Peace and Love in Pai....

Sunday, January 24, 2010
Pai, Thailand
Pai is one of those little towns that you find that bring on a sense of peace and serenity where you feel that you can just hang and stay in while. Our bungalow is super cute, a word that we used alot while here in Pai , there are charming coffee shops and restaurants everywhere, and shops selling " I love Pai!" t-shirts and postcards. At night there is a local street market, where we sampled some great street food favorites such as shish k-bobs and spring rolls and these amazing coconut cakes, that Johanna can not get out of her mind, even asking the woman preparing them her secret recipe, which she would not give up, so we stood and watched for a while as she prepared them on her street grill, watching closely for the secret ingredients which were never quite reveled even after two visits.
Our bungalow at Sun Hut was very quiet, about a 15 minute stroll out of town, a nice walk back with the night sky filled with stars and the absence of street lights to fully see their beauty, a wonderful treat coming from the busy city of Chicago, especially this time of year with so few clear nights . We found an Italian restaurant we liked , even went there twice! A nice little break from noodles and the owner was the real thing, from Italy, and his tables lit at night with candles melted down like waterfalls, adding new ones as they burned out, so romantic! Johanna and I didn't mind, sat with all the other couples and shared our Chang Beer and wood fired pizza, delicious!
On one of our days we took a elephant ride into the jungle , which is more like a mountain side in the spring, with very little foliage this time of year being the dry season. Johanna's first elephant ride , but she was very brave and adventurous and rode the whole time bareback on the elephants neck, wrapping her legs around her neck, she had a great time. Elephants are such gentle giants, its such a shame that anyone would ever want to hurt them, Its so nice that so many places in Thailand take such care of their treasured animals,
Days in Pai were spent wandering the local streets, crossing a very rickety bamboo bridge to the real backpacker side where some on a real budget shared dorm bungalows for 200 baht ( $6) a night. The bars have acoustic music and bonfires and candles creating the feel of a place to stop by for a beer and conversation other than a crowded club. The feel here is very Zen, with many signs reminding you to slow down, and be happy for today. We love Pai!
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