Fueled with coffee, we set off early from BKK. The drive itself was uneventful and pleasant. We did our stop at Tak which is a province near Chiang Mai for lunch by the river. It was a nice pit stop as the weather was cool and the food was good (and cheap!).
Things started to go wrong when we arrived in Chiang Mai and I discovered that TH had forgotten to load my trolley bag into the car! His responsibilty was to see to the luggage while I cleared up the laundry, fed, cleaned and walked the dogs before we left home. Thank goodness for overnight buses that ply the BKK-Chiang Mai route and our driver. TH called him to send my bag to the bus terminal and it went on one of those overnight buses. Tip to anyone forgets or has a forgetful spouse when it comes to luggage.
Pit stop on way to Pai.
Pai is about 1,500 m above sea level and there are 700+ curves on the road that leads to it. This means that we had to make a few stops along the way as the children felt a little carsick. Pai is a little town in the Mae Hong Son region that is gaining popularity with tourists. It is laid back and quiet and also a little artsy and bohemian. You can find a few studios there and in the night market, many artist plying their wares that range from hand painted T-shirts to postcards. I noticed that it is more crowded than last year which is good for the town's economy. At the same time, I felt a little sad as it meant it wsa getting commercialise which could spoil it's charm. Consolation is that Starbucks or MacDonald's has yet to make an appearance!
We could see this padi field from the pool. It's a real working farm and not just for show.
I refused to get into the pool, but it didn't stop the children.
We stayed at a really pretty resort that was surrounded by padi fields. There was horse riding and ATVs for the children and adults to do. The kids had a great time going for horse rides by themselves with the guide while I lounged by the pool in my sweater! It was cold, about 15C.
The area surrounding the resort. In the morning...brrrr...
At night, the biggest thing to do is to go to the night market to offload some cash from my wallet. It's a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours as there is something for adults and children. Adults-shopping or sitting outside to have a drink. Children - having banana pancake for dessert and buying kitschy things from the stores.
The night market in Pai.
On the day we were supposed to leave Pai, the men and the children decided they wanted a last ATV ride. I had to pillion Sean as he isn't big enough to handle the ATV. I wasn't big enough to handle it either! The first half hour had me go into the ditch twice. I was pretty scared when we went off-road as the ATV kept veering to the left and Sean was trying to help me steer. Problem was solved when TH changed ATVs with me as mine had a slight fault in the steering. We all came back coated with a layer of brown dust. I looked like I had heavy handedly applied tinted powder on my face!
Traditionally, the 'yipeng' lanterns are released during Loy Krathong. They were selling them in the night market and we decided to buy a few and release them for luck (hey, I'm Chinese, anything that hints at bringing me luck, I'll do it...within reason of course.)
I love the colour of this shop. I wasn't the only one who
stopped just to take a pic.
Once again we managed to have a trip that catered to the interests of the adults and children. We all had a great time and hope to do it again next year (crossing our fingers that we will still be in Thailand and not leave !)
Note: This blog is a bit belated as I got sidetracked with the Christmas feasting that has been going on since I returned from Chiang Mai.
2 comments:
hahaha, I can't believe you had to send your bad on the overnight bus!! Looks like you had fun though. Who are the other kids you went with?
I did NOT relish the thought of disposable unides or be without my books, fave t-shirts etc. We went up with my other Sin friend who lives here and funnily, I found out that my friend (Bridget) is an old CHIJ girl! Her 3 children and Sean get along really well even though they are all diff ages.
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