Thailand: Pai

The van to Pai was a three or so hour ride squealing around jungle bound steep corners and... if Leonie didn't share her drugs motion sickness pills I too would have been clutching a leaky bag of puke. But we made it unscathed to our little village of bungalows. Obligatory durian photo.

The first full day in Pai we rented motorbikes (again, think what Americans would call scooters) and scooted off into the countryside.

We went to some waterfalls. You know what loves water? Butterflies!!

These gold dusted, red and white spotted, magnificent critters were very distracting. 

Tee was the only one brave enough to venture down the waterfall/slide.

Also a few cool flowers, I think this is a monkey flower.

One our way home we stopped and had lunch, and I discovered my new favorite food: pad kra pao gai. Super spicy basil chicken, with a side of rice and best with a fried egg on top.  Yum! I am excited to find a thai basil plant this spring so I can try to recreate it.

From there we went on to Martha's favorite place, the Land Split. And here's the magical spread the owner brought out to us. Passionfruit, tamarind, fresh roasted peanuts (yum!), sweet potato, banana chips...

There it is, a big split in the ground. There was a little spirit house tucked back in the jungle.

Look at this beauty, a hairstreak I think?

A few passionfruit flowers were showing their bizarre and beautiful structures. 

The next day we embarked on a little hike out of Pai and into the jungle, ostensibly to a waterfall, which we never reached. Beautiful rice fields, right out of National Geographic.

Cherimoya (custard apple) on the tree.

A little while in we acquired a joyous, bounding brindle guide puppy.

We trekked back and forth through a little river

A wild ginger plant sending up a flower structure. And a fancy little insect.
A convoluted tree vine, crawling all over the place.

I don't know what these are, but they are bizarre.

Being attended by ants, must be making something tasty.

Soybean field on the walk back.

A little lizard sunning itself.

And this beautiful beast!

The next day we rented scooters again, and off we went. 

We went back to the Land Split, and a waterfall. We went back to what my journal describes as "the winner food place" aka the little place where I got the pad kra pao gai. Then we visited a big Bhudda overlooking Pai that is still under construction. Gorgeous view

Olympic parky girls with big white Bhudda.

We also stopped to look at a Bhudda in a rice field. 

This is the "Grand Canyon of Pai". I don't know why, as its a series of really neat ridges, but whatever, it was lovely. 

I could have stayed here for several hours. Sadly no one else was terribly interested in that idea, so we headed home.

One thing we noticed in Pai was a thriving population of street dogs. This sad looking fellow apparently followed us home across the river after I accidentally dropped some food at the night market (and subsequently fed it). He/she was very mellow.

Followed us to breakfast.

And hung out with us until we left Pai in another corner squealing van. 

I liked Pai. It was beautiful, and learning to ride a 'motorbike' was terrifyingly fun! Now go hug your pets!