PAI, THAILAND • PART 2

About three hours north of Chiang Mai, through 762 curves and the most treacherous roads I've ever been on, you'll reach Pai. To say it lightly, it's a hippie paradise. Backpackers from all over flock here to visit the canyons, take a gander at the mountains surrounding on all sides, get a drink from the numerous bars, "feel the culture" and meet other foreigners at the market. I saw more foreigners in this weekend trip than I had seen in Thailand in ages. 

Even though there is always a wave of tourists moving through Pai, it keeps the "small Thai town" vibe, letting travelers get a glimpse of Thai life, even if it is hidden behind vendor carts and crowds of farang. There are lots of details that shout "Thailand!" at the top of their little object lungs, locals who light up when you speak in a northern Thai accent to them, and little Chinese aunties waiting on bless you with some of their hot tea just for entering their little shop.

Upon arrival, Megan and I checked into Heart of Pai Resort, still dizzy from the bumpy and rollercoaster-esque bus ride. We finished off our 7-Eleven loot, took the smallest of naps, then headed on to dinner at Silhouette, the restaurant at Reverie Siam. I'd been recommended this place both through friends in Chiang Mai and online, but the price tag per room was a bit much for my taste. The food however, was perfect for it. We sat and marveled at the restaurant's interior, ordered several tapas to split (think lemon pepper hummus and fried risotto balls), and got our mocktail on. The weather was perfect, a storm just passing over us, and the sun setting in the background. Talk about idyllic.

After dinner, a complementary motortaxi took us to the walking street in town, where we browsed the shops and the stands for a few hours. There were post cards galore, all manner of bags and pouches, plenty of foods to try (we settled on coconut khanom and rotee before caving into a carrot-cashew cake at Pai Siam Bistro).

On Saturday morning we discovered our favorite spot in Pai: Om Garden Café. The place was overflowing with greenery, an obvious win. The extensive menu (which we sampled both mornings of our trip) included a breakfast burger with bacon, egg and grilled mushroom, fried eggs over pita bread and hummus as well as more traditional Thai breakfast items like porridge and fruit. The smoothies were incredibly sweet and smooth. Megan had a slice of lime cake a couple times as well.

While living in China, Megan has had the fortune of learning to ride a motorbike. I, on the other hand, have not yet built up the courage to learn. She rented one for the two of us to ride, and it was probably one of the best decisions we made all weekend. We zoomed over to the Chinese village about 5 kilometers away from the city center, heading to the top of the "mountain" for spectacular views, not-yet-ripe bananas and all the green tea we could drink.

Heading down from the summit, we breezed through the little village, Megan getting to surprise some of the ladies there with her Chinese, and me getting by on the Thai they spoke. The sweetest women ran these tea shops, not pushing us to buy, but hoping for a chat to spend the time they normally just used sitting in the heat and watching tourists walk by without a word.

Before the day ended we hiked up and around the entrance of Pai Canyon, a quick bike ride to the other side of the city. No deep deep abysses here, but plenty of formations jetting out over the forested area, views of beautiful blue and green mountains for miles. Slipping here is easy, and we saw too many bandaged foreigners to want to spend more time climbing and balancing. The views were worth the drive, and the heat of the sun was worth the wind on the ride back.

That night we browsed the market again, but on motorbike this time, circling the town to take in the glorious cool of the night–something Chiang Mai hasn't received yet this year. We ate a little (sorta unimpressive) dinner at Duang Restaurant near the center of the market before we discovered Nong Beer Restaurant's great Thai food. Closing the night with another long visit to Silhouette for virgin Mojitos and some quality book time.

The first time I visited Pai the premise was camping, and this trip was completely different. I'm definitely prone to repeat trips: visiting the same restaurants, the same lookout spots and the same hotels. This was a refreshing second look at Pai, with its hoards of backpackers, constant smells of beer and Thai food, and rustic Thai village-town combo life. Word to the wise: if the khao soi has spaghetti instead of egg noodles, just go somewhere else.

