Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand) Tourist Guide


	S.P. Publishing Group Co., Ltd. 11/1 Soi 3 Bamrungburi Rd., T. Prasingh, A. Muang., Chiang Mai 50200 Tel. 053 - 814 455-6 Fax. 053 - 814 457 E-mail: guidelin@loxinfo.co.th

GIVE PAI A TRY!
You won’t regret it

by Mim Saisin

One of the most popular tourist destinations outside the city of Chiang Mai is the little town tucked away in its circle of mountains, Amphoe Pai (pronounced ‘Bai’ in Thai).

Morning Market

Now I went there with all of us at SP Publishing Company at the beginning of last month - the rainy season at its heaviest. But you’ve got your chance to go at the beginning of the best time of the year in Thailand, the cool season - October to January. It’s the time when the trees are still at their greenest, the flowers blossoming like crazy, the streams and the Pai River still running high. Really a great time to be there: don’t miss out!

We drove there, the best way to go if you’ve got transport. Fun on a motorbike too, since the road’s windy and steep in places, but nicely surfaced.. We made it, with a half-way coffee stop, in two and a half hours: but it feels like a different situation altogether when you get there. So rural! Mossy, ferny, leafy; so full of fresh clean air. And pretty quiet, most of the time.

Street Scene

It was lunch time when we arrived, so we headed off to the famous khao gaeng restaurant, Nong Beer in the middle of town. And with a good khao gaeng (chicken curry) under our belts we were ready for the sights. Having hired a motorbike, and with a map to guide us, we got on the road.

We started off like good Buddhists paying our respects at a few of the temples - Wat Klang and Wat Num Hoo: at the latter we also paid our respects to the spirit from whose head a spring rises, Phra Jao Oon Muang. Then we hit the road again, drove 7 kms out of the town east to the scenic site of Kong Land, a steep little hill, some 200 meters high, a little bit like the famous landscape of Phrae called Phae Muang Phi - weird laterite and earth formations eroded by the wind and streams.

Back in town we had another coffee break, taking a look at the passing cavalcade - locals of all varieties, and farang and other visitors, also varied. That’s when we came on a strange notice that said, ‘This Box Open 3 - 10 p.m.’. What could it be, we wondered. Turned out to be the place we’d heard a lot about in Chiang Mai: the Mit Thai Art Shop, which sells lots of trendy, creative and decorative items - which I’ll come back to in a minute.

The next itinerary item is absolutely de rigueur if you make it to Pai: the bathe at a hot spring.

Yes, Pai is sitting on volcanic dormancy - earth-quakey too, though you don’t need to worry. All we get in this part of the world is tremors: quite sharp sometimes. It’s our neighbours in Burma and South China who take the real heavy stuff. But still, lots of little faults underground and the hot springs are there to indicate the fact. It used to be the north had some small geysers, but they’ve quieted down. Just very hot or warm springs welling out of the rocks, in the steamy woods a couple of klicks out of town. Good place to dunk yourself, by all accounts. The minerals and the warmth help you relax and perhaps also get rid of ailments (you’d have to talk to the locals to get the details). So dunk ourselves we did, the steam rising and the rain falling - but I’m sure you’ll have it fine, even with a bit of nip in the air to make the warmth welcome.

Back in town - evening by now - we looked over Mit Thai: lots of interesting geegaws for the folks at home, though I was content to buy a couple of postcards. Prayat as we say in Thai - doing the souvenir business on the cheap. We also looked over the market, though if you want to see it - or any Thai market - at its best, you have to get there really early in the morning: you know, six or seven a.m., when the bedclothes feel so nice and cosy. There though we stumbled on an interesting innovation - the Karen Weaving Course. They make such lovely fabrics out of very simple materials, that I wanted to stay, do the course. But it takes two days, so I’ll have to leave it to you folks who have more time. We had to head back to the city on Sunday morning - the next day.

B - bop Pub

But that wasn’t the end of our visit. In the evening we had a slap-up dinner at an Thai restaurant – Take a Seat. Good food and not expensive. And then out into the cool light rain. And so to bed? Not on your life. We headed for the Bebop pub, knocking back the odd little drink or two, listening to a group playing lively jazz and blues numbers… everyone having a good time. At night, there’s no need to be lonely in Pai. The Bebop’s waiting for you with open arms!

A quiet night, then. And in the morning out on the road, over the hills, back to Chiang Mai, the sun shining, the rain taking a rest…

Give it a try! I think you’ll enjoy Pai.