planes, trains, n tuk tuks….

Woke up with my new favorite ritual of tying up my mossi net tent and flinging open the double shudders above my bed to reveal the bird nest a ft from my pillow complete with 2 babbies getting fed their breakie my mamma bird.  Rallied enough energy to make it to the ppolside bungalow for a full continental breakfast and lounged the mourning away in the hand woven mulitcoloured hammocks.  Shopped around town in all the clothing stall lokking at floral dressed and bags, all cute enought to buy if i had more space to carry them.  City wide power outage made the heat unbearable so catie n i rented scooter and drove out of town in search of a  waterfall.  Beeler needing some relaxation from still living in the river hut went to relax by our pool.

i had more experience driving scooters from my time in Italy, so i drove, and it was relativly easy to reaclimate.   The waterfall was a ways out of town but a really nice drive through very rural rolling hills, wooden thatched shack shanty towns.  Stopping only when a family of ducks, chickens, or cows needed to cross, we made our way with no english signage 1.5 hrs away to the most spectacular waterfall.   Finding a waterfall in the jungle with no english signage and no english speaking direction stops is difficult, but add driving on the opposite side of the road and you have a real adventure. 

The waterfall was spectacular and formed in a way that you could hike up the side, shimmy out to the middle trying not to fall, and then sit down and slide the whole way back down launching off the end into a 15 ft free fall.   Catie got the nerve up firs and watching her bumpy ride arms flailing made take an extra few minutes to muster up the courage myself.  Eventually I did and the English travelers already masters of the slide technique showed me the way.  Brilliant.  although a little rough on the already bruised elephant riding bum.    Spent hours there swiming and wathcing all the newbys come and gather their own courage.   headed back towards town stopping in a fantasitc roadside hut/ bar complete with dj, batchi ball, pool table, hammocks and had a drink with our new waterfall friend from Germany.

All three of us loved Pai especially the outskirts of town and schemed ways to get around the no property ownership rule for foreigners.  Living in Pai at least part of the yr. would be a dream, but the best we could do for now was stay one extra day.

Catie n I had experienced more than enough of the river hut n checked into  a place a local girl suggested was really beautiful and way discounted due to being the off season.  She even took catie on her scooter to check it out first, not that we needed to as it was HEAVEN.  Bungalows beautifully crafted in Lana style scattered through the trees w/ cobbled paths and and oasis blue tiled pool complete w/ outdoor veranda overlooking a rice field w/ cow grazing.  Our room had 2 twin double beds, mossi nets, 3 huge windows w/ shutter, ensuite open air shoer and hot water.  We had found Shangrila.  and for only 2 dollars more than the river hut.  5 dollars a piece for a night in heaven.  B was decidedly not giving up on the river hut authenticity and stayed behind.  We swam, drank pasison fuit / pinapple slushies, layed in hamocks and wiled the rest of the day away shivering at the thought of our previous night w/ the rat.  We deserved this and really needed it emotionally. 

A perfect nights sleep, luxurious hot outdoor shoer, breakfast on the veranda and then off for thai massage and facials.  Not your westernized ”thai” massage as I have had plenty of those…this was a very interactive affair.  Bending, contorting, slapping, stretching, and we were all but recovered from the elephant riding soreness.  Elbows, feet, knees were all tools of the trade.  And they let us wear giant thai pants that we both put on backwards and had to be re-dressed.  Followed wi/ the most wonderful facial / natural oils and potions that all smelled a little like heaven.

Catie had been contemplating getting a traditional bamboo tatoo and decided now was as good a time as any.  So we perused the numerous authentic tatoo huts, and she settled on a very clean one, even by western standards, where everyone gets their own bamboo ”needle”.  Desgined w/ the artist a pretty lotus flower w/ balinese script of a blessing for good fortune.  I cowered as he jabbed that ink tipped bamboo shard into her back repeatedly until i needed some air and left her to it.

A quick breakfast and off we were to our elephant ride/bamboo rafting tour we had arranged the day before w/ a local street vendor.  I use the term ''tour'' loosley as this was no well oiled tourist machine, but rather ... [Continue reading this entry]