Roughly 300km north of Chiang Mai is a little hippie haven called Pai – a small town which attracts heaps of young travelers. A shuttle bus takes you on a 3 to 4 hour rollercoaster of a ride up the mountains, which is honestly like doing a series of U-turns from left to right. They call it “Vomit Mountain” for a reason. I enjoyed it without incident. We picked up two friendly Aussie girls along the way (one named “Rebel”) who had been at a 4-day yoga retreat in the sticks.
My friend and I opted to share a dorm room that slept 4 at “Happy Backpackers”, which was nice and central. It was home to the sort of traveler who came for a weekend and just never left. Many have jobs selling tickets and such. They smoked a lot of weed. It was a very happy stay for 2 nights and they were good fun.
We considered all the touristy activities. The energetic youths suggested the Jungle Party – a sort of techno rave with chillout zones near the water. It was evident that drugs flow freely here, mostly in the form of shroom shakes. We didn’t partake, but my inner tribesman hit the dancefloor. Lo and behold, a Viking of a man who I met at Afrika Burn about 6 years prior, screams my name in delight and hauls me into the air with a big bear hug!
We call him Ragnar Lothbroek. Quite amazing to be at the exact same place and time as someone who travels the world! The ride to and from the event was also huge fun. I counted the number of nationalities: South African, Irish, Austrian, American, British, Chinese and German – all singing Country Roads together.
We had considered doing a half-day tour, but after a 4am bedtime, we ended up having a big lunch, laughing off that idea, and got full body massages. This was now my 4th massage in just one week, but by FAR the best I had ever had! She got her knuckles and elbows out and tweaked every finger and toe. Mine ended with a few Thai-style maneuvers.
The middle-aged woman sat me upright, gave me a sort of backwards hug, and counted to three. I had no idea what was coming next but tried my best to stay loose while at her mercy. “One, two…” SWOOSH! A fierce fling to the side to crack the bones! It ended with her feet against my back while pulling my arms. I loved it and walked out feeling three feet taller.
I was keen to hire a scooter that afternoon. The Pai roads are considerably quieter, slower and safer-looking compared to Chiang Mai, but a loud crack of thunder put me off. We were also both quite broken to be fair. So after a few rounds of table tennis and pool-playing at the backpackers, we headed further up the mountain to a popular sunset-viewing spot called Two Huts. The view was great, but unfortunately the clouds obscured the sunset, but the whole vibe was very peaceful, with a barefooted hippie playing guitar, others meditating, and some kids quaffing magic mushrooms. We sat with a blue-headed software engineer who worked for Microsoft, two spunky young Irish girls, and a big orangutan-man from England.
Before the early morning rollercoaster ride home, we strolled around the night market, had some good grub with our new friends, and ended the night at Spirit Bar with some very chilled live music. Psychedelic paint in the form of peacock feathers, beanbags, incense, colourful lights, hanging plants and features, sums up the vibe. It was all rather marvelous.
I think I would like to revisit Pai. It’s clearly a good place to make friends and feel young again.
Next: Thailand #8 – Confident Smile No.1!
Previously: Thailand #6 – Date Night
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