29 August
Today, Robat and I travelled up to Pai. We were collected at 10.30am but ended up sitting in the back of a red truck for an hour waiting for a group of Chinese kids to get their things together. Thai people are well renowned for keeping calm. They never get angry, except on this occasion. As the clock approached midday, the driver got increasingly agitated, particularly when he realised they'd been getting a massage! He put his foot down and luckily we made the bus. After some mixed signals, we boarded the mini bus. The road up to Pai is steep and very windy but its a great drive, perfect for a motorbike. However, I wouldn't suggest travelling by coach as you need to be able to see the road at all times.
Pai itself is very small so extremely easy to navigate. Robat and I stayed in a small bungalow in the centre of the town. In the evening, we wandered around the night market and sampled a local dish, Khao Soi - best Thai dish yet!
30 August
Robat and I decided to explore the local area with just a simple map as our trusty friend, Lonely Planet, had very limited information to base our tour on. We rented a bike and rode up to the waterfall, which was much nicer than the one I'd visited in Kanchanaburi. Unfortunately for me, I hadn't managed to change into my bikini so i could only watch from afar. We then went up to Pai Canyon which had beautiful views of across the valley. After we'd taken a few snaps, we spotted a girl in what looked like a short wedding dress. Considering how far we'd just walked, I couldn't believe what she was wearing. Instead of just staring, Robat went to ask why... Apparently, this was not only their one year anniversary but also their honeymoon, so she wanted to look special for her her hubby, aww!
After leaving the Canyon, we rode up to the Hot Springs. It was the perfect place to relax and unwind. At first, I found the water a little too hot (is that even possible?!) but after following a few simple steps, my body got used to it. I think the hottest that we could physically sit in was 38C and 90C at the top of the spring - crazy! What a great relaxing treat.
31 August
Robat and I had planned to take the bikes out again to explore the other side of Pai, but the weather had other ideas. So what do you do when it's bucketing it down with rain in Asia? Head for a massage of course! Robat had a traditional Thai massage and I had an 'aromatherapy' one. It was cat inlay the strangest one that I've ever had. In some respects, it was more of a traditional Thai massage. Still, she certainly used her elbows to get the knots out of my back!
In the afternoon, we managed to duck out for a ride for a few hours. There is something quite liberating about jumping on a bike and riding into the hills, having no idea where you will end up. As this was our last day in Pai, it seemed the perfect way to end it. Tomorrow, it's back to Chiang Mai then off Chiang Rai.
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