6D5N Pai and Chiang Mai : Love in Pai (Part 1/2)

Day 1 (6/10/2017) : KLIA2 – Chiang Mai International Airport – Chiang Mai Arcade Bus Terminal – Pai Bus Station – Yododo Inn – Wat Phra That Mae Yen – Pai Walking Street

Minivan from Chiang Mai to Pai

We took morning flight to Chiang Mai, and by the time we arrived at the airport, the first thing in mind is to get a local sim card. We don’t normally have the habit of getting a sim card when we backpack, but for this trip, we figured it’d come in handy since we needed to navigate our way as we would be riding and driving around Pai and Chiang Mai on our own. However, all the sim card sold doesn’t allow tethering (sharing of mobile hotspot), and therefore we could not share the data usage. We bought AIS sim card for its 7 days unlimited data which costs us 249 Baht (sharing 4 pax = 62 Baht / SGD 2.55 / RM 7.92)

Once we got our sim card, we then hurried to catch the shuttle bus (or rather minivan) to Arcade Bus Terminal. The fare costs 80 Baht per person (SGD 3.28 / RM 10.18), and would depart once full.

Our next destination is Pai, a quiet little romantic town, north of Chiang Mai. And to go there, we were going to board a minivan from Arcade Bus Terminal. One can purchase the ticket from the ticketing counter itself, but to avoid disappointment, I’d recommend buying it online, as we did. MJ, the planner had previously purchase four tickets online via Aviabooking. We paid RM22.30 per pax, as opposed to 150 Baht per person (SGD 6.14 / RM 19.08) if bought through the counter, which is only a few ringgit more expensive due to the credit card’s conversion rate. We encountered a passenger who had to wait for a couple of hours since earlier tickets sold out fast.

It was still early (around 10am) when we arrived at Arcade Bus Terminal, and our bus is only scheduled to depart at 11.30am. So upon collecting our tickets, we crossed the road to the Star Avenue 5 mall located apposite, for early brunch - McDonald’s Samurai Burger (125 Baht per person = SGD 5.12 / RM 15.90).

The road to Pai is a long winding one, and is infamous for giving the passengers motion sickness. Our advice? Avoid heavy meal before your departure and get yourself some motion sickness pill from 7-eleven – Dimin Dimenhydrinate tablets. This should be consumed before departure. We were also given powder form local motion sickness pill by a friendly local passenger we met at Arcade Bus Terminal.

I was sleeping throughout the entire car ride, only awaken when we stopped half way at a rest stop at the small half-way village of Mae Sae. After a 3-hour journey on the long, winding mountain road, and surviving all nausea-inducing 762 curves, we finally reached Pai bus station.

Yododo Inn

On our way to Pai, we called our hotel (Yododo Inn) to arrange for pick up at Pai Bus Station, since this service is available for our booking. As promised a driver was sent to pick us up at 2.30pm in a 7-seater van. We then proceeded to check in for our one night’s stay.

After unloading our backpacks and freshening up ourselves, we then rented two bikes for one day (24 hours), from the hotel. It costs 200 baht per bike (sharing 4 pax = 100 Baht / SGD 4.10 / RM 12.72), and we were required to leave one passport as collateral.

One of the bike has an almost empty tank while the other was half tank full, so we headed to the petrol station and pumped 50 Baht worth of petrol for each bike (sharing 4 pax = 25 Baht / SGD 1.02 / RM 3.18). It turned out that we only used half a tank during our two days in Pai, so if your bike has at least half a tank full, you can leave it be. After all, there are plenty of petrol stations in Pai.

Address: 358 Moo 8, Tambol Viengtai, Amphur, Pai District, Mae Hong Son 58130, Thailand

Phone: +66 94 608 5302

Rate: 1457 Baht per night (sharing 4 pax = 364 baht / SGD 14.92 / RM 46.33) with complimentary breakfast

Wat Phra That Mae Yen – temple on the hill

It was almost 6pm by the time we got our motorbikes, and believing we do not have enough time to explore Pai town, we only set our evening on one place – Wat Phra That Mae Yen. It’s only about 10-15mins away by motorbike, and we would be able to make it for sunset.

