Where's the beach?

Entry 32:

For those of you who were following the international headlines, you will recall that there was a huge protest at the Bangkok International Airport for a couple of weeks in the beginning of December, 2008. As a result, we had to find a direct flight to the beaches that did not stop over in Bangkok. We flew to Phuket (pronounced Pooket) with the idea of taking a bus over to visit Krabi. We were ready to leave the cool weather of the north and enjoy some sunshine on the beach.

From the time we made it to Krabi, we realized that the south is much different than the north. While we were in Chiang Mai, we paid less than $10 for a room with A/C, satelite TV, and a private bathroom. Here in the south we paid more than $10 for a room with a mattress on the floor and a shared bath in the hallway. At least the Mr. Clean guesthouse lived up to its name. We also realized that Krabi, despite its fame, does not have a beach, and therefore could not keep us entertained for long.

We were convinced both by our guidebook and other travelers we'd encountered that a beach called Hat Raley off the coast of Krabi was worth visiting. We took a longtail boat over and were enchanted by the scenery, which resembled Vietnam's Ha Long Bay...

...However, when we got off the boat and started walking around to inquire about guesthouses, we noticed that this miniscule island had very high-end resorts that were charging astronomical sums. All the backpackers seemed to be staying in a town nearby which we were warned to stay away from because of its pollution and noise. To add insult to injury, the beach was very small and roped off after only a few feet. That meant all the tourists paying top Baht were crammed into a tiny area or avoiding the beach altogether by going to their resort's pool. We were not impressed.

We gathered up our bags and hopped back into a longtail boat headed to Krabi. We decided to spend the night there rather than take a bus elsewhere. That night we found an internet cafe and booked a room at a resort in Phuket for four nights. Although we had been trying to avoid Phuket, we gave up trying to find the perfect beach and figured since so many tourists head there, Phuket must have some nice beaches. We considered working our way to the Gulf of Thailand to visit the islands of Ko Samui or Ko Phangan, but it was monsoon season and each ferry ride between the islands can be costly. We did some research on Phuket and avoided the most touristy of the beaches in favor of Hat Karen.

For more photos, visit: grossmintblog.shutterfly.com

Pai in the Sky

Entry 31:
Early on, we had read about the town of Pai in our guidebook. It was described as a hippy haven located in the Thai Highlands. Even though it seemed far off the beaten path, we were drawn to it like a moth to a flame. But getting there was quite an adventure. As with most minibus rides in S.E. Asia, the driver seemed content to exceed the speed limit whenever possible. This combined with the twisting narrow road contributed to extreme nausea. Somehow we made it to town without using the motion sickness bags.

If you'll recall, when we were in Vientienne we visited the tree house sauna. It was there we met Manny from Canada who told us about TaComePai, an organic farm whose friendly owner rents out rooms in authentic native hilltribe houses on stilts. Check out this funny You Tube video from a former guest. Unfortunately, it was too cold to go swimming and jump into the pond.

Since the farm is located about 5km outside of town, we needed to hitchhike to Pai. We thought no one would ever stop, but finally a pickup truck pulled over. The truck was packed with family members in the cab and all their luggage and camping supplies in the back. They told us to simply hop onto their belongings and off we went at a dizzying speed. We had to hold on to our hats.

When we got to town, we found something to eat and decided to rent a motor scooter. We flipped a coin and Sharon was designated as the driver. The only problem was, Sharon had never driven a scooter before. The guy renting it out took Sharon to a back street to practice. No pressure, though. Did we forget to mention that Thais drive on the opposite side of the road? Still, no pressure. OK - so the lesson was over and we were on our way.

Night was falling. The Mercury was following close behind, so we cruised back to Tacomepai. There we found the local farm hands and some Western volunteers gathered around a campfire eating veggie fare off plates carved out of bamboo. Later that night, the spirits began to flow and happy water was passed around. One local Thai girl named Kaew became intoxicated with happy water and let the rest of us know from a distance as we could hear her yelling all the way from our beds.

That night was rough on us, not so much because of Kaew, but because of the cold temperatures (mid-30s F) and the thin mattresses and blankets on the floor of our hut. The concept was cute, but cute didn't cut it from more than one night. We decided to find a more suitable option and bid farewell to our brethren in the morning.

After finding a new guesthouse, we hopped on the motor scooter and headed to a camping resort where we were told you could soak in the sulfur hotspring pools for only $0.50 per person. We sped off to find lunch and visit a few more scenic spots including a beautiful waterfall. That night we dined at Mama Falafel, a locally owned restaurant whose chef was taught the fine art of Israeli cuisine.

On our final day in Pai, we wanted to make good use of our motor scooter. We rode to the Chinese Village, and returned it after lunch at a riverside oasis called "The Sanctuary." Since we hadn't spent much time in town, we walked around for the rest of the day. On our walk, we bumped into Clark and Megan, two Kiwis we met previously in Lao. They were hanging out with two Brits they had met in Vietnam. The six of us spend the evening walking around town, sampling street food, and having beers at the Curry House known for its Reggae music.

Pai is truly unique as it attracts both Western and Asian hippies. It is not unusual to see its narrow streets packed with Thai tourists on long weekends, some of them even sporting dreadlocks. There are countless numbers of advertisements for yoga, meditation, and other new age practices. In addition, the town is known for adventure sports such as rafting, tubing, and rock climbing. It's a place we'd consider coming back to when the weather is warmer.

To view additional pictures, go to: grossmintblog.shutterfly.com