I looked out the minibus window to see Nissan dealerships, a Shell station, and a big box retailer, and concluded I'd left Laos and entered the US. The two towns I visited next, Chaing Mai and Pai, did little to change that impression, as both had every modern convenience, a similar look to US house architecture, and both knew how to offer a perfect coffee shop experience.
My travel pal Erica is my friend Val's sister whose travel dates matched my own. In chaing mai we visited Wat Phra That Doi Suthep on a hill above the city, which is THE WAT to visit! The wat had beautiful buddhas, paintings, bells, whistles (surely), and...monk garden gnomes! Souvenir for mom: check.
We also partook of touristy fun, including mountain biking and a cooking class, and visited the Saturday night market, complete with Thai silks, street foods, and numerous etsy-esque things. With no-pressure sellers and street music, this might be the most lovely shopping experience in all of Asia.
Next we headed to Pai, which I'd describe as the high hippie vibe of Santa Cruz meets the quaint streets of Carmel. Pai was nice and comfortable, but it's a place made for tourists, thus not interesting culturally, unless you are interested in tourists.
We did the Pai thing, however, and rented a scooter to moto to the local sights including "land split" farm (it's a sink hole), a coffee shop with admirably landscaped grounds, the big white Buddha, and Pai canyon, the hotspot for sunset. We ended our days at Edible Jazz, a laid-back bar featuring nightly live music. Both Erica and I agreed the "rambling roots" will someday sell out the Fillmore, and we sat mere feet away from them at open mic night in Pai!
No comments:
Post a Comment