33. Stop Pai, Thailand

The next day we embarked on the trip I had wanted to make 2 days ago: the journey to the north of Thailand, to Pai. Around noon, we were picked up by a mini-van, in which we would spend the next 4 hours. I had already heard many negative things about the journey there and we were not particularly pleasantly surprised: the road conditions were very poor and the drive itself led through mountains. Accordingly, the route was very curvy, and I had already gotten used to the fact that Asian drivers take sharp turns much faster than tourists would like. Fortunately, no one had to vomit and we arrived safely in the afternoon.

Our hostel was located about a 10-minute walk from the city center on a small hill. In the evening, we walked with our roommates to the city and ate something there at the market. We were back at the hostel in time for sunset and went to bed early.

On Monday, March 9, 2020, we rented a scooter and explored the surroundings. It was the first time I had someone sit on the scooter with me, but I was very glad about that. That way, I didn't have to worry about the route and was told where to go, and I was also reminded to drive on the left side instead of the right side when turning ;)

We made our first stop at a viewpoint that we had imagined to be much more spectacular from the stories. I was aware that a viewpoint is always on a hill, but the steep uphill climb brought me to the highest concentration. Once we arrived safely at the top, we had a nice view, but everything was a bit foggy and not perfectly visible. When we left the place, I was once again glad that I had checked the brakes when renting the scooter, because they worked perfectly on the steep downhill road.

Afterwards, we drove to the so-called 'Land Split'. Due to two earthquakes, one in 2009 and one in 2011, the land was torn open to a depth of 11 meters and a width of 2 meters, making it a tourist attraction. Since it is already a bit overgrown and the plants grow wild here, the depth is not clearly visible in the pictures, but it was clearly visible in reality.

Next, we went to the so-called 'Pam Bok Waterfall'. We were looking forward to a nice cool down in the hot temperatures, but unfortunately we were disappointed. Since it was the dry season at that time, the water level was so low that swimming was hardly possible. However, the waterfall itself was still beautiful and we relaxed for a moment.

The highlight of the day was an 800-meter-long bridge that crosses rice fields. The bridge does not originate from tourism, which is why there are only a few tourists here and it is still a hidden gem. It was built by the locals to facilitate the maintenance of the fields and the harvest. Surrounding it are the mountains, once again hidden behind a bit of fog, creating a special idyll.

A historic bridge is located on the outskirts of Pai. Originally, it was built by the Japanese during World War II to establish a smooth trade route between Chiang Mai and the border with Myanmar. After the end of World War II, the Japanese destroyed their bridge again. However, the residents of Pai did not want to do without it, so they rebuilt it. Today, it is only a tourist attraction and not usable due to its fragility.

We ended the day at the so-called Pai Canyon. There are 70-meter-deep canyons here between the rocks, on which you can walk along. Since none of us had the right shoes and my fear of heights was already ruining everything for me anyway, we enjoyed the view from the platform and then drove back to the hostel.