15th of October, 2023.
Hitchhiking in Thailand: Pai
A car stops in a few minutes. A man which name’s means morning in English, tells me to be going about half way to Pai. I take it.
Morning is a very neat and clean man. He seems to be quiet and reserved, but still, we chat a little. He works with schools too, not as a teacher but as someone who oversees things and does some kind of management.
We stop at a wonderful view point! The skies are of a bright blue, carried with fatty white clouds, and this combination in contrast with the vivid green of the mountains, it is simply WOW!
Morning drives some 20 kilometres farther away from his original destination, just so I am at a small town from where he believes it will be easier for me to catch a direct lift to Pai. I tried to persuade him to not do it, but it was in vain.
In about 5 minutes, a pick-up stops. Two friends and the daughter of the woman are going to Pai. The guy has this bun fade hairstyle, which always remind me of Hawaiian or Māori men, but it seems to be quite an option also here in Thailand. He can speak a bit of English so I tell him a bit about my travels.
They are both very happy to help me. The woman asks to take a selfie with me and her daughter. I was first planning to get out at an intersection, which leads to Yun Lai Viewpoint, the first spot I want to visit in Pai, but somehow, we miss that. They offer to drive me all the way there.
After certain point, the way up to Yun Lai Viewpoint is super cute. It is a small street, surrounded by green vegetation, trees, wheat and rice fields. You can actually have great views from almost everywhere on the way. And there are also many food stalls and, of course, local houses. I was glad to go up by car so I could come down by walking, and pay more attention to all of this.
After saying goodbye to my friends, I ask to a local family, with a small shop / food stall in their house, if I could leave my backpack there in order to go to the top freely. They are very friendly and said yes.
When I get to the Yun Lai Viewpoint, disappointment: entrance fee. It is a very small amount, only 20 Baht, but I get super angry and refuse to pay. There is a very fancy structure up there, a fancy restaurant / cafe, with loads of tables and fancy decoration. And that’s the reason why you have to pay. These people spent lots of money on building this place, and now fell as they own the mountain so they can charge people to go and visit. Which is a total bullshit! Nobody owns the mountain! I want to have the freedom to climb a mountain and take a look at the view in the end. I haven’t asked anyone to build a freaky fancy place there.
Anyway, I take a photograph and leave. What a shame! Another couple, from the U.K., also refuse to pay and leave. But right before I leave, a huge group of westerns come and everybody seems happy to pay. Ugh…
A local guy seems upset with my reaction and says something like “support them”. At the moment I am too angry to be able to explain to him my point of view. Luckily, when I am going down the road, I find him again, sitting with a guy from Japan, eating some grapes. So, I take my time to explain to him what I actually think of this whole situation.
In my opinion, to support local people it means to buy food from the local farmers / markets, to eat in the local stalls / small restaurant, to buy souveniers from small shops or in the streets. When I see the people who actually need customers and help, who seem like people in need. But a fancy restaurant, with a huge structure, which retains total control / monopoly of the top of a mountain, does not need my support for keep profiting, once they are the only ones up there who sells goodies. To be able to build that place, they had to make a huge investment, and that is not the kind of thing that a local person in need does.
The first food stall I try to eat, the lady doesn’t seem bother too much to help me to find out something to eat which is vegetarian. So I decide to find another place. I walk back about 100 metres, to this very small place, in front of an also small grocery shop. Sunny, a very friendly and smiley young girl is the owner. She can speak a little bit of English, and even asks me if I can eat spicy. I ask her if she has tauhu (tofu), and she says yes! Yay! So I ask her to prepare some vegetables with tofu, some rice aside, and a fried egg on top.
While I am waiting for the food to be ready, I go across the street and by some wonton chips (my favourite Thai snack) and also the traditional rice crisps.
The food is incredibly tasty! Really delicious! I love these surprises you can get by doing something unexpected, like eating in the smallest and less crowded food stall of a touristic place.
My next stop is Pai Canyon. Before, I thought I could, perhaps, go and take a walk through the old town, but then I realize that it will probably not make me very happy, because it will be full of tourists. Boy, I didn’t know how right I was…
The way to the Pai Canyon is the same way to Chiang Mai, so it is easy to hitchhike from the main road down the viewpoint to there.
To visit the Canyon you don’t need to pay. Exactly! Pai Canyon if for FREE! I am quite surprised how neat it is the entrance, with only a few food stalls, restaurant and shops. Of course, I think that’s great!
I ask to one of the shop owners to leave my backpack there. I am planning to stay at the canyon until sunset and find a place for camping after.
When I arrive is around 4 o’clock, so the place is quite empty. The views can be seen right from the first moment you step into the canyon, and they are stunning! The mountains might not be as high as in Georgia or Scotland, but they are gorgeous! And all green! Basically, you have a 360° view here, which is fantastic!
You can stand at this first spot for the whole time and you will have pretty much the best views. Or you can go and explore the other spots, following a few different paths. But be aware: most of these paths are a bit tricky to get through. They are very narrow, and mostly are dug up into the rocks, so you have to lift up your feet, one in front of another, to walk through. And remember it is a canyon, so all of these you do on the edges of an abyss. If you decide to adventure yourself, be careful!
I have one should bag with me, plus my camera and a 1.5 litres water bottle with me. For that reason, I am only half adventurous. I decide to explore the right half of the canyon, which is the lightest one, and which attracts most of the people for that same reason. But you can also go the left half, which will give you an even better view, and most importantly, more privacy.
The sky gets really cloudy. At a distance, I can see some rain moving around and even though I am reluctant to leave, I decide it is for the best. Plus, there is no way we can see any sunset with all these clouds. I am an optimistic but also a realistic person.
When I am leaving the site, I feel disgusted. A crow of young people has been formed by the first spot of the canyon, and they are playing loud music. Playing music! Why would you come to such terrific place in nature and play music? They are also carrying beer cans and smoking, which says clearly in the signs not to be allowed. I cannot imagine how dangerous it can be for these young people to walk along the canyon paths after drinking and smoking weed. I leave this beautiful and wonderful spot disappointed with human beings.
10 Years Around the World 