So basically we didn't just click our magic heels and end up in Pai, Thailand. We had to take a rather convoluted journey across the border- it involved a few envelopes of money and a new friend from Ecuador. We actually stayed one night in Chiang Rai before making it to Pai, but we didn't get up to much there so let's jump right into Pai!
There was this really cool traffic circle in Chiang Rai
And this dog doing 'downward dog' in a temple
It was a very twisty road to get there, 762 curves to be exact. (I guess someone measured it from Chiang Mai, a few hour drive). Jared found us an amazing little bungalow:
Don't I look like I'm having fun?
The next morning we rented a scooter and took a drive out into the countryside. We headed to Mor Paeng waterfall that was a series of pools and you could slide down the waterfall.
After swimming around/goofing around we went for lunch. We got searched at a checkstop for drugs/contraband on the road as we drove to our next destination. Luckily I had left my heroin behind that day. We drove through an abandoned Chinatown (it seemed strange), then made it up to a viewpoint where we drank tea, soaked up the view and met a cat. Bonus.
After that we headed to Pai Canyon, which is a series of ridges you can traipse all over and see some nice views. It was warm but thankfully not disgusting.
For the sunset we scootered out to Mae Yen temple, a VERY large white Buddha.
The next day we headed out to see a 'long-neck village' which is just what tour operators call it, it is a Karen village of refugees out in the countryside. These Karen people fled from (then) Burma (now Myanmar). After Myanmar gained it's independence in 1948, civil war broke out and the Karen people were either targeted in some cases or simply caught in the crossfire. In 1962 a military government took over and directly started targeting the minority ethnic group. As a result they fled into Thailand across the border. The village we visited has been here since 1992. The Thai government has basically said that they could seek asylum here but could not work. Hence they can't support themselves very well, so they rely on donations from tourists that come to see them.
Ok, I apologize for the over-board photos, I just found this place really interesting
We got some Thai massages on the way back and spent the night in Pai listening to open mic night at a Jazz club.
This blog would not be complete without telling the story of Sarah, our
lady boy friend we made. She owned a hostel/string of bungalows in Pai (but she didn't charge people to stay there- not really sure how she made money?). We met her and a bunch of her guests one night by chance when we were walking by and they were all jamming out on some couches. We stopped in to have drinks while we listened to them play some instruments. Sarah was quite the character, she kept trying to make Jared super uncomfortable, saying things like "Jared, stop staring at my ass." So many other jokes, most way too inappropriate to repeat. It was quite a rag-tag parade of humans in general. Even though the bungalows here were free, we had really no problem paying our $20ish per night to stay in a different place. Slightly more sanitary, and by this point my standards were not high. I guess when you literally pay nothing to stay somewhere you really can't be too picky about the place. One night she invited us over for supper- soup with noodles and chunks of liver. I actually ate mine, Jared fired his into the bush when no one was looking. It tasted way too much like dried blood for me :S That night she also told us about the first time her father said something nice to her after she 'made her transition' to a girl, and how important it was for her to hear those words. Very interesting to hear the back story on someone that is usually just a punch line. I will never look at
lady boys the same, but in a good way.
Next Up: Chiang Mai
