Pai

I love Pai...(cheesy...but eventually...You Do)

Pai in the Sky, As High as Pai, Heart of Pai are all but a few of the tacky names of guesthouses here in Pai. Its a very cute and very quaint little town. A rapidly growing small town where travelers flock to get away from the hustle and bustle of cities like Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

When I arrived, I was quite shocked by how commercial and tourist orientated it was. So many, if not all of the vendors selling, Pai merchandise donning a love heart. It can be a little too much, if your a traveler but I guess if your a traveler, you have seen lots and aren't taken a back too much.

Thailand seems to be a travelers haven. Compared to the rest of Asia, Thailand is as easy as "pie" to travel (excuse the pun). Its sad to see the changes happening before your very eyes, but on the other hand...coming here can be the biggest relief after a hard year at work or when you have been traveling a while and don't want to think too much. Thailand has been done, many many many times before and as a result the Thai culture has become very tourist orientated. Guesthouses and delicious little restaurants everywhere you turn. You would be hard pressed to find really bad food here in Thailand. Even when you opt for western food, they do that pretty well too. Fresh ingredients and skilled cooking methodologies and your in business.

Pai is a smaller town located some 3 hours out of Chiang Mai in the North of Thailand. It is a very diverse community where local artists and foreigners come together to create a unique atmosphere that makes you feel at home. 

If you want to chill out, there are guest houses around the main centre that are set in the hills with mountains as your back drop. Or if you are into nightlife, there is a mini Koh San Road where all the bars and restuarants sit and you can pick up buckets of any alcohol you like for around 300 Bhat or less than $10 AUD. Its pretty insane and goes against every RSA law in Oz :) If your into more spiritual activites there is loads of Tai Chi, Yoga and meditation going on. Or if your like me and into some intesnse training, there is a great Muay Thai school called Charn Chai. The trainers are awesome, they speak good English and really kick your ass, if you want it. Perhaps, you may want to learn a new skill, then there are loads of practitioners offering short courses and classes in anything from permeculture, to thai cooking classes to learning the art of Thai massage. 

In the evening there is loads to do even if your not up for a boozey night. Heading to places like Buffalo, Edible Jazz or Pai Post, you can sit, chill and listen to live music, eat some good food or even indulge in an over priced glass of wine. (100 bhat) :)

If your into street food, then Pai is most certainly the place. You can barely walk 5 metres without being tempted by the amazing smell of BBQ's and desserts. Vegetarian and Meat Lovers heaven and Sweet tooth hell!...

My Daily ASS WHOOPING!

Liz's ASS getting WHOOPED

...and its not the ass whooping I wanted... :)

Though I knew I needed my ass kicked after 3 months in India... and training twice per day for about 2-3 hours per session is MOST certainly doing that! I do LOVE LOVE LOVE it... but it really does put you in your place and forces you to have a fuckin' think about it.

Besides the muscular pain, which was expected! The bruising plus the shin and knee bruising / damage is something else. Oh yeah and cardio...I won't even write about that. I know I will harden up in the coming weeks...but 4 days in and I am claiming that "I'm a girl" waaaahhhh crying like a weak little B*&%H. Yep...that's me. PT of almost 12 years and writing this blog to let the world know that I am in pain!

Granted...after a session off yesterday arvo...today I was loads better. A total day off through the week, would most definitely help the recovery, but that's not till Sunday. So am sucking it up and leaving it there and will write more about it next week...

My bruised and beaten body is signing off!

hasta luego

Greek Mythology - Sappho

Sappho and Errina

Traveling on your own is fun and usually pretty random. Right down my alley. So after a nice arvo nap and a bit website fidgeting and study. I decided to grab some food and get take away so I could keep plugging along. But at this place I go to, called "Good Life", the little Thai ladies love me and insist that I eat in. Usually its after training and I could potentially stink, so I get my take away omelet and head home to eat. Anyways... she said to me, "it better you eat in, food hotter". How could I say no to such an invitation? 

So I take a seat right next to this massive book case and grabbed the first book that jumped out at me. ahhhh Greek Mythology...ok.... Open to the contents page. ahhhhh Sappho....ok....LOL the Isle of Lesbos...

Here's the story of Sappho and her Lesbian Island

I pretty much read anything on anything these days, knowing a little about allot definitely keeps my mind entertained, even if for only 5 minutes.

