Getting to Pai D21-22

After our hike we had sent our laundry to the wash and fold gals. They couldn't promise that our clothes would be ready by the following morning, so we had to stay one more night in Chiang Mai. Unfortunately Beno and Laura had to leave as they already made plans to catch a flight in a few days. 

The Diva Guesthouse was full so we walked up and down our block trying to find accomodation. We landed right next door at the Same Same Guesthouse and paid $14 for the night.

Same Same is reffering to a saying that the people in Southeast Asia have: "Same Same, But Different." It has a few meanings but the most obvious application is that everything in SE Asia is relatively similiar with a little bit of difference here and there. The food, the markets, the accomodation.... same same. It also refers to the sentiment that everything we have/do in Western cultures SE Asia has/does too, just a bit differently. 

Well the Same Same Guesthouse was not same same as everywhere else. We blew it.

Remember how I said we would do our homework before paying for anything again? Crap. As soon as we pay we look up the reviews and then read them all as our punishment. It boils down to this: rude mamangement, terrible restaurant and disgustingly dirty rooms.

We got a room that had a double and a single bed in it. The ground was not swept, they don't provide toilet paper and there is an ungodly amount of spittle on the bathroom mirror. There are bugs flying around and then OH MY GOD the sheets. It looked like the last occupants were murdered by way of cheese grater. So much blood. 

Yikes! Only one night, though, and we're not princesses. Luckily we are prepared with our sleep sacks (silk sleeping bags, to protect us from the occasional Nightmare Linens). 

The rest of the day we avoid our room and arrange travel plans. We had originally wanted to motorbike up to Pai but Ian started to get nervous after looking into it. It's a three-hour drive with over 700 switchbacks- kind of scary for novice motorbikers. Everyone online says it's one of the best and most terrifying experiences from their trip. Ian worries that I might not be ready, so we decided we will take a bus up to Pai and motorbike home, thus cutting the chance for incident in half. I have Jeab set us up with the 11AM minibus.

We don't sleep great that night because of our gnarly hotel. We get up and pack a light bag and leave most of our things at Diva. We're only going to be in Pai a few days and Diva doesn't charge to hang on to bags.

It's 10:50AM when we get to Diva and wait for the minibus. It's 11:30AM and we're used to everyone being late. It's noon and I finally say something.

"OH NO! THEY FORGOT. SO SORRYYYYYYY"

They order us a tuk tuk and it comes at 12:30PM to take us to the bus station. I try to find anyone that can put us on a bus to Pai, and one lady tells us we have to wait a few hours to go on the next bus, because that one is leaving right now--

THAT ONE. GO!

We flag down that one with no help from the bus company. We tell the driver that they blew it and we were suppposed to be on the morning bus, so he lets us join. We are the last two to join, so Ian gets to sit shotgun and I sit in the bitch seat. It's a minivan, why do they say it's a minibus? Also, I was sitting on the vaguely upholstered top of the plastic console for three hours. My feet didn't touch the ground on either side and did I mention 700 SWITCHBACKS! 

Although I am absolutely uncomfortable and almost sitting too tall to see out the front window, I start to get really sleepy from the Dramamine. The driver is on his cellphone for the first 40 minutes of the ride and I think he's yakked out of his mind (on some uppers, moms). He's SO LOUD and talking SO FAST and giggling like a little kid. Once out of town the real hair-raising switchbacks start. From the back row a deep German-accented grumble erupts:

"PLEASE WILL YOU PUT DOWN YOUR HANDY-TALKING!!! THERE ARE TEN OF US!!! YOU NEED BOTH HANDS!!!"

... to which our driver says something like "ehhh... F this guy" to the person on the other end of the line, finishes his thought and hangs up with no urgency. He starts muttering stuff to himself in Thai, still giggling. So creepy. 

The ride goes on and our driver's phone rings about 15 more times. He always picks up and says some rendition of "F these guys". He sure doesn't mind texting while driving, either. I am battling the drowsiness of the Dramamine at this point and I realize if we're going down I can't save anybody. The German in the back row did his part by yelling hilariously so I help by looking at the driver every time he starts texting. He picks up on it.

Then came the singing.

Said driver is obviously bored and I think on a comedown of sorts. The last — and most topographically tumultuous — hour, he could not stop yawning. Did he take a Dramamine? He slowly started singing what sounded like a child's lullaby in Thai, very slow and whispering half of the words. You know, the kind of lullaby that hollow-eyed kids sing from behind a closet door in scary movies.

Anyway, at this point I fall asleep because I am utterly useless.We finally make it and no one is happier than the driver. He runs out of the minivan like he's on fire and we never see him again.

We rent motorbikes and head to our accomodation, Amy's Earth House. AEH got great reviews online (Ian checked!) and is composed of little adobe rooms that stay cool throughout the day. It's located near the Pai airport and about ten minutes away from "downtown" Pai. 

The girl running AEH didn't seem to know any English and we later realized that the owner, Amy, was on vacation. This caused a few bumps in our stay but overall the place was OK.

 View from the backyard:

We check in and realize we're starving so we head right back to town to get dinner. While waiting for our meals, I see that Beno has messaged me- they were still in Pai! Laura and Beno meet us for dinner it felt like we were with friends from home. 

We sleep well in our adobe abode. Time to explore Pai!