Pai -- A Natural Paradise In Northwest Thailand

[george]

Pai -- A natural paradise in northwest Thailand

PAI: -- Every afternoon, just before sunset, the Muslim women of Pai open their food stalls at the small town's main road intersection.

They sell roti, crispy pancakes filled with butter, banana or chocolate, similar to Indonesian martabak.

Right behind the veiled Muslimas, another group of women in colorful cloth of the Lisu hill tribe prepare to display their homemade bags and caps for the evening market.

Before they have finished, a Buddhist procession passes by with northern Thai people in traditional sarongs singing and dancing while wearing flags in holy yellow to a temple around the next corner.

When it finally gets dark, the last call of a muezzin mixes with the sizzling of roti being cooked in boiling oil and the music from tourist cafes along the main road, whose guests watch the fading silhouettes of the stunning mountain scenery that surrounds Pai.

Just a few years ago, the small mountain town in the northern Thai province of Mae Hong Son was still was a quiet enclave among adventurous backpackers traveling to the Myanmar border, just an hour away.

Now it is about to become a well-known mountain resort, even for more sedate travellers. Whoever wants to experience the fresh charm of Pai should therefore hurry up, since everybody here nowadays seems to be in gold-digger mode and new bungalows are mushrooming everywhere.

In reality, there is nothing special about Pai in the first place. A small town with simple, wooden houses on the winding road from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Song, there are neither famous temples nor historic palaces to visit as in most other tourist locations in Thailand.

That may be exactly what the first longtime visitors found attractive: the relaxed, natural atmosphere.

Multicultural ambience

What makes this small market settlement in northwest Thailand so interesting is its beautiful surroundings and multicultural population.

Beside the majority Thai and Shan population, there is a notable Muslim minority that once emigrated from China, plus added variety from hill tribespeople traveling to town to trade at the local market every day.

Many of their villages are in the nearby mountains, like those of the animistic Lahu and Lisu people with their colorful cloth and artistic headwear. The Shan, who have adapted themselves more to Thai language and lifestyle, are still impressive to see when wearing their traditional clothing -- especially the women with their famous neck rings.

The variety of ethnic types as well as the gorgeous vegetation makes Pai the ideal starting point for trekking and rafting tours to the jungles close to the border of Myanmar. "To understand the magic of this place, you have to be around here for a while," chuckles Paul, an Irishman who halted his extensive travels to settle at Pai.

Helping his Bangkok girlfriend to set up a new bungalow resort with the resounding name, Pai Destiny, outside town, they want to preserve the original spirit of the backpacker's paradise by not designing a chic boutique resort, but providing a basic bungalow camp with a family atmosphere.

"There are more and more 'comfort tourists' coming to Pai. But I think even in the long term this will still mainly be an attractive destination for adventure travelers."

The center of Pai, not much more than the intersection of two main roads, already possesses a very international ambience. Tourists and longtime residents of every age from all over the world relax in Thai, Italian or Japanese restaurants, drinking French coffee or listening to jazz music.

The town has even developed a recognizable live music scene in recent years, enough to host an international music festival last November.

Many artists from Bangkok and abroad spend increasing amounts of time in the inspiring mountain town, while some new galleries opened this year. Besides, Pai became popular among travelers for cooking and massage courses.

Many of the more comfort-loving guests also come for "wellness" holidays, spoiling themselves with traditional Thai massage, herbal treatments and bathing in the mineral hot springs outside town while enjoying the fresh air and rural idyll.

One hurdle, which until now (and hopefully in the future) protects Pai from mass tourism, is the rather arduous journey to get there.

Taking a bus or minivan from Chiang Mai terminal, the ride takes only three hours. However, many people cannot enjoy the astonishing nature and panoramic views on the way, since they are preoccupied by queasy stomachs on the winding drive over the mountains.

Hopefully, Paul and other real Pai lovers may in the future still enjoy mystic mornings, when the slowly fading mists first allow a view into the eyes of neighboring cattle in front of the bungalow veranda -- and then reveal the terrific view at the mountains behind trees in blossom.

