Pai

What do you get when you drop California's Topanga Canyon into the northern Thailand mountains?

Pai... a chilled out hippy town full of yoga classes, global warming reggae rallies, and dreadlocks.

I took the overnight sleeper train from Bangkok up to Chiang Mai - about a 14 hour trip... but slept through most of it. I saw Chiang Mai for all of about thirty minutes before hopping on a minivan for the windy three hour trip to Pai. I made sure to drop a Dramamine beforehand to avoid any wooziness.

On the trip up, I met Augusto, an energetic Peruvian who was on a one week break from his normal job as a tour group leader in various countries. When we got up to the Pai bus station, we walked around together looking for the best deal. My German friend Chrisi had recommended Mr. Jan's guesthouse so I spent my first night there. They have a delightful herb garden in the center commons, but I found the room to be a bit gloomy, so I moved to a nicer one at Yatai's next door - much better.

The first night we ate out on the street in the evening food market along the main street... and quickly met our friends for the week, an international clique that had stumbled across each other along their respective ways.

• Roussos - An energetic Greek hippy who is full of positive words and energy and serves as the group's event planner.
• Laura - A very nice and quite mellow young lady from Finland
• Sebastian - A cook from Brighton, England always ready for a pint
• Gemma - A cheery young woman from Amsterdam
• Sonia - A German speaking Italian who spins fire. Showed me a thing or two with the Poi. I learned from her you can get free drinks from bars is you provide firey entertainment.
• Indigo - A photographer from Spain who picked up a nasty stomach ailment and was moving a bit slow
  

The next day I rented a bicycle and we all took a day trip a few miles up to a waterfall we heard about. It turned out to be mostly uphill and, although the weather here is much more mild than the South, quite sweaty. But very a very fun and pretty ride. Before we made it, some folks were pooping out, so we decided a couple of us would ride, and the rest would walk or hitchhike.

About two seconds later, a pickup truck stopped and let the four of us and two bikes into the back and drove us the rest of the way up. So glad we didn't have to ride the last steep hill.

Along the way, they stopped to drop some ice and drinks at their funky little bar out in the middle of the countryside. They would take any money from us, so we decided to visit them on the way back and buy some drinks after what turned out to be a refreshing cold water dip along with some locals.

We ate some Thai food and listened to Psy Trance music and practiced spinning some poi until the sun was just about to set. Then it was the most pleasant downhill sunset ride ever.

Later, we ate some nice veggie Indian food and stopped off for drinks at the Phu-Pai bar, where they had live music, both middle eastern and classic rock... Great place.

Unfortunately, today was my first rainy day of my trip. And the sky made up for it by dumping so loudly that I couldn't even take advantage of the opportunity to sleep in. Hopefully the rain won't harm the spanking new asphault streets they just laid in town the past couple of days. They were cement before and seemed fine - but I guess it counts as progress?

Starting to plan my Laos entry now. Everyone is making a bee line for the "slow boat" to Luang Prabong, Laos. But, I have heard mixed reviews of that, so I may head a little more south of there.

Oh, and as nice as those bar owners were, eating meat from a Psy Trance bar in the middle of nowhere proved to be a poor choice. Lesson learned.

North

I decided yesterday mid morning that it was time to leave Ton Sai. I think I got everything out of beach life that I wanted. Time for a new environment.

Somehow, without any pre-planning at all, I managed to check out... late.... thanks Banyan Tree Bungalows for not charging me a fee. Then wandered down to the beach to the one and only travel agent who said I had exactly five minutes to catch a longtail boat out to make a bus back to Bangkok. I was hoping to go straight through to Chiang Mai, but no such luck. Looks like "one night in Bangkok" for Miles.

I met a few nice folks on the bus ride and it went pretty much as expected. We arrived at Kao San Road at about 6:30 in the morning. What I failed to realize was that in high season, the decent guesthouses fill up over the course of the day, and at that time of morning, everyone is sleeping still and no one is checking out. Which means no rooms! Well none I was interested in anyway. "Wait until noon... checkout time" was the response of most guesthouses. Ugh. I ate some breakfast and then settled for a rather expensive room that was the only one available in my preferred guesthouse, Wild Orchid. At 750 baht, I shouldn't be complaining, it is a really nice room on a great block and only about $10 more than I would normally pay. Time to catch up on some sleep.

