From Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai to Pai, we bussed and bussed and bussed. Just a short layover in the Chiang Mai bus station, and we boarded the silver and pink bullet bound for Pai. This would complete our 12 hour triangle of travel for the day. We watched the green hills grow into mountains and roll away below us as we mounted a high peak, only to be swallowed back up descending on the other side. Day slipped into night with little fanfare, and the winding bus ride continued. As we neared our destination, we saw a recent accident of a truck that had missed a turn, plowed through the measly guardrail, and plummeted the 150 feet to the woods below. Everyone on the bus marveled in horror, as we tried to convince ourselves that our driver was better than that, and our squealing brakes weren't a bad sign. In the distance giant serpents of fire slowly devoured the already slashed hillsides. They snaked their way nearer, and their smokey breath filled the bus. We pulled into the burgeoning mountain town of Pai late in the evening.
Pai is a cute, little Thai-Burmese village with an international hippy town sitting on top of it. Herbal shops of all kinds line the streets, and stores display hand-tied, twisted, and woven goods to make any self-proclaimed hippy happy. A utopia of bars, (legitimate) massage parlors, and tattoo studios abound, and the range of activities offered in town includes everything from cooking classes, to soap carving, to crystal healing. The only thing missing from Pai are the drugs, since the Thai government has been cracking down on local growers and sellers (Thailand has a shoot to kill policy regarding suspected drug traffickers). The not-so-local locals have turned to the drink instead, and there are inevitably fist fights in the bars almost every night. Most notably, the Beebop Bar draws the attention of the police, who have threatened to close the place down due to their rowdy clientele.
From : Pai-journals
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