Day 7 #MHS. Pai : Going Round Little Pai-radise / How To Get Here

Apart from riding on the road, admiring the landscapes around me, one of my most favourite part of touring trips are the rest days! Where I can stay a day or two, take my own sweet time to really enjoy the place I've ridden to. I'm not really a fan of "touch & go" trips.

Woke up comfortably at 11:00 in the morning and went to greet my baby that's covered in different shades of muddy dirt. So wanna give it a good wash down but the thought of getting it dirty tomorrow all over again..

Mmm.. Nnnahhhh. Forget it, hahaha.

Lying on the Pai River, Pai is a small town with a population of just over 2,000 people.

Did a quick search on where to go in Pai, pinned them down on my map and there you have it! Pai's a place full of artsy cafes, perfect place if you love cafe hopping, snapping pictures, and uploading them on Instagram ;) Most of the cafes are located in town too, all within walking distance.

According the reviews on TripAdvisor, seems like many people recommended having breakfast at Big Little Cafe, which turns out to be this cute little hut.

Their menu is in English, serving mainly Western dishes and as I've noticed, many locals here can speak basic English too, due to the flourishing tourism here.

We ordered our first meal of the day and watched the chef work his magic.

Breakfast is served

Is this my first food review in my entire blog? LOL, feels like it cuz so far all I remember is bikes, travel and beautiful scenery. Anyway I'm sorry to say that it was disappointing. Nothing great, flavours doesn't burst in your mouth or whatever. It's just as plain as.. it looks.

Moving on!

You won't miss this sign :) It's actually part of Madame Ju Coffee place, located at a busy cross junction in town. The atmosphere and crowd here is similar to Khaosan, Bangkok, home to backpackers from around the world. I started backpacking since 18 and have always loved it. You see alot more, and experiences are always so enriching.

In case you didn't bring enough Thai Baht, there are Money Changers around in Pai. But most of them are closed on Mondays. Rates are not as high as the altitudes in the mountains here, but it's better than not having any cash.

Next, we went onto hunt for some artisan coffee at Cafecito.

Lovely place with a lot of wood, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee beans is eminent the minute you step in. The owner of this place is really friendly and speaks fluent American English because she lived in USA for years (if I recall correctly).

So, being able to accurately describe how we want our coffee to her was a breeze. Omg imagine having to describe in Thai. I think we'd end up with a bowl of noodles instead.

Ah, this is where they brew their own beans! So we can enjoy our very own customized coffee.

Credits to @kevinstry

Cafecito is located away from town but not that far out either, on the sleepy side of Pai, down a small quiet alley. But it's not that difficult to find, my Tom Tom GPS managed to navigate us there in one try.

It's right next to this interesting-design house. Not sure if it's a hotel, didn't see any name.

On to one of the most prominent cafe in Pai, we found ourselves in love with "Coffee In Love" where the view here was fantastic.

Situated on top of a hill, Coffee In Love offers a vast ocean view of valleys and majestic mountain ranges. It's so popular that when you approach tour companies to take you around Pai, Coffee In Love is in the list. This place is like a must-visit in Pai.

All you hear is that peaceful quietness and the sound of nature, as we sat around, completely immersed in the tranquil atmosphere..

Actually I was busy taking photos haha and somebody is annoyed :p And he took a photo of me as evidence just to prove his point. LOL. Tsk.. view so nice must take more photos maaaa.

We got here at the perfect timing - Sunset! Where the skies went from peachy orange, mixing with royal purple, to sea blue. I'm mesmerized! Definitely coming back here again tomorrow for an early morning coffee fix!

The sun was setting real quick (again) as we raced against time to Pai Canyon.

Just a short 7 minute ride from Coffee In Love, we arrived at Pai Canyon.
There are no entry fees, you just need to walk up a few flight of stairs to get to the viewing platform.

After running up the set of stairs, I was trying to catch my breath, only for it to be taken away immediately by the breathtaking view of narrow red ridges and steep valleys. This is Pai Canyon.

