Chang Mai and Pai

We started traveling Northern Thailand in Chang Mai which is a beautiful city, perfectly square and surrounded by a moat. Along the edge of the moat there are remnants of brick walls which were built over 700 years ago to defend the city from Burmese invaders. There are over 300 wats/temples scattered throughout the city, I’d like to say that we explored a lot of them but to be honest, we’re both a bit templed out. Chang Mai has a very relaxed atmosphere and we enjoyed walking around and speaking with the friendly locals. We spent a few nights exploring the Chang Mai night bazaar, one of the largest and oldest markets in Thailand, continued over time from the original Yunnanese trading caravans which stopped here along the ancient trade route between China and Myanmar. The bazaar is seemingly endless, spanning several streets and selling just about anything.

After a few nights we left for Pai, a small town about 3 hours south-west of Change Mai. The drive was beautiful, small villages along twisting mountain roads with a lush green landscape. Upon arrival in Pai, a man offered everyone on our bus free mopeds to drive around to look for a hotel. We took him up on the offer and found a nice place close to the river. We had made plans to meet a friend of a friend for dinner that was traveling a similar route and will be meeting back up with us in Bali. There were 8 of us at dinner, all travelers from different parts of the world and a few Thais. That evening after dinner and drinks we collectively decided to go to the elephant camp the next day and on a 2 day white water rafting/camping trip on the Pai River the day after.

The elephant camp was amazing. Just being able to feed, touch and be so close to these amazing animals is worth every Bhat, even though it’s free to just hang out and feed them. The pictures speak for themselves.

We started the rafting trip early the next morning with a debriefing and a1 ½ hour truck ride to the base of the river. Along the way we realized that we were truly out in the middle of nowhere and we were definitely the only Westerners in sight; which is unusual for Thailand. We stopped at a random house/hut along the way which had a few plastic water bottles in the front and a small sign in Thai. Our friend told us they sell homemade rice whiskey, but we didn’t expect it to be this “homemade”. We brought three 1.5 liter empty water bottles into the house and came out with three 1.5 liters of whiskey for 90 Bhat ($3). The whiskey house, if you will, also had a mango tree out front with a long bamboo stick to knock the unripe mangos to the ground. Unripe mangos and Thai rice whiskey is like peanut butter and jelly and the mangos were free of charge.

At the river our guides took care of everything and made sure we had fun at all times. One of the guides, Danny, lives in a small village outside of Pai where he and his family farm and have self-sustaining lifestyle (no 7-11’s or Safeway’s nearby). Chai, our guide, was a little older, a bit more experienced and from Pai. The 8 of us couldn’t have asked for better people to be with, they truly made the experience more worthwhile. The Pai River is like a bunny slope compared to the Colorado, American, or Snake River but still had a few class 3+ rapids that made the heart flutter a little. Most of this was due to our guides, the classic saying from our guides was “ahead is a class 3 but I can make class 6 if you want”. Everyone was thrown (or pushed) from the raft at one time or another! We also witnessed some locals illegally fishing in the river, we stopped and observed. Apparently a few men stand up stream and send electric shocks into the water stunning the fish and another man slaps the water with a bamboo stick directing the dazed fish into a barricade of nets being held by about 15 fishermen and women. The reason why this is illegal, and also a bit stupid, is that they electrocute/daze the large fish, which they want to eat, but at the same time kill the small fish that will eventually become larger and all the food the fish eat to survive. It was interesting to see and we were able to snap a few pictures before we were told not to.

After 5 or 6 hours of paddling we made it to camp where a man was already there assembling the makeshift kitchen ready for dinner. Apparently it took him all day to walk to our campsite through the jungle. He didn’t speak English at all but you could tell he was a very nice man. Everyone set up their sleeping areas and bathed in a shower using river water. Dinner that evening was amazing and could be one of the better Thai meals we’ve had. After dinner we indulged in the rice whiskey and played some funny games that involved some face painting, the “paint” coming from the bottom of the charred wok used for cooking. The winner painted the loser…good times.

The second day of rafting was a little slower then we anticipated, it could’ve been from the whisky the night before or because the river stayed pretty calm. We arrived back in Pai around 7pm and had a good night sleep.

The next few days were spent exploring Pai and the surrounding areas by scooter and hanging out with our new friends. The surrounding area is beautiful with caves and waterfalls to explore and friendly villages. We also discovered the local market. One of our Thai friends, Mam, invited all of us to her home for a cooking lesson and dinner. That day we went to the market to shop for produce and spices and that evening feasted on red curry with chicken, sweet and sour vegetables and fried fish, all of which was phenomenal. Everyone had a good time playing with Mam’s 7 year-old son Mark. It felt really good to cook and sit down to eat in a friend’s home after eating at restaurants and in our hotel room for so many months. The last few days we spent relaxing and hanging out with friends before we all parted ways.

After 7 great nights in Pai we headed back to Chang Mai. We met up with our friends Maya and Bennett for drinks and a movie and went to see a Muay Thai fight. Muay Thai is THE sport of Thailand, most fighters starting when they are children and it is amazing to watch. We’ll post a short video clip from the fight soon.

Tomorrow we are off to Kuala Lumpur!