Life in PAI full of LOVE

Time warp pulling you in for a gentle hug

Laid back

It’s island time in the mountains

Sunsets burn and glow

Touch the aching parts of my soul

A slow and subtle descent

Into the inner workings of the mind

Tap tap tapping into what’s been overlooked

So faint within the veil of fog and smoke

It can be hard to see

Just rest, changes are underway

Slow

Slow

Slow

Pai is taking you high up into the clouds

gravity and pressure do not exist

I know, It’s hard to believe

Just trust the process

Pai has her own plans for you dear

Paradigm shift

Evolving consciousness isn’t something you can control

You don’t need to practice

no way to outwardly prepare

This is paradise for your mind,

All the running stops,

Let her bermuda triangulate what you thought you knew,

You’re free to let go

No need to keep track

Give that tether ball a break,

Reset the trajectory.

Time and space is what you perceive

bathe in the golden light

Unravel all those strings

so you can once again see clearly.

 

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After calling magical Pai home for the last month I’m journeying onward to Bali, but I will definitely be back. Out of all the things I enjoyed about this little northern Thai town is the community I’ve found within it–  the beautiful, creative and welcoming souls that I’ve met. It would be a generalization to say that everyone is friendly in any place, but I really do feel like that is true about Pai.

Attraction wise, there are natural hot springs, waterfalls and temples riddled throughout the town and surrounding areas– the big white Buddha overlooking Pai from the mountain top is definitely a highlight worth checking out, it’s a great place to just chill, meditate and catch a sunset over the valley.

Food options galore!

• Earth Tone (Delicious, organic and locally sourced food. PLUS!! They have an awesome shop where you can actually buy some healthy foods, as well as body products likes lotions without whitening  chemicals in them) 
• Om Cafe
• Chinese Vegetarian restaurant with the temple facade in the front (very cheap and they have some interesting alters and statues within the restaurant),
• Charlie and Lek (Best banana leaf salad I’ve ever had; and amazing curries!)
• Na’s Kitchen (A Pai staple and great range of traditional Thai foods)
• Cafecito (Oh man, Cafecito, where to start??!!?? Dustin, the owner and chef is a master coffee roaster, definitely one of the fluffiest cappuccinos I’ve ever had– but the food is where it’s at. This is the only place that I’ve had Mexican food in Thailand, probably because nobody else would be able to do it quite like he can– I highly recommend the breakfast torta with shitake mushrooms, and the breakfast burrito.)
• Good Life (Best kambucha, you’ll find it being sold all over town. K, the owner has a restaurant in the center of town and then he also owns Good Life Dacha, which is his house and fermentation school a few blocks away. You can go there during the day and book a class and he’ll teach you all about the powers of fermentation, how to do it and the best part is that he is so passionate about it that it’s hard not to feel excited about too!)
• 661 (great food, and they sell home made bread and feta cheese, and I personally think there’s is the best in town)
• Mama Sue’s Krazy Kitchen
• Art in Chai
• The Lampshade (on Walking street, it’s a store filled with a bunch of handmade lampshades; aside from the brilliant and eclectic collection of crafty fabrics, dresses and other eyegasm worthy things, they have delicious pizza and a solid cesear salad. Everything else looked pretty good too)

Seriously, I could go on forever with this list, but these are definitely some of the best places to eat and kick it in Pai.

Drinks and Nightlife-ish things: I didn’t go out that much but there were a few places I enjoyed, but if you’re looking for a series of all night ragers then to be honest Pai might not be the place for you. Most of the bars close around midnight at the latest, except for “Don’t Cry,” a reggae bar across the bridge in town, they stay open pretty late.

• Spirit Bar (eclectic mix of house, trance, D & B, some DJs and some low key live acts as well. They have a nice patio, and yummy drinks AND!! For jewelry and gem stone lovers, they have a rad little jewelry shop where they make all of their own stuff, it’s all very unique and they have a variety of different gems)
• Easy Bar (good music, nice patio with comfortable loungy cushions and a hammoc,)
• Sunset Bar (this place is great if you’re looking for a mushroom shake, wink wink)
• Jinko’s Beer (awesome craft beers, the best selection I’ve found in Thailand! They’re always rotating the taps, but they had Delirium Tremens, Chimay and some other delicious bottled beers when I was there)

If you want to have a massage, “Relax” was my go to spot. All of their massuesses were fantastic, and for 200 baht (approx. $6) for an hour traditional Thai massage, I made this a daily habit.

If you’re in town and there happens to be a party at Pit A Lue Gallery, GO!! It’s a gorgeous space where you’ll have a chance to meet some of the local community, listen to people play music and enjoy some of the incredible (and mostly super healthy) homemade foods from the community– and the work from the local artists will blow your mind, they’re insanely talented. When I was there I even picked up a brush and painted a few sketches on some paper that was left out for people to play around with.

Also, make sure to check out the fresh spring rolls on walking street, the kindest lady makes them, and they are so refreshingly delicious. I swear I ate them everyday for a week straight; and for 30 to 35 baht, you cannot go wrong!