The Life of Pai

Oh Pai. I've learned a lot about myself here in the last two days. Like, I can drive a scooter pretty well. I can sleep fairly well on a hard mattress on the ground and I can shower under a dribbley tap. I also learned that after a heavy nights drinking I can (and will) cancel all travel plans for that day and take to my bed. We leave for Laos tonight straight from Pai which was actually much more efficient than our original plan (going back to Chiang Mai and then on to Laos). Live and learn. 

The countryside is fabulous here. Well, when it takes a 3 hour bus journey through 770 sharp bends you'd want it to be spectacular. It's a strange place. It's lovely, don't get me wrong. But it's strange. Its got a real hippie vibe and full of bars and little restaurants. Its very 'westernised' if I can use that word. I definitly felt like I was more in Thailand back in Chiang Mai. All the same, I like it here. So chilled out and with nothing in particular to go look at it gives you a chance to slow down and breathe. Just drive around on your scooter and take in the scenery. That is all. 

We actually spent one of our mornings in a hot spring resort. Everyone was complaining the hot springs were too expensive at 200baht entry. But we ended up in this gorgeous little resort costing us 100baht (2.50eur) each for a full day use of the springs and the swimming pool. Not very backpacker of us but well deserved all the same considering our crappy shower. Then the rest of the time we just drove around the little roads, stopping off to look at Pai canyon (scary), some waterfalls (lovely) and just to take in the views. We ate from street vendors last night and for 1.50eur I got some sushi, a bowl full of noodle salad and a spicy potato curry. Also, I did see a lot of people taking elephant rides along the road and did actually see some trainers hit the elephants for no apparent reason which wasnt nice. Me being me, slowed my scooter down to shout at one fella but he just laughed at me. Sigh. I'm not going to save the world just yet, it seems. 

So now I'm finishing up my breakfast here at KK Hut and going to head out for the day on the bike before taking a 6 hour bus to the border of Laos. It's a tough life. 

Chiang Mai

I'm not sure how to explain the last couple days. We reached Chiang Mai after a week on Koh Phi Phi and what a different world it is up here in Northern Thailand. It's amazing. The feel of the place is different, more alive and conscientious than Koh Phi Phi. It's more laid back, organized and friendly. I don't feel unhealthy here like I did on the island. I mentioned before that I was feeling homesick but I've turned a corner here in Chiang Mai. I love it here and think ill be adding it to my list of places 'I could live'. I actually made a quick visit to the hospital to have a cut looked at (hypochondriac that I am) and Thai hospitals are kicking Irish hospital butt. I think that sealed the deal for me. 

When I wasn't busy worrying about my minor injury we were out and about town. Chiang Mai has so much to offer. I can't count or name the amount of temples we came across. They are so beautiful they make you consider why our own churches are so dull and bland. Buddhist monks also seem to be very approachable. We spotted a lot of people giving offerings to monks and in return monks giving children keep safe bracelets and blessings. I need to find out more about Buddhism. We also visited a mountain top temple about 40 minutes outside of town. It had a serpent lined stairway the whole way up with little girls in traditional costume along the sides. Very cute but we were wondering if they should be in school instead of out working....

An absolute highlight for me on the whole entire trip has been our two day trek in the 'jungle'. Ok so included in the package was a one hour elephant ride which we were desperately trying to avoid. This is my conflict; I have myself gone horse riding and used a whip on a horse. I've smacked the dog for 'misbehaving' and I've lived on a farm where all our animals are confined. However, there is something so miserable and soul destroying about an elephant being confined. Maybe it's their sheer mass or their gentle nature. Or maybe it's the massive chain tied around their ankle and the fact they rock themselves back and forth on the side of the road as if trying to walk away. It would also be easy to blame the locals and say they are bad but it's their livelihood and income. Tourists (myself and Lorna included) are paying good money to do this day in and day out all year round. I'm not sure what my opinion is but I do know it broke my heart to see a baby elephant tied up and in a panic at not being able to follow its mother out of the pen. I don't know. 

