Ni Dieu Ni Maitre

Rainy season so far means a little rain at one or two random times every day, and almost always threatening skies. This is an off-season for tourists, and I go nowhere without a rain jacket, but we’re looking at 90% no rain. Stayed ’til after 9PM last night and the truth was, things got even quieter after 8:30. My restaurant shut down.

Drizzle, as a sparse crowd visits the ‘walking street’ food push carts. The bars are empty, restaurants with few or no customers. The 7/11 packs them in at all times, however. My recovery is looking good, getting daily exercise on the bicycle on 2 runs into town for lunch and the evening meal, eating quite well and doing a little exploring down the many side streets of town.

Rickety, but safe, bamboo bridge over the town’s river.

There seem to be a lot of minor diversions to see around the area, a large cave system, waterfalls, a Chinese village inhabited by refugees many years ago, the white temple, and of course, something I first encountered in the 90’s in Laos, Tipsy Tubing!

Didn’t really see the point back then, and am still missing it. At mid-day, you commence drinking and pot smoking, lay in a large rubber tube and slowly float down river, stopping for yet more alcohol along the way… well, it’s what’s done on the famous ‘Banana Pancake Trail’ which I have inadvertently followed out of Chaing Mai. The river, quite brown though it is and certainly of questionable cleanliness as it runs through a moderately large town, is quite lovely in spots.

Taken from a bridge

I am in Thailand on a 60 day visa, just by luck, as they have quickly switched the length of stay to 30 days. Get in and get out, and leave lots of money. It is true that the backpackers individually don’t spend much money and like to hang out, but these types of changes are poison for places like Pai. This type of change, combined with the general air pollution problem in many places has greatly affected my overall plans. Still, there’s Laos, Vietnam and if I can stomach it, Scambodia.