..........Pai

Where do i start the story of Pai? Where I left off I guess. We flew from Bangkok to Chiang Mai really early yet again, and when we arrived we started to look for ways to get to a place called Pai that we'd heard so much about. We knew it was about a 3 hour car ride there, but damn if we didn't have a great time in Kanchanaburi on our motorbikes. Soooo we looked around the area for a rental. We found one within minutes, and I gotta say...they looked a little lacking. If I didn't hold the acceleration a tiny bit it would putt slower and slower till it finally died, Jess's steered funny I believe, and leda.....leda was just a bad driver. haha, just kidding she's probably the best driver. Anyways, we start our Rite of Passage to Pai, but have no fucking clue where we're going. And every street is labeled the EXACT same thing, with the last 3 letters of so being very alike, but different. For this, in Thailand, they say "Same same, but different" it's funny. So we're touring Chiang Mai on a wild goose chase, looking for a variation of Sukumvent of some shit, and we pull over to ask directions.

When told we were motor biking to Pai, the local men gave a resounding "AYE!" and laughed with us (at us) and made curving road signals with their hands. This made me laugh at the stupidity of the idea. The local men are probably scared to fly to Pai cuz the roads are so curvy, and we're going to ride motorbikes. yay america! So Jess is the first one to speak up (thank god) and Leda is right with her on that idea, so we return our motorbikes, and get no return of money.....shitty considering we already just filled them up. oh well. So we take a bus there.

I just typed Bus, because that's what was advertised. In America, we call them vans. This "bus'" engine was under the middle compartment, so it was a hot as shit "bus." Also the A/C wasn't too great, and the good samaritan that I am, aimed mine towards the back, so the other 6 people could get a whiff of the cold(ish) air. Now, this ride to Pai wasn't really a point a to point b trip. This thing was "13 curves" for 160 KM no fucking joke. For those people not in Syracuse and thus not privy to 13 curves, it was like going to Evergreen or Keystone on one of the reeeeeally curvy, puke your brains out if it lasts more thana few minutes places that lasts for 160 KM. It was so terrible. holy shit.

So the village of Pai must've been founded by Cheech and Chong because this place wasn't very modern. 50% of the tourists had dreads, the other 50% were dogs.....like....actual dogs. The place we stayed were huts in a field. Now, I'm not really going to complain or anything about this place, or even the hut's we stayed in, I just want to give you a feeling of what Pai is like. When I say a hut in a field...I mean it. Our back yard was a friggin plantation farm. Growing dead straw. Our thatched hut was the basic of the basic. A mattress on the floor complete with Minnie the Mouse blankets, a mosquito net, cuz the straw floors had gaping holes in them, and a fan that worked...sometimes. Jess and I shared one hut, Leda had another.

Things to do in Pai consisted of smoking weed, and walking around the street looking at the local crafts. THAT'S IT! exciting I know. Our time in Pai was basically eating at a few restaurants, hanging out at our hut's "common" area, and going on the internet. It was really nice to relax a little bit in the middle of all our traveling. But I could've spent more time in Ko Tao or something. No big deal though, it was time spent in Thailand.....hey, i could've been in Syracuse! muahahaha

So the only really really eventful thing to happen while in Pai was the last night in the last few hours before sleep. Jess and I went out to take some night photography, and I wanted to take a shot of our bridge to our huts. Did I forget to describe the bridge? Oh man, this thing was ready to collapse at the first sign of rain. I think a bridge made of paper mache and seaweed would stand a better chance of survival in the long run. This thing was bamboo and straw, weaved together to create some semblance of safety. It wasn't a small bridge either. I'd say a good 40 yards or so. So, Jess and I were taking a shot of the bridge at around 1AM when we hear these two men running and screaming "when I get you I'm going to fucking kill you" I had a 30 second exposure cookin in my camera, and I was on maybe second 4 when we first heard them. I was anxiously waiting for the sound of my shutter to click closed and they were fast approaching. They were almost to the bridge and my hand was swooping down to grab the tripod and camera and start booking for safety. Their feet touched the other end of the bridge, the shutter clicked, and I was fuckin running. jess was already at the pavement and I ran past her and jumped over a fence and helped her over.

The first man ran by, he was Thai, the second was an Englishman. The Thai jumped in a bush, and the Englishman jumped on his motorbike, not seeing where the Thai man went. He drove around for awhile looking for him, till he saw us and asked us if we saw him. I told him i didn't know where he was, and asked what the problem was. He told us that him and his wife were making love in their hut and they heard a noise under their cabin, they thought it was a dog, and the man demanded to continue (obviously). After the fat lady sang, he went outside to grab something, and heard a rustle, then saw movement. It was the Thai man under their hut! CREEEEEPY! Ew, so there are creeps in Thailand that aren't dirty child sex tourists. I know what you're all saying, "Jarrod, don't be so hard on yourself" I know I shouldn't be, but society thinks it's wrong. Bad joke, sorry.

We stayed in Pai a total of 2 days 2 nights, and off the Chiang Mai we went. more to come tomorow