In the morning I awoke to realize that someone ripped me off on the bus. When I opened my large backpack, it didn't look to be the way I had packed it. And after I went to charge my Ipod speaker batteries, I realized I don't have any Ipod speakers anymore. Someone had gone into my bag while I was riding on the bus. Fantastic.

So now at least I have a good reason to be in Bangkok for the day - to replace my speakers. I took a city bus to the MBK, a huge mall complex in town and found some replacements for a reasonable price. Still steamed about my loss though. Could have been worse though.

Later while eating dinner, some other folks from the same bus came in to eat. Low and behold, they had been ripped off too. Lovely. Anyone wishing to avoid this bus line can note that I booked my travel through Andaman Wave Travel in Au Nong.

I booked a train ticket this time to Chiang Mai for tomorrow. Trains are known for being more reputable. I am looking forward to making it to Pai some time the next day and reuniting with some of my UK friends from Thong Nai Pan.

Onward and northward.

Rocks

I made it to Ton Sai beach!

It took two separate longtail boats to get here. The place is a paradise for climbers. The beach is completely surrounded by extremely high limestone cliffs with plentiful, sturdy hand holds and anchors built in at strategic points. There also seem to be islands off short to climb on as well. My climber friend would surely drool over this setting. Climbing on the beach at sunset, only steps away from beer and BBQ. The setting is magnificent. Too bad I don't climb ;)

Someone told me this is one of the top 10 climbing destinations in the world. I believe it.

This beach is quite a bit busier than Thong Nai Pan with a bit more night life as well. On my way to the beach, I met a new friend from Spain named German (pronounced: Hehr-mahn). His English is at just about the same level as my Spanish, so we have had daily and nightly language lessons for each other. Quite fun. Since he is on his way to Australia for a year, and since I am on my way to South America soon, this works out perfectly.

Probably on my way to the North of Thailand pretty soon. Maybe a day or so.. I think my skin is a crunchy golden brown by now. Time for a cool-off.

Detour

On my way to Ton Sai, I took a day or so detour with my lovely German friends Lauren and Sarah to Ko Samui. You must stop on that island anyway on the way to the west coast. I was enjoying their company, and Lauren had some locals she knew of living on Mae Nam beach. So I said what the heck.

We found some cheap bungalows on the beach - a step up from the Kazinski, but still pretty rustic. I actually skipped Ko Samui because I thought this type of place was non existent here. I have learned that Lonely Planet doesn't not come close to having all type of places listed.. Just a general flavor.

Nion and Jeed are a super cool couple that have a business making coconut jewelry. Lauren's parents visit every year and buy a load of it to sell in Germany. We sat with them in their store front / living room / bar late into the evening sipping whiskey with ice and water (went down so easy). Jeed, a lovely Thai with tattoos and beautiful hippy clothing brought us some green mango and Naem for snacks. Naem are these little pouches of sausage meat, each with a green chili - of varying strengths. Pop those with some peanuts and a sip of whiskey. Whoo! The extra snacks gave us some extra drinking time that allowed us to hear stories from Nion, a chilled out dude from Bali a little older than me who gave us some stories and tips on the local ways. Great way to spend an evening.

Unfortunately, my camera has been broken for about four days, so I have no pictures at all from Ko Samui or of my latest set of new friends. I'll have to beg for some from their cameras.

Sad goodbyes while Lauren and Sarah prepared to attend the full moon party on Ko Pha Ngan - a backtrack for them.... while I headed to the east coast. All by my lonesome once again.

Made it to Krabi last night and stayed at P. Guesthouse - by far my nicest accommodations so far and still super cheap.

Krabi town is cute! A cool little coastal town with lots of little bars and some charming buildings and landscaping. Most people that are here are on their way somewhere else... but not a bad place I must say. Ko Samui, for all it's glitzy reputation, I found cheesy and not particularly charming.

Today I bought a new camera since this is the only town so far that has any at all for sale. It's my one chance for a few days. Since it needs to charge, I'll have no pictures of Krabi town unless maybe on the way back.

Now I get on a boat for Railay and then on to Ton Sai.

Delay

I am on my third "last day" in Thong Ni Pan. It is a big joke among my friends who chuckle every time I say this is really my last day. The first time, my alarm clock (cell phone) battery died so I didn't wake up in time to make the boat. When I walked into the guesthouse office to tell them I didn't need a taxi, they were playing "One More Night" by Phil Collins. I just smiled and shook my head. Next song? "Another Day in Paradise" also by Phil Collins.

