Pai's Angels: Sponsored by Steamed Buns and Condensed Milk

Pai, Thailand has been recommended to me by travelers I’ve met in Europe, India, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Everyone has a Pai story. It’s like a backpacker’s mecca. I spent a little over a week here and it turned out to be one of the best weeks of my life. Not too deep, not complicated, no issues, just pure fun with some of the most lively people I’ve ever met. I left the monastery in a state of solitude, it was peaceful, but after four days of silence (well, attempted silence) I was more than ready to socialize again.  

Pai is a small little city (village? town? Idk how to describe these places) located in the valley of the Thanon Thong Chai mountain range in Northern Thailand. There are rice fields surrounding that lead to lush, green mountains. It’s known for its caves, hot springs, hostels, live music and hidden jungle raves. It attracts the “hippie” and “free-spirited” kind of travelers that I get along with so well. Easy going, simple, we don’t need too much. Just happy to be here. They call it the Pai Hole, because once you get there it’s hard to leave. I met people who planned on being in Pai for just a few days and stayed for months. 

On my last day at the monastery I met Roza from Berlin. She was also heading to Pai. As we were packing up our belongings and returning our cult clothes we agreed that we’d meet that evening for a 180° from our monastery experience. It’s all about balance right? That night we played pool with her Brazilian friend Pedro, met a really fun group of backpackers from China, enjoyed some Changs (Thai beer), and ate noodles from the night market.

The next day Roza, Pedro and I rode our motorbikes deep into the mountains to see the Tham Lod Cave. I didn’t know what to expect but this cave made my jaw drop. I was in complete awe. Mesmerized. I’ve never been in a cave like this before. It was stories tall with a river flowing through. Bats above us and thousands of fish swimming below. We took bamboo rafts through and were guided with oil lamps to check out the massive stalagmites. 

There is this activity that it seems everyone has to do… it's kind of an initiation to Pai: Jungle Tubing. It’s like the Apple River in Somerset, WI on steroids. 300+ people floating down a river in inner tubes with frequent stops to bars along the way. Hot sun and bunch of westerners in a river fueled by beer…. Sounds like a nightmare to some but Pedro and I decided to go all in. Although I can’t say I’d do it again. 

I returned to check into my hostel, Deejai Pai Backpackers, just in time for a fire show. Deejai ended up being a top hostel for me. I’m putting it up there with my #1 and very first hostel of this trip, Good Morning Solo Traveler in Lisbon. (I should add that the beds are only $8 a night). It’s Deejai where I taught my first yoga class, went to bonfires, watched the sun set, stayed up all night sharing stories, slept in a hammock under the stars and met Pai’s Angels.

I ran into two girls that I met in Chiang Mai at Deejai, Billie and Lea. I knew they were good fun the minute I met them. They had been in Pai for a few days already and were hanging with a few other girls from the hostel. They invited me to join them the next day for sunrise and a dip in hot springs. From this point forward we spent everyday together. We rode our motorcycles around (there’s no public transportation in Pai), hence naming ourselves “Pai’s Angels”. People that met us thought we had came to Pai together as friends from the same place. Nope, we actually met yesterday and we’re British (Billie), French (Lea), Dutch (Mar), German/Russian (Katja) and American (me lol). We’re all solo female travelers, and when you put us together we are a dangerously good time. 

We got up at dawn and rode our motorbikes to Santichon Village, a Chinese village in Pai with an incredible viewpoint, to see the sunrise over the mountains. We had oolong tea and steamed/fried buns dipped in condensed milk. We didn’t stop talking about these buns all week. They should sponsor us. It was so cold that morning so we rode wrapped up in blankets and afterwards we went south to the Muang Rae hot springs. We got there around 8am with not another soul in sight besides the cutest little puppy that followed us around. The hot springs are free. There was nothing better than soaking in that naturally warm water after a very chilly ride. 

The next days consisted of exploring waterfalls, catching the sunset, trying different Thai restaurants and finding live music. We also added honorary males to Pai’s Angels: Victor from Barcelona and Harry from the UK. They fit in instantly. I got to lead a little sunset yoga class for everyone which turned into us just rolling around and being goofy. My favorite night was when we went to open mic at Paradise bar. If you didn’t know it was open mic you might think the bar hired vocalists because everyone that went up was so talented. Including our own: Victor and Billie. We walked back to Deejai that night, barefoot, still singing, a sky full of stars above us. We stayed up sharing music and travel stories until we could hear roosters. I forgot to extend my stay at the hostel and there wasn’t a bed available so I slept in a hammock outside. My friends gave me such an excessive amount of blankets, pillows and sweaters. I bundled up and climbed into the hammock overlooking the silhouette of the mountains in front of me. I was alone, but didn’t feel an ounce of loneliness. It was a moment where I was like wow, this really is the time of my life. I’m young, stupid-happy and free. Plus I get to share it with some of the most incredible souls. 

I returned my motorcycle in Pai and took a bus back to Chiang Mai. The girls had one more day together before going our separate ways. We took a Thai cooking course. I don't think I would have signed up for something like this if it had just been me but the girl's enthusiasm had me hooked and I'm so glad for it. I learned how to make my favorite Thai dishes: Pad Thai, Spring rolls, tom yom (spicy soup), Som Tam (papaya salad), khao soi and Mango sticky rice. 

It was time for us to go our separate ways. We were already tearing up about saying goodbye days before. It still baffles me that you can randomly meet people and feels like you've been friends for years. We have plans to reunite at Billie’s family home in Spain someday. Once again, this solo traveling isn’t always so solo and somehow I keep meeting angels.