Fun times in Chiang Mai and Pai
HELLOOOO ONLINE BRETHREN!
I hold my hands up, I have slipped off the grid and I can only apologise profusely (in my defence, wifi has been temperamental lately #excuses).
I , like with most things in my life, began this blog with great energy and enthusiasm, however have got side-tracked with the many other things going on around me. Thailand, it seems, is just so bloody distracting!
…so what’s the skinny?
You’ll be relieved to know I am still enjoying my trip ENORMOUSLY. 🎉
I started my Stray Pass! 👏👏👏
Since posting last, I began my Stray tour, journeying from Bangkok to the “Capital of the North” Chiang Mai. Having a two month visa, I always intended to hop off the pass at this point and extensively explore the city.
Given that the trip to Chiang Mai is completed within 24 hours, I had held little hope of ‘clicking’ with other passengers to the extent I’d have travel buddies for the following days- how wrong was I!! The stars alligned and I was granted not one but THREE travelling chums, which, for in-joke purposes, I shall henceforth refer to as “The Vibe”.
We were fortunate to have a really nice group on the date we hopped on. Aside from us, there were two other Brits and a bunch of slightly younger Danish girls. It was an entertaining mix. Our guide, Som Kit (Stray name “Kit Kat”) was a total hoot. His laugh was so fantastically wicked and manic; he was the prefect blend of insane!
It’s remarkable how quickly total strangers can gel as a group and bond. Though our time together was brief (less than two weeks) we laughed and joked with the same fondness and affection for each other that you’d enjoy with school friends. Our group has since dispersed as I write this, but the laughter and energy of “The Vibe” remains (our shared facebook thread continues the lols). In total, we spent 6 days in Chiang Mai before heading West for a week in the hippy town of Pai. Rather than recount events by the day, (“Ain’t nobody got time for that”) I’ll share brief summaries of some of the fun things we did together…
On day 1 of the trip we went to Ayutthaya. This used to be the ancient capital of Thailand. It now stands in ruin; a few intact buildings alluding to how grand the capital once had been. This temple graveyard is where our friendship first began. We’d gone out for a “meet and greet” dinner the night before, which for some of us had resulted in a Ping Pong Show. This proved an excellent conversational icebreaker. (Nb: I didn’t go but feel like I did due to endless banter!) Martine threw up in a bag on the bus that day (and several times after) #2ndIcebreaker
The day was hot and we’re pretty sure our guide made up her “facts” but we saw some impressive ruins and had a good time. I got to see Buddha’s head in the tree so I left feeling satisifed!
Sleeper Train 🚋💤
To get to Chiang Mai we took a sleeper train North. This news hung over us all day in Ayutthaya and I braced myself for a locomotative hell, but was relieved. We had actual beds! They were clean! We had oxygen! I did not feel like a sardine! My luck had limits though and I got a top bunk seat. These were half the width of the bottom bunk spaces, and had no safety bars. I fretted about falling out the entire way… all 12 hours of it!
It was an experience though and I’m glad I’ve done it.
Thai Farm Cooking School 🍜🍳🍵
A few days into our time in Chiang Mai we decided to do a Thai cookery course. There are so many cooking classes in the city, but we opted for an organic farm in the countryside. To begin with we were shown around a local food market. Here we were told the differences between varieties of rice and shown the process of making coconut milk and cream. We drove 40 minutes to the farm and spent the morning sampling fruits and herbs directly from the garden; before making an epic 5 courses of sweet and savoury dishes.
MB- our host for the day! 😂
Our teacher was a lady from Laos called MB. She was hysterically funny and cackled pretty much the entire day. I don’t think there was a moment when she wasn’t singing, laughing or dancing. I loved how amused she was at every pun and inuendo she made. Her relentless enthusiam for EVERYTHING was both infectious and staggering.
We made all our dishes from scratch, including the curry paste.
I chose to make the following dishes- Coconut Soup with Shrimp, Thai Green Chicken Curry, Cashew Chicken, Vegetarian Spring Rolls and Mango Sticky Rice. By the afternoon we were stuffed; inflated and heavy with food!
