Pie, Pi.......Pai?

About 3 hours northeast of Chiang Mai lays a town I want to classify as an unofficial city-state, called Pai. Let's call it for short UCS. After spending four days in Pai it Seemed as if the city was stuck in the past but in the best way Possible. It reminded me of a tiny little city east of Byron Bay, Australia called Nimbin. Everyone from the store clerks, to bartenders, and even city officials (I don't think I saw one policeman the whole time just these "mall cop" fellows looking semi official) living a seriously laid back lifestyle. This lifestyle was definitely taken to heart by some of the backpackers who have been there months on end just enjoying the life lounging by day and wonderful live music scene by night. Understandably so some people just LOVE Pai and get stuck just like the culture has been for decades. With not much to do during the day and lack of Thai authorities it does open up some other doors. The most obvious one is the buying and selling of marijuana or pot or the mistress or mary jane or weed etc etc etc (this tidbit of info is widely known in the world of backpackers as its stated in Lonely Planet and Rough Guide, guide books throughout the world). Although the strict repercussions for possession of marijuana in Thailand are still "enforced" in Pai, this UCS seems to shimmy around these laws as buying and selling of the "drug" is quite common. Everyone knows going that this stereotype can hold true if you want it to but this definitely doesn't mean you still can't get caught! Aside from these deviations to Thai Law on marijuana, the laid back vibes of this UCS also melt into the nightlife. The main few cross streets of bars and pubs turn into one big gathering. Drinks can be Brought from bar to bar (which isn't completely unusual in Thailand or SE Asia in general it's just another good touch to the city) and the live music scenes aren't necessarily sponsored by one bar but rather just a gathering of backpackers by one spot all who have a decent musical rhythm and just jam out. I want to say there is a generalized term for people who like to do such things .... oh yeah, hippies!

Other than the small but very interesting city center, Pai does offer quite a few day and half-day trips outside its parameters. The main ones being the surrounding 2 or 3 waterfalls (I can't remember the exact number), Pai Canyon and the most spectacular of them all, the day trip to Nam Lod Caves.

The cave day will be my most adventurous and memorable day I will have from Pai. A group of about eight or nine of us rented mini motorbikes (mopeds if you will) and made ​​the 100 Kilometer journey on our own. The various twists, turns and uncertainty around each corner of oncoming traffic through the mountain range added a much needed adrenaline rush to my trip. At one point on a small straight away a Norwegian kid (I think his name was Steen? But not all entirely sure) and I sped ahead from the group and nearly reached 110 km/h drilling a decent rush through my veins. After over an hour journey we reached the Nam Lod Caves. We stopped for a bite to eat at a proper guesthouse before the trail down and we were on our way.

My camera I'm using for my trip is a snap and shoot so I hope these pictures can do some sort of justice for its beauty because it was obviously dark and capturing some of the images were quite difficult. 

Entrance to the Nam Lod

This Norwegian kid got hammered on our cave tour, just kidding, I just caught him looking like crap on the super steep steps 

Stalagmites

Can you spot the deer finger painting? Roughly 2-3 thousand years old

Vicious cave catfish

In one end and out the other ..

The Cave Keeper. That snap and shoot does me well sometimes. The lizard even winked at me, what a dude

While I enjoyed my time in Pai I didn't get stuck and carried on with my journey after 4 days. It’s a place I would definitely recommend if you’re looking for a 'trip' into the past.