  

Wat Phra That Mae Yen is located on the hill, in the east, behind Mae Yen village. On top of the hill, lies a big white Buddha statue. From this point, visitors can get a whole striking view of Pai, from houses to rice fields. In the evening, this is a good spot for sunset with Doi Jong Jik hill as the beautiful natural background. Do take note of the polite dress code (like any temples) – no sleeveless, see through, shorts, tight pants and mini skirts.

Sadly, the weather was cloudy during our visit, so we did not get any beautiful sunset photo. And since it started drizzling, we left in a hurry, making sure to get to a diner in town before it starts pouring.

Address: Mae Hi, Pai District, Mae Hong Son 58130, Thailand

Operating hours: 07.00 - 18.00, daily

Admission: Free

Pai Phu Fah Resort

On the way to Na’s Kitchen for dinner, we stop by Pai Phu Fah Resort shortly to get some photos, since it is along the stretch of road leading back to town.

Address: 172 Moo1, Mae Yen / Mae Hee, Pai, Maehongsorn, Pai District, 58130, Thailand

Admission: Free visit, room charges for lodging

Dinner - Na’s Kitchen

We reach Na’s Kitchen just right before it started pouring. Our dinner which consists of pineapple fried rice, fried spring rolls, seafood tomyum soup, omelette, steamed fish, prawn with curry, padthai and 4 glasses of lemongrass came out to only 750 Baht (188 Baht per pax / SGD 7.68 / RM 23.85).

With such reasonable price and excellent price, it’s no wonder that the place is quite crowded during dinner time.

Address: Wiang Tai, Pai District, Mae Hong Son, Thailand

Opening hours: 11.00 – 21.00 Sunday to Friday, 11.00 – 11pm Saturday

Pai Walking Street

Like every other place in Thailand, Pai also has its own versions of night market. Here, they are called “walking street”. Following our dinner, we walked along Pai Walking Streets. There, one can expect street food, souvenirs, handicrafts, clothes, cafés, restaurants, and massage.

Address: 99 Moo1, Walking Street, Wieng Tai, Pai City, Mae Hong Son 58130, Thailand

Operating hours: Daily - some stalls from early morning to late evening (usually 23.00), some from 17.00 onwards

The four of us entered a café for coffee, although the name of the café was unknown to us since it was written in Thai. Our total bill came out to 260 Baht for 4 cups of coffee (65 Baht per person / SGD 2.66 / RM 8.27). We then went back to the hotel to rest and called it a day.

Day 2 (7/10/2017) : Yun Lai Viewpoint – Lotus and Paddy Field - Pai Panalee Resort – Oaia Pai Resort & Spa – Prawdao Resort – The Heart of Pai – Coffee in Love – Pai Canyon – Pai Walking Street

Yun Lai Viewpoint

Our second day turned out to be a fruitful one as I explored the town from early dawn till the sun sets. We started our day at Yun Lai Viewpoint.  Located somewhat 5km west of Pai town centre, Yun Lai Viewpoint is a must-go attraction in Pai. Literally translated to “Cloud Comes” in Chinese Language (since it’s above a Chinese village), the viewpoint is famous for its sea of clouds (more like midst actually). About 15minutes away by motorbike, one had to be there as early as 5am in order to be there in time for their sunrise (normally around 5.45am to 6am). The admission fee is 20 Baht per person (SGD 0.82 / RM 2.54), which includes a pot of tea.

Once the sun started to rise, all we saw was a stunning sea of midst. Soon, as the sky lit up, we were rewarded with the beautiful view of Pai town.

Right at the edge of the viewpoint, is the big sign of “Yun Lai” and if you are lucky, you might bump into Pai’s Jack Sparrow, a professional photographer dressed up as Jack Sparrow, who as you can guess take professional portraits for tourists for a price.

Right in the middle of the viewpoint is a heart tree, where visitors can purchase heart-shape ornaments and hang them there. It’s pretty much like the concept of Korea’s Namsan Tower.

Perhaps it was the chilling weather up there, or the laidback feel of Pai town, we spent hours at Yun Lai Viewpoint, not only taking photos after photos, but also plainly sitting there, admiring the astonishing view and its tranquillity.

