My journey to this beautiful place started with a over night bus ride from Bangkok to Chiang Mai - a tourist hot spot. Apart from the state bus service, there are plenty of private bus service providers that will provide you an inexpensive option. The bus ride I took had a complete flight-like service starting with an in-flight snack and dinner to having a beautiful hostess. The chairs in the bus are not just convenient to sleep in but also have an inbuilt massage option. One of the most comfortable over night journeys I have experienced in a very long time.
Once I arrived in Chiang Mai early morning, I got into a smaller van that took me from there to a 3 hour away city of Pai located in a different province. Once can avail this service for anything between 150 to 200 Baht.
The final destination of this 14 hour journey was a location one dreams of when thinking about a peaceful and laid back vacation spot where words like stress and worry only exist in the dictionary but are yet to have a practical application. The city was covered with backpackers from all over the world but yet seemed like it was hardly a tourist spot. The tourists were concentrated in one part of the city which existed upto 2 kms of the bus station.
Though camping next to the river seemed like an interesting and easy to execute option in this city, I took a room in the resort that goes by the name Pai Vieng Fah which perfectly describes the town itself. The place is owned by a very interesting guy who goes by the name 'Him' or as we jokingly called him 'Patrick' and him and his dad have designed the whole resort by themselves and this is how it came out to be.
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| The Thai suites located just above an artificial water stream |
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| The usual Deluxe and Superior rooms with amazing view |
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| The owner has hand painted rooms, this one's mine. |
For those who are interested in checking out the Thai website for this resort, log on to www.paiviengfah.com
Heaven under the sky
I personally planned this trip to find peace in life and what I got out of it was more than just peace, a completely new meaning to life. The scenic valley and the mountain range surrounding the city provide a mesmerising view that will take your breath away and give you a glimpse of heaven on earth. The mountain tops are clearly in front of you at one moment and then surrounded by clouds in the next, the rice fields turn into natural vegetation and then the hills as your eyes scan the scenery. The clouds moving over your head make you feel as if you are flying through time where as the laid back scenery makes you believe that time has stopped for you to absorb nature's beauty.
Each and every day in our life is full of nature's attempts to paint a canvas for us and we being a part of it tend to ignore it as we go through our busy schedules. In Pai, the same canvas seems to be a work of a graphic designer who has photoshop-ed the canvas and made it so beautiful that the only option for you is to STOP and capture what's on the canvas. Apart from my philosophical description of the place, I am adding some un-edited pictures taken by an amateur photographer, hoping that I was able to bring back some part of hypnotised me.
The trip does not just ends at the scenic beauty. For the wild ones who look for good places to drink at and make friends, Pai is the city with friendly people from all over the world. With some bars playing the reggae music, some playing live classic rock while some just sticking to a conversations between people who just met at the bar, this place is a good mix of languages, cultures and music. Some cocktail bars would even offer you a free drink as long as you are friendly.
Apart from the alcohol, you can find different cuisine as well all along the walking street - which is the most happening place in the evening as soon as the sun disappears. Street food, cheap clothes and some crazy people have some crazy fun are what make this street a place to be in the evening.
In all, my vacations in and around Pai was a complete vacation and the only thing I hated about it was to leave it to come back to the real world and get back to work.
There is no better place to live after you retire. PAI VIENG FAH!!!
