In Northern Thailand you will find one of the world’s great backpacker’s paradises – Pai, Thiland.
Pai is where you go to find good food, cheap and amazing accommodation, live music, yoga, nature, happy shakes, and it where you think you will stay for a few days and end up staying their for a week….or two. It is a backpacker’s paradise in the true Thai sense of the world. Thousands and thousands of young bearded, dreaded, free-heeling travelers converge here to slow down. Pai moves slow, R E A L L Y slow.
Tips for Pai:
- Don’t motorbike there! Unless you are craving your Thai Tattoo (scars from falling off your motorbike in Thailand). The road is crazy and people get badly hurt every week and die every year.
- Stay a little outside of town. Its busy and the street fair that occurs EVERY NIGHT can get loud. Escape that business and enjoy Pai leisure. I heavily recommend. The best hostel I have EVER stayed at is Suandoi Backpacker Resort in Pai. It is an old local Thai resort converted into a hostel….but it is still like a resort.
- Take a ride up north. The caves north of Pai are amazing (SEE: LOD CAVE). There are also lovely places to stay in small towns up there where you can actually connect with Thai locals, which I found impossible to do except in Eastern Thailand.
- Explore the river north of Pai. There are all kinds of camping spots, all-you-can-eat local thai restaurants for 55 Baht ($1.5 USD), underground parties, swimming holes, beautiful farm land, and hiking with views.
- Listen to live music. Thai people are great live artists and do great live covers of Western bands. Pai has 5-10 live music shows per night in different bars.
- Happy shakes…because, why not?
- Fire pit at Circus Circus….really amazing experience where you can meet new people and bond with people you have already meet.
- Say hi to everyone on the street. Because, who could be in a bad mood here?