Finding Peace in Pai | Thailand's ULTIMATE Backpacker Destination! Thailand Travel Vlog 2022
[Epic Music] Hi, everyone. Welcome back to our channel. We're in Pai! We are in Pai. We've been here for about five days now, just kind of laying low, but today we're gonna do something fun. Yeah, we've rented a motorbike, so we get to check out some places outside of town. We're going to start off with the white Buddha temple, which is also known as Wat Phra That Mae Yen.
After that, we're going to check out the bamboo bridge and then last... We're gonna go to the Pai Canyon, which is supposedly a very cool spot to check out the sunset. So we're hoping that the rain's gonna stay away for a couple of hours, and yeah, let's go check it out. You've already rented a scooter.
I'm very nervous, but we've done it before. We should be fine. Let's do it. We're leaving our hotel now. It's really cute.
The grounds are beautiful; we're surrounded by a ton of greenery, and they're like these little cabins, which is really nice. Also got a pool here. It's not a bad place. It is right on the main road here in Pai, though, very close to the Walking Street, and there is a bar that just like...all night long.
So that's the one downfall of this place, but otherwise, it's pretty nice. Oh, Mike just got the bike. Let's check that out. [Upbeat Music] So we just made it to the front of the wat that we're going up; the white Buddha. So we're gonna grab some breakfast at this little place called Earth Tone. Mike's actually gotta go and put some gas in our scooter because they gave it to us on empty, which is a little frustrating, but that's okay.
He's gonna go grab some gas, I'm gonna go grab us a table, and then we will head to the White Buddha. [Upbeat Music] That was wild. There's a little roadside guest stop. The lady had liquor bottles full of gasoline that she filled the bike up with.
We're gonna have to stop by and see her again before we leave here, but. I didn't know how much to fill it up with, but that's crazy. Liquor bottles full of gasoline. [Laughing] So we're at this little restaurant called Earth Tone.
It's got healthy food and breakfast items; it's like a little cafe. Waiting on a quinoa salad and a smoothie bowl before we go explore the white Buddha temple. Yeah. Super excited. It's really cute, definitely has some boho vibes.
Ready to check out the food and go see some cool stuff. [Upbeat Music] Well, it turned out to be a beautiful day, so that's good. [Upbeat Music] So we just got here at the temple. I was gonna wear Mike's Hawaiian shirt because I still have not bought a sarong, but thankfully, they had these for rent, and it only cost 20 baht, so not too much.
This heat is coming down. The sun is very, very hot. We're gonna see if we can make it up there. [Upbeat Music] You should stop and look back. Wow. So we're about halfway up, and this place is amazing.
I don't know if you can see behind us. There's like these clouds covering the tops of the mountains. It actually turned out to be a really beautiful day. Yeah. Though it is still pretty hot.
[LAUGHING] Hey, at least it's not raining, though. It could be worse. Yeah, super could be worse. Oh my gosh, guys. Do you see this view behind me? [Ashley] That is unreal. And we're only about halfway up the mountain, I think, so we still got quite a ways to go.
But definitely worth it. It's beautiful. Very hot, though. Very, very, very hot. But beautiful. [SINGING] Ahhh! [Ashley] Look, Mike. We're almost there! I know, I'm so excited. The mountains back there are so pretty. [Ashey] I know. It's crazy.
[Ethereal Music] So we're just sitting here in front of this white Buddha, just sitting in the shade and taking a moment to enjoy the surroundings. It's super peaceful up here. Getting out of the city of Pai has been a really rewarding experience so far, and we're not even that far out of it. Yeah, we're only...this took us, like, what? Five, ten minutes to get here.
It's pretty crazy, and it's only about a 20, 30-minute walk to get here, so definitely worth checking out if you guys are in Pai. Wat Phra That Mae Yen. Yeah, that one. [LAUGHING] [Ethereal Music] Now we gotta make our way back down these stairs, get on the scooter and head to the bamboo bridge.