Travel Tips

Stay:

Pai Destiny

Simple bungalows & camping, hot shower

314 Namhoo Village, Viengtai, Pai 58130

tel: ++ 66 892020862

e-mail: [email protected]

Is.am.are

Art caf‚ and small resort

61 Moo 1 Tumbon Vieng Na, Pai 58130

tel: ++ 66 812088410

Baan Krating Pai Resort

Luxurious bungalows in traditional riverside setting

119 Moo 2, Tambol Wiangnuer, Pai 58130

www.sawadee.com/hotel/thai/baankratingpai/

Food:

Baan Pai Restaurant at the Center of Pai

Thai and Western Food

tel: ++ 66 53699912

e-mail: [email protected]

Yunanese Chinese Village

Traditional Yunanese Kitchen

Ban Santichon, 4 km West of Pai

Pai Cookery School

at the center of Pai

tel: ++66 817063799, ++66 895591006

Wellness:

Mama Lon Massage Center

Traditional Thai Massage

The Old House at the Center of Pai

Herbal House Retreat & Spa

2 kilometers out of town on the road to Chiang Mai

tel: ++66 8188 37020

e-mail: [email protected]

Mineral Spa at Thapai Hot Spring Camping Resort

4-84/1 Moo 2, T. Mae Hee, Pai 58000

tel: ++66 5321-8583

Trekking, Rafting and Adventure:

Pai Nature Trek

39 M.3 Chaisongkarm Road, Wiangtai, Pai 58130

tel: ++66 817063753

Pai In The Sky Rafting

114 M.3 Chaisongkarm Road, Pai 58130

tel: ++66 5369-8145, ++66 5369-9090

Tom's Elephant Camp Tours

Th Ratdamrong (close to Thapai Hot Spring Camping)

tel: ++66 5369 9286

-- Jakarta Post/Christina Schott, Contributor, Pai, Thailand 2007-02-11

[llso]

I remeber going to Pai in early 2001. Wasn''t much to the town as I remeber a few bacpacker style guesthouses. a very few Falang cafes and bars. Was one nice rustic place right on the river. very small quaint town back then.took one of those orange with the wooden floor buses to get there . there was only one bus in those days.

Rented some motorbikes and my friend's son here on college break and I drove around and got lost a lot. Had a handrawn and photocopied map from the guesthouse. Went to some really nice waterfalls and some hill tribe villages where the people were not that friendly. Beautiful countryside and scenery. Stopped in at a huge garlic warehouse.

The whole town was dead by 8 PM back then. At that time most people had never even heard of Pai. I'm not sure if I really want to go back, better to remeber it the way it was.

LL

[meadish_sweetball]

The whole town was dead by 8 PM back then.

Hmm... Bebop was open in its old location by the mosque already seven years earlier, and Mountain Blue up the road also had live music and pub activity at night... While it is indeed a lot busier now, it has been a backpacker hangout for a looooong time.

Guess it is possible they were temporarily closed though.

[Rinrada]

First time i went through the place was on my old rented Honda Dream in around 1991-2 and that was it...A one horse town just like many others around the area and not very interesting.

Now it seems "they" ..who ever... have designated a sort of Hippy paradise so only a matter of time before it becomes Khao San Rd ...a la "oop Narth"....

All we need now is the return of the Magic Bus.&..hey man...got any bread.....like cabbage.. ...cool....

[llso]

I remeber going to Pai in early 2001. Wasn''t much to the town as I remeber a few bacpacker style guesthouses. a very few Falang cafes and bars. Was one nice rustic place right on the river. very small quaint town back then.took one of those orange with the wooden floor buses to get there . there was only one bus in those days.

Rented some motorbikes and my friend's son here on college break and I drove around and got lost a lot. Had a handrawn and photocopied map from the guesthouse. Went to some really nice waterfalls and some hill tribe villages where the people were not that friendly. Beautiful countryside and scenery. Stopped in at a huge garlic warehouse.

The whole town was dead by 8 PM back then. At that time most people had never even heard of Pai. I'm not sure if I really want to go back, better to remeber it the way it was.