Not many people are left here at this hour, which was a great opportunity to enjoy the feeling of nature embracing you, without any distractions.

The ridges are extremely narrow (enough for only one person to walk through at one time), and both sides is a steep 50 metre drop into pine trees and dipterocarp forests. I tried not to look down as I walked, and even scrambled through some tight ones when the strong wind blows. 

This wraps up today's exploration in little Pai-radise, and what a lovely day spent in this enchanting town deep in the mountains.

Will definitely recommend you to visit this place!

How To Get Here

# Ride - Just like I did!

1) From Singapore, cut through Malaysia via North South Highway
2) Take the train from Hat Yai - Bangkok
3) Ride from Bangkok - Chiang Mai via AH2
4) Continue 150KM from Chiang Mai - Pai

# Fly By Plane & Drive

1) Hop onto a plane and fly to Chiang Mai International Airport
2) Take a 3 - 5 hour bus ride to Pai from the airport

# Fly By Plane All The Way  

1) Fly to Chiang Mai and take domestic airline Nok Air / Kan Air to Pai Airport






[Singapore.Malaysia.Hat Yai.Bangkok.Lopburi.Chiang Mai.Pai]

[Mileage Clocked: 2,271KM]

[Weather/Temperature: Sunshine With Blue Skies/Cool 19°C]

[Terrain: Mountainous roads, corners, tarmac]

Next: Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Day 6 #MHS. Chiang Mai - Pai : Conquering The Most Challenging 762 Curves First, In The Whole Mae Hong Son Loop

As they say, the fun is not around the corner, its AT the corner! :D 
And we're diving straight into a Biker's Paradise filled with the most challenging mountainous curves in Thailand. 

Stopped by the Orange Box Cafe

Starting from Chiang Mai towards Pai on Highway 1095, we have 762 curves to conquer, out of the total 1,864 corners in Mae Hong Son loop. 

Credits to theworldorbust

Looking at the map above, we are riding in the anti-clockwise direction. We were told by other bikers who have done the loop that many would opt to ride in the clockwise direction as the level of difficulty would increase gradually. 

If you travel from Mae Sariang up North towards Mae Hong Son town, the corners are wider and roads more well-paved. Then it gets more challenging as the corners become more technical and tight, as you continue on from Mae Hong Son to Pai, and to Chiang Mai. 

Nuah

Let's take a look at our itinerary.. Ok looks like we chose to face the most difficult part of the loop first. What a wise choice for un-seasoned tourers like me! BRACE YOURSELVES! 

I need all that caffeine from my Mocha at Orange Box Cafe so that I'll have the energy to last through the windy roads ahead! 

Leggoooo! 

The sun's up, skies are blue and the weather was perfect; Cooling, at about 22°C as we negotiated our first few bends.

Ooo this is fun

It was getting addictive going around the gradual corners on smooth tarmac, then quickly came the tight bends, double apexes and countless hairpin turns. 

Oo sharp left

Ooo ok this left is abit too sharp

Ok damnn this hairpin is too sharp

The difficulty kicked in halfway after doing a few hundred of it.

And it didn't help that certain parts of the road had multiple pot holes, gravel, light dirt, and occasional road works going on. 

We had to constantly keep a look out for vehicles traveling in the opposite direction as sometimes they'll accidentally swerve into our lane. Huge trucks would eat into our space too as they need more space especially at tight bends. 

Also, we've got to be careful of vehicles that tailgate us at times, occurring normally when they intend to overtake you. Situation awareness has got to be an all high even while we're enjoying the corners. 

I love taking photos when I travel, and sometimes I take a while to get the perfect shot after trying out multiple angles and lighting. Having my HTC Re Camera helps me save a lot of time as it allows me to snap on the go, but sometimes I still find myself not having enough time.

Why? Because I can be poorly disciplined at waking up real early in the morning to start the ride. And that's really important because if you start late, you'll end late. That's not safe, especially when riding at night. 