CHIANG MAI, THAILAND • WOO CAFÉ

About a year ago, my sister-in-law's brother Matt visited, and I sent him to a pin I'd received from a friend for this "café you HAVE to try." Later Matt texted me with a resounding: "Yes. This place." So Katie and I joined shortly, with some notebooks in tow to plan our upcoming vacation. Ever since, Woo has been our home base for late night coffee hangs, a happy place when the days are long and annoying, and somewhere we can count on to have the best things: good drinks, fresh green food, and friendly staff.

The shop is constantly filled with fresh flowers and plants, like a garden is spilling out of each nook and cranny. The sunlight outside spills into the space as well, and at night the candle-like glow of the chandeliers and lamps make for a peaceful place to chat or work.

Woo serves just about every coffee drink you'll normally find at cafés in town, the art is done spectacularly, and the iced drinks come in giant glass jars, not to mention the delicious cookies that come with each drink. If that doesn't win you over, I don't know if anything will.

Woo also boasts a great food menu. The caesar salad and chicken sandwich never disappoint, and the Thai food is just as good, flavorful and spicy as any other place you'll find in Chiang Mai.

In a separate part of the building, you'll find a "lifestyle" shop, a beautiful and expensive boutique filled with ceramics, jewelry, funky art, and rich fabrics. I can't afford most things in that store even on payday, but it's a blast to walk through and browse the ever-changing items.

CHIANG MAI, THAILAND • SUNDAY NIGHT WALKING STREET

Chiang Mai is known by many has having some of the best markets in Thailand. I would definitely be one of the many, I can't count on two hands how many food, hand-made, pop-up, and tourist markets I've been to that all but changed my life. Of all of these, the one that stands out the most is the Sunday night market. There have been fewer Sundays that I didn't go to this market than I did. Nine times out of ten, you'll find me here, I'd go alone if I had to. This place is the perfect place to shop for friends, find new treasures for yourself, and to gorge on amazing food.

One of the great things about living in a city that sees as much tourism as Chiang Mai is the look on the locals' faces once they realize you're not leaving for a bit. There are so many vendors and musicians who know our faces, love to speak Thai with us and help us out in the bargaining department. It's definitely a whole new perspective when you aren't just breezing through once in a lifetime. You get to really take in all that the market (or whatever you're frequenting) has to offer, you get to notice the trends as they come and go (matching banana shirts, anyone?). And you become a little wiser about what foods to eat and not eat, what deals to jump or ignore, and you find the little booths that no one knows about or makes it to 'cause they're too distracted by the glitz of some other vendor.

The Walking Street goes directly through from one side of Old Town Chiang Mai to the other, with various sections clustered at different points. Wat Phan On, the first wat on the left along the street, is home to a "food court" of sorts. Though there are several areas that specialize in food and snacks, this is the largest of them all and has all of our favorites: chicken shwarma, gyoza, etc. There are places all over the market where you can find ice-cream, smoothies and tea, this wat is a good place to start. There's usually some sort of chanting going on, kids ringing bells in the temple and the band playing right outside the entrance never stops.

As you walk along the road, the booths get increasingly more interesting, the most unique items can be found in the center of the street and beyond. You'll also find little hidden sois with gardens and restaurants, don't let the craziness of the market let you forget that the street also has shops of its own that are open all week long, and thankfully, some of the pop-ups have shops of their own elsewhere in the city.

Chiang Mai Sunday Night Walking Street is a crowded, loud, nutso mess of people and stuff to buy. It's a great place to soak in all that Chiang Mai has to offer as far as souvenirs, but it's also a good dose of culture, or at least culture plus Chinese tourists and backpackers. Locals come to this market just as much as foreigners do, and that's how doggone good it is. Like most big markets, It gets hot, it gets close, but it's usually one of the highlights of my weekend. Markets like this will be one of the things I miss most about Southeast Asia. American state fairs can't compete.