MAE HONG SON
All roads lead to Pai
By VIPASIA NIYAMABHA
SPECIAL TO THE NATION
Despite being packed with visitors in December, the small valley town is still a great place to chill
Once a sleepy backwater in a remote Mae Hong Son valley, Pai today is a thriving small town. Go there in December and you'll enjoy not only a lavish lifestyle with a wealth of dining options, but also some of the best peoplewatching opportunities in Thailand's north.
Don't believe me? Then head to Pai walking street in the evening. Thai visitors usually start their walk from the "Pai Now" intersection - just look for the billboard announcing the location of "Pai In Love". In the film, which hit screens last December, a group of friends visits Pai in search of an idea for a movie that will best describe the story of this town. Totally taken by the young and beautiful actors and actresses in the movie, who wrap themselves in scarves and jackets and walk in the winter mists talking about love and life, Thais now love to repeat the experience in their real lives.
"It's impossible to stroll along an empty road in December - the walking street at night is as busy as Bangkok's Chatuchak market," said a raft operator during my stay in October.
As soon as the cool weather arrives, residents shake off their low season lethargy, room rates head skywards and everyone starts preparing for the great tourist influx.
In Pai town centre, new shops and cafes spring up, their exteriors and interiors decorated in eye-catching styles. At night, Chaisongkham and Rangsiyanon Roads are lined with vendors hawking food and souvenirs. You'll find everything from fried noodles to roti with condensed milk and fresh fruits, along with key rings, clothing, colourful scarves and ethnic-style money belts.
There are so many T-shirt shops that I feel like I'm in Boe Bae market (the wholesale tee market in Bangkok) and there's an endless choice of beautiful postcards for the folks back home.
Italian restaurants are common, many of them expert in making thin crispy pizzas with tasty toppings. You can't go wrong with Baan Pizza, Da Cristina and Amidos Pizza garden. The Mexican buffet on Wanchalerm Road looks tempting as does Mama Falafel, now upgraded from a small street stall to a proper restaurant.
For Thai flair, Baan Benjarong, Krua Rabiang Pai, Nong Beer and Somtam Na Ampher are good choices, and for something more international, there's the Tic Tac Sandwich Bar and Bakery, Witching Well and Blue Restaurant.
All About Coffee is Pai's oldest cafe and it's run by Watcharee and Prapakorn Vanijyananda. It's housed in a century-old beautiful teakwood building with an art gallery on the upper floor, and offers breakfast and lunch along with a good variety of coffees, teas and cakes.
Pai today is full of people who've left the city to start new lives. Among them are the young man who set up a small hotel on Chaisongkram road with his mother, and the couple who own Pai Chan Cottage who came here almost a decade ago to open the lovely resort with great cuisine just outside the town centre.
"When you write about Pai, always check if a place has survived a few low tourist seasons. Many of the new people have the dream but no patience. They put up the 'business for sale' sign too soon," says one Pai resort owner, who asks not to be named.
"When city slickers get bored with Bangkok, Pai is their first choice to build a new dream, surrounded by rice paddies, stunning mountain views and smiling locals. In the past 10 years, we've seen chic guesthouses and cafes mushroom," she continues.
Yet travellers have been coming to Pai for decades, dating back to the days when fresh-brewed coffee was a rare luxury and long before cheesy "I have already been to Pai" tees were invented.
They fell in love with the remoteness of this small peaceful town surrounded by mountains and jungle. Then progress kicked in and the road from Mae Malai in Chiang Mai's Mae Tang District was improved with a cut through Doi Sam Muan in Huay Nam Dung, making the journey infinitely easier and shorter. Now you can even fly to Pai from Chiang Mai if you want.
Although new buildings have sprung up over the years, Pai's main streets still boast many old teak or rosewood houses built in traditional Thai Yai style. Previously residences that doubled as small businesses, most have now been renovated for the tourist trade and serve as cafes, restaurants and guesthouses. Some maintain their original leaf roof while many have replaced the bamboo and leaf cover with corrugated gypsum tiles. And while some of the new owners have opted for extraordinary designs, most have chosen to stay within traditional boundaries and use local materials.
Many tourists end a long day at Bebop, a popular bar with great live blues, reggae and jazz. The bar also features frequent gigs by guest bands from Chiang Mai, who blast out cool ska and trip-hop.
Buffalo Exchange and Phu Pai
Art Cafe also serve up live sounds. Some travellers are great musicians and surprise revellers by jamming with the resident bands.
While Pai district has changed big time over the past decade, much to the chagrin of many repeat travellers, it is still a good place to get away from the stress of city life. But that doesn't mean having to leave luxury behind. Extras come in the form of everything from white chocolate cheesecake to strong espresso coffee, pork satay to vegan tahini sauce, and from Bt400-a-night rooms with wifi to cool live bands that'll rock you through the night.
Credit: The Nation (www.nationmultimedia.com)
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