Thailand is not the Philippines

I think I will take ski vacations from now on.

Thailand is not the Philippines. I realized this from the beginning. Immediately obvious was the choice of food, fast service, clothing options and amount of tourists. Thailand has an active tourism culture which the Philippines lacks. It is very easy to navigate and they cater to foreigners. Now I can see why everyone travels here. After a day in Bangkok I traveled North to Chaing Mai. Big cities are not my favorite. I took the overnight sleeper train. Recommendation for anyone thinking of this trip, book the lower bunk or better yet catch a plane. If you choose to travel by train do not stay in the air conditioned cars. You will freeze and most likely get sick.

Chaing Mai is located 700 km (435 mi) north of Bangkok, among the highest mountains in the country. I used it as a rest point between Bangkok and a place called Pai. After visiting open air markets and the university art gallery it was time to travel to Pai. From the day I touched down in Thailand Pai was calling me. The road to Pai had many curves. I have never been on such a crazy ride. The driver was obviously in a hurry or trying to make his passengers sick. This poor girl sitting in the back of the van was the first to loose her lunch out the window. By the time we reached Pai a group had formed. It included Fedde from Holland, Ruth and Ben from England and Adam from England. We all went to Indiana Cottages for the night. Adam had stayed there. The cottages were beautiful however we had to cross a brown, muddy river on a rickety bridge made of bamboo. It was like crossing an avalanche shoot, one at a time. I did not really trust the bridge. I guess my instincts were right. That night the water rose quickly and washed the bridge away. Needless to say we all moved to higher ground.

I found a cabana at a place called Pai Chan only 5 minutes walk from the center of town. It was the first place that felt like home since leaving Canada. For only 200 peso ($6) a night I had an open air shower, pool, real sheets and comforter, a mural on the wall, a fish pond just outside the window and a mountain view just beyond that. When I realized I also had a lemon grass plant just outside the window I was in love. I like to make ginger, lemon grass tea.

After settling in I walked into town and found this sweet little chai shop called Art Design Way. Sandy and Otto, a Swedish/Thai couple own and run the place. This was by far my favorite place in Pai. They make the best cup of chai! The shop also has this magical way of attracting neat people. I met Jost, Lucy and David all from Holland and Adam from America there.

Pai is a laid back hippy town that attracts great people. I learned how to ride a motorbike and I even found a cheese dealer. In Asia it is a big deal to find cheese and real chocolate. The only reason I thought this was so great was because I was meeting up with the Swiss boys after Pai and I knew they would enjoy the cheese. It is also fun to say I have a cheese dealer in Thailand. After 10 days in Pai it was time to say goodbye to my new friends and meet up with Reto and Patrik back in Chaing Mai. I will definitely return to Pai again.

It was really nice to see familiar faces in Chaing Mai. Reto and Patrik were there waiting for me. From there we caught a bus North to the Thai/Laos boarder. We stayed one night on the boarder in a awful guest house before crossing into Laos. The only good thing about the place we stayed was meeting a Spanish traveller named Salva. He quickly became part of the group.

Thank you Sue!

Reto and Margo

Making Cowboy Coffee

Love the fresh flowers

Next country Laos.. Lets go!