Bus to Pai

This place is amazing.  I arrived here on a ‘local’ bus from Chiang Mai (72B).  The three hour trip was entertaining to say the least.  I had the back seat to myself.  I don’t think anyone else was stupid enough to sit back there as there was no rear door.  This made it a little hairy while we were tear-arsing our way around roads with sheer drops next to them.

After having a little hunt around I found what is by far the coolest place I’ve stayed in so far.  To get there one must cross a river over a little bamboo bridge (which I thought was going to collapse under my weight).  The accommodation consists of a bamboo hut on the river with a fan, bed, (western) toilet and hot shower inside.  They charge 100B per night, about $3.50.  I’ve been there for three nights now and am loving it!

Thai river huts

Bamboo bridge

View from the huts

The river itself is fast moving but shallow.  The water is the perfect temperature, and the place I’m staying has a couple of tractor tubes you can borrow.  It’s a fair walk while carting a big tube, but I wandered to the other side of the town in my boardies and jumped in.  Took about 10 minutes to float my way back home down the river, much to the amusement of Thais on the banks.

Pai is full of hippies.  Hardcore hippies.  Thai hippies.  Old hippies.  Wannabe hippies and feral hippies.  There’s something for every hippy here.  There also seems to be a hell of a lot of lesbians here.  Maybe that has something to do with the concentration of hippies.  I don’t know, but it’s fun to people watch here!

Special Ed stomaching a snail

I bumped into a girl I met in Chiang Mai here, and through her met a couple of Poms and a Welsh guy.  We’ve been talking shit and consuming far too much Thai whiskey but they’re great company.  I lost 100B a couple of nights ago to Ed.  We were having some drinks at a restaurant when a snail appeared on the table.  I rescued it and relocated it to the garden.  He picked it up and said if everyone gave him 100B he’d eat it.  Down it went, shell and all.  Crazy bloody Pommy…

Yesterday was arguably the best day of my trip so far.  The lot of us headed to a waterfall just out of town and jumped in.  We ended up spending the whole day there sliding down the thing and drinking beers.  My waterproof camera came in handy – check out the videos!  Today my arse is rather tender from the rocks and I’m going to have an alcohol free day.  Hmm.

Rad waterfall with a rock slide

Flying down the rockslide

First person perspective

John & Ed nearly colliding

The friends I’ve made here are great. I’m spending too much on booze but it’s worth it, we have a great time. My favourite pass-time so far is to get a bottle of whiskey, ice, coke and sit by the river talking shit and sipping drinks.

Pink helmets!

Sitting around playing cards

I’m going to stay here until the 10th.  There are more things to do and I’d like to go for a hike.  There are many photos to be taken around here so I’ll probably put up more soon.