Pai

[eyes]

Some friends and i are going up to the village of Pai up near the border, about 4 hour bus trip from chaing mai , can anyone give me a report on the place, i heared it just full of the dreadlock backpaker crowd,,,true or false???

Thanks Guys

[Ulysses G.]

True as of 5 years ago. Now it is mostly Bangkok Thais.

[ToonBroon]

UG is right, weekends especially can be very congested with Thai visitors. It's never been a place that has done anything for me but it certainly has a cultish type attraction for many. And now with an influx of up-market accomodation the typical tourist now reflects a more affluent backpacking breed.

[Sparkles]

UG is right, weekends especially can be very congested with Thai visitors. It's never been a place that has done anything for me but it certainly has a cultish type attraction for many. And now with an influx of up-market accomodation the typical tourist now reflects a more affluent backpacking breed.

Had a few days up there in late October it was delightful. Took the mini bus, not van, from Arcade bus Station 150 baht each .Took 3 hours ,not 4, with one stop and drink and snack supplied en route. Stayed at Rimpai Cottages on the river , but in town ,spacious gardens and excellent breakfast ,paid 800 baht per night for teak cabin but we were on tail end of low season. Rented brand new Honda Auto bike to get around, 100 baht for 24 hours. Smattering of nationalities and a lot of young people but not of the traditional back packer variety. Couple of restaurants had excellent food at reasonable prices and a couple of inexpensive wine bars. If you like live music about 4 venues. Night market is good. Lot of people rubbish Pai ,have no idea why . But I did see Bob Marley about 5 times for those expecting a bit of local culture..

[cloudhopper]

Or you can fly up from CM in 20 minutes.

[anonymouse]

There was a long topic about Pai about two weeks back, do a search and it should give you all the info you need

[jackr]

Nowhere near the border, op, unless of course you're looking down on it from Gogggle Earth

Pai's alright but gone a bit commercial of late, with its 7-11s, traffic lights and actual painted lines where bikes can park. Still quite laid-back, however, but hordes of Thai/Chinese tourists on weekends which easily outweigh the hippie type... which of course isn't entirely a bad thing. If you like hills, elephant rides, cafes, reggae bars and street markets, you'll enjoy it, but consider hiring some bikes and having a ride out there as opposed to busing it as it's a fine road.

Have a read of the Wikitravel page on Pai for further insight.

[zzaa09]

True as of 5 years ago. Now it is mostly Bangkok Thais.

As a romantic, I find the development in the immediate Pai proper to be quite disgusting. This is a trend that isn't a passing fancy - it's quite permanent. And all the sickly elements that are associated.

[getgoin]

Pai? Why? It's overpriced and certainly no more picturesque than a drive up to Mae Sai. The old hype was drug related. Somewhere you could go to get stoned and hang out and because it was the cash crop the locals let it happen. Similar to smoking opium while out on a trek or going to the full moon parties. I'm guessing that old habits die hard and that scene is still around but a little more subdued.

After the big flood things changed and the development started and the influx of Bangkok travelers last year sealed its fate. Want a photo op flashing the peace sign and a tiny overpriced room in a badly kept resort or guest house? Go to Pai.

Apologizing in advance to any Pai residents or Pai lovers.

[jackr]

It's overpriced and certainly no more picturesque than a drive up to Mae Sai.

The Pai road is much more scenic than the roads leading to Mae Sai, which are large and bland in comparison. If you're on a bus or driving then not so great, but if you're a biker who enjoys getting his knee down it can't be beat. Another good one is the back road to Doi Angkang.

[eyes]

Thanks everyone it sounds like it could be ok, will make change from the Pattaya scene where i usualy stay..

One more question, will a lonely western man be able to mind a friendly thai lady to keep him company for the night at any of the night spots around town?????

Thanks

[getgoin]

It's overpriced and certainly no more picturesque than a drive up to Mae Sai.

The Pai road is much more scenic than the roads leading to Mae Sai, which are large and bland in comparison. If you're on a bus or driving then not so great, but if you're a biker who enjoys getting his knee down it can't be beat. Another good one is the back road to Doi Angkang.

