Nice as Pai

So, all my friends that had been to Thailand, told me, no, made me promise to go to Pai. Luckily for me, I actually listened. Pai is a small place in the north part of Thailand, a 4 hour busdrive from Chiang Mai. It's actually what I expected Thailand to be like. It's no wonder you hear stories about tourist going to Thailand to travel, but just end up staying in Pai for the whole trip. Rumour has it, it doesn't get better than this; that's a bit scary, I suppose. Don't worry, I will leave this Pairadise, just not today (as originally planned....). Here's some reasons whai I love Pai:
- you survive the walk over a small bamboo bridge towards a tiny place called the Riverside Bar. Here you can just sit down, sloped against your triangular pillow and eat a nice bowl of muesli, fruit and yoghurt.
- there's Jason Mraz and Bob Marley everywhere.
- the bartenders play Thai checkers on a homemade checkerboard with bottlecaps for pieces (Chang vs. Singha).
- there are no ladies thrusting a wooden frog under your nose, that makes a crickety noise when you rub it with a stick. Don't get the picture? Keep it that way. It's horrible.
- every night is a bonfire night at the Riverside Bar.
- Major electricity black out? No problem, you just pull out your spare candles and have another mojito (for 70 baht)
- there's the cutest little farm at the bottom of a hill, near (i use the term 'near' loosely, because it's a 3,5 hour walk) a waterfall; they grow their own crops, and make you icecoffee or mangoshakes, if you want. Or you can just sit there and watch them cut coconuts and sing another Bob Marley song. Their motto: peace+love=us.




-Police-officers are allowed side-jobs without worrying about conflict of interest (then again, they don't seem to worry about Health and Safety issues either). Like this policeman who dubbs as a guitarplaying singer to supplement on his income..
- it's where 2 Ozzy girls and a German man find you in a cave (with a rather dissapointing waterfall) whilst reading Atomised on a rock, and decide to adopt you like a stray Dutchie-dog.
- Pai is also where you end up with 4 (four!) babycats falling asleep in your lap. And I don't even like cats all that much (I do like kittens....).

leaving Pai makes you realise it's all downhill from here (if you survive the journey of 762 hairpin-curves, that is)