Rob was very easily talked into renting a motorbike and taking me along on an afternoon country drive. Our drive took us up and over the surrounding hills, through hairpin turns, rolling countryside, and quiet local villages, our destination being a series of caves about 45km northwest of Pai. The caves were a surprisingly awesome find. We were loaded onto a bamboo raft for 5 minutes, which felt exactly like the beginning of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland, but real people and real caves, then walked through cavern after cavern of limestone caves. I don't think I can do it justice so I'll wait until pictures can talk for me. The ride back was surprisingly quick and we just beat the sun as we cruised into the now sleepy Pai. Most of the Thai tourists cleared out Sunday afternoon so it's been much quieter up here the past 2 days. After our long ride, Rob & I were both famished so we decided on a swanky Thai resort restaurant for dinner. Of course, the meal still cost less than $10 for the both of us with 2 courses each and a bottle of beer. Back over the rickety bamboo bridge and to our Riverside bungalows, we settled into our respective huts for an evening read. I went back out an hour later and, as I was walking a few streets I hadn't explored yet, I bumped into a fellow guest from Noi's in Chiang Mai. I knew he was coming into Pai and was not altogether surprised to see him finishing dinner at a sidewalk table. We wandered the streets together chatting and caught a live acoustic set at an outdoor bar. I was pretty sleepy, so Tomer, the aforementioned travel, walked me back to my bungalow and we said goodnight. And it was a good night, much quieter, warmer, and cozier than the previous evening. I slept like a very happy baby.
Monday was another early morning as the sun peeked through my thatched roof. I had a nice long yoga practice with the sun rising in the sky before me. Rob & I grabbed breakfast - I've become partial to Thai style rice soup - and took the motorbike back out of town. The rental was for 24 hours so we figured on using it while we had it. Following another great recommendation from Emma, we climbed up to Pambok waterfall, and soaked in Thai Pui(?) Hot Spring, both a quick ride from town. Lunch back in Pai after returning the bike was more of the deliciously simple Thai food I've grown to love, fried rice and coconut shakes, and I finally got my afternoon nap in the shade. That was our intention the day before, but after getting the bike it turned into a more adventurous day than we'd planned. A wonderfully adventurous day, though. The shade creeped onto my front porch and I settled into a book and a nap. When I awoke I relocated to the river front bamboo dock and continued reading and napping. About 6:30 I was crossing the river into town and ran into Rob who'd come back to see if I wanted to have dinner. And I did! We ventured some very cheap street food of noodles, spicy sauce, and unlimited veggies to pile on. Yum! Then I had an ear of grilled corn on a stick from another street vendor. Rob was craving another coconut shake so, after a wander and a bit of shopping, we had our dessert. Then second dessert of a banana chocolate rotee. I love being on vacation. On a side note, I think I'm gaining a little weight with the help of the Korean herbal medicine I've been taking for a few months. This is a good thing. I'm sure the vacation diet's not hurting, though!
Tomorrow I'm heading back to Chiangmai in the early afternoon, 1 more night up north, then I fly to Bangkok Wednesday morning for my last 4 days on the beach in Ko Samet.
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