LL

Yes, There was one place I think a Karaoke to the left at the crossroads before you got to the River. The area near the guesthouse we stayed though , Charlie's I think it was was pretty much closed up by 8 or 9 PM.

LL

[Shah Jahan]

Pai has been my home for the last 5 years. Over this time we have about the same amount of Falangs living in Pai and coming though as backpackers or visitors. (maybe a small increase)

When I first came here there we almost ZERO Thai tourists. Unfortunately over the last 1 1/2 years on holidays and weekends the place gets invaded by hoardes of Bangkok aliens. Thai tourists that come in minibusses, stay in the designated resort and eat at the designated restaurants. They really haven't done much to help the ambiance and they actually hurt many of the businesses geared towards falangs especially internet shops and because they dont use the internet and drive falang tourists out of town.

Around chrismas time it was like the sunday market in Chaing Mai, shoulder to shoulder not even being able to move on the street. And in terms of helping the economy, they are helping the other bangkok people who came here to open businesses to cater to them. In terms of the local people...well.......they can do the laundry.....

and dont even get me started on the hot springs. for the past 5 years, the Natural hotsprings has been the staple and meeting ground of many locals who live in Pai. A short drive from town many people go there every day in the winter to bathe and meet.

well this year, due to bangkok politics, the hot springs got rezoned and suddenly instead of being free it is now 400 baht for a falang to enter and 20 baht for a thai person. well that ensured mass protest among the locals who began to sneak in, blantently ignore the guard and get in direct verbal and physically confrontations. this situation proved quite embarrassing for the guards as they are local people too....and so on...

anyways. pai still is great, but unfortunately if it continues to grow at this rate and the BKK keeps coming it will be like Ko Samui in a few years. pray they go home.

[madjbs]

Yes I agree! Pai should be kept for farang tourists only. No thais should be allowed to go to pai unless they live in the area. Whats the world coming to when a countries own people are allowed to travel round and view other areas of their homeland as they please. Of course any foreign tourists can come because thats who all the local businesses are aimed at. Oh and dont you feel so sorry for those farangs that got driven out because this place had just too many thais in it.

Jake

[Austhaied]

Pai has been my home for the last 5 years. Over this time we have about the same amount of Falangs living in Pai and coming though as backpackers or visitors. (maybe a small increase)

When I first came here there we almost ZERO Thai tourists. Unfortunately over the last 1 1/2 years on holidays and weekends the place gets invaded by hoardes of Bangkok aliens. Thai tourists that come in minibusses, stay in the designated resort and eat at the designated restaurants. They really haven't done much to help the ambiance and they actually hurt many of the businesses geared towards falangs especially internet shops and because they dont use the internet and drive falang tourists out of town.

Around chrismas time it was like the sunday market in Chaing Mai, shoulder to shoulder not even being able to move on the street. And in terms of helping the economy, they are helping the other bangkok people who came here to open businesses to cater to them. In terms of the local people...well.......they can do the laundry.....

and dont even get me started on the hot springs. for the past 5 years, the Natural hotsprings has been the staple and meeting ground of many locals who live in Pai. A short drive from town many people go there every day in the winter to bathe and meet.

well this year, due to bangkok politics, the hot springs got rezoned and suddenly instead of being free it is now 400 baht for a falang to enter and 20 baht for a thai person. well that ensured mass protest among the locals who began to sneak in, blantently ignore the guard and get in direct verbal and physically confrontations. this situation proved quite embarrassing for the guards as they are local people too....and so on...

anyways. pai still is great, but unfortunately if it continues to grow at this rate and the BKK keeps coming it will be like Ko Samui in a few years. pray they go home.

You have got to be kidding.. The Thai's have every right to do as they please, it's their country. With attitudes like yours no wonder the smiles are sliding away from the Thais faces..Try stopping the "Londoners" from visiting Stonehenge as well, and while your at it keep all Americans out of the grand canyon and niagra falls.. If you want a farang only haven..go home..easy.. I do agrre with you on the dual pricing subject though..