The scenic part of the Pai road going up into the hills and coming down to the Pai valley is very nice. A better drive is the ride to the top of the mountain in Mae Taeng to where The Raming Tea Company is. There are some bungalows up there and a small village. Sorry, I don't know the name of the mountain. There are dozens of senic destinations and dozens of pisturesque drives around Northern Thailand.

While the drive to Pai might be nice, particularly if stopping at the gyser, it is far from unique and does surely not reccomend Pai as a destination. Stay the night and then roll that bike right out of town.

[femi fan]

Pai? Why? It's overpriced and certainly no more picturesque than a drive up to Mae Sai. The old hype was drug related. Somewhere you could go to get stoned and hang out and because it was the cash crop the locals let it happen. Similar to smoking opium while out on a trek or going to the full moon parties. I'm guessing that old habits die hard and that scene is still around but a little more subdued.

After the big flood things changed and the development started and the influx of Bangkok travelers last year sealed its fate. Want a photo op flashing the peace sign and a tiny overpriced room in a badly kept resort or guest house? Go to Pai.

Apologizing in advance to any Pai residents or Pai lovers.

Apology accepted! And reaction to be given...

Firstly, for folk who like cycling and walking and fresh air and getting out and about in nature, i know of hardly any places better than pai. It scores right near the top of the charts!

It's a place where people can escape the mad world, yes, even here in chiang mai, for a few days or weeks. Forget about the town, if you want nightlife, then perhaps pai is lower down on that score. But for the sheer glory of nature, pai is glorious.

And there's plenty of choices of great places to stay when one gets one, two kms out of the middle.

Laws aside, i can't see how any claim can be made that a person smoking a spliff is in anyway an inferior person to one who drinks beer or whisky. For a start it enhances the appreciation for the nature around, whereas beer will shut that down!

A drive up to mae sai? Full of mad drivers and stress! If you mean taking the side trips, then lots of great nature and beauty to be in. But not the same experience as pai, and lucky because non-pai lovers have somewhere else to go!

I pay about 500 or 600 baht a night for excellent bungalows surrounded by the pai nature, and can eat and drink most healthily.

I won't go on, the place is a topspot in the world.

[femi fan]

Thanks everyone it sounds like it could be ok, will make change from the Pattaya scene where i usualy stay..

One more question, will a lonely western man be able to mind a friendly thai lady to keep him company for the night at any of the night spots around town?????

Thanks

You just said you wanted a change from pattaya!

A very very different part of thailand compared to your seaside resort. You certainly won't be worrying about being overpriced!

Try and get out for some walks. Go over the bridge past the school, then when you get to a sign to go up a hill to thai farmers guest house, go up there and just keep walking! If you go four or five hours you come to a waterfall, but i've never managed that far yet. Another tip, depending on what you want is to get a place in town for the first night, then take the time to find another place out of town in the valley or overlooking it.

If you did want to have company there, perhaps you'd be best finding that company in chiang mai...

[Ulysses G.]

A very very different part of thailand compared to your seaside resort. You certainly won't be worrying about being overpriced!

Actually, you get much more for your money in Pattya - a standard hotel room with cable TV, a safe, a swimming pool and 24 hour room service for about 500 baht. Say what you want about Pattaya, it is probably the most inexpensive tourist destination in Thailand for what you get.

[getgoin]

"Firstly, for folk who like cycling and walking and fresh air and getting out and about in nature, I know of hardly any places better than Pai. It scores right near the top of the charts!"

You should have said "high" on the charts! Thank you femi fan for making my point. Why go to an overpriced Bangkok tourist trap to get out and about in nature?

Because the nature that you are looking for is, "...a person smoking a spliff... it enhances the appreciation for the nature around..."

Sorry, again for taking your quote out of context but just wanted to get to your real point and the reason why Pai was and is so popular with foreigners. I will agree with the enhancement statement. The obvious thing is that most of the foreigners who ask about Pai on this forum are looking for just that. They ask, "Can I see the real Thailand and get out hiking and biking," when they really want to know, "Is it true that I can score a joint, ect?"

Is Pai "high" on the charts? Two out of three foreigners think so.

