise Pai

After my last final, I packed to go to Pai to meet my friend Leo. I flew from Don Muang Air Port at 6:40 am Tuesday May 19 and arrived in Chiangmai at 8:00 am. I then took a taxi to the bus station where I got the last spot in the 8:30 van to Pai.

The van ride traversed the mountains of Northern Thailand. The road between Chiangmai and Pai takes 760 switchback curves. Whenever I was awake, I was terrified. The highway reminded me of a badly maintained PA-287 (the highway I crashed my car on in 2012). Luckily, I am blessed with the ability to sleep in moving vehicles. I got to Pai around 11:30.

We rented a bungalow near a river for 200 baht ($6) each. Mostly, we drank beer and played cards, chess, and Yahtzee. One day we rented a motor-scooter and drove around. We looked at the mountains and canyons. We visited a waterfall and a landsplit. I never wanted to leave Pai. I regret not spending more time there. But, had I spent more time there I might not have ever left.

We came back Thursday on the night bus. It took 15 hours door to door. The bus was owned and operated by the Thai government. It was clean and included a bottle of water, juice, and a blanket. The bus wasn't even close to full and every passenger had two seats that reclined really far without disturbing others. It only cost 540 baht, which is cheap for a 10 hour bus ride.

There were two drawbacks: first, the driver never exceeded 87 kilometers per hour. So it was painfully slow. Imagine driving on a straight highway in the middle of night with no other cars on the road and driving the exact speed limit the whole time. We could have made such good time. The second drawback was having to pass through 6 military checkpoints. We were boarded once for ID checks. Leo and I were excluded from the checks because we don't look like illegals from Burma. I guess its Farang privilege.

This country is full of surprises, many of them unexplained. For example, we stopped at a bus-stop for a 30 minute break. I bought a glass bottle of coke (I think coke tastes best this way). As soon as I paid, the old lady sales-clerks started yelling at me. All I understood was that I had to return the glass bottle. So I said "Khrap" which is the polite way to say yes and that you understand. But they kept yelling at me! They were demanding my bus ticket. Leo had the tickets so I was yelling for him to come so they would get off my back. After Leo provided the tickets, the ladies gave us free cokes. I have no idea why. I also wish they had told me that before I bought one. This ordeal still remains a mystery.