Pai is a small town in northern Thailand’s Mae Hong Son Province, near the Myanmar border, about 50 miles/80 km north of Chiang Mai on the northern route to Mae Hong Son. It lies along the Pai River. The town has thesaban tambon status and covers parts of the tambon Wiang Tai of Pai district. As of 2006, it has a population of 2,284.
Today we enjoyed the resort and the amazing views of rice fields and mountains from our balcony, relaxing by the pool, making arrangements for South Thailand. Then we scootered towards Pai town.
Our room
Reception
Hotel swimming pool
Still on the resort
We took a wrong turning which turned out to be a blessing, we saw amazing scenery including farmers tending to their fields against mountainous back drop, narrow streets where locals relaxed and chatted, beautiful temples, and dogs that refused to move from their chill out spot in the middle of the road!
Back on track, we headed through town on to Wat Phra That Mar Yen, 1km east of town and on a hill with stunning views over Pai.
Stall outside the temple
View from the temple
Pit stop at a cafe then into town where the evening market was beginning to set up.
We had a wander around the market then popped into Black Canyon cafe for drinks where we met Harbans Singh from Ipoh, Malaysia. He was on a road trip with some friends. We chatted to him for a while then wandered down to Chew Xin Jai restaurant, afterwards took in atmosphere of the night market which was now in full swing where there was lots of live music, great food and good quality local craft merchandise.
Buying fresh strawberries
Eating at Chew Xin Jai
Street stall
We then scootered back to the resort, it was a very cold journey back, where after gazing at the spectacular star studded sky, we called it a day.
We would like to thank Kulvinder veerji and family for allowing us to stay in their beautiful house.
Malaysia is a country I was not looking forward to visiting. Nothing apart from seeing the Petronas Towers was attracting me to the country.
We visited the Gurdwara in KL and were amazed at the kindness and warmth from the sangat. This had been a pleasant surprise as the sangat everywhere else has not been warm. Even back home the sangat are not this warm, it takes time to build….here it was instantly!
We were very fortunate to attend the samelan in Cameron Highlands and again were blessed with amazing sangat. This was the same in Penang. The Sikh community took time out to take us out and treat us to fantastic food. We have been invited back, an offer we will definitely take up.
We particularly like to thank Melvin Singh aka Kashera Singh Khalsa who has taken out so much time to spend with us.
Today we sorted out what clothes to take to Pai, it did not make sense taking two huge back packs to Pai, especially when we were only going for two nights. We left the backpacks at the Gurdwara. The Gianiji had to check with the president if that was okay. Luckily it was, quite amazing the president did not have to call a committee meeting to discuss! (Sarcasm!!) We went over to the Gurdwara to drop bags, chatted to Gianiji for a while, he showed us the library and where Gurmat / Gurmukhi classes are held, we left our back packs there. Gianiji came out with us and hailed a red song thaw for us to take to the bus station. He explained that the standard charge for these is 20 baht (per person), wherever in Chiang Mai you are going. That makes the 250 THB we paid to the Songthaw driver last night seem very steep!!
We were at the Arcade bus station (terminal 3) by 11am, so in good time.
I look miserable because there was a screaming child getting on the same bus!
There was a lot of activity at the bus station, including people handing out sim cards – I took one, well it was free!
The journey
Stopping at the services
Our minivan was packed. There was no room inside for passenger luggage so it went on top of the van. We set off at exactly 1130 and tried to make ourselves comfortable for the next three hours. The minivan was clean and the ride fairly comfortable, though the driver would speed over bumps every so often leaving us a bit shaken! We sped up 107 and then turned onto 1095 near Khilek where the views were very scenic.
Police check point
We drove through amazing unspoilt forest, climbing up some very steep and bendy roads. We saw villagers going about their everyday business. There were some stunning wats (Buddhist temples) to be seen along the way and the mountain views were truly spectacular. We arrived in Pai at 2.45pm. The iPhone map displayed Phu Pai Art Resort (where we had booked accommodation) as being around 1.5km from the centre of town, so we decided to walk. Map was wrong – again!
After almost half an hour of walking in the sweltering heat, some locals explained that the resort was actually 5km out of town (which is what we were expecting) in the opposite direction!! So we went back into town with the intention of catching a taxi. We ended up at a vegan restaurant :
Chew Xin Jai
222 Moo 4
T. Wingtai
Pai
Thailand
T: +66 85 7173628
Shrine at the back of the restaurant
Restaurant from the outside
The restaurant owner was very helpful and gave us a map showing us exactly where our accommodation is and also directed us to where we can hire a scooter, after a delicious meal, we headed to the scooter hire company, walked round quite a bit, searched for an ATM, picked up the scooter and headed to the resort. With all the walking we did, we actually managed to see most of the centre in the space of a couple of hours. Pai seems very relaxed and a bit of a hippy town. People seem to come here to get away from the troubles of life.