It is popular with the Bangkok Thais for different reasons. To them Pai represents the country (simple) life that they don't have. Some camp, some cram into the numerous small hotel and bungalow rooms that are purposely made tiny so that too many can not sleep inside. They eat on the street and hover around anything that represents a photo opportunity. It is like a cartoon caricature with them pointing the peace sign to a sign, taking a photo, that says, "Can you really believe that I am in Pai." Some go as far as buying shirts that say, "I (heart) Pai." Others get married there. Not that any of this is inherently wrong or bad.

There are much better places to get out and about in Northern Thailand.

But in case there is not and I am wrong, and I am wrong often enough, take a hit and tap your heels together 3 times and repeat, "There is no place like Pai. There is no place like Pai. There is no place like Pai."

[Ulysses G.]

It is popular with the Bangkok Thais for different reasons.

The main reason seems to be a popular Thai movie that took place in Pai.

Edited November 21, 2009 by Ulysses G.

[phuketrichard]

went thur Pai with the intention on staying one night, after an hour drive around town left>>> its no where near the border and there is nothing to do but see backbackers buying overpriced goods and talking about where they have been.

Head to Soppang or better Mae Hong Son.

[femi fan]

A very very different part of thailand compared to your seaside resort. You certainly won't be worrying about being overpriced!

Actually, you get much more for your money in Pattya - a standard hotel room with cable TV, a safe, a swimming pool and 24 hour room service for about 500 baht. Say what you want about Pattaya, it is probably the most inexpensive tourist destination in Thailand for what you get.

Well, apart from phuket, pattaya had the most expensive breakfasts i've eaten in thailand. General dining out was expensive too. Beers very expensive too. Maybe the rooms are good value, but that seems to be all.

And if one is going to pai and wanting a pool, tv, room service, standard concrete hotel room, then DON'T GO TO PAI!!

For about 500 baht, i get a top-notch wooden bungalow in beautiful natural garden with the sound of fountains and streams, with my own hammock, and all the sounds of nature. The food and drinks on offer are more than reasonably priced, and most healthy fare it is too. I can then walk along a pretty empty road into town looking at some glorious views and find some cheaply priced lunch followed by a cheap massage, and so on.

Of all the places i've been to in thailand, pattaya is only beaten by phuket for expensiveness. I guess samui is catching up fast. But granted, if you just want to be in a standard hotel room, by the pool, and not eating or drinking anything on your holiday, then i can't argue with you!

[femi fan]

went thur Pai with the intention on staying one night, after an hour drive around town left>>> its no where near the border and there is nothing to do but see backbackers buying overpriced goods and talking about where they have been.

Head to Soppang or better Mae Hong Son.

So, driving around the town for one hour led you to the discovery that there is nothing to do? There is tonnes to do...

hiking

trekking

camping

climbing to waterfalls

cycling

pai canyon

hotsprings

massage

rafting - bamboo or white water

elephant riding

learning to cook

sipping coffee or tea right by the river

reading

relaxing

swimming

fishing

and so it goes on. But being inside a car driving round a tiny town for one hour probably would not have exposed you to much i guess.

[femi fan]

Sorry, again for taking your quote out of context but just wanted to get to your real point and the reason why Pai was and is so popular with foreigners. I will agree with the enhancement statement. The obvious thing is that most of the foreigners who ask about Pai on this forum are looking for just that. They ask, "Can I see the real Thailand and get out hiking and biking," when they really want to know, "Is it true that I can score a joint, ect?"

Is Pai "high" on the charts? Two out of three foreigners think so.

It is popular with the Bangkok Thais for different reasons. To them Pai represents the country (simple) life that they don't have. Some camp, some cram into the numerous small hotel and bungalow rooms that are purposely made tiny so that too many can not sleep inside. They eat on the street and hover around anything that represents a photo opportunity. It is like a cartoon caricature with them pointing the peace sign to a sign, taking a photo, that says, "Can you really believe that I am in Pai." Some go as far as buying shirts that say, "I (heart) Pai." Others get married there. Not that any of this is inherently wrong or bad.

There are much better places to get out and about in Northern Thailand.

But in case there is not and I am wrong, and I am wrong often enough, take a hit and tap your heels together 3 times and repeat, "There is no place like Pai. There is no place like Pai. There is no place like Pai."

Well mate, i was speaking through my own experiences, and describing what i know pai to be like. Whereas you seem to be speaking for a whole heap of other people.

