Piranhas and hippies

In my last post I mentioned that we left Chiang Mai for a few days to visit a small town called Pai. Pai is a very small town located in the foothills of the Himalayas that is generally known as a laid back hippie hang out. Growing out of a history of opium trade, current day Pai now has more of the earth loving, peace seeking vibe than anything else. It's surrounded by peaceful green valleys and amazing views.

Shot from the back of the motor bike

I had read that the drive up to Pai was incredible for the views it presented, but not to be undertaken by those with sensitive stomachs. Since neither Jeff nor I have any trouble with motion sickness, I truly didn't give it much thought. Yet, as we found ourselves bumping along in the far back seat of a mini van with terrible suspension and inadequate ventilation, being thrown from side to side as the van wove its way back and forth (and back and forth...) along the twisting 's' curves of the mountain road, we both found ourselves feeling more than a bit urpy. Thankfully, the trip only lasted a relatively short three hours.

Once in Pai and settled into a guest house (our room had a fun open air bathroom!) we set out to see what the town had to offer. We shortly came to the conclusion that sights and activities are short on hand in Pai, and that the town appears to be more of a place to do very little. We were, and still are, more than a little perplexed by the schedules, or lack thereof, that the store owners keep. As we wandered we passed innumerable stores that we closed or appeared open but completely unattended. As we searched for a place to eat, we were hard pressed to find one that clearly was open and serving food. Since we were looking for lunch around 3pm that first day, we thought that perhaps businesses were open during the more normal breakfast, lunch and dinner times. As we later observed, there really was no rhyme or reason that we could find for the opening or closing of business, so we assume it must simply be at the proprietors will.

Fun towelepant waiting for us on our hotel bed

Huge bug that was almost the length of Jeff's hand.

 The next thing we noticed about Pai was the abundance of comforts tailored toward the new age set. Meditation masters, reiki sessions, yoga classes for all skill levels, health shakes, raw food restaurants, artist retreats, mountain foothill communes, even a restaurant with a decidedly Wiccan slant (and awesome food) surrounded us on all sides. Bars invited patrons to join in for open mike jam sessions and cafes advertised the benefits of homemade herbal products. Men and women with flowing clothes and dreaded heads wandered the streets. Pai definitely knows who it caters too.

The next day, we rented a motor bike and went in search of one of the local waterfalls. After a few wrong turns, we managed to find it and spent an hour or so splashing around in the surprisingly warm (for mountain water) pools. I'd show you a picture, but where ever water is involved we use our waterproof camera to snap shots. As this is the camera with the missing cable, it keeps its secrets for now. But, picture a low, sprawling waterfall that spills over multiple levels, creating many shallow pools, and you'll just about have it.

Coincidentally, there happens to be a somewhat unusual attraction found near this waterfall: piranha fishing. A British man named Dave owns and operates a guest house built next to 3 man made ponds, with which he stocks many varieties of fish. Piranha happen to be one of them. You don't have to be a guest to stop in and fish, so we went over for lunch and two hours of fishing. While we didn't catch the big ones, we did have a lot of fun with the three little guys we did manage to hook. I caught a tiny tilapia, and Jeff caught two juvenile catfish. We were warned that the catfish were the only ones to watch out for, due to having spines laden with ouchy poison. Of course, Jeff managed to catch two. Thankfully we were well warned on how to handle them. By the way, everything was catch and release.

Cruising through a small village

Time to fish

Jeff's first catch. The second was roughly the same size.

My own tiny catch

Finally, to wrap up our day, we got caught in an absolutely torrential down pour as we walked back to our guest house. Within minutes we were soaked to the skin, so there was no point in taking shelter. I personally loved it, since the rain was warm and fun to play in, but Jeff wasn't so thrilled!

Two days was enough, so we made our way back to Chiang Mai the next day. Thankfully, this time the van had better seats, better air, and better suspension, making for a much more pleasant descent!