Which the way down should be easier, but for this old man, they're actually harder. [LAUGHING] Thanks. You're welcome.
I really appreciate that. [Laidback Music] First, we have to refuel on gas because we did not get enough from that liquor bottle-worth of petrol that we got earlier, so we're gonna do that first, and we'll head over to the bridge. Uh, it looks like it's about a 30-minute drive, so it's a little far out there for our first-time scooter driving in Thailand, but I think we'll be okay. And we've got our trusty helmets on, so we'll see how... I'm a jaguar! ...see how this goes. [LAUGHING] Sawasdee Khap! I need more! [Laidback Music] So it just started raining on us. Hopefully, we won't experience a downpour.
[Laidback Music] Okay, so I know I say that every place is beautiful, but this place is absolutely stunning. Yeah, this place is crazy. We're on this like bamboo bumpy bridge. The first bamboo bridge we ever got on, we were like, "there's no way; it's not built for people like us," but it's so strong. It definitely feels like it gives, and it bounces, and it... Yeah.
...does its thing. But it's really strong. And it's just an engineering marvel for where we are in the world right now. Yeah, it's...it's pretty impressive. It feels like it's just gonna give way, but we also know that, what, bamboo's, like, tougher than steel or something? Yeah, it's got...I don't know the statistics. Tensile strength? But yeah, the tensile strength of bamboo is stronger than steel when put together, which is impressive.
So is spider silk, though, so. That's...yeah, I guess that's true. And that wouldn't hold me. [GIGGLING] [Mike] Enough of it would. But yeah, like, look at this place. This place is beautiful. What?! [Laidback Music] She's so excited.
Those catfish are massive, and there's, like, I think carp in there as well? This little pond is super stocked with fish, and they allow you to give a donation, and you get what amounts to, like, I guess fish kibble. And you can throw that in and as soon as you do, it creates a catfish feeding frenzy. Yeah, it's super cool. It's a neat little spot. I like it.
Absolutely. It only costs 60 baht total for us to get in, so 30 baht per person, and I feel like it's definitely worth the drive. It does take about 30 minutes from Pai to get here on motorbike. But it's a beautiful drive, so very, very, very worth it. [SINGING] You're beautiful! [Laidback Music] It's super cute, super Instagram-y. Definitely worth checking out. It doesn't take very long to walk through it doesn't look like. You probably do it in, what, like, 10, 20 minutes? 10 minutes if you just walk, 20 minutes if you stop and take pictures of all the little picture sites and feed catfish and swing on swings.
Yeah. There's a little coffee shop, there's a little gift shop and souvenir place where you can buy handicrafts and things like that. Mmhm. Yeah, it's super cute. Also, in the comments, let us know what this plant is that's growing in front of us. We've seen it really everywhere in Pai.
I think this is rice, baby. Is it rice? Yeah. I think it's rice too. It's normally flooded. These are rice fields. Excuse my naivety and my ignorance; I don't know anything about anything, really. Agriculture or farming or...
Uh, but yeah, if these are rice fields, let me know. I'm very curious. We see them everywhere. It's safe to assume that they are, but I don't know. It is what it is.
Sometimes we just ask these questions so that we cause trouble. [LAUGHING] [Laidback Music] So one of the cool things about this bamboo bridge; it was actually built by one of the monks that runs the temple out here, and apparently, it was hard to traverse getting from the town to the monastery. The monk had the idea to build this bamboo bridge to connect the two. It made receiving alms much easier. If you're not familiar with what an alm is, it's basically an offering made to, I believe it's made to Buddha, but it's given to the monks each morning.
But yeah, so it made it easier to do that and then to traverse across the countryside and all of these rice fields, and in doing that, it also became a tourist destination so it brings a little bit of money for the community, which is awesome. They've also got this little pond here that you can donate to feed some of the fish there in the pond, and the money goes to the local schools in the area, so I think that's really awesome. It's a fun little spot to check out for a little while. Definitely recommend it if you guys are in the Pai area. We came by scooter, so that was really easy to do.
