Woke up on a rainy day. It’s my last day in Pai and I have tickets for the last van to Chiang Mai. The main reason I came to Pai was to learn to ride a scooter (more on that in a future blog). Long story short, I was able to ride a scooter around Pai yesterday after I got my tattoo but I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Pai just yet. It was gonna be a rainy day and I knew I couldn’t ride around Pai by myself (not safely at least). Joanna, the Filipina who volunteers at the hostel I stay in, suggested I hire someone to take me on a motorbike to see the attractions near the main town – an abrupt change to my usual two attractions per week pace to see all of them in half a day. Having just recently got the word tatted on my arm, I said yes.
Morning coffee
Click on the image to book this homey place in Pai. I made some coffee – I’d definitely need it today – while hoping for the rain to subside. The driver was supposed to meet me at 8 am, but the rain was so strong that I wasn’t sure if we’d push through. The driver came at around 8:15 am and asked if we could start the tour at a 9 or 10 am and that I should go to his shop when I’m ready. I decided to wait a bit until the rain abated. I looked at the day’s forecast. It looked like it was gonna rain all day. Realizing that there was not gonna be a better time to go, I headed to the shop.
A day in Pai-radise
I told the shop owner I was ready to go and he reluctantly called the driver. It was still raining. A few minutes later, the driver arrived. I got on the motorbike and got comfortable. Don’t be the backride who constantly adjusts their seat as you’re weaving through traffic. Here we go.
White Buddha
I ran up the steps leading up to the Buddha. I both overestimated myself and underestimated the number of steps. I was out of breath when I got to the top, but the view would’ve taken my breath away anyway.
Yun Lai View Point
This place was beautiful. There’s a small fee to enter, but the view is worth it.
Coffee in Love
Time for a coffee break. You can never have enough coffee.
Bamboo Bridge
This is such a beautiful place. It feels so serene watching chicken foraging on the rice paddies. I would’ve liked to stay here longer and maybe walked further towards the hills
Land Split
The land literally split due to seismic activity aka. earthquake. Enough said.
Tha Pai Bridge
Tha Pai bridge was first built by the Japanese during World Wat II using elephants. They built it so they can try to invade then Burma.
Beware the Pai Canyon. One wrong move here and you could fall to your untimely demise. It’s beautiful. People come here to watch the sun set. Deadly things can also be beautiful.
Back in Chiang Mai
After the days adventures, I took the last afternoon van to Chiang Mai. I took my motion sickness tablet and slept the whole trip. I checked in to my Airbnb. Left my things and quickly went to the Random Bar Wednesdays couchsurfing event. This would be my third time going. After meeting and connecting with new people as well as seeing old faces, I went back to my Airbnb retire at midnight. After this, my week came to a screeching halt as I locked myself up in my Airbnb and tried to be productive.
See you next week in Vietnam!