At £20, it was worth every penny.
“The evening of the Lady Boy Show”
The evening we went to the Lady Boy Show was up there with some of the most fun nights of my life!
That afternoon nothing went to plan. We tried to get to Doi Suthep (temple) for sunset. We searched high and low for a tuk tuk to take us but returned an hour later to the hotel having had zero luck. We ended up a sharing a lift with a young couple using the hotel taxi service, which went horribly wrong when the driver got lost and drove the minibus down a series of alleys. The bus was brand new and very nearly got trashed as the driver sought to drive through the narrow back streets. It was fine for us because we didn’t have to be anywhere, but the young couple were already late for their next ride and were getting panicky.
In the chaos we saw a golden retreiver straddled on a moped.
At this point everything turned hilarious.
Wet, Wet, Wet ☔️☔️☔️
When we eventually got to the market, the heavens opened. Very rare do you ever see a Thai stressed; but the thunderous weather sparked pure chaos. Stall holders frantically scurried to protect their wares and seek shelter from the rain. Karina made my life when she continued to barter during this process. The Thai lady was not impressed; we became hysterical.
It was a struggle to find shelter as nowhere was structually sound. The wind tore down signs and toppled manequins. When a stall awning crashed into a parked moped, we decided to run across the courtyard and seek safe haven in a nearby Irish pub. After a few drawn out pints, the storm mellowed and we headed out in pursuit of the Lady Boy Show…
Traditional Lady Boy (Kathoey) Show 👄💃💎💄💘
I hadn’t known what to expect of the Kathoey show. Stories of seedy sex performances in Bangkok had me fearing this would also be grimy. It wasn’t. It was glitzy, glamourous and fun. The costumes and make-up were as hoped; over-the-top and fabulous.
Despite the weather, the venue filled to nearly a full house. Waitresses in drag brought over our drinks for tips in their cleavages. Performers danced to upbeat diva classics, and lip-synched to emotive ballards striking a more sombre tone. One performance showed a guy progressively switch from full drag to boy. It was so powerful I wanted to simultaneously Whoop! and cry (which I sort of did). Another highlight was an act starring a couple in love; the performer playing both man and woman roles. Also hilarious was when a young guy got dragged on stage…
Girl(s) at the Rock Show! 🎶🎤
On leaving the Lady Boy Show we stumbled across a bar in the arcade with a live band playing. Drawn in by the sound of Nivarna’s “Teen Spirit” we took our place front of the stage and were treated to our very own rock concert. Karina, in a moment of genius, went to get a round of drinks in and returned with a 3l tower of Chang. Let’s just say the party got started! We danced and sung with uncensored enthusiasm for the next few hours. At one point Martine got up on stage and tipped each band member; placing notes in their belts and instruments. The bar errupted and for a moment they were rock Gods. It was so RAD *rock hands/ Gene Simmons face*
We stayed behind chatting to the band and bar owners til the early hours of the next day. I met the president of a Thai Motorcycle Club “The Black Hawks” which I enjoyed immensely given my recent Sons of Anarchy phase! (He was a fan of the show too btw!) When we eventually left we headed to the nearest 7/11 and got our drunken toastie fix (*a backpacker right of passage). We had an hilarious tuk tuk ride home, culminating in Martine force-feeding the driver Kinder Bueno and quizzing him about “coke finger” (the presence of one long finger nail on the hands of most taxi drivers). Despite it being past 3 in the morning he blared out pop music from the Tuk Tuk speakers, and both us and him sang our hearts out to “Hero” Enrique Iglesias.
Fun in CHIANG MAI 💛
Paradise in pai! 🌴🌺
Despite our love for Chiang Mai, we decided we wanted a break from the city- Pai offered the perfect remedy for that. About 135km from Chiang Mai, Pai is a remote village in the countryside of the Mae Hong Son. It’s notoriously laid-back and famed for it’s hippish ways. Despite it’s growing popularity amongst Thais and backpackers alike, Pai still retains it’s unspoilt natural setting. Though quiet during the day, come evening there are plenty of open mic nights to keep the hippies entertained! For this part of the trip we were re-joined by Sam (Original Vibe Member) and our good friend Liz, a fellow Stray passenger we had met previously in Bangkok.