Now I'm learning how to speak my own language...yeah that's right! English. Breaking it down to the balls...makes me really grateful that English is my first language. Fuck learning it, what a ball ache! But I will crack teaching it, just like Tom Hanks did the Da Vinci Code! Just call me Mizz Holman!

don't go chasing waterfalls...

please stick to rivers and the lakes that your used too...

amazing, imagined waterfall

I added this random 'google' image, becUZ...I went chasing a waterfall today and am going to imagine that this is what I missed out on...Hang on wait! That actually makes me feel pretty shit...But for the 5 hour effort I put in, I should have seen something like this...

BUT... don't get me wrong!! I am 100% aware it is about the journey and not the destination....

I didn't bring a camera, because it was a totally spontaneous hike that I decided to venture out on. I literally jumped onto the back of a scooter with a guy from "Portland, Oregon", Caza, that I met a few nights before, with the "Yellow Sun O.M.G crew!" and headed out there. The scenery was fucking stunning and picturesque. We had to criss cross the river pretty much the whole way, climb rocks, duck under fallen trees, balance walk over some fallen trees and get 'prune feet'. It was pretty amazing. But 3 hours in, and your not there yet, and you have been told 2 hours you start to wonder. Then the TLC song came into my head and now I totally get it...LOL But nevertheless. NORTH THAILAND IS FUCKING BEAUTIFUL. MAS BONITO!

another of lifes curve balls...

one of life's many curve balls

Its almost laughable to think that right now I am studying to be an English teacher. Yep! What has this world come too? Thai's learning "Austrayan"...LOL! But essentially it is a purpose built hoop that one needs to jump through in order to qualify for a visa here in Thailand...I mean, it could be worse...I could be British picking fruit in far North Queensland in 100% humidity in order to have a work permit. But the Education visa here in Thailand will buy me some time and earn me some coin while I'm finding my feet with "Fused to Move". Which is kinda cool...some networking, learning a little Thai and meeting locals. Sounds like a good plan to me...

But I thought it was definitely worth mentioning yet again another of life's curve ball.

Yellow Sun, Pai

Had I known before hand that you were gonna suck me in and spit me out the other side maybe I would not have ordered buckets of Vodka! But to justify this, I will say that I am a traveler on a budget and it was much more economical and fun to have 8 straws in the bucket and simultaneously skull the bucket with some great people I met here in Pai. Starting at dusk and finishing at dawn, is probably where yellow sun got its name...after it sucks you in by bringing a cool bunch of people together and making it impossible to leave and then spits you out at 3am to another bar called don't cry....LOL... The names of these bars say it all really. Don't cry in the morning when you have a pounding head. Someone had to have strategically come up with these names and closed the bars at very specific times in order to achieve the desired affect...Well Done...Mission accomplished.

Nothing like a few shannigans and drunk-EN-Ness along the way, to keep ya happy, make ya smile and think, fuck yeah, life is awesome! What a great night had by all....Thanks, Shane, Shara, Irish, Rory (a.k.a Tom) and Ann-E! Random fun!

"Coily"

Haven't been feeling too inspired to write as much as I have been. Got a few things going on, which require much more attention than the regurgitation of my endless thoughts...So, I'll give it a quick crack...

Meet "Coily" my "hot water coil" ....

Coily is Melting :(

100% Dangerous

100% Portable

100% Convenient

I like to live on the edge at the best of times, so taking the risk every morning to prepare my black coffee or green tea is allot of fun.

Somehow, the topic of my hot water coil has come up with the many people I have met along my journey. Every single one of them agree, that this is totally mental and dangerous. I don't see anything wrong with it. Amongst the gals in my Ashram, this was a standard traveling device of convenience. I had a total laughing fit with a South African girl I met, Mandy... and we had this, would you rather theme going on... and in the case of my hot water coil... it went something like this "would you rather.... have a cup of tea, or have no tea at all"? Probably a location based joke...but Mandy, You get it.

So the life expectancy of these coils is any where between 1 day and 1 month...Martina, who I was traveling with, plugged hers in for the first time and it just blew. So since then, I think she has bought 3, do you still have it?  

My little "champ" on the other hand has lasted almost 3 months!! I have probably risked my life once or twice for my morning cuppa...but I think this is totally worth 50 rupees (AUD $1) LOL. Can you imagine the savings in total? hmmmm 10 bucks maybe!

The last couple I told about the hot water coil broke into hysterics because not only was I using the coil, but I am using a metal cup to heat the water...a totally conducive environment for electrical currents. I didn't even think of that! So I googled "hot water coil deaths" nothing came up, so I feel completely confident to continue using it. One thing I would like to point out is that the coil comes in this "dingey" little box, with an image of the coil and no instructions...so its all based on guess work and common sense I guess, and with no reported deaths, I feel completely safe using it!

It does look like its on its last legs as the red plastic is melting and I now have to hold it into the power point, but that could just be the power point.