Only finally when we decided to leave and make time for other attraction, that we rode back to our hotel, and while we walked out of the place, we realised that the entrance was a beautiful backdrop for photography. 

With wooden hut, lush greeneries and picturesque mountain as a backdrop, every snap was insta-worthy.

Address: Wiang Tai, Pai District, Mae Hong Son, 58130 Thailand

Opening hours: Unknown (but definitely come here in the dawn for the sunrise)

Admission: 20 Baht per person (free tea for every visitor)

Lotus pond and paddy field

On our way back to the hotel, we passed by a beautiful paddy pield and lotus pond, and so we stopped by for some photos.

Breakfast at Yododo Inn

Our stay at Yododo Inn came with complimentary buffet for breakfast. At the price we were paying for, the buffet spread was quite reasonable, with a combination of western breakfast and local cuisine.

After breakfast, we took shower and packed our bags before checking out and moved to our next hotel in another corner of Pai. Knowing that we would need the bike for at least another day, we extended our bike rental by another 24 hours (200 baht per bike (sharing 4 pax = 100 Baht / SGD 4.10 / RM 12.72), then checked out from Yododo Inn.

Pai Panalee Resort

It was still early when we checked in to Pai Panalee Resort, our second night’s hotel in Pai. However, since our room was not occupied, we were allowed to check in early. Coincidentally, it started raining the moment we reached the resort, so we took the opportunity to chill out and relax, while waiting for the rain to stop so that we could venture out.

This hotel is easily one of my favourite throughout the trip, mostly due to my personal fondness for glass door. Though the room is small, the view was great and this is practically what we saw when we woke up the next moment and opened the curtains.

Address: 176 moo 5 Maehee, Pai, Mae Hong Son, 58130 Thailand

Phone number: 089 956 9650 / 081 375 4056

Rate: 1500 Baht one night (375 Baht per person / SGD 15.36 / RM 47.70) with complimentary breakfast

Oaia Pai Resort & Spa

Once the rain stops, we turned on google map and following the places we had pinned earlier on, we planned our route for the day. The first stop was the nearest to our hotel – Oaia Pai Resort & Spa.



A resort with Santorini theme, the place features Mediterranean-style architecture, the staffs wore sailor-themed uniforms and the rooms faced a man-made saltwater lake, where hotel guest can canoe to breakfast. There is even a sheep farm next in the compound. If budget is not your concern you may consider booking a room here, which would probably set you back for about SGD200 dollar a night.

One thing to note about the resorts in Pai is that they allow non-guests to enter and roam around, which I find fascinating.

Address: 254 moo 1, Ban Maeyan Tambon, Pai District, Mae Hong Son, 58130 Thailand

Admission: Free visit, room charges for lodging

Prawdao Resort

Our next stop on the map was Heart of Pai, but as we passed by a huge Flintstone statue, we stopped for photos. Located just somewhere opposite Na’s Kitchen, Prawdao is yet another resort in town.

We never explored the place since there doesn’t seem to be much to offer, so we only snap some quick photos with Mr. and Mrs. Flintsone before riding off to our next destination.

Address: Rural Road, Mae Hong Son 4024, Wiang Tai, Amphoe Pai, Chang Wat Mae Hong Son, 58130 Thailand

Admission: Free visit, room charges for lodging

The Heart of Pai

Our next stop was The Heart of Pai, a resort with a upside down house at the front entrance. We snapped a few cute photos and off we went to our ultimate destination of the day! We were so eager that we passed The Big Tree Swing and went straight to Coffee In Love!

Address: 480 moo 8, Rangsiyanon Road, Wiang Tai, Amphoe Pai, Chang Wat Mae Hong Son, 58130 Thailand

Admission: Free visit, room charges for lodging

Coffee in Love

 
Technically, Coffee in Love is a café, but it usually comes in a package together with the yellow-coloured cottage located just right to it.

The increasing popularity of Pai popularity had to be credited to this café and cottage for being featured in a romantic Thai film, “Pai in Love”. Set in this cottage, which looks like something fresh out of a children’s fairytale book, the film was well received and the romantic town of Pai became the talk of town. Later in 2012, another Chinese film titled “Lost in Thailand” was also shoot here, drawing increasing number of Chinese tourists in recent years.