Arranging the scooter rental
On the scooter
Back at the hotel, we were blown away by just how tranquil the setting of the resort was. We were the only guests around – our own personal resort!
Phu Pai Art Resort
92 Moo.1 T. Mae Na Theung A.Pai
Mae Hong Son, Thailand 58130
T: +66 53-065 111
E: [email protected]
W: www.phupai.com www.thailand-resort.net
Outside shower
After relaxing on the verandah admiring the view for a while,
we popped over to the lobby for a stronger wifi connection so we could make some arrangements to extend our trip a little and arrange necessary transport / accommodation. It got very cold at around 8 / 9pm, it’s a strange feeling, something we haven’t experienced for a while!
Today we hired a scooter from Peter. it cost 250 baht, as we were already staying there they did not ask for a deposit or passport. We made our way to Bosang and then on to find the Indian Consulate of Chiang Mai:
Indian Consulate of Chiang Mai
33/1 Thung Hotel Road
Wat Kate, Muang
Chiang Mai 50000
Open Mon – Fri 9am to 12pm
How to get to there:
You can take a Songthaw or TukTuk from anywhere in Chiang Mai. If the driver does not know exactly where the consulate is, he might know Thung Hotel Road at least, and you can look out for the white sign with plain black letters. If not, ask him to bring you to the railway station – it should only be a fifteen-minute walk from there. Alternatively, you can rent a bicycle and cycle from the Old City in 25 minutes, or walk in about an hour.
The Indian visa application is fairly straight forward. The form has to be completed online in advance at
http://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/
On the top of the electronic form you choose where you would like to present the visa application ‘Indian Mission’, once completed you are given a time and date for an appointment at the chosen consulate after which you print out two copies, take these along with your passport, a photocopy of your passport, photocopy of the departure card and immigration stamp of Thailand and a completed reference form available on the Indian high commission website to your appointment together with two passport sized photos and the visa fee (charges vary and are related to what passport you hold, whether it is a business or personal trip and the duration off the trip) we paid 2170 Thai baht. The longest visa you can get at Chiang Mai is 3 months. For a 6 month visa an application in Bangkok would be necessary. So, the following need to be taken to the consulate ;
Passport
Two passport photos
X 2 copies of visa application form
x 2 photocopies of passport, Thai visa / immigration stamp and departure card
Reference form
Visa fee
At the ‘interview’ which basically means handing your form to the receptionist and her looking through them we waited about 30 minutes for the lady to call us, take our money and tell us to come back a week later. She could have been quicker but I think she wanted to show us she was very busy. Also whilst we were waiting we could hear an Indian official just continuously shouting on the phone. Annoying Indian just wanting to show his status by shouting. The whole process was quite relaxed and easy.
Where we booked a day at the Elephant Nature Reserve.
Later, we rode to the bus station where we booked tickets for Pai, going tomorrow. There are various operators going to different destinations, it can get rather confusing especially when most signs are written in Thai. Luckily the operators are very helpful and can direct one to the correct operator. Later we visited the train station and made enquiries about trains to Bangkok.
Bus terminal
Inside there was a information booth, where the lady old us which bus terminal we should buy the ticket from
Walking towards the correct terminal
The train station
On the way back to Secret Garden we stopped at Tesco Lotus where we tried to find some vegetarian snacks.
Having a wander at Bosang
Then back to Secret Garden to relax use the wifi and have some soft drinks. We said goodbye to the amazing staff at Secret Garden and got the courtesy bus to
Baan Chonpakorn
122 Charoenrat Road
T Watket
A. Muang
Chiang Mai 50100
Thailand
T: +66 53 2401612
E: [email protected]
W: www.baanchonpakorn.com
In the end we got the room for just over £17 per night!
Room and hotel
The hotel is next door to the Gurdwara, here is the Gurdwara lit up at night
Now as I was running of my favourite ritz lemon crackers we headed to Tesco Lotus, I had forgotten how far it was. On the way we came across vicious dogs and people performing Thai karaoke, not sure which was worse the dogs or the people singing! On the way back we headed down the west bank through local fruit markets (not a tourist in sight!) where we bought satsumas and mangosteens. We walked through various other markets including the beautiful flower market. Then we went down Tae Pae Road, popped in to Taste Like Heaven for drinks and food and then went to search for the night bazaar. Well stocked and lively but not as lively as the Sunday Night ‘Walking Street’ market. After a LOT of walking, headed back to Baan Chonpakorn.