And.. as I fully expected the regular Friday night party at The Hideaway bar was just too fun to pass up. Woke up late again....."One More Night".

Tonight? The daily Miles's-last-day party.

Escape

The exceptional delightfulness of this place is dangerous. Well... the kind of dilemma one would like to have I suppose. I am doing my best to balance the desire to stay here with the mission to see at least several other places during my trip. There is something great about adjusting to life here, but I would be sad to see too few of this area.

It is quite easy to sink into this place and lose all desire to leave.

My Frisbee tossing skills have improved markedly. Diving catches are less risky in the shallow warm bay. I know all the best spots in town for coconut shakes and fruit salads. Believe it or not, I just last night had my first Tom Yum Goong soup - something I never fail to order in the Thai restaurants back home. The first of many I suspect.

Befitting a true backpacker cliche, I have taken up poi. Anna, a wonderful young woman from Barcelona, was generous enough to give me a couple of lessons and help me make my first set. I used some found objects and rope I found in the rocks near my first ever lesson. After a lot of crotch and head bonking, I am finally getting the feel of them. Anna says I am a natural.

I have decided to leave tomorrow morning and head to Hat Ton Sai (Ton Sai Beach), a hippy backpacker and rock climber darling on the west coast near Krabi. A nice Brazilian girl named Luciana just came from there yesterday and said I will love it. She seems to be doing the same trip as me, only in reverse, so she was able to pump me up about going to Don Det in Laos where she spent 15 days.

So today goes the (very) sad exercise of collecting email addresses from my beach friends and packing my things. It will be a whole day tomorrow to travel to Krabi - and then get a boat the next morning to Ton Sai - the only way to reach the beach.

Just some of the things I will miss about Thong Nai Pan Noi:

• Again and Again restaurant and the Bamboo Hut, both great mom and pop restaurants. Really super nice people (Kahn and Mr. A) and rediculously good cooks.


• Our guesthouse dogs, Party and Bucket - super cute and sweet, although essentially wild strays prone to scuffles with the dogs next door.


• Late night runs to Handsome Sandwiches for a great bacon burger (cooked by Mr. and Mrs. Handsome of course - out of what essentially is a card table and a shade structure with a hot plate).


• Sam and "A", the Thai bartenders at the guest house. Sam is really one of the best bar/lounge DJ's I have heard. An amazing music collection and a different music genre every night.

The coming weekend will bring a new adventure, a new set of friends, and, if I am lucky, a full moon party in Ton Sai (The one on Kho Pha Ngan just sounds too big and crowded).

Pop Gung Mai Khop! (See you later)

Routine

I'm am noticing and now anticipating the patterns of the day. Daily events are replacing clock time altogether. The absence of any need for clocks has resulted in phrases like "swim o' clock" and "pad thai thirty".

Every morning the water is calm, but every day there is something different about the beachfront. Today there were lots of what looked like ashes washed up. Yesterday it was random objects covered in barnacles: a beer bottle, a flip flop, a lighter, a light bulb. The day before was lots of seaweed, while on my first day there were tiny bright blue jelly fish - about the size of a penny. What will it be tomorrow?

Later in the day, we get our single shipment of newcomers. Backpackers fresh off the daily boat from Ko Samui - usually one or two sets of folks - lumber up the beach looking like lurching sea turtles, carrying their homes on their backs. The smart ones pass every other option on the beach and find us on The Rocks. Each day when they arrive, it's kind of like opening a nativity calendar to see who our new friends are going to be today.

The regulars take their showers like clockwork, some in the morning, some before sunset.

As the sun gets just behind the trees (the real sunset is on the other side of the island - we're a sunrise beach), the daily frisbee toss starts - Usually Sam's doing. In such a humid place, even this breaks a huge sweat.

Then, at precisely the same time each day, the jungle revs up and lets out a siren, a symphony of bugs, reptiles, and who knows what else. It is the signal that the evening has begun. The opus lasts about five minutes, then is quiet. As part of the collective song, the gecko that lives next door sounds off like a jack-in-the-box, revving up with exactly three sets of "Gh-Gh-Gh-Gh-Gh-Gh" like turning the key in the ignition, followed by five hoots of "Gek! Go, Gek! Go.." (Oh so that's where their name comes from!)