The roads weren't dangerous. They were a little bumpy, but that's to be expected. We're in literally the northern Thailand highlands, so it's...it's pretty crazy when...when we take a moment to really think about where we are in the world. Mike and I were talking about this earlier today, and, actually, on the scooter ride up here, and we were saying that if five years ago, you had told us that we would be scootering through the jungles of northern Thailand, I don't know that we would have believed you. So it's pretty crazy how different our lives are than what we maybe originally planned, but I'm...I'm so thankful that it is that way and that I've got my partner to experience this awesome trip with me.
So...Anyway, we're gonna wrap it up here. It's been really beautiful, and yeah, we're gonna head back to Pai, and I think next up on our agenda is actually to go to the canyon for sunset, so we've got a couple more hours. It's only about 2:30 right now, so probably grab some lunch.
There are a lot of really, really cute cafes along the way. [Dreamy Music] So this place is actually a lot bigger than we initially thought it was going to be. I think we're just now getting to the ending. It's pretty sizable. [Dreamy Music] Wow, you guys, this place is breathtaking.
We just found the Forest Temple Huai Kaai Kiri. It is super crazy. So I've played a lot of video games growing up, and I've come across, like, temples in the forest, but this just blows up your expectations. We walked through a bamboo bridge, and then wound our way through the jungle, found a little temple, and then here at the end, we're just now reaching the gates of the actual temple itself, and the whole trip has been breathtaking so far. Yeah, it was interesting.
So we saw a lot of people turning around, and I think that they thought that this one structure was a temple. It's kind of very near the entrance, and I'm glad we kept pushing forward because we would have missed this incredible forest temple, and it's just...it's so beautiful. So if you come to the Pam Bok bamboo bridge, definitely make sure to push farther than you think you would have to. And you'll see a sign. You'll know when you get to it because it says the 'Forest Temple,' and it's really beautiful. So we're gonna go inside, check it out, and then grab some food. Maybe a coffee? Yeah.
We'll see. [Dreamy Music] So here's that rain that the weather was talking about, and, of course, we're about as far out on the bamboo bridge as you can be. But it's just rain. It's just water. I definitely don't want to ride the scooter in it.
I've heard that scooters are pretty slippery when it's wet out... But it is what it is. We got to do something. [Dreamy Music] Holy cow, it is coming down. Holy water buffalo? Holy water buffalo. But in good news, right in the little tourism complex of the bamboo bridge, there's a little coffee shop, so we're waiting on some smoothies to get made and we're gonna sit here, and hopefully, wait the rain out so we don't have to scooter home in the rain, and if not, we're just gonna get on the scooter and phew, head home.
Yep, wish us the best. This is a little scary. It's not that scary, we'll be fine. We got our smoothies. I'm slightly happier. I'm super happier because I love banana smoothies.
They're probably the best thing ever. Unless you add coconut or peanut butter to them, and then it's like a game changer again, like another level of game changer. I just got boring strawberry, but it's my favorite.
It'd be even better if it was strawberry, mango, passion fruit combo, but they only had the one flavor, so this is really good. So the rain subsided. We're gonna try and hop on our scooter and head back to town. Wish us luck.
It's about a 30-minute drive, but I figure now is better than raining and dark. Mmhm. Yeah, it kinda sucks. We may have to skip the canyon tonight because...I don't know. I don't know about this. I really just don't know if there's gonna be much of a sunset.
It's really pretty over there. Yeah, we'll see. We'll keep our fingers crossed, and if we can go to the canyon tonight, we will. If not, we'll try for another day. Ashley in her little turtle shell. [Dreamy Music] We made it! Yeah, it was actually not so bad. We got caught in a downpour at the bamboo bridge, but it started to clear up after we had our smoothies.
We had a really beautiful ride home. We're both drenched. Soaking wet. We're going to take a quick second to rest, change our clothes.