Today we checked out of the hotel and flew with Airasia to Chiang Mae. We ordered a taxi which cost 453 baht (around £10), not a bad price for a 45 minute journey.
Relaxing at the airport before the flight
Check in and security was straight forward and the flight took an hour
At Chiang Mae
Outside Chiang Mae airport
The place we are staying at sent a courtesy bus to pick us up
On the way
Arriving at the hotel
Secret Garden – Bungalows & Cooking
54/1 Moo 5, T. Mae Kue, A. Doi Saket
Chiang Mai 50220, Thailand
T: + 66 53 339 502
F: + 66 53 338 901
Skype: borsang
E: [email protected]
We were expecting Chiang Mae to be cooler then 31 degrees C it has been in Bangkok. I was pleased to say it was the same temperature. Sangeet was looking forward to cooler temperatures!
The hotel is around 25 minutes (12km) away from a Chiang Mae, in a small village called Doing Saket. Bo Sang, a larger village is close by. We arrived at the Secret Garden a little before 4pm. The place is tucked away in a very quiet area, mainly farmland and local residences.
Our bungalow
The resort is a family business, Peter and Pai have done a fantastic job of building the guesthouse from what used to be rice fields. They show so much kindness and a lot of passion for the business.
We debated whether to go into Chiang Mai at around 5pm and decided against it and relaxed at the resort instead. We got talking to Peter, from Germany, who runs the place with his wife Pai. The resort is a family business, Peter and Pai have done a fantastic job of building the guesthouse from what used to be rice fields. They show so much kindness and a lot of passion for the business. In the evening Pai made a fantastic vegan dinner just for Sangeet and I whilst the other guests ate in the buffet.
I was missing staying at the Hilton! The taxi cost 93 Thai Baht.
Waiting for the taxi
The hotel is situated on the banks of the Chao Phraya River. Hilton have a regular boat service which takes one to the skytrain station or to the mall.
Arriving at Hilton
View from the hotel room
View from the top floor of the hotel
Most business an private homes have a shrine, this is the hotel shrine
We got the boat to the mall and walked to the Gurdwara. It took an hour to walk to the Gurdwara, which passes through China Town. Yaowarat Road in Samphanthawong district is home to Bangkok’s Chinatown, which is centred on Sam Pheng Lane Chinatown’s Sam Peng Market is an old business centre noted for a post-WW II visit by the young king Ananda Mahidol. Modern Chinatown now covers a large area around Yaowarat and Charoen Krung Road. There are many small streets and alleys full of shops and vendors selling all types of goods. It has been the main centre for trading by the Chinese community since they moved from their old site some 200 years ago. Nearby Phahurat or Indian market. Yaowarat Road is also famous for many varieties of food, and it becomes a “food street” at night.
Hotel boat
A view of the hotel from the river
Walking towards China Town
Chinatown Gate is a Chinese style gate at Odean Circle on the east end of Yaowarat Road, the main road through Samphathawong, the Chinatown district of Bangkok. The gate is often called Odean Gate after the Odean cinema which used to stand nearby. It was built as part of the celebrations of King Bhumibol Adulyadejs 72s birthday. The words on the gate says “Sheng Shou Wu Jiang”, which translate as “Long Live the King”.
Some random shop we liked the look of
Temple in a hospital complex
Chinatown
At the Gurdwara there were a hand full of people. The sukhason of Guru Granth Sahib had already been done. I found it strange that you could sill visit where the Guru Granth Sahib in sachkhand.
Entrance to the Gurdwara
Afterwards we went for dinnner, I asked a Sikh guy on the street for directions to the nearest vegetarian restaurant. As we were in a mainly Indian area you can expect to find many Indian vegetarian restaurants. Unfortunately they are lacking in basic cleanliness!!! What is it about Indians are they allergic to basic hygiene standards!!!
I did not like the look of this restaurant so did not eat here, Sangeet ordered a dosa. Afterwards we walked back to the pier where the Hilton boat picked us up……
By now I am desperate to have my clothes washed so I created a washing machine
Hi, thanks for visiting my blog, feel free and have a look around.Here is a bit about me, as you may or may not have guessed my name is Mandeep,I work to travel as opposed to work to pay bills and die!Every trip for me is an adventure, I have been very fortunate to stumble across amazing places and meet awesome people along the way.
Why gaygoat? When I first started this blog I was a vegetarian, so gaygoat – happy goat! Also you have to admit it is catchy and a URL you will not forget!
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