Thailand - A Slice of Pai

Thailand - A Slice of Pai - August 3-11, 2008

Thailand is a crazy place. While I was in London, I had come to know it as the Brit's cheap beach alternative to Greece. All party and prostitution. Since I've left, I've learned it's a place of constant political upheaval, where different groups push the government out every few years, causing constant uncertainty and worry to the rest of Asia. Recently the government has been battling with protests, that have just this week come to a head with the protesters taking control of Bangkok airport, a major hub in south-east Asia.

The country seems to be fighting the contrast between the beautiful beaches where tourists flock to and the deeply religious people who are immensely proud of their king and extremely generous in their hospitality. What's the real Thailand? As usual, probably something in between.


But I didn't really get to see much of any of this. After two months of intense travelling where I'd thrown a spear with the Masai in the Serengeti, boiled in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, sailed through blue water in the Cyclades, road a horse and a donkey in the lost city of Petra, and walked in the footsteps of prophets in Jerusalem, I came to Thailand to recover. To be honest, I'd had it with new cultures, new languages, and new foods and decided to shut down for a week. I think I had earned it!


So I spent a night in Bangkok, a night in the northern city of Chiang Mai, and finally made it to my destination, Pai, after a four hour mini-bus ride. By the time I arrived, I probably looked like I was on my death bed and scared the daylights out of my hosts. I had booked myself into the marvelous Pai Chan, had the owner, Aey, show me my private bungalow, and spent most of the rest of the week in bed. It was glorious. At about US$6 per night, I couldn't imagine another place on the planet that I'd rather be. Even at the beginning of the rainy season, I was happy.


Here's a shot of my open-air "rain shower," cleverly named because occasionally I was actually rained on while I was showering. Still, it was really nice.


The small town is becoming well known on the traveller circuit of south-east Asia, but the difficult journey there and the draw of the southern Thai beaches mean that people often only come to Pai to be in Pai. Like me. And from what I saw, people keep coming back year after year. They were starting to become accustomed to the expectations of 'farang' (the less-than-polite Thai word for Westerner), but didn't quite have it all down. When I asked in a shop for a place that I could buy bug spray, the man told me to turn right and find the "serran erran," which after a minute of thought, I realized he meant 7-Eleven. Having just arrived in Asia, I would quickly learn as well how 7-Eleven had completely taken over not just in Thailand, but also in most other Asian countries. For me, it was a surprise, but when I found my self returning periodically to get the things I couldn't find anywhere else, I began to understand that they were really on to something.

As you'd expect, my tourist instincts weren't completely shut off, so I did poke my head into a temple or two, but it was only because they were close to the 7-Eleven.




Anyway, back in Pai, I was starting to get to know the locals. They are a mix, with many actually from other parts of Thailand looking for the same pace of life that the Westerners are when they come. They are fun and relaxed, warming quickly to people without pretension. As with other parts of Thailand, some of the men seem that they would rather be ladies, adding a memorable twist. I'm told Thailand has the highest percentage of cross-dressers, and from what I saw that is definitely true.

So I spent my week mostly reading and relaxing. To keep my brain functioning, I declared that I would do one substantial thing each day. I didn't, of course, declare what I meant by substantial, and usually was content with something like getting a haircut, to which I would promptly reward myself with a long nap. What a life. The only thing that made it a bit uncomfortable was the amazing bugs found around town. If you can live with that, Pai is a great place to be. I even made friends with a slug that had made himself comfortable in my bathroom for the week.


One night, I searched around and found a bar with a TV that was showing the opening ceremony of the Olympics. I was still amazed even with the announcer speaking Chinese and the subtitles in Thai, there was no denying it was a spectacle beyond compare. And so, a few days later, feeling rejuvenated and filled with anticipation, I hopped on the mini-bus back to Chiang Mai, boarded a flight to Bangkok, another flight to Hong Kong, and finally another to Beijing. I was going to experience the 2008 Summer Olympics in the country with the most to prove.