On the food front Pai is a delight all round, Tiks kitchen was the kids favourite - Phad Thai and noodle soup sorted, us the burnt chilli stir fry, beef, chicken, pork or Liver. Charlies and Leks organic smanic a lettuce salad brown rice and all things tasty and the best lime drink eva.
The afternoon food market was always an option lots of little stalls selling dozens of different dishes served up in Papaya leaves on sticks or in little plastic bags. Our favorite lady opposite the bus station was our source of green papaya salad which we just couldnt get enough of.
One of the best meals happened by accident, a real little local place next to Ting Tong
(one of the happening bars). We didn't have a clue what the deal was but it turned out to be a Barbecue Thai style. A clay pot is placed on top of bricks on your table and filled with coals. This is covered with something like an upside down water bowl with a domed lid and a gully around the side. It arrives with a sizzling piece of pork fat to oil the grill you pour water into the gulley, collect all the different meats/fish from a central table, pick herbs like vietnamese mint, basil, coriander, spring onions, veggies like kale and you place all the green stuff in the gulley place the meat on the top and as the meat sizzles all the juices run down into the water, making a stock while you barbecue, we drank the local rum ate ourselves happy and then the end was a fabulous soup to which we added noodles chillies fish sauce lime juice, yummm.
The liquor deal works like this, you buy a combo which consists of a bucket of ice, a bottle of local rum (Sangsohm) a few bottles of soda and glasses. You run your own cocktail bar from your table.
It's been 10 days and we haven't had a bad meal yet (or a bout of the runs) but damn we have missed the odd cold glass of cold white wine!
We spend Thai new year in Pai, is about saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new. This is where the water comes in, water is sprinkled on you to cleanse you. But as the days go on its an excuse for a water fight on a grand scale, talk about wet T shirt competition, Water pistols, hose pipes, buckets, drums, people line the roads and as you ride/walk/run past you get drenched. Nicky thought he had died and gone to heaven. He bought a water machine gun and just jumped into the fray for 4 days.
The afternoon food market was always an option lots of little stalls selling dozens of different dishes served up in Papaya leaves on sticks or in little plastic bags. Our favorite lady opposite the bus station was our source of green papaya salad which we just couldnt get enough of.
One of the best meals happened by accident, a real little local place next to Ting Tong
(one of the happening bars). We didn't have a clue what the deal was but it turned out to be a Barbecue Thai style. A clay pot is placed on top of bricks on your table and filled with coals. This is covered with something like an upside down water bowl with a domed lid and a gully around the side. It arrives with a sizzling piece of pork fat to oil the grill you pour water into the gulley, collect all the different meats/fish from a central table, pick herbs like vietnamese mint, basil, coriander, spring onions, veggies like kale and you place all the green stuff in the gulley place the meat on the top and as the meat sizzles all the juices run down into the water, making a stock while you barbecue, we drank the local rum ate ourselves happy and then the end was a fabulous soup to which we added noodles chillies fish sauce lime juice, yummm.
The liquor deal works like this, you buy a combo which consists of a bucket of ice, a bottle of local rum (Sangsohm) a few bottles of soda and glasses. You run your own cocktail bar from your table.
It's been 10 days and we haven't had a bad meal yet (or a bout of the runs) but damn we have missed the odd cold glass of cold white wine!
We spend Thai new year in Pai, is about saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new. This is where the water comes in, water is sprinkled on you to cleanse you. But as the days go on its an excuse for a water fight on a grand scale, talk about wet T shirt competition, Water pistols, hose pipes, buckets, drums, people line the roads and as you ride/walk/run past you get drenched. Nicky thought he had died and gone to heaven. He bought a water machine gun and just jumped into the fray for 4 days.
You start losing your sense of humor after about day four and especially when you crash your scooter with your kid on the back. (Nicky poor child crashed first with his mom and then a spectacular wet skid with Dad down the main drag, so Craig and Nicky are sporting excellent war injuries).
Before we knew it we had been 8 days in Pai and so draws to an end our time in Pai. We have met so many people, locals farangs and learned the difference between Sawadi Kap and Sawadi Ka. We are slowly morphing into travellers and its time to hit the road on our next big adventure down the Mekong River.
Before we knew it we had been 8 days in Pai and so draws to an end our time in Pai. We have met so many people, locals farangs and learned the difference between Sawadi Kap and Sawadi Ka. We are slowly morphing into travellers and its time to hit the road on our next big adventure down the Mekong River.
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