Pai, Chiang Mai, and a Thailand goodbye!

This week was a really good time. Juan and I finally made it to the North of Thailand where we were able to move away from the hustle and bustle of the big city and settle into some calmer cities and towns. First we went to Chiang Mai which was a really great place and then after that we went to Pai.

Pai was an amazing little town, it was just what I needed actually. The drive was absolutely insane, I have never seen more jagged and winedy roads and with every sharp turn my stomach knotted up and I envisioned spraying the mini bus with a little treat from my tummy. Actually much to my embarrassment I will admit the drive made me have my first breakdown as I crawled out of the bus and started crying in frustration with the drive and how sick I felt. On the upside, Pai is in the mountains with incredible scenery and fresh air where you could finally smell the color green! The town itself was small; it was easy to walk in a half an hour, no long bus rides, no waiting for motos, no honking or traffic, just a nice stroll through the town. It was very much a little hippy art town. As always the roads were lined with vendors and markets but this time most of the markets were art, crafts, homemade village items, or photography. The streets were filled with great music (finally no Jack Johnson which everyone seems to play here) and the vibe was just really chill. Pai allowed us to once again be lazy for a while, to bum around town not doing much of anything, and to make the days biggest goal finding a delicious fruit shake.

Chiang Mai was also a lot of fun. We were very lucky because although we didn’t plan it or even know about it, we ended up being around in one of the best places to celebrate the Loi Krathong festival (festival of lights). For two days the sound of firecrackers filled the air every evening and the night sky was light up with beautiful “krathongs” (they are like paper hot air balloons or lanterns that float up into the sky). They also set afloat thousands of banana leaf floats down the river, filled with beautiful flowers, candles, and incents. When asking some of the Thais what the meaning of the festival was many people gave different answers, some believed it was an offering to Buddha, some believed you were supposed to let all the negative in your life go as you released your float or lantern, and some believed it was their way of apologizing to the river for polluting and stealing the water. Whatever the meaning you choose to follow the ceremony was beautiful and it made the city a delightful sight for those few days.

Thailand is now coming to a close for us. We are off of Malaysia in two days but I am already sad to say goodbye to this beautiful country. Thailand was a great place to travel too. The people are so friendly and respectful and no matter where I traveled I always felt safe. The food is cheap and delicious, the shopping is absolutely fabulous (even though I literally did not buy one thing). There are actually a lot of things I will really miss about here, even things I never did. I wasn’t a big fan of the sugar on everything but I thought it was cute and it made me smile when I sat down to the table. Sugar is a must here and everything is sweetened. Milk is sweet like juice, rather than salt on their corn they put a few teaspoons of sugar, and on every restaurant table you will find both white and brown sugar that goes overtop of every meal including soup. I will miss the amazing Thai massages and the ability to walk to any street corner and get pampered and spoiled without spending more than five dollars. I will miss the most delicious salad and apple dressings that I have ever tasted. Although I complain about it now I may even miss the sound of falling asleep to howling dogs and firecrackers filling the night air. Oh and I will definitely miss all the 7-11’s that literally flood the streets and provide me with the convenience and deliciousness of fountain ovaltines and processed banana bread. Ahhh Ill miss it all! In Thailand we have spent just over a month all together and it became a love of mine, im excited to move on but I am going to miss this place a lot!