So yeah, I need to brush up on that bad habit on waking up late :p
Luckily I've got a patient partner on this trip haha.

We leaned from left to right, corner to corner, as we inch closer to Pai, bit by bit.
It's about 150KM from Chiang Mai to Pai, passing through many scenic look out points on Highway 1095. 

150KM may sound short if it's on a straight road and if you're able to cruise around 150KM/H. You'd be able to reach your destination in approximately an hour or so. 

But 150KM worth of corners and tight bends? It's gonna take at least 4 hours, without stopping to pee.

After more than 5 hours on the road, my eyes were getting a lil tired from all that focusing. I remember the last time I did so many mountainous corners at one go was riding through Laos during #BeyondEverest here. But at least the roads there were pretty smooth and the curves were wider. 

I may feel a head full of fatigue right now but I know when I look back upon the completion of this whole trip, it's gonna feel fucking awesomeee!

I don't know why but sunsets always feel like it's faster than sunrises (the pace of the sun rising and setting). Is it true or is it just me running out of time to get to Pai as per my scheduled timing? LOL. Anyway, we're just 51KM away from Pai now and the sunset has painted the sky in pastel purple and blue! Which calls for a.. photo! Hahaha

#poortimemanagementmax

I may sound like I'm taking this poor time management of mine lightly, but on a serious note, it's actually quite dangerous. 

Why? 

You see, when you realize you're way behind your scheduled time to reach your destination and you look at the remaining load of distance to cover, you tend to ride faster as the sun sets because you kanchiong because you know it's not safe to ride through the mountain curves when the last ray of sunlight is gone and there are NO STREET LAMPS.

It will be PITCH DARK. 

When you ride faster at night in roads that has loads of corners, and you get caught leaning against a really sharp one, and so happen the vehicle on the opposite direction has his high beam on that totally blinds you, that's where accidents happen! Plus you're already tired so your reaction time is slower too.

#truestories

SO DON'T RIDE THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS AT NIGHT GUYS.

Ok back to my journey. It's 7:45PM and the sun has set completely. I can't see much of the road ahead as it's really dark and the "maggie mee worms" on my GPS is enough to scare me. 

I slowed slowly and carefully as we're down to our last 25KM before we arrive into Pai. It's better to be slow like a tortise than be "fast and fallen" ya know.

Thankfully, we made it to Pai safe and sound! Passing through all the lights, music and people makes me energized all over again! Checked into our hotel, changed outta riding gears and off to the night market we went! 

This little town is bustling with so much vibrant life! From quirky cafes, to street foods and souvenir shops, it may be commercialized but it somewhat still managed to retain its very own bohemian character. 

In just a short time walking through the night market, I bumped into backpackers from Australia, America, a bit of Korean and even Thai locals themselves. All of them love just how laid back this place is. It's like amidst the high ranges that stands silently through the night, nestles a lively little Pai-radise.

What better place to spend the weekend than in Pai! And look how close I am to Myanmar :D Almost just next door. Hehe

Grabbed dinner, some little hand-made souvenirs and T-shirts before talking a chilly walk back to the hotel and crashing into bed like I haven't slept in yearsss. 

Credits to agoda

Oh by the way, we stayed in a Cottage at Rainbow House (S$22/night). It was clean and comfortable. No air cons in the rooms as the air here is cool enough at night (17°C), plus it's located just a short 10 minutes walk from town.

Instead of the usual standard hotels, I actually prefer an accommodation that adopts the location's theme. Like if I was at the beach, I'd wanna stay in a beach hut. If I was in a forest, I'd wanna stay in a tree house. If I was at the countryside, I'd love to stay in home stay inns.

Yeah, you get the idea.




[Singapore.Malaysia.Hat Yai.Bangkok.Lopburi.Chiang Mai]

[Mileage Clocked: 2,192KM]

[Weather/Temperature: Sunshine With Blue Skies/Cool 20°C]

[Terrain: Mountainous roads, corners, tarmac]

Next: Pai, Mae Hong Son Province, Chiang Mai, Thailand +1