I only mentioned dope because there was the suspicion that smokers were being seen in some way as being a nuisance or inferior, as if one's holiday may be ruined if god forbid some farang were smoking pot. Despite the fact that it's most unlikely one can see that happening these days.

I wonder on what basis you can claim that most foreigners are on this forum looking to score dope?

All the people i know who go there do so for things like fishing, cycling, and being in the nature that surrounds pai. I meet others who are tourists/travelers, and they all seem to enjoy their time there.

Your post comes across as a tad cynical.

Now then, could you let us know some examples of the much better places in northern thailand? I'd like to go to them and compare them to pai. But meanwhile, for those who seek nature, healthy living and eating, exercise, pai remains a glorious place to go to. And i'm not speaking any facts here, just my own subjective experience.

[Ulysses G.]

Well, apart from phuket, pattaya had the most expensive breakfasts i've eaten in thailand. General dining out was expensive too. Beers very expensive too. Maybe the rooms are good value, but that seems to be all.

There are lots of HUGE All-You-Can-Eat-For-100-baht buffet breakfasts in Pattaya and plenty of reasonable places like the Kiss restaurant on 2nd road. Beer is the same price as Chiang Mai in most of the outdoor bars and restaurants and so is most farang food and Thai food if you know your way around. Don't bother with the Hard Rock Cafe for example.

There are more very expensive places in Pattaya than Chiang Mai, but they are easy to avoid if they don't fit your budget. Other - more exotic - services there vary according to the place, but IMHO you get a lot more for your money in Pattya - even in very expensive places - and you can go very cheap on those if you are street wise.

I agree with you on Phuket, by the way!

[femi fan]

Fair call.

I have to say that the two trips i took a few years ago weren't very price-conscious ones.

I would also add that i believe golf is far cheaper than here in chiang mai.

But comparing pai and pattaya might be akin to comparing the devil and god himself, but not in that order...

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I like both Pattaya AND Pai. And I like them actually for the same reason: there's no other place like it in Thailand.

They serve a similar purpose for me; when in Bangkok and in need of a dose of Bohemian insanity, Pataya is less than 2 hours away. In Chiang Mai when wanting to get away from it all and wanting nothing other than being away from the usual BS, sit in a bamboo shack staring at mountains and a river and drink until the sun comes up then Pai is the ticket.

Both offer somewhat of an alternative lifestyle that I find appealing for a day or two, and then return to the Real World.

[Ulysses G.]

Fair call.

I have to say that the two trips i took a few years ago weren't very price-conscious ones.

I would also add that i believe golf is far cheaper than here in chiang mai.

But comparing pai and pattaya might be akin to comparing the devil and god himself, but not in that order...

PM me if you go to Pattaya again and I will share some of my favorite places that will not break the bank. One is Cherrie's restaurant which is not cheap, but excellent value for money.

[jackr]

went thur Pai with the intention on staying one night, after an hour drive around town left>>> its no where near the border and there is nothing to do but see backbackers buying overpriced goods and talking about where they have been.

Head to Soppang or better Mae Hong Son.

You ain't gonna see much by driving around... the whole appeal of Pai (or use to be) was ambling about on foot, checking out the cafes, the odd bar and walking around the country. <deleted>'s in Soppong bar the caves, btw? That's just a drive-thru place, while MHS has to be one of the most characterless towns there is.

[Candyflip]

What??!!!

I cant believe it has gone that bad.

Well.. yeah it s more commercial now than before but the town is still lovely, fresh air and relaxing i think. Last time i was there it was a year ago.

I am going there myself tomorrow. will report back if it is not worth 3 hours ride.

eyes, if you still going and wanna get a drink, pm me.

[Ulysses G.]

One more question, will a lonely western man be able to mind a friendly thai lady to keep him company for the night at any of the night spots around town?????

Thanks

No you won't, it's largely a Muslim town.

[jackr]

Best bet on that front is to chat up the bird on the desk in your digs, or head for Be Bop bar and take on a whitey... if you fancy the challenge and don't look like John Merrick, that is

[anonymouse]

Best bet on that front is to chat up the bird on the desk in your digs, or head for Be Bop bar and take on a whitey... if you fancy the challenge and don't look like John Merrick, that is

or bring one with him