Possibly the most romantic spot in the whole of Pai, it’s no wonder that we spent hours here, taking endless photos. With such a mountain view as backdrop, who wouldn’t like this place?

It was tea time (around 3-4pm) when we finally settled down at the café. Since we didn’t have lunch, we some cakes, nuggets and drumlets to go along with our coffee. The total bill came up to 640 Baht (160 Baht per person / SGD 6.56 / RM 20.35)

 

The sky turned dark again as we chilled and we had to wait for the rain to stop, before taking more photos. We finally left the café at 5.30pm, in hope for reaching Pai Canyon before the sun set.

Address: 92, moo 3, Chiang Mai-Pai Road, Tambon Thung Yao, Amphoe Pai. Mae Hong Son, 58130 Thailand

Opening hours: 7am to 6.30pm (café)

Admission: Free (for photo – exterior only)

Room rate: Unknown, but heard it’s expensive

Pai Canyon

Duped Pai's Grand Canyon, this place is one of the major attraction in town. Formed by continuous erosion over decades until reaching the current condition, Pai Canyon consists of carved narrow ledges and slabs that have survived the erosive actions with steep-sided valleys, both sides filled with pine and dipterocarp forests.



The steep 30 m drop either side with stunning views over the surrounding. However, the path is extremely narrow in some places and requires a scramble in others. A set of steps up to a viewing platform provides the safest way to admire the scenery and the canyon makes the perfect spot for a sunset.

 

It is a 5 minute walk to the top of the canyon from the car park and from there you can venture off to many different tracks. The scenery up there is astonishingly beautiful and the views are impressive. It offers an awesome 360 degree panoramic view, especially at sunrise or sunset. The whole panorama is very picturesque when the sun hits the top of the mountain-range.

We only had around half an hour in Pai Canyon before the sun set, and it was such a pity. The place was astonishingly beautiful and I would suggest allocating at least 1-2 hours to explore this place. If I’d to do it again, I’d most definitely enjoy the walk on the narrow ridges. This place deserves more attention.

Address: Pai District, Mae Hong Son, 58130 Thailand

Opening hours: 24 hours

Admission: Free

Pai Walking Street

As we didn’t have our flash lights with us, we decided to leave the canyon before the sky turned entirely dark. We first went back to the resort to freshen up, before heading to Pai Walking Street for massage and dinner. As we walked pass the bus station, we also bought the minivan ticket for our ride back to Chiang Mai (150 Baht per person / SGD 6.14 / RM 19.08) the following day. After some comparison between several massage parlor, we decided on one which offered us the cheapest rate. Unfortunately, the massage was mediocre (technically it’s the worse I ever had in the Land of Smiles). If you aren’t dying for a massage, perhaps you can give it a miss. Try getting one at Chiang Mai instead?

🔼Thai traditional massage 150 Baht per person (SGD 6.14 / RM 19.08)

🔼Thai foot massage 200 Baht per person (SGD 8.20 / RM 25.44)

As we finished our massage quite late, most restaurant are closed, so we filled up our tummy with street food along the walking street. We bought some grilled skewer and pad thai for 260 Baht (65 Baht per person / SGD 2.66 / RM 8.27). Not satisfied with the light dinner, we bought beer and instant noodles from 7-eleven for 150 Baht (38 Baht per person / SGD 1.54 / RM 4.77). That night, I got knocked down with just a can of Chang beer. Haha.

… and our adventure continues in Pai >>>

Epilogue

I came to Pai with little knowledge of the town and was pleasantly surprised with its mesmerising beauty. What made me fall in love with the town isn't just the cute and instagrammable resorts and guesthouses (they are perfect for your instagram feed aren't they?) but also the beautiful view of Yun Lai Viewpoint and Pai Canyon.

I'm a sucker for both sunrise and sunset and these two places are perfect for them. You can miss the caves and waterfalls, but don't miss these two. They are definitely worth your every second. 

Related entries:

➣Summary itinerary
➣Pai (Part 2/2)

➣Chiang Mai (Part 1/2)

➣Chiang Mai (Part 2/2)