The rest of the trek was amazing. Although the terrain is challenging I wish I had looked up a bit more instead of calculating where my feet went next. Actually, myself and Lorna were wondering if we'd be ok to do the trek in our Vans and Converse but we were in a group with two Dutch fellas who decided they'd rather trek for two days in flip flops than get their trainers dirty. We figured we'd survive. Our guide was called Chai (probably not spelled correctly) who cooked all our food served in banana leaves with chopsticks he made himself from bamboo. He took us to the hilltop village where he grew up and his family still live. There is no electricity and our accommodation was a little hut with a mosquito net around us. We spent the evening eating green curry, drinking beers around a campfire and listening to the jungle sounds around us. Don't do this if you are used to your comforts and expect a hot shower cos you won't get it. But, what you will get is a sense of perspective. We are so spoiled and these people have much less and seem happier. There was something very special about these people. Chai is an educated guy but very proud of his village and his family. He had his son join us at the campfire and his parents came to say hello. He even told us to go up and see the little school where we were invited in to say hello to the kids. I know these people receive visitors daily but they are so genuine. It's definitely something that will stay with me. 

If you go to Chiang Mai there are some places worth checking out:

- Stay in Kikies guesthouse (everything you need from a cheap and clean hostel with excellent staff)

- Breakfast in Blue Diamond.

- Eat at Bamboo Bee (thai veggie restaurant, cute little place with lovely owner. She even does cooking classes.)

- Get a Thai massage, cheaper and better quality here in Chiang Mai.

- Visit the Sunday market in the heart of the old town.

- Eat from the street. All the locals do and the food is great. 

- Take a cooking course and learn to make genuine Thai dishes.

And since my foot is healing up nicely, today we are leaving for Pai closer to the Burmese border. I've heard mixed things; a bit too touristy perhaps, a party town, amazing countryside, chilled out vibe, etc. so we'll see. We have to survive the 700 turns up the mountain in a minibus first. Till then...

Koh Phi Phi

We leave Koh Phi Phi tomorrow for the more humid and cultured atmosphere of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. I can't wait. Much like that summer I spent working in Corfu, Greece, my time here on Koh Phi Phi won't have added much to my life or my development as a person. Maybe my development of a tough immune system but not much else. Lorna read on some blog that the islanders pump their waste directly into the sea, giving a few lucky visitors a hefty dose of pink eye. It could also be a rumor but we avoided paddling since.

Now, don't get me wrong; I've had a great time here. But Koh Phi Phi isn't a highlight for me. Now maybe I need to lighten up a little; the island is stunning and certainly lively. But it's not for me. We've been here a week but its been about 5 days too much. The most we've really done is sun bathe, sleep ridiculous hours of the day, wander around the stalls, climb the monkey lined path to the viewpoint (official Tsunami evacuation route FYI) and take a trip to the infamous Maya Beach (Leonardo's beach - but I'll talk about that in a sec.) Which is actually all fine, gives us some down time to catch our breath and relax before we head off trekking and whatnot in Northern Thailand and Laos. Oh, we'll we've drank a fair bit as well, it's hard not to here. :) 

The island definitely has lots to offer. It's one of the best places to scuba dive and many schools to choose from. There are all sorts of day trips to other islands and activities to suit everyone. We took a trip over to Maya beach where 'The Beach' was filmed and had a look. Have to say, bit of a let down. The best part was being told we had to swim from the boat to the island and climb up a rope ladder to enter the bay. Bit of an experience but highly wheelchair unfriendly. The beach itself was beautiful. No denying it. But it's jammers there. Literally teeming full of people. That wouldn't be so bad if there wasn't a hundred awful, noisy speedboats blocking the view. Myself and Lorna walked the length of the beach and found a spot to take a boat free pic. Anyway, we'll make a note for the future to go a bit more off the beaten track. 

Thailand so far has been an experience. It certainly has a different personality compared to that of Malaysia and Singapore. I won't go on too much about it because you'll think I'm having a terrible time and I don't want to make a flash opinion on how some people live (even though that's exactly what I'm doing). I think I need to change my expectations and mind set a bit. I just have to suck up the fact that toilets here are awful. 

Anyway, it's on to Chiang Mai tomorrow for some elephant conservation, jungle trekking and lots more. 

So this is the truth

I think it's safe to say I haven't been completely truthful with how much the travel bug has been eating away at me. I've got the notice handed in to work, the flights booked and the vaccination appointment made. Eeeek! It's becoming real.

So what's my plan? My plan is to leave Amsterdam on the 1st September, spend two weeks in Ireland and then jet off to South East Asia for a couple of months. It'll be the usual route of Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. However, in Cambodia I'll be staying two months to volunteer in a school there. More info to come on that.

After volunteering I have two months to fill with whatever takes my fancy.

This is going to be epic.