Pai, a relaxing town in Northern Thailand

Pai is a small town in northern Thailand and it lies about 140 km from Chiang Mai. The hilly area around Pai is one of the most beautiful areas of Thailand. Pai is a town where people mostly go to relax. Pai has a hippie-like atmosphere and the climate is more friendly than in distant Bangkok, just like the people so it seems. This hub includes tips and information for a visit to Pai.

Pai has a favorable climate. The temperature is more pleasant here than in the warm city Bangkok. Between mid-November and January temperatures fluctuate between 14°C and 30°C. In February the temperature begins to rise and in the dry season (March to May) the temperature varies between 15°C and 36°C. In the rainy season (June to mid-November), the maximum temperature does drop somewhat, but the minimum temperatures are fairly constant 22-24°C. In Pai the daytime temperature is higher than the nighttime temperature. If rain falls, it falls mostly sporadic, except in August and September during the peak of the rainy season. Then the streets can turn into waterfalls.

Finding accommodation in Pai can sometimes be difficult, especially from December to March. The most idyllic and rustic accommodations can be found on the banks of the river that flows through Pai, the Mae Nam Pai. Pai is a relatively small city and there are many guesthouses, but very few hotels. The state of affairs in many guesthouses, as in many places in Thailand and Southeast Asia, is somewhat amateurish or unprofessional. Do not let this disturb you, it goes with all the laid-back feeling that prevails in and around Pai. Besides accommodation around the river there is also accommodation in the city and a little further out of town (over the bridge).

As in Chiang Mai, the trekkingindustry here has grown in recent years. These trekkings go into the mountains for several days. Depending on the trekking you can go hiking, mountain biking, driving jeeps, elephant riding, rafting, or a combination thereof. The more extensive, the more expensive. Many treks visit hill tribes on the way. Of course the beautiful nature is the biggest attraction during these trekkings. It is also possible to go rafting or elephant riding around Pai, but the most popular activity is riding a motorbike through the beautiful surroundings.

Born to be wild; motorbike ride around Pai
Motorbike riding is the most popular activity in and around Pai. It is possible to take your bike to Mae Hong Son, a city in northern Thailand near the Birmese border. The distance to Mae Hong Son is 111 km and the road has more than 1000 turns. The views are spectacular and the drive is already in itself a huge adventure on the steep and winding road. The trip to Mae Hong Son, with many stops and pauses is easy to do in one day and after a night in Mae Hong Son, you can drive back the next day. Some people even drive to Birma, for example to make a visa run, and after a brief visit to Birma, they go back to Thailand to fill in a new visa application. It is also possible to drive to Chiang Mai and leave the scooter there, handing it over in another branch of the bike rental company.

Drugs are banned in Thailand. In Pai it does not appear to be so, but drugs are definitely illegal in Pai. From many menus you can order ´magic´ pizzas or other ´magic´ dishes incorporating drugs, especially hallucinogens. In Pai it is not too difficult to find joints eather. The police in Pai is highly corrupt. Their program consists mostly of picking up tourists that carry drugs, threatening them with a long stay in a cell with a possible death penalty (one of the punishments for drug possession in Thailand) and then they gather large amounts of money from the tourists in exchange for their freedom. This is a common practice in Thailand and especially in Pai. So be careful. The police often stops tourists on motorbikes, saying that something is not right with the vehicle, driving style, the way the helmet is worn or another made-up reason to fine you. The goal is again to extort money from tourists. If you have a small amount of money ready for this type of incidents (outside your wallet of course) you can often get away quickly. Moralists who want to discuss with the police in Thailand need to be experts at persuading, and even then they will probably have to pay (probably even more).

Pai definetely has a night life, one nightlife. All tourists in Pai sooner or later end up in the same bars and "clubs". That is why people learn to know each other quickly in Pai. For people traveling with a guitar, it is easy to organize a performance in one of these bars. Bebop is the biggest nightclub in Pai and when it closes there is always someone who knows a little bar to go to.

Most people travel from Chiang Mai to Pai with a minibus (a small van). Large buses can not drive on the winding road. People who get carsick better use a travel sickness pill or a good supply of barf bags. Pai has a small airport and a flight connection to Chiang Mai, but most people still travel by minibus.