Pai Chan Cottages ⛺️
We opted to stay on the outskirts of town at a place called Pai Chan Cottages and Cuisine. The accommodation comprises of 12 bungalows and is set in lush tropical gardens shielded by countryside. There’s a swimming pool and restaurant area, plus a sala kitted out with hammocks and cushions; all offering unobscured views of the nearby rice fields and mountainous hillside. Our prayers for a rural paradise were more than answered with this oasis retreat!
#1 The scenery 👀
As mentioned above, the views there were glorious. I’m talking send-it-home-on-a-postcard kind of beautiful. We were plonked right in the middle of nature. Our days were soundtracked by cicadas and the flowing melody of the pool’s water feature. It so wonderfully relaxing. No wonder why there are so many meditation retreats in the vicinity.
#2 Our Bungalows 🍂🏯
A huge draw for us coming to Pai was the chance to stay in outdoorsy thatched cottages.
The bungalows at Pai Chan were of Thai Yai design; using teak wood for the floors, walls and the structure. The windows had no glass and were closed instead by wooden doors. Likewise there were no swipe keys to secure the building; just a hefty-looking pad lock! The bathroom was made of concrete with brick walls and roof covered with leaves. It was like showering in the rain.
#3 The Food 🍴🍹
Unsurprisingly the resturant ended up being a defining feature of our stay. There was a variety of Western and Thai dishes; we grazed there every day and grew to adore it. We lost the plot slightly when we discovered they served bagels and avacados. The menu was so great it was like my brain had chosen it. We drowned ourselves daily in fresh smoothies and coconut coffee shakes.
#4 The Pug!!! 🐾🐶🐾
OMG! Last but not least “Fake” the pug! He was like Percy from Pochantas and disturbingly overweight. He would spend his days lounging in the resturant, begging customers for treats.
There was also an army of cats. Karina became their adopted leader for the week. 🐱👸🐱
There were occassions when we managed to prize ourselves away from our accommodation…
Sunset with the White Buddha 🌄🌅🌄
One day we mustered enough energy to trek up the nearby mountainin pursuit of a sunset under the White Buddha. There were lots of steps to climb but we welcomed the exercise, feeling guilty for all our time spent eating and lounging around the pool. The panormamics of Pai from the mounatin vantage point were gorgeous.
We’re Jammin’ 🎸🎶🎼
Though we kept it chill during the day, we saw live music most evenings. Personal favourites included open mic nights at Edible Jazz and Why Not Reggae Bar. We attended a “Trance Festival” after being handed a flyer in town. This turned out to be hippy gathering of musicians in a forest. Martine didn’t feel too great that eve so we didn’t stay long… though long enough for my face to get plastered in UV paint.
.…The Rest! 🍷🍷🍷
Though the food at Pai Chan was great we did dine out on occassion. One night we went for an Indian where we supped 80 baht gin and tonics. Another we had steak and drank “sangria” back in our rooms. The final evening we went on a “bar crawl” with buckets; where we wound up in the hotel pool. Oh and massages! These were a source of hilarity throughout our trip- let’s just say we got more than we bargained for and boundaries were violated! Haha!
Goodbyes👋👋👋
The only downside to Pai, (aside from having to leave) was the journey access it.
We opted for the 150 baht (£3!) bus ride, which took 3 hours both ways. Great value for money but urggggghh so much motion sickness. The route is notoriously twisty and elevated. There’s breathtaking views of the mountainside- if you can manage to open your eyes to see it! The drive’s so horrendously awful they have “Vomit Here!” signs by the roadside. We managed both journeys sick-free…though only just! Without Sam offering me Dylan on his headphones I would have vommed fo’sure- Sam, I am forever indebted!
It’s with a sad heart that I bid farefell to Pai and my fellow vibe givers. ✌️😘
I will cherish the memories of the last few weeks and all the hilarity that comes with it. The fortnight proved just how great the world can be and the awesomeness of people in it.