I have taken to hiding out in my hammock at this time of day slathered in bug spray. The mosquitoes are out in force for about 30 minutes. A good time for reading. The picture is the view from the hammock during the day.

Now the guesthouse staff sets up for their nightly barbecue. They set out tables and torches, and turn on all the twinkly lights in the trees. Lay out all the fresh fish and meat to await what is hopefully a good crowd for the night.

A little later the thump of pleasant lounge music starts to signal folks to join up at the bar.

Then comes the hard part. Deciding which delicious restaurant to eat at.

The party choice is made for you, as each night of the week sees a regular party at a particular bar in town.

Drink, smoke, laugh, sleep.

I think this routine has been mastered. I'll soon begin researching my next stop.

Simple

Life on the beach is relaxing in a way that is hard to describe. I haven't had this little to do in.. well, ever.. My days are delightful.. filled with great food, sunshine, and new friends.

A normal day is: wake up, eat some tropical fruit or eggs for breakfast. Read in my hammock. Take a dip in the warm light green water. (I think it's green because the sand is a bit yellowish). Take a walk, eat some lunch, maybe shop for some necessities, then before you know it, it's sunset - and time for dinner and drinks. This routine is especially simple, basic, and pleasurable.

As it turns out, I have landed at spot popular with long time regulars. The beach, the bungalows, the restaurant, the bar, and the staff are not to be beat for backpacker prices. For this reason , there are a number of people from around the world that return every year for months on end.

Sam: A friendly New Yorker that stays in the US as little as possible and lives here up to 7 months a year. Hergin: an Amsterdam bartender that saves her tips to return here again and again - not to Thailand, mind you... but to this beach, this guesthouse. Paul: a tall, bald, tattooed athletic Brit keen on long swims, beach Frisbee, and Thai massages. Nathan: a high energy Brit who is loads of fun keen heavy metal music and who has introduced me to the Handsome Burger, a local street food stop which is mainly a tent and a card table. They are also Handsome Gasoline, Handsome Travel, and Handsome Laundry ("make your clothes smell good 10 years!").

They know each other as well as many of the local merchants and residents. This makes for an atmosphere I didn't expect to get in such a transient place. It really is just like the Buc every night at the bar. The regulars give it a homey feel. And the Thai resident DJ at the bar is actually excellent!

Every night there is a BBQ at my guesthouse on the beach. This is probably the best cuisine I have had on the island. Great ribeye steaks, prawns, and amazing duck with mango. The cheaper food in the small nearby village is always great as well and about 1/3 the price of the beachfront stuff.

I met Peter and Fayette, a couple from London. Their journey and their experience leading up to it where shockingly similar to mine. We left home on the same day for a long term journey and both our first stops ended up directly next door to one another on the same beach. They both quit their jobs, and had the same stresses I did in preparation to get out on the road. So far my plan is more leisurely than theirs - they have more stops on their trip and more goals. They left today, while I'll be here for awhile I expect. Fayette left me with something to think about. They are taking a Thai massage course for 12 days in Chiang Mai. Having something like a new skill to take away from a trip seems like a great thing to do. I'll ponder that one.

Ian showed up here as well and now lives next door. Since he is such an experienced traveller in these parts, he was able to give them some good tips for travelling here and in India, they're next stop. Yesterday we all hiked up to a great waterfall above our beach. Great to have a fresh water bath!

Last night I met a woman from Ireland who used to live on Oak and Steiner streets in San Francisco, only a half block from my house. Wow.

With things this pleasant, no plans to leave any time soon.

Kazinski

Stopped for dinner on the bus around 1 am (?!), got back on, went back to sleep, and woke up in Surat Thani at 7am at a breakfast stop and a bus change. On that stop I met Paul from London who reinforced my desire to see Krabi beach.

From here a boat to Kho Pan-Ngon (2 hours) and then a taxi (40 min). On the boat, I met a gent from Manchester who was on his 7th trip to Thailand and the 2nd in the past 12 months. He tipped me off that Ko Phi Phi is indeed rebuilt after the tsunami, however it is now super pricey, so I may scratch that one from the plan. On the taxi/truck I met a nice German couple who gave me some tips on where to stop. I got dropped off in the jungle beach town of Thong Ni Pan Noi and wandered around with my pack until I found what I was looking for - a cheap bungalow right on the beach. 300b per night (yes! [$10]) but a communal bathroom and no hot water (ouch!). Also, the toilet is not "western style". This will be my first of these.