Yeah, I think we're gonna skip the canyon tonight because it doesn't look like the sun's going to be coming out. After we rest, we're gonna go check out the Walking Street. We've been there a couple of times already, and it's a really cool spot. Let's go dry off. [Upbeat Music] So do you think we made it? I don't know. We'll see, let's go. Alright, let's go.
[Upbeat Music] So we made it to the Pai Canyon, and we kind of missed sunset. The sun's still up, but the sunset's not really doing much of anything, but this place is packed. Yeah, there are so many people here. There's like vans and vans and vans... and scooters and scooters and scooters.
...yeah, offload all the tourists. So this place is cool, but we're gonna go grab a drink. Yeah, it's more our speed. [Upbeat Music] What'd you find? They got miang kham, which I just learned what it was called like a couple weeks ago, but it's my favorite thing, so I'm gonna get some. [Mike] Sawasdee khap! [Ashley] Sawasdee Kha! [Mike] How much? [Vendor] 10 baht. [Mike] 10 baht? Okay, can you break 100 baht? [Vendor] Uh, huh. Yes. [Ashley] Ah, thank you! [Mike] Khop khun khap. Sorry.
So Mike got his favorite thing in the world. Mmmm. It smells like leaf. And I got some rice noodles. We got them from the same stall.
They look really, really good so I'm excited. Yeah, this is only 10 baht; that was only 20 baht. Awesome. Alright, let's try them.
This thing is four for only 10 baht. Mmm. They're good. Still delicious. Not as spicy as my favorite ones. [Ashley] You like the ones in Chiang Mai better? Yeah, maybe because those were made, like, right then and there, and these have been chilling. Are those with meat or no? I think they're the same thing. I don't taste like anything different; they're just not as spicy, there's not as much ginger. You might actually like them better. Nice.
Okay, so these are my fried rice noodles. They look really, really good. They have green onion it looks like; I don't know what else. They look really good, though. Oh, they're spicy! [Mike] Are they? Yeah! They're good. Mmm. Mmhmm. Yeah, they're spicy. They're cold...they're really spicy, though. [Mike] Are they rice noodles? They look like spaghetti noodles.
I thought they were rice noodles, but now I'm not sure. I don't know, but they definitely got some heat, and they're good. They're, like, cold but hot. [Laidback Music] So I got a drink in bamboo. It is pandan flavored, which we've learned is like grass that kind of gives off a vanilla-y vibe, and so I have no idea what to expect, but it's cool looking, and the dude was super nice, so we're gonna try it. Smells very earthy.
[Ashley] If you like it, you can get 15 baht refills, I think. Really? [Ashley] Yep. Interesting. It is, like...it's interesting. So it tastes kind of like...like a little bit like vanilla, but a little bit like...I don't know; hold on.
It's like vanilla with a little bit of honey, and then it's really earthy...I don't know how to explain it...taste. It's really good. Kind of like tea, I guess. If you made, like, a vanilla honey tea is kind of what it tastes like. That's probably the best explanation, which I imagine makes sense for grass that you add to water. So yeah, it's refreshing.
[Laidback Music] Alright, guys, we just want to say thanks so much for hanging out with us today in Pie. We had a great time; we hope you did as well. Check it out if you're in northern Thailand. It's just about three and a half hours west of Chiang Mai. You can take a bus from the city to get there. It's only about 250 baht per person. Yeah, it's a cute little city. We're happy to be here. Uh, we're listening to some live music right now, and then we're gonna call it a night.
Cheers. Uh, so we're just sitting here in front of this white Buddha, uh, just sitting in the shade and, uh, taking a moment to enjoy, uh, the surroundings... uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh... Thanks. Mike's trying to mansplain and tell me the difference between white...between rice and wheat.
But those are definitely like little wheat balls, I think. I don't think those are rice balls. I'm pretty sure someone in the comments will be able to tell us...hopefully. So this place is... [STARTS CHOKING]
2023-01-13 06:00
