December 20, 2006 Chiang Mai – Pai, Thailand

December 20, 2006
Chiang Mai – Pai, Thailand

Though I had planned on sleeping in and catching up on some much-needed sleep, I woke up this morning at 7:30 just as Spizzle was crawling out of bed. He was still feeling sick but looked much better. I still felt marred in a post-Jackie hangover…

We slowly packed our things, showered, and got ready for the day. At 8:30 we headed down the street to grab some breakfast. On the way back we stopped in to use the internet for a few minutes. I also made a quick call to Jackie to see if she had arrived safely but all I got was a voicemail (I have since received word that she made it back OK).

We returned to our hostel at 9:40, grabbed our bags, and checked out. From there we headed to the Chiang Mai bus station (where I’ve spent more time than is healthy throughout the last week) and tried to get a ticket to Pai.

Unfortunately, all the buses and minivans to Pai were full until 12:30. We quickly purchased the tickets and then sat around the bus station. We had nearly 3 hours to kill. I spent most of my time reading and Spizz listened to his iPod.

At 12:00 we tossed our bags on top of a rickety looking bus (known as a local bus) and then found our seats. It was the smallest bus seat imaginable. Since I had no chance of fitting my long legs in the seat, Spizz took the window. I sat in an incredibly awkward and uncomfortable position with my legs in the isle and half of my body in the seat. Other tall passengers were forced to position themselves similarly. Thus, I knocked knees with an Irish fellow sitting on the other side of the small isle.

The bus pulled out of the station at 12:30. Throughout the next hour the bus made numerous stops and continue to add people to an already full bus. The added individuals stood, kneeled, and even sat in the isle. Ultimately, I was forced to move my legs out of the isle way to make room for new passengers (one passenger was even hanging out of the door…). At one point I found myself sitting with my knees almost touching my ears, a rather large woman’s crotch inches from my face, and a baby occasionally crying in my ear.

Two hours after leaving the station we had gone 70 Km (about 40 miles) and our driver decided that we should stop for lunch. Spizz and I wandered to a street vendor and got what we thought was grilled chicken. It turned out to be grilled chicken fat…

The second half of the drive was much the same as the first. The road become a little windier and we seemed to climb forever. At 16:30 (after 4 hours and 135 Km) we reached the tiny town of Pai. After gathering our luggage we set out in search of our hostel. Fortunately, the town is so small that we located our place of residence, the Golden Hut (Lisa’s recommendation), quite easily.

NOTE: The bus ride was actually not as bad as some of the others that I have been on. In fact, it was kind of a fun and interesting experience. But not one that I would like to repeat…

We tossed our stuff in our nice, cheap room and headed out to get some dinner. We settled on a large corner restaurant that looked quite nice. After a simple meal (fried rice and watermelon shakes) we decided to explore the town.

Exploring Pai takes all of 10 minutes. We walked down both of the streets in town and made a quick stop the 7-Eleven. After exploring a couple of the local shops we decided to get a massage before returning to the Golden Hut.

The massage parlor we selected turned out to be someone’s house. I used the restroom and marveled at the family’s toothbrushes and other hygiene products. When Spizz changed into his massage cloths he used someone’s bedroom as a changing room. Still, the massages were good and we were even given a choice of weird herbal tea at the end. We both chose a tea that is supposed to help heal the heart…

By the time we left the massage parlor it was quite cold outside (as cold as I have been since Germany in October). In fact, I had no idea that it got so cold anywhere in Thailand. It was strange to see people bundled in parkas and wearing thick pants. Unprepared for this sort of weather, Spizz and I hurried into an internet café and used the internet for a few minutes.

We returned to our room at around 20:30. Neither of felt like doing much for the rest of the night so we jumped into bed and decided to watch a few episodes of Entourage.

NOTE: I feel like I have lived the last week of my life on or waiting for a bus or plane. I bet if I added up the time spent in those categories during the last week it would amount to several DAYS! It might not sound like it but just think about it…