Amazing Thailand Journey (Part 2 ): Wonders Of Pai

Amazing Thailand Journey (Part 2 ): Wonders Of Pai

• 11.27.2014

Vintage Coffee House

This journey itself was a long, windy yet beautiful one with a record of 762 spirals leading up to Pai itself. Sounds dizzy enough to make you puke right lol? But trust me this is really worth it, coming from a person with a super weak stomach that can’t even stand the normal Bangkok jam without feeling like throwing up lol.

There are a few stops you guys can consider stopping by to get pictures of the nice scenery and have some good coffee while enjoying the cool peaceful weather.

Many couples would usually pick Pai as one of their honeymoon or dating spots as the location really give out the romantic vibes and that isn’t all there is so many couple stuff you can do while you are there. I know, making it sound that you would only enjoy Pai if you go with your significant other but that isn’t true. Singles also like to go there, sort of a self discovery journey as it really calms the mind and at the same time have some personal space but if you are planning to go with a group of friends by all means do so! The more the merrier :D

Here are some of the few places me and the gang managed to stop by in Pai that morning itself when we took off from Chiang Mai, it’s about 2 hours drive. Pai is located in the valley, also known as the ‘town of lovers’ by locals and it is very near the borders of Myanmar. From my guide’s explanation it is in fact walking distance from Pai to the borders, about maybe 4-5 hours on foot? Which is considered very near back then. 

Very English like setting atmosphere.

First stop was “Vintage Coffee House“. Their large teddy bear is a not to be missed, also their coffee. High recommend their Hot Cocoa, it isn’t too sweet just a perfect balanced amount of bitterness and sweetness all in our cup. Best of all it’s made on the spot, not those usual 3-1 hot cocoa mix you get in supermarkets.

Typing it out just makes me miss drinking it already lol wished they sold pre-pack ones so I can bring the back to Malaysia. From there onwards it’s best to bring along a jacket of sweater as the higher you go, it’s get really..REALLY cold. Colder than Cameron highlands, anyway that place isn’t that cold anymore compared to 10 years ago. While making this coffee break, you can get some souvenirs from their shops, but overall it’s the scenery that I would like to bring home instead of shirts *cough lol*

Meet kor kor Baki & my fuzzy new friend.

Huay Daeng National Park

From there you can en-route to visit Huay Daeng National Park, even if you are not so much of a nature lover you would appreciate this place. I can seriously live here forever as it’s really peaceful, great place to meditate & do yoga if you ask me; and if you are lucky, you might catch sight of some monks visiting the area too.

Photos are mostly taken with my faithful Samsung Note 2.

A compulsory 'Tourist' photo is always needed during travels. Lol. 

Coffee in Love

That's just the beginning of our Pai journey, from Huay Daeng Memorial park we headed back down to town where their famous ‘Coffee in Love’ stop where you can send out beautiful postcards to your loved ones through their old fashioned classic mail box.

Not like Malaysia, your postcards will definitely reach one ~:-p
Boy the coffee and cakes there are superb! Not to be missed, yea ate pretty much throughout this whole trip but it’s okay because at least my tummy is happy haha! Plus that day itself was Violet’s birthday! She was one of the journalists in our group, It was a great surprise indeed as it was a first time out on the field plus getting to celebrate your birthday in a beautiful country (+ yummy food lol)

This blogpost definitely has more photos than words but as the quote goes  "A picture speak a thousand words" :-P
So i am just gonna let all these beautiful photos take your through the journey i had in Pai.

Cheesy photos checked.

Breathtaking scenery checked.

Behind the scenes of our 'Love in Pai' Shooting session lol, 'very romantic' :-P

Satitchon Village

Phew…the day isn’t over just yet @_@ after that short coffee break @ Coffee in Love, last stop of the day was Satitchon Village.
This village itself has a very interesting history on how it all started, the villagers themselves aren't exactly of Thai origin but from Taiwan. That is why their main staple language there is Mandarin, if you speak mandarin there won’t be a problem for you to communicate with the village locals.

The history of Santichon village all started during the war when the Taiwanese settlers fled their country to take refuge in Thailand, but after the war when it’s time for them to leave, they refused to do so as they have grew to like this amazing country (after all it's Amazing Thailand lol) and decided to stay as permanent residents. Thailand government however grant them the permission to stay as long they protect the borders of Thailand in return for allowing them to stay here. It is quite interesting to see how Thai cultured has infused harmoniously together with the Taiwanese, from their way of living, language and even clothes.

Pai Night Market  

Extra ROUND sausages is quite common among their street food, couldn't help laughing at the sight of this though. Sorry for being so perverted :-P

Also while in Pai don’t forget to enjoy their night market that stretches up to 1km each direction, that doesn’t include walking back to where you started lol.

But here is a friendly shopper advice I have learnt from my kor kor Baki <3 from the start, try not to purchase a lot of things as you would end up logging along extra weight  and that could tire you out easily before you even reach the other end. Be smart to compare prices but in general most of them are pretty affordable (like the locals like to say "Same-same"), the more quantity you purchase the more discounts you can ask for :-P

Within those long night market stretch there are many kinds of hawker stalls selling a large variety of street food. In my honest opinion, I would gladly skip dinner and eat all these yummy street food as I walk lol. Their food is so unbelievably cheap, fresh and also plenty of fruits and vegetables, seems it is easily available in Thailand. Especially their sweet Watermelons, Glorious Pineapples (doesn’t cut your tongue at all!) and cute bananas, that are literally the size of my finger.

Can't believe the price of a bowl of fresh salad is only 25 baht (RM2.50) @_@ So frigging cheap! 

Wait till you guys see my exclusive dedicated post for their 7-Eleven convenient stores in Thailand lol, they have even more stuff like "ready to eat" variety at a seriously AFFORDABLE price. We so need this in Malaysia wei.

Also Pai area is rather of a small town, so getting to one place to another isn't too hard if you don't mind walking like me but for convenience they have scooter bike rental stores around the area. But a friendly reminder make sure you know how to ride one before renting it as you wouldn't want to encounter an accident while on holiday no?

For this particular Night Market in Pai, i was told to on a look out for a 'Jack Sparrow' impersonator that is quite famous among the locals and tourists who visit this particular night market. Didn't really expect to bump into this fella though lol, as i wandered away to explore the place guess who i found?

You can get your photograph taken and printed on the spot with dear ol' Jackie at the same time browse through his stash of crazy journey photos.

Jack Sparrow of Thailand (Pai) and yes that moustache is real lol.

I admit seeing many impressive Jack cosplayers here back in Malaysia but never did i know there was actually quite a convincing one here in Pai lol. There available souvenirs for sale of Jack being photographed in the historical sites of Thailand, and really he was in character for the shoot.

Couldn't help laughing at all those crazy stunts and facial expression this guy displayed.

My personal Favourite, Jack at the Memorial Bridge lol.