I'll have a coup with my breakfast

This morning I awoke in a bungalow overlooking the Pai River with clouds obscuring the top peaks. After a brief shower, I turned on the morning news on BBC World. This is an unexpected luxury as I managed to strike a deal with the proprieter for a reduced room rate. However, the news was a bit less fortuitous as the leader of the Thai military was on TV ushering news of a coup in Bangkok. The governing bodies have been dissolved and martial law has come into effect. As we are supposed to fly to Bangkok tomorrow to catch an overnight bus to the south we are a bit concerned at the state of the capital.

a bee nest with wasp

On a ligher note the far north of Thailand has been a visual and physical feast. The mountain roads from Chiang Mai to Pai include 1854 curves that meander up and down the tree covered slopes. The clouds roll in and out at whim and the scent of pine permeates the air. Pai closer to the Burma border is a tiny town of several thousand people nestled in a verdant valley. The sun breaks through the clouds at random intervals as the beams spotlight small farms growing cabbage, rice, and giant pommelos. The center of town is just several cross streets and a total of 4 or 5 traffic lights. Dreaded hippies mix with Muslim roti vendors and Thais speeding off on motos. The atmosphere is relaxed, slow, and mountainously euphoric.

enjoying some longons

After traversing almost the entire town with our backpacks and checking out innumerable guesthouses we found one barely decent for its price. The next day I found one much more pleasant near the Pai River after getting up early to hunt down a better deal. The menacing jumping spider was not to my liking in the first guesthouse as well as the unappealing rust colored water.

The days in Pai were spent eating, talking to other travellers and locals, and escaping into the mountains just outside of town. Leisurely walks and even a drum circle punctuated the other leisure activities. Rikki and I managed to rent some bikes and cycle up towards a waterfall looming high over the town. We however were not expecting a 10 kilometer climb the entire length of the ride. Our legs managed to sustain us and we were rewarded with a cool dip before a light rain started up. The next day Monika, some friends, and I went whitewater rafting. The more memorable events included swimming in moving rapids, rescuing fellow rafters, and capsizing our boat on a giant tree that had fallen into the water. It was great fun! Today I am feeling the effects of the long day spent on a surging jungle river paddling and swimming.

rafting stop

Before heading to Pai Monika and I had gone out with some friends. We were supposed to go to a birthday party of one of our guides, but had shown up late at the meeting place. The party had moved on but we met up with Doug and Marilyn (trekking buddies)and made our own party. Too many beers, a reggae bar, and more friends later we found ourselves at an after hours club. We danced away the rest of the night before heading back to our hotel. In our drunken stupor we managed to break into another hotel that was not our own by accident. We realized this quickly enough and made it back to our own guesthouse. The next day we spent lying prostrate on our bed staring at the ceiling cursing our massive hang overs. In order to help mend our physical being we booked a spa treatment that evening which included a body scrub, a heavenly massage, and much needed detoxifying facial. It was bliss.

Rikki browsing postcards

Let's hope the situation in Thailand doesn't deteriorate and we can continue onto the southern beaches unobstructed and undetained.

the coup celebrated with pie and ice cream

the Pai countryside

the Pai River outside our bungalow

the transport

the waterfall after the grueling bike ride