About a week ago me and Ingo made our way up to Pai in the hopes of finding what we were originally looking for in Chiang Mai. Pai started out as a small mountain valley hippie retreat. Over the past few years it has since transformed into a more major destination for not only backpackers but Bangkok Thai's as well, thanks to a few movies and star approval. Fortunately that all dies down during the week, and it still feels just right. This is a small town where everybody knows your name if you stay just long enough, and with the welcoming, slow vibe, it's not hard to do. The original hippie culture has not been lost despite the boom in tourism. You can still find plenty of vegetarian food, yoga, crystal healing, tea bars, reggae, meditation and the like, and the vibe here is friendly, slow and steady. It seems intended that everything is within walking and biking distance, which I've realized is one of the most appealing factors for me to start off with in any city. Unfortunately most people opt for a motorbike here, and scars and bruises are a common topic of conversation. The city is surrounded by steep picturesque mountains, and there are nearby trek’s to stunning waterfalls in any direction. It’s a lovely place and a popular getaway for all the right reasons. It's common to meet Thai's and internationals who originally planned for visiting a few days, but which eventually turned into a 6 years plus living arrangement.
Even with the steady stream of tourists, the locals here are more welcoming than ever, and haven't become cold and desensitized to curious backpackers as is often the case in the major cities. I've been lucky enough to make some friends here who have been kind to show me around beyond the standard backpacker haunts (THANKS PIM!). This included a trip to the yearly community games, where locals compete against eachother in sports like soccer, tekrat (extreme hacky sack), volleyball, an odd variation of basketball (just as fast paced with rules similar to ultimate Frisbee and where someone holds the basket to catch the ball), and bamboo stilt races! The stilt races were my personal favorite. Men would stand barefoot on these simple 2ft high stilts, and sprint around a looped course to beat the best time, and/or those running next to them. Stilts would commonly shatter leaving runners in the dirt!
Just last night we finally escaped the common, repetitive cover bands for music of the true Thai variety. The difference in the energy of the audience could immediately be heard, felt and seen. People went nuts, with frantic dancing that seemed like a pure expression of fun and happiness. The all local crowd was a waving pit of arms, legs and jumping bodies. All this to pop music. Of course I couldn’t help but join in.
I think I’ll find myself here for a bit longer before continuing my trip north to Laos, besides, what’s the rush?
Even with the steady stream of tourists, the locals here are more welcoming than ever, and haven't become cold and desensitized to curious backpackers as is often the case in the major cities. I've been lucky enough to make some friends here who have been kind to show me around beyond the standard backpacker haunts (THANKS PIM!). This included a trip to the yearly community games, where locals compete against eachother in sports like soccer, tekrat (extreme hacky sack), volleyball, an odd variation of basketball (just as fast paced with rules similar to ultimate Frisbee and where someone holds the basket to catch the ball), and bamboo stilt races! The stilt races were my personal favorite. Men would stand barefoot on these simple 2ft high stilts, and sprint around a looped course to beat the best time, and/or those running next to them. Stilts would commonly shatter leaving runners in the dirt!
Just last night we finally escaped the common, repetitive cover bands for music of the true Thai variety. The difference in the energy of the audience could immediately be heard, felt and seen. People went nuts, with frantic dancing that seemed like a pure expression of fun and happiness. The all local crowd was a waving pit of arms, legs and jumping bodies. All this to pop music. Of course I couldn’t help but join in.
I think I’ll find myself here for a bit longer before continuing my trip north to Laos, besides, what’s the rush?
LOL... I must say that you look like you belong there...
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