Peace in Pai

I wanted to kill the rooster who woke me up. Instead I tossed and turned until I willed myself back to sleep under the fragile protection of my mosquito net, mentally preparing myself to wake up at least 4 more times before the sun would rise.

My night in the Red Lahu village, tucked away in the mountains and swimming in the clouds, was a peaceful one. After exhausting myself from the 4 hour trek and exhausting myself even further by playing with the rambunctious group of children that roamed the dirt roads of the village, I happily dozed off to the quiet sounds of the mountains. Our trek the day before was led by our wonderful guide by the name of Mam, who would entertain us along the long trail with incredibly interesting facts about the forest we were hiking through or hilarious jokes. As we would hike through thick jungle or green clear fields, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the place that my group and I had the privilege of walking through. We stopped for lunch in a bright green valley and ate banana leaves full of rice and plenty of jackfruit.

During the hike home, I managed to surprised myself. For what seemed like two hours, the rhythmic slapping of my feet down the steep mountain were so intense I thought my ankles would break (luckily they did not). It was hard to remember to look up from my feet evenly hitting the ground at a continuous pace, but when I did the view was breathtaking. We seemed to be situated so high up in the mountains that we were wading through the fog as we slowly descended down from the seclusion of the forest.

The windy roads of Pai we drove on after we left the rainforest rivaled even the scariest of roller coasters. The sharp turns and sudden stops had everyone in our group wondering whether our driver actually knew what he was doing or if he was just an adrenaline junkie taking us along for the ride. But, this nerve wracking, wet, beautiful, and windy ride was well worth it was soon as we rolled into the small town of Pai.

The small streets lined with small art studios and cafés filled with only motorbikes and pedestrians, juxtaposed with the small wooden houses of the Lahu village, made me feel like I was walking down 5th Avenue. We spent the next day exploring the quirky shops of Pai, biking to the hot springs and waterfall (which took hours), and chilling out at cafés. I finished my day in a hammock as I listened to the coolest musicians from all over the world at an jazz club open mic. Mom, Dad, if I don't end up coming home, you'll know where I'll be...

~ Emma Lloyd

We have just hit the fifteenth day of our trip meaning we are already half way through our adventure in Thailand.  During the previous day's we delved further into the many aspects of Thai culture with a few surprises in between.  Recently, in Chiangmai we started off our day with a Thai cooking course led by Yui.  She taught us how to make phad thai, curry, and mango with sticky rice.  Surprisingly everyone was able to make the dishes without burning their food.  Although nothing was burnt, everyone was able to put a unique spin on their dishes to create distinct tastes and textures.  At the end, she personally made everyone sticky rice with mango.  The sticky rice was perfection. It was creamy and warm with every bite; plus she added fried mung beans on the top for a little crunch.  It was one of the best dishes I have ever eaten.  Afterwards Yui gave us a tour through the market where she and the locals buy food.  She gave a brief overview into a life in Chiangmai through all of the exotic goods they sold.  Later we had the rare opportunity to go bungee jumping.  Even though there were minutes of hesitation on the platform, everyone who went managed to jump.  We were all very proud of each other and gave support along the way. During the afternoon, everyone had free time so a majority of us walked to the markets. Over all, it turned out to be a very gnarly day.

~ Gavin LaLonde