Pai

So after leaving Chiang Mai I made my way to Pai, where I spent a week.  I got in at night in time for the night market.  I found my hostel, which was just outside of town and up a little hill with beautiful views of the mountains and all of the little bungalows that fill Pai.  I went out in search of food and ended up finding a guide that was taking a group on a 3 day trek the following morning.  So before I knew it I was signed up and ready to go.

I was with a young Israeli couple and 3 Dutch guys.  We did a fair amount of hiking through a bamboo jungle on our first day.  In fact 7 hours worth.  We had a porter that carried all of the food, cooked our meals, guided us, rolled his own cigarettes with bamboo leaves he found along the way and spoke no English.  It was a beautiful hike, but I was focusing more on the experience than the views.  Coming from NZ, I knew I was not going to find anything with the amazing views I had grown accustomed to. There's obviously a different type of beauty here.  

We spent our first night in a small village that consisted of 4 families.  They are the last village that has not moved to government run villages.  The villages the government has set up have medical facilities, a school, plumbing, electricity, satellite, an annual budget for the women to make crafts for markets and food supplies.  This last one that doesn't has none of the above.  It's only one generation of people.  The grandparents have moved so they will have medical care and the grandchildren have gone to live with them to go to school.  It was very interesting to see that way of life still exists, but we were told that eventually move because the climate isn't good for growing crops so they often run low on food.  It's a 2 hour drive to the next village as well and during the rainy season the roads aren't travelable.  

So we stayed in a hut on the floors with pigs below that oinked all night and roosters that crowed with half mutilated sounds.  The water is well water and the shower had no walls.  Just a big ole bucket in the middle of the yard.  You can imagine the laughter that ensued over it all.  They make their own whiskey out of something like looks like a chewy root.  We had some with dinner and it wasn't all that b bad.  The food they cooked over the fire place was one of the best and most authentic meals I have had.  

We hiked the following day to another village that was government funded.  There was quite the difference.  Again, we had an amazing meal and cold beer after another long day of hiking.  On our last day we had a short hike along a river, had lunch, rice and pork, cooked in bamboo.  The whole trip was worth the experience and the company was great as well.  

I spent a few days in the small town of Pai when I got back.  It's a little hippie village that is crowded with tourists, but it has a much more laid back feeling.  It has the best street food thus far.  I rented a motorbike and to scope out the viewpoints, the temples and just get a feel for the town.  It was an incredible little place and I loved every minute of it.  

I went to Chiang Rai next, but used it more as a stopover and place to relax and recharge for a day.  I saw the White Temple, which is incredible, and made a couple new friends.  I will post pictures soon and write about my trip to Laos and my first few days here.  My computer is telling me it's full, so once I figure out how to get rid of some music or how on Earth to use Dropbox, I will be be able to upload my photos and share them with you all.