Everyone I know in Phuket, who has travelled the country always talks about the small hippie town Pai. It is only 124km north of Chiang Mai so let’s go on a road trip and explore Pai for a few days. Well, 124km doesn’t sound that far but due to the 762 corners, the road trip to Pai is anything but boring. Would my scooter be able to handle it? Luckily I know how to pack light.
The road trip from Chiang Mai to Pai
There are a few tips mentioned on the internet if you are planning a road trip from Chiang Mai to Pai with a scooter. One thing I can say for sure it is super fun. That said, depending on the time of the year you ride, make sure you dress accordingly. It can be pretty chilly at the 1400m peak. Even in the rainforest.
I made sure my scooter was filled up with patrol and off I went. There are lots of little villages along the road and I was surprised to see many nice coffee shops offering a well deserved break and very delicious coffee. I guess it is the coffee area of Thailand after all.
Once you get towards the peak, the corners get narrower, the air gets cooler but the views more stunning. Another reason to have a break. And when you reach the Memorial Bridge from WWII you know you are close.
Still, after three hours sitting on my scooter, having conquered 762 bends, I was glad I have arrived safely. Let’s have a look what this town is all about and why everybody talks about Pai.
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The Pai Canyon
The Pai Canyon (Kong Lan) is one of the main attractions in Pai. I was really looking forward to visiting it. After all I like hiking.
So, on my first morning I was keen and ready to hike the Pai canyon. However as I am an early riser, when I arrived at the Pai Canyon at 8.30am in the morning, the mist was still in the air and there was no view at all. That said, the mist gave the canyon more of a mystical appearance.
The Canyon hike itself is not for everyone. I didn’t think it would be that steep. I was ready to do the full 2 hours circuit but once I saw the narrow and slippery path to climb up and down, I backed out. Although I did enough steep hikes in the Alps before. Maybe it was the mist that made me think twice about conquering the Pai Canyon?
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So I decided instead to wait until the sun rose high enough to allow that mystical fog to clear. And as I sat there, watching other keen hikers arriving and also not going further than me, I felt a bit better. Maybe it isn’t necessary to complete the hike to fully enjoy the Pai Canyon. The first part of the canyon still has come amazing views to fully enjoy the surroundings and the unique formations. It is a very beautiful spot.
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The Town
What a charming little town Pai is. And yes, definitely a hippie town. The shops, the bars and the restaurants, who serve breakfast all day, clearly target the easy and relaxed lifestyle of the locals and the tourists. Most of them young and free of all worries. They reminded me a bit of my backpacker days in Australia when I was 19.
I like Pai. The narrow streets, the night markets and the little artisan shops. Pai definitely has a certain charm. My friends in Phuket were right, it is worth a visit. So make sure to plan a road trip to Pai from Chiang Mai on your travels.
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There are of course other tourist attractions, besides the Canyon, in Pai. From the hot springs, to the waterfalls, the temples and the white Buddha, there is lots to see here.
There are also the Elephant Camps in this area, however after reading various articles about the animals and their treatments, I made the decision not to visit them. It is hard to tell which ones are the good ones.
That said, I didn’t get to see much more of the attractions, because on my second night I had food poisoning. So, the rest of my stay in Pai was pretty much lying in bed, resting, watching Netflix, sleeping and going only for short walks. Oh well, c‘est la vie!
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The Karen long neck ladies
On my last afternoon in Pai however, after feeling a little bit better, I did make a trip to the small Karen long neck village, just 2km away. The Karen women have rings placed around their neck from the age 5 to 21 and I was surprised to read that their necks aren’t stretched through it. The various ring sizes create an optical Illusion so it looks like they are long.
Read a more detailed story about them here. It is quite interesting.
There are a lot of articles about how it is not humanitarian to take photos of the Karen ladies and visit them as if they were in a zoo. But don’t we take photos and selfies of celebrities and famous people as well? So why argue that taking photos of the Karen ladies is bad? Especially if you buy some souvenirs and ask them politely.
It might feel a bit strange paying entry to see the Karen ladies with their long necks, but I saw it more as giving them their daily earnings. To me it seemed like they enjoyed talking to me and the other visitors, showing and selling their colourful hand made goods. What else would there be for them to do all day? And maybe we are the tourist attraction for them?
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All in all, my road trip to Pai was pretty amazing. And I will come back here. As well as to Chiang Mai. I really like this part of Thailand, and would like to explore it more, not only the Pai Canyon. It is so different to the beach life in Phuket.
And hopefully next time I can avoid getting sick.
(post 184)
