PSA: You Should Not Skip Pai On Your Thailand Trip
The beauty of PaiPai is by far the most beautiful place in Thailand. Located high in the mountains, there's no where you can go without being surrounded by beautiful and luscious mountainous peaks.
We were only suppose to spend three days in Pai, but upon arriving, we immediately extended to five. Honestly, I could have stayed for a whole week.
We stayed in these beautiful bamboo bungalows that went for a whopping 16 USD/night. There's two of us so, with the price split, it was a no brainer.
If I remember correctly, we found these on bookings.com instead of Hostel World. Just FYI, you'll need a motorbike to get around here!
Anyway, there's so much to do in Pai. Here's a short list:
1. Sunrise on the mountains in Chinese village
It was a little cloudy for us, but still 100% worth the early wake up call.
2. Sunset at Pai Canyon
Make sure to get there early, lay a surrong down, bring some music and a few beers, and enjoy the view!
3. Big Buddha
It's huge on the side of the mountain. Even if you don't go to it, you can see it from a distance.
4. Hot pools
There are two hot pools you can visit. The one we went to is on government property and cost $5 per person to get in. While the one we went to was nice and was well worth the trip, we heard after talking to a few people that the other one was a bit more in nature and cheaper. Regardless, you'll enjoy which ever one you end up at, but chat around with some people before you go to get a better idea of which one you're heading to.
5. Waterfalls
We went to two waterfalls. Both are gorgeous, but one has a natural slide. It's called Mor Paeng Waterfall. The other one, Pam Bok waterfall, is huge and amazing, but you can only swim in the water hole below it. If you're there for a few days, why not check out both of them like us? There's also a few more if you want to visit them all!
6. Fault line - "Crack in the Earth"
While some may not be impressed, I absolutely loved it here. This farm is located on a fault line and when an earth quake occurred many years ago, it literally left a crack in the earth. Basically, it looks like a little canyon. This earthquake ruined the farmers land, but instead of accepting defeat from Mother Nature, he turned it into a tourist destination. Now, people travel here to see the "crack in the earth" and enjoy the organic produce grown on the farm.
Did I mention that it's all based on donation? The family who lives here serves homemade roselle tea, banana chips, nuts and other delicious treats for no price whatsoever. Just drop what you feel like giving in the donation box on your way out!
7. Night market
It's actually different than all the others! Get some vintage clothes and crystals while your here! A little pricier than the other night markets in Thailand, but worth it if you want something a little different.
8. And of course, the night life
Yes, you can also go out here and get rowdy. You can honestly do that in every city.