January 11th, 2007
By bootsmade4wlkin
Here in this little town sitting right beside a little river,surrounded by beautiful forrest-covered mountains, is a little community of people who are stuck. They come only meaning to stay for a couple of days or a week and find themselves in the same hammock two months later. A sleepiness born from total and utter relaxation makes even getting up to order another fruit shake an ordeal. This is a place where no one asks you what you have done that day. They ask how you are, how you’re feeling in the world, because whether you’re here to smoke weed all day or to do some serious detoxing, everyone has that vibe. Everyone considers themselves people of the world, people who absorb things, people who are on some sort of personal quest. And so, in this world of floor pillows and beauty, surrounded by people with similar souls, it’s easy to just…stay.
For me, Pai was exactly what I needed. I was fresh from the craziness of Bangkok and the frustrations of getting my Russian visa taken care of, my body still pretty worn out from the travels of the last three months. Here I was able to free myself from worry and the strain of figuring out what to do next. In the mornings I did two hours of yoga with “Mama”, a crazy but fun Thai woman who fed us fruit afterwards and told us stories of her youth. For lunch I would fill myself up with rice, tofu, and veggies from the vegan restaurant down the street. Sometimes I would go back for more yoga, but sometimes I would just take a nap or read. As the days passed, both my body and my spirit became rejuvinated. I felt healthier with my vegetarian diet, my daily yoga classes, and the days of idleness. My last days, I pampered my body with a full massage and sauna treatment, then pampered my tastebuds at BB’s Wok and Roll cooking class. As the time for departure approaches, I feel the urge to just stay as so many others before me have. I feel the tug of a promised life of leisure and health in a place where inner beauty is just as important as outer beauty. And who knows, if I didn’t have a plane to catch to China in a couple of days, I might have become one of the stuck. But then again, even “pairadise” could get boring if wandering’s in one’s blood…
January 11th, 2007
By phil_and_lisa
4th July - Well we were still feeing pretty lethargic but in danger of becoming some of Pai’s drop outs so we finally managed to muster the energy to hire some mountain bikes. We also felt we should do something other than sitting about on this very auspicious occasion the 4th July. No, nothing to do with America, just that Pip and I have been together 11 years!!!!!!!!! And yes he made the customary remarks about the train robbers not getting that long etc.
The bikes cost us 50 baht each (about 75p) for 25 hour hire and were the best bikes we’ve had so far on our trip. They had 21 gears, well pumped tyres and even had brakes. Knowing that Pai is a mountainous area, we chose the flattest route possible but still had to get off and push several times. The free-wheeling back down was fun though! We passed beautiful countryside scenery and 3 elephant camps along the way. We had to stop to see Joy the baby elephant who kept putting grass on her head and then pulling it off again to impress us. The lack of tourists mean that most of the elephants are chilling out in the jungle and only come in if they have bookings and take it in turns to stay in the camps in case of passing trade. It’s off season now (many of the restaurants and guest houses are closed) but this season is worse than most because of terrorism, SARS, wars and the Burmese problems.
It was 7k to the hot springs and the warmest day since we arrived back in Thailand and it was also the middle of the day. Clever eh! We were therefore very hot and sweaty and looking forward to a relaxing dip. When we got there, we found wonderful landscaped gardens and a pleasant stream with smalls pools at the top. There was a sign saying the water here was 80 degrees!! It bubbled furiously and we thought better of sticking our feet in and wandered downstream a little. Even right at the bottom it was a struggle to put your feet in and so we had a quick rest and then set off back again. While we were eating lunch and patting ourselves on the back for being energetic, the was a huge downpour and we were glad we’d made it back in time. We had a lovely day but I think we’ll struggle to get back on the bikes tomorrow to take them back!
January 11th, 2007
A bit late but it in time to say Happy New Year 2007 to You.All you wish to do in 2007 will be done and if you plan to Pai i hope your trip will be easy and happy together 
