Pai Today

Pai was once a quiet market village primarily inhabited by Shan people, whose culture originated in Burma. As it lies at the feet of the mountains it's a good base for trekking and visiting hill tribes like Karen, Hmong and Lisu. Well-known among backpackers for its relaxed atmosphere, the town is full of cheap guest houses, souvenir shops and restaurants. In the proximity of the town are spas, and elephant-camps. Outside of town several hot springs, natural and man-made, and a waterfall can be found. Another notable attraction is the region's famous Wednesday Market, occurring weekly, which can bring crowds of up to 10,000 local villagers through the course of one day.
Recently Pai has received major infrastructure upgrades including SGA Airline between Chiang Mai – Pai, two of 7-11, several small to medium-size resorts, a couple of live music clubs, beer bars and two traffic lights.
Accommodation The T2T dorm in Pai is a big wooden Thai style house with a large living room and a separate dinning/study room. There are 3 bedrooms with bunk beds and mosquito nets that can accommodate up to 3 volunteers each. The kitchen area is equipped with a gas cooker, toaster, fridge, water kettle and all the necessary cooking ware. The bathroom has a Thai style toilet and a hot water shower. The dorm is located in a typical Thai neighborhood, so it is perfect to experience Thai culture and life. Furthermore, the dorm is walking distance from the schools and all the shops.
Food
The kitchen is well equipped with a fridge, toaster, water kettle and gas cookers so you can cook your own food. In the past, we have enjoyed buying fresh fruit and vegetables from the market in order to practice our Thai cooking skills with the support of Mam. There are an abundance of restaurants and food stalls offering Thai and western food in Pai, some open in the morning, some at night. Every afternoon there is a food market in the main street of Pai and there are several bakeries, food stalls and stores, as well as a Seven Eleven so you can buy “western” food, milk, yogurt etc.
Weather
Due to its elevation, Pai is considerably cooler than most of Thailand. Although still hot during the day (20 to 25 degress in the November to January cool season and above 30 degrees during the March and April hot season) tempratures drop to below 10 degrees at night particularly in the cold season. The cooler climate also brings advantages as its far less humid during the day and the coolor tempratures discourage mosquitos.
Activities
Pai offers plenty of opportunity for adventure and sight seeing. There is climbing, hiking, tubing or rafting down the Mae Nam Pai and numerous waterfalls and hot springs. In Pai town there is a swimming pool and a gym as well as a herbal sauna and we can arrange socio-culturally sound trekking tours to ethnic minority villages.
Pai also offers many opportunities to learn and practise spiritual arts such as yoga, Tai Chi, meditation or massage as well as cooking classes. There is a lively music scene in town with frequent concerts and jam sessions which anyone can join. There is also an excellent selection of books available in the many book stores and last but not least Pai has a little cinema where movies can be chosen individually
How to get to Pai
Pai, is a three hours bus ride from Chiang Mai. Public buses to Mae Hong Son leave from Chiang Mai´s Arcade bus station at 8.30, 11, 12 am and 2, 4 pm. The slightly more expensive 12 seater mini vans leave irregularly whenever filled up.
How to get around Pai
Pai downtown only consists of a few crossroads and can be easily walked or biked around. There are no tuk-tuks or any other means of public transportation around town. Motorbikes can be rented for excursions and private transportation can be arranged on request.