Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [369]
Phu Pai Art Café (Th Rangsiyanon; 5pm-midnight) This attractive wooden house is another highlight of Pai’s live music scene. The amps turn on at 8pm, and on our visit we enjoyed some very good live acoustic guitar music.
Pai Post Studio & Gallery (Th Chaisongkhram; 7.30-midnight) This white wooden building is home to Pai’s English-language rag, and the front is a white space for photography. But every night, after the computers are turned off, a fun mixture of live music (mostly rock/jazz) and performance (a ventriloquist, at last check) takes over.
Don’t Cry (Th Ratchadamnoen; 6pm-late) Located just across the river, this is the kind of reggae bar you thought you left behind on Ko Phangan. Soporifically chilled out and open (albeit quietly) until the last guy goes home.
Eat & Chat (Th Rangsiyanon; 6pm-midnight) For a couple of beers and a chat at conversation, rather than shouting-over-the-guitar-solo level, head to this low-key place across from the Blue Lagoon Hotel. Music ranges from jazz to Sinatra, there’s live acoustic most nights, and as the name suggests, there’s food as well.
Getting There & Away
AIR
Pai’s airport is around 2km north of town along Rte 1095.
SGA Airlines (nationwide call centre 0 2264 6099, 0 5369 8207; www.sga.co.th; Pai airport), a subsidiary of Nok Air, operates propeller-powered flights between Pai and Chiang Mai (from 1930B, 30 minutes, twice daily).
BUS
From Pai it’s easy to get to Soppong (ordinary/air-con/minivan 40/80/100, 1½ hours, 8.30am to 2pm) and Mae Hong Son (ordinary/air-con/minivan 80/100/150B).
A couple of ordinary buses depart from Pai’s bus station for Chiang Mai (112B, four hours, 8.30am and 10.30am). Buses and minivans originating in Mae Hong Son also stop in Pai (ordinary/air-con/minivan 80/100/150B, three hours).
Book your ticket in advance at aYa Service (0 5369 9940; 22/1 Moo 3 Th Chaisongkhram); it runs hourly air-con minivan buses to Chiang Mai (150B, three hours, from 7.30am to 4.30pm), as well as less frequent departures to Chiang Rai (550B, five hours), Mae Sai (700B, six hours) and Chiang Khong (750B, 10 hours).
Getting Around
Most of Pai is accessible on foot. Motorcycle taxis wait at the taxi stand across from the bus station. Fares are 40B to Ban Santichon and 70B to Nam Tok Mo Paeng.
For local excursions you can rent bicycles or motorcycles at several locations around town including aYa Service (0 5369 9940; Th Chaisongkhram; bikes per 24hr 100cc 80B, larger 100-700B). There are a couple of similar places in the immediate vicinity.
SOPPONG & AROUND
Soppong (also sometimes known as Pangmapha, actually the name of the entire district) is a small market village a couple of hours northwest of Pai and about 70km from Mae Hong Son. There’s not much to see in town, but the surrounding area is defined by dense forests, rushing rivers and dramatic limestone outcrops and is the place in northern Thailand for caving. The best source of information on caving and trekking in the area is the owner of Cave Lodge ( Click here) in nearby Tham Lot, the most accessible cave in the area.
There are also several Shan, Lisu, Karen and Lahu villages that can easily be visited on foot.
Soppong and Tham Lot have become popular destinations for minivan tours from Pai and Mae Hong Son, although few people stay overnight.
If you’re here on Tuesday morning, check out the town’s rustic market.
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Information
Soppong’s police station is 1.5km west of the town. The town’s only ATM is found there.
Activities
TREKKING & RAFTING
Cave Lodge ( Click here) near Tham Lot, 9km from Soppong, has experienced local guides and arranges recommended kayaking, trekking and caving trips in the area.
The new outfit Poodoi Namfaa Tour & Trekking (08 9048 2886) can arrange various outdoor pursuits, all led by local Musoe, Lisu and Karen guides. The emphasis is on two-day rafting trips along the Nam Khong