Pai, Thailand - Riding motorbikes and seeing stuff :-)

We haven't updated in a few days because the Internet in Pai keeps disconnecting, and we do have a lot to tell about our last day in Chiang Mai, but we have to tell you about today first.

Yesterday morning we left Chiang Mai and took a minibus to Pai. While we have loads to say about buses vs minivans, we will leave it to this guy who is hilarious and says everything that needs to be said about transportation between Chiang Mai and Pai. We actually recommend reading it even if you have no intention of visiting Thailand. He's that funny.

Anyway, we took the minibus and arrived in Pai yesterday around 13:00 or so and the town is tiny. It is also in North Thailand, and it's basically a vacation town. There are many awesome things to do and see in the area, which has helped the town because a huge tourist destination.


We are staying at the Baan Pai Village guesthouse, which is known to be one for the best guest houses in Pai, and we have a very cute and very basic hut. Still about 5 steps above where we lived when we were at the wildlife rescue center, so we're cool.

Since the guest house i so close to the bus station, we walked there, and on the way we saw that it costs 50 baht ($1.56) to rent a bicycle for a day, and 100 baht ($3.10) to rent a motorbike for a day. So we today we did what any two people who have never driven a motorbike before would do.

We rented 2 motorbikes.

Have I mentioned yet that neither of us have ever driven one? Need I remind you that I just mentioned a few days ago that I had ridden on one for the first time in my life?

I have no idea what got into me, but my sense of adventure seems to be heightened when I'm around Rony.

By heightened I mean exist.

So this morning, after breakfast, we went to rent the motorbikes. Since we hadn't driven them before, we were both taken to a secluded area where the Thais did what they want with us we were given a quick lesson in how to drive a motorbike.

By quick lesson I mean this (and I quote verbatim): Dis - up, key - here, this flont blake, this back blake, this start bike. Go.

Y'all, people learn how to ride a motorbike for months to get their license, and we got a 30-second explanation. At this point we were to get on the bike and drive around a bit to get the hang of it, which is a nice concept.

So I'm thinking, OK, in their minds, their 12-year-olds can ride, so I should be able to, too. Um, no.  Here's a basic description of the looks on our faces. Rony: Complete exhilaration and excitement. Me: wishing I hadn't sent all of my other pants to the laundry, thinking I will need to change them a few times.

After Rony said, "Go!" a few times, we were off to drive around the secluded area. I got to be pretty good at going straight, but turning - not so much. Then I was able to turn right, but not left.

Me: Can we just turn left the whole time?
Rony: No.

Once I mastered not falling, and then mastering turning right, (and by mastering I mean not falling), I tried to turn the bike around so I could practice turning left. And I fell into a bunch of rocks. Luckily, I was going about 0.035 kilometers per hour and I only got a few bruises. Even more luckily, they match the other bruises on my leg in size and color. I am such a girl!

After the fall, the two "instructors" (who we should really call drivers), said OK, let's go back, and I'm all, hello I need a few more minutes, did you not just see I can't turn left? And he's all, go back, and I'm like crap, Rony, they won't give me a bike.

But they did, and we were off.

Very very slowly.

Rony: Smiling. Talia: Peeing herself.

After slowing down to almost a complete stop every time we had to turn, we started to get the hang of it, and suddenly I was going so fast! I was speeding! The wind was in my face! I was going so fast!! I was going... 17 kilometers per hour. That's 10.5 miles per hour in American. So, yeah, I had a long way to go.

The truth is, slowly I started going faster (an oxymoron if I've ever written one), and I am in love with the whole concept. Though every now and then I would suddenly slow down a little cause falling at 10 kph is a lot better than falling at 60 kmp. Thankfully, Rony was very patient with me. At first, he would go real slow, and later when I felt more confident, he would go a bit faster (don't get worried, Rony's family, I was going 20 kph, it's easy to go faster and still be slow) and then stop to wait for me. Such a good guy.

Pam Bok Waterfall - not impressive in itself, but gorgeous area and drive up

So today we went to see the Pam Bok waterfall. As a waterfall, it isn't that impressive, but the drive there is gorgeous and the view all around is amazing. You can hike about 20 minute up to the top of the waterfall and there are a bazillion butterflies there (and everywhere else), but they're a bit ADHD and wouldn't stop long enough for me to take a picture. They're all hello I have 24 hour, I can't stop to strike a pose.

I love this picture. This is the top part where we hiked to

I loved the hike there, even though it was a short one, and from there we went back to Pai to eat lunch. I wasn't hungry, I just wanted to drive more and more, but we had to change into our bathing suits anyway cause our next stop was the hot springs.

After lunch, we drove back out and went to the Tha Pai Hotsprings, and on the way we stopped at the World War 2 memorial bridge built by the Japanese in 1943 (I have no idea why I know that). Then we were off to the Tha Pai hotsprings. When we got there, we were asked to pay 200 baht ($6.25) to get in.

World War 2 memorial bridge

While this isn't expensive, there is no reason to pay that much, especially since we weren't sure we'd even be able to go into the hotsprings there, but then we remembered that our new friend, Claudia, who we had met on the tour we took on our last day in Chiang Mai, told us that we can go to the Pai Hotspring Spa Resort and only pay 50 baht, so we turned around and went there. Just for perspective, the 150 baht difference pays for an entire meal including alcohol.

After passing several random elephants along the way, who - I swear - recognized me as a former elephant slave by the look on their faces, we arrived at the Resort. It is gorgeous. For 50 baht ($1.56), we could freely use the hot spring and their pool for as long as we wanted - and they even stored our nifty motorbike helmets for us.

The place is beautiful. If we were swimming in cash, we would totally go there. After resting in the springs and swimming in the pool, we set back to Pai, seeing as it was starting to get dark, and we really didn't want to drive in the dark on our first day on motorbikes.

Hot springs

All in all, it was in amazing, incredibly fun day that left us with great memories, soft skin, a happy heart, and a backpack tan.

Direct link to pictures for Chiang Mai and Pai:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=569635&id=906005363&l=7225387d6b