I am going to call this hut "The Kazinski". It has four walls but they are like swiss cheese, a decent sized bed with a sheet and pillows but no blankets, two windows with wooden covers that slide off, two shelves, a mosquito net and a broom. Oh and a gecko mummy that is stuck to the wall pretty hard.

Now, I chill.

Out

Woke up early to make the decision on my first stop and reserve trvel. Ready to be out of Khao San. Had breakfast with Ian and he helped me find a trip to Ko Pha-Ngon for 500 baht - about $16. This includes a 10 hour overnight tour bus, and ferry service to KPN. I'll leave 6pm today and arrive at noon tomorrow. We killed the afternoon taking a city bus adventure to the J.J. Market, a huge flea market in Bangkok with lots of cool stuff. Too bad no more room in my pack. Maybe stop again there on the way back. Caught the bus at 6pm but failed to realize that the special A/C feature of the bus meant I should dress warmer for the trip. Brr!

Organize

Since I was so busy before I left town, I never really set aside a lot of time to figure out where I wanted to go while I was here in Asia. I figured I would have plenty of time for that once I arrived. Well now that I'm here, I'm burning valuable days on Khao San Road, while not a bad spot, is far from paradise. So today I plan. Here is a rough draft of my plan which is likely to change frequently.

• Bus to Ko Samui and Ko Pha Ngan islands. Known for the full moon parties, I will likely miss that. But it sounds crowded and sloppy anyway.
  


• Possibly head over to Krabi and Ko Phi Phi. Supposed to be paradise on Earth. Phi Phi got flattened (completely 100%) in the tsunami but is supposed to be back in business.


• Bus or plane to Chiang Mai


• Bus to Pai


• Bus to Chang Rai, Chiang Khong to head toward Laos


• Boat down Mai Kong river to Luang Prabang, Laos. Kim said this was a good place.


• Work my way down to Don Det which Kim said was a must must do.


• Possibly come back through Cambodia and hit Ankor Wat


• Work my way back to Ko Chang, the other paradise on Earth island in Thailand


• Return to Bangkok and SF

This seems like a lot to fit in for a relaxing trip. So stay tuned for edits.

Today I got my cell phone unlocked and got a Thai phone number... woo hoo! Very handy for connecting with folks (who have phones). I'm checking to see if I can get free text messages. If so, I'll post my number for friends back home to text me.

I also took a boat ride down the Mai Nam Chao Phraya river to check out Chinatown, BKK. Amazing array of street food there and everywhere I have been. So much, so varied, and so delicious. The Thais really love to eat well.

I had to change my hotel room tonight because the hot water quit on me. Too bad my new room is still directly across from a live music stage. Thank goodness I'm used to sleeping across the street from the Beauty Bar in SF.

Arrival

So far so good!

I made it to Taipei airport. It's not as nice as I expected. More or less like LAX. It smells like cigarette smoke even though there are designated smoking rooms in the far reaches. There's not much to eat here but there is plenty of duty free merchandise with many attractive well-dressed sales people to answer any questions. Only since all the stuff is priced in Taiwan currency it's hard to tell if anything is a good buy. However, since a bottle of water is $3 US, I didn't bother doing the math - as if I have any way to carry anything anyway.

The flight from SFO was long - 13 hours. China Airlines had good service and a clean plane but no frills to speak of. I had a decent vegetarian meal, but the cold dry recirculated air gave me a sore throat by the end of the trip. After leaving SFO at midnight Thursday, we arrived in Taiwan at sunrise Friday and a 3 hour layover before taking off for Bangkok.

I met a few nice folks in the Taipei airport during the layover - all of them from the Bay Area. All had been to Bangkok before and one guy, Ian, promised to split a cab with me from the airport to Khao San Road where were were both staying. Very helpful to have a partner in that journey.

The flight to Bangkok was about 3 1/2 hours and in a much nicer plane with better movies.

The trip to Khao San was uneventful. The awful traffic and crazy drivers I had heard of were nothing compared to those of Lima drivers. Piece of cake.

The room I pre-paid is just OK. Not as nice as the hotel in Lima I stayed at for about the same price. I think I can do better if I shop around.

It was great to finally get a shower and relax for the first time in many weeks. I found Ian again and we had some tasty and spicy food, walked around a bit, and met a local who helped us with our Thai.

Time to crash!!