Writing from Pai

"At Coffee In Love, overlooking the mountains--

This town, in the high heat of the afternoon, has lost all electricity. I realize that I'm going about my adventures completely out of order (currently skipped Chiang Rai) but who needs linearity these days?

How can one describe Pai?

I imagine years ago this town was still relatively untouched by the kind of of cultural corrosion that comes with steady flows of tourism, but Pai still maintains its bohemian luster. It's a town that seems out of place with the rest of Thailand, a haven for hippies nestled in a valley surrounded by tall cascading mountains. In Northern Thailand, as opposed to the Isan region, good coffee is abound. We are staying at a guesthouse, Darling View Point, that affords us an incredible view of the setting sun behind the mountains as we lazily swing on our hammocks and all. Sometimes, I feel like my vacation is really a series of postcards, and real life, is like a reel play of these postcards.

My favorite part of this trip so far has definitely been our motorcycle adventures. Yesterday morning, Haley and I took our quick motorcycling lessons which is not really challenging, but it feels like you're about to drive a machine that's too complicated, is finicky, and partially mocks my nonexistent finesse in mastering novel skills. In short, I freaked out at the thought of driving a bike that goes faster than 20 km an hour while negotiating traffic rules, and keeping myself on the bike. But I finally gave into peer pressure and that was a good life choice.

Apprehension and a subsequent gastro-intestinal cramp aside, I rode the hog and unlocked the day's memorable adventures.

Haley, Trisha, Kate and I decided to go to Mor Phaeng waterfalls, which is located north of downtown Pai. The journey there was absolutely incredible, a heart swelling adrenaline pumping visual feast of the mountains of the country side. The fact that we were riding motorbikes, navigating through roads encircling lush hills and mountains made me feel like a rebel, as I thought about how life in the States would be so different. We arrived at the waterfalls with a score of laughing thai children fearlessly sliding down the boulders of the waterfall, into the cool palliative pools of water. We wanted to join in the fun, but a scary slip on a mossy rock shook my courage. OOps.

We eventually rode on our bikes to the Pai canyon with our newfound friend Sandy. We could walk around the ridges but the view below on either side of the steep cliffs made the traipsing incredibly nerve-wracking. The view was incredible though. We closed the day's activities with a pizza (!) dinner in a dreamy italian bistro--there, Haley, Trisha, Kate and I toasted to our blissful six months in Thailand.