Posted on Monday, 10 November 2014

When a tourist is tired of the traffic and noise of Bangkok, and they don't have Thailand's southern beaches on their mind, they may turn their attention to the country's second city, Chiang Mai, located in the verdant north.

Despite being the nation's number two settlement, it is far more laid back than the bustling 10-million person capital. In fact, just 150,000 people live here.

But if a tourist really wants to relax, then they take trip to the small town of Pai, located to the north of Chaing Mai.

Chang Mai, Thailand

I decided to do just this, and boarded a minivan to Pai one morning, packed with other tourists and their luggage.

It was a twisting, turning 50 mile journey that would have been hard enough to deal with without the driver's "assertive" motoring style; he would take bends at high speed and engage in some truly perilous over-taking manoeuvres. 

He did slow down when he realised a Russian lady in the back had her head in a 7-Eleven carrier bag – but it made little difference; those prone to road sickness are unlikely to find an easy way to get to Pai (although flying from Chiang Mai is one option).

Under these circumstances, it was hard to appreciate the lush jungle outside.

And so I was glad to get off the minivan when we finally arrived.

After retrieving my luggage I moved off down Pai's main street; this long thoroughfare forms the backbone of the town, which supports a population of around 3,000.

I felt the sun on my back as I walked down the gently descending road towards my intended accommodation. All around me were travellers of all ages, wobbling along on rented scooters, shopping for souvenirs or eating in restaurants and cafes. The delicious aromas of lemongrass and ginger and burnt chilli wafted out from these busy eateries. 

In the ‘Noughties' Thailand's tourists were mostly European, Australasian and North American. Today, while this demographic is still in strong evidence, there are also many Thais and Chinese – and they seem to love Pai.

I soon found my accommodation after crossing a narrow, rickety bamboo bridge, which traversed the low-running Hua Na river.

It was a peaceful, green plot of land that hosted a dozen huts. Sunlight dappled the grass through the foliage of the surrounding trees. A friendly young Thai woman welcomed me and showed me to my bamboo hut; a simple room on stilts with a small balcony and a hammock. Inside there was a mattress and even a power point. She gave me the wi-fi password and told me breakfast would be served from eight until nine in the morning.

All this cost 150 baht (or £3) per night.

After enjoying a swing on my hammock and taking in the pleasant views across adjacent sun-drenched farmland, I decided to head into town for some lunch.

I soon found a quaint tea shop that also served snacks. I ordered a Pad Thai – a simple but tasty noodle dish with ground peanuts, spring onion and lemon – and afterwards I tried the tea-shop's flagship drink: grass tea. This was made from grass grown right there in the shop on dozens of shelves. An interesting taste, but not one I seek out again!

Later I strolled back up the main road in search of a scooter rental shop. After giving the proprietors 3,000 baht as a security deposit, they let me have a brand new and very nippy Honda 125cc scooter – for just 150 baht a day. This really was a cheap place for a holiday, I thought.

After examining a photocopied map the rental shop gave me, I headed off to the nearest petrol station, and then, after a few navigational errors, out onto the main road.

Streets of Pai, Thailand (De Visu/Bigstock.com)

I was surprised by how smooth the road was as I acquainted myself with the little scooter. I find being out by one's self on a motorbike to be one of the most freeing and enjoyable experiences one can have – and here it was made even better by the incredible views of lush Thai jungle.

After turning down a rough track I found my destination easily: a waterfall called Bam Pok. I parked and climbed up a narrow track and soon came across the waterfall, cascading down sheer rock and plunging into a pool populated with travellers.

I stripped off and dove into the water. Despite the heat it was actually very cold.

I got chatting to some Dutch travellers who had also come by scooter, and after an hour or so of splashing around and leaping off the rocks into the water, headed back to Pai with them.

We stopped off at a cafe on the main road that afforded views over a large, flat valley, on the other side of which rose steep, jungle-clad hills.

It really was a beautiful spot, and the perfect antidote to big city fatigue.

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