[tijnebijn]

Pai has been my home for the last 5 years. Over this time we have about the same amount of Falangs living in Pai and coming though as backpackers or visitors. (maybe a small increase)

When I first came here there we almost ZERO Thai tourists. Unfortunately over the last 1 1/2 years on holidays and weekends the place gets invaded by hoardes of Bangkok aliens. Thai tourists that come in minibusses, stay in the designated resort and eat at the designated restaurants. They really haven't done much to help the ambiance and they actually hurt many of the businesses geared towards falangs especially internet shops and because they dont use the internet and drive falang tourists out of town.

Around chrismas time it was like the sunday market in Chaing Mai, shoulder to shoulder not even being able to move on the street. And in terms of helping the economy, they are helping the other bangkok people who came here to open businesses to cater to them. In terms of the local people...well.......they can do the laundry.....

and dont even get me started on the hot springs. for the past 5 years, the Natural hotsprings has been the staple and meeting ground of many locals who live in Pai. A short drive from town many people go there every day in the winter to bathe and meet.

well this year, due to bangkok politics, the hot springs got rezoned and suddenly instead of being free it is now 400 baht for a falang to enter and 20 baht for a thai person. well that ensured mass protest among the locals who began to sneak in, blantently ignore the guard and get in direct verbal and physically confrontations. this situation proved quite embarrassing for the guards as they are local people too....and so on...

anyways. pai still is great, but unfortunately if it continues to grow at this rate and the BKK keeps coming it will be like Ko Samui in a few years. pray they go home.

You have got to be kidding.. The Thai's have every right to do as they please, it's their country. With attitudes like yours no wonder the smiles are sliding away from the Thais faces..Try stopping the "Londoners" from visiting Stonehenge as well, and while your at it keep all Americans out of the grand canyon and niagra falls.. If you want a farang only haven..go home..easy.. I do agrre with you on the dual pricing subject though..

agree,sometimes we do forget that we are and will ever be farang,means we are the guests of the thai people.

[madjbs]

Oh and I forget to mention that the reason Koh Samui is the way it is these days is because of the hordes of farang tourists trying to turn the place into Ibiza and NOT because of any Bangkok tourists. So I sugest if you insist with your anti-tourism regime, you should start to aim it at farangs and not Thai People as this will ensure your beloved home doesnt turn into Koh Samui but somthing more reminiscent of Phoo Kradueng or Tee Lor Soo Waterfalls. Or pehaps you just want the place all to yourself.

Jake

[Ulysses G.]

They should bulldoze the whole place really.

[LaoPo]

Oh and I forget to mention that the reason Koh Samui is the way it is these days is because of the hordes of farang tourists trying to turn the place into Ibiza and NOT because of any Bangkok tourists.

I know both places very well.

Samui is by far worse than Ibiza.

Apart from that both islands can't be compared.

Ibiza has just some 3 to 4 months of high tourist season in the summer and after that it's completely 'dead'.

Samui has just some 18 years of tourist experience (since the airport opened) whilst Ibiza is on the EU tourist-map for some 40-50 years.

The building laws on Ibiza are extremely tough and the island is still very green (mostly because of the 'Green' Political Party).

That's why there are still many very lovely small villages on Ibiza, nice rural countryside and the historical fortress city of Ibiza town.

I know, Ibiza has a naughty name for the nightlife but that's just for the few summermonths and the vast majority are EU youngsters partying day and night.

After that: silence....

Samui has no ancient history of it's own at all whilst Ibiza has a long long ancient history.

Again, both islands can't be compared.

LaoPo

[madjbs]

The only reason I say Ibiza is because as you say IT "has a naughty name for the nightlife". After all those Club 18-30 rep shows on T.V most people hold the view that its full of drunk package holiday lager louts who like to drink 24-7. This was the comparison I was trying to make to what Samui is beginning to resemble. Nothing at all to do with any of the small untouched villages away from the resorts, which I am sure there are plenty. Actually the same is true for other package holiday party destinations such as Majorca etc.. which are very beautiful away from the resort areas.

Jake