Pai Not

On Wednesday morning in Chiang Mai, I visited Wat Doi Surthep, or the temple of the hill, its a bit of a trek to get up there (though I spurgled and hired a private driver for $5 roundtrip instead of taking the $2 roundtrip bus), but has an amazing view of Chiang Mai from behind the temple after driving up a mountain for 8 kilometers than ascending 312 stairs. Inside the temple, I was blessed by a monk as he splashed me with water and tied a string around my wrist. I took a 2pm bus to Pai, which entails 3 hours of zig-zagging through mountains and valleys passing ever so closely to the edge of cliffs. The views are stunning and you never how what lies around the next bend (is it a truck or a view) - the drive to Pai is a fitting precursor to what awaits you at your destination.

After rushing from A to B to C, and not staying in the same place for more than 2 nights, I have finally found a place to settle and relax for more than a quick in and out visit. There are many cliches to describe my current locale - Pai, Thailand - Paiadise, Pai in the Sky, A little slice of Pai, etc. The scenery here is absolutely stunning - its like being in the middle of a fairytale. Pictures don't do this place justice, but they will at least give you a sense of what I am dealing with as I look around in every which direction.

The place is quint, but rapidly growing with the sort of places that would attract any earthly hippie-type - art galleries, cofffee shops, vintage clothing stores, raggae and jazz clubs, etc - with of course the obligatory internet cafes, massage parlors, and 7-11s - which are staples of anything that you would find in Thailand. Even long-haired hipped out Thais come here for holiday.

When I got here on Wednesday night, the town was slightly dead - you see, unlike holidays in the states which are more or less an excuse to party, holidays in Thailand are the opposite, people stay are home, all stores are closed, and alcohol is not sold anywhere. So, my first experience walking through the one main stretch in Pai was slightly misleading. But yesterday the adventures began - my bamboo hut (pictured below), is at a placed called Family Hut, which just happens to have a great group of travelers staying for days or weeks on end mixing it up in the common area each night before heading into town.

I got to meet many of these fine folk in the morning, who advised me to rent a motorbike and explore the surrounding areas a bit. I biked past hot springs, elephants (I stopped to feed them bananas and to arrange an elephant ride for this afternoon), waterfalls, and through all the stunning landscapes.

In the evenning, I chilled on the patio with the people from my guesthouse swapping travel stories and listening to guitar prior to heading out to a Reggae bar and then to the afterhours bar.

Travelling is a way of life for so many of these people. They work to save money to travel, and then travel until they need to save up again. When they find a place they like, they stay for as long as they want without worry that they have someplace else they need to get to or see. It's such a fabulous and laid-back lifestyle that it certainly makes me question my own motivations in the rat race of America. In the two weeks of my trip thus far, I have spent time questioning just what I am trying to accomplish by sitting in a cubicle for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year. Travellers are so happy, full of life, and laid back, and while everybody welcomes anybody and everybody without the slighest reservation or hestitation, I personally feel that I am an outsider as can't afford many of the luxuries (despite having a higher budget) that they can afford with the ability to stay longer, leave whenever, and go anywhere in the world that tickles their fancy. The more I contemplate, the more the question changes from "Why would I leave such a great situation and career in America to take to the road?" to "Pai shouldn't I?"