Berry's SEAJ trip Day 34: Scooting to Pai (7/9/15)

Went to the scooter rental place around the corner from Non after breakfast to see about getting a scooter for the next week as I make my way to Pai and Chiang Rai. Bikes are usually 200/d, but we got one for 1000/wk which seemed to be normal in the area. Get the bike with the helmets and I go to fill it up as Steph goes back to start consolidating bags as we have no real luggage compartment.

Our trusty steed for the next week.

We are again allowed to leave our bags at Non and get our gear into one bag for the whole trip. We head out with a small detour to the train station so Steph can get her departing train ticket back to BK. We start heading to P and it is a drizzly day which makes driving without proper gear frustrating/annoying. The lack of proper highway signs don't help, but we eventually get on our way up the right highway. As we are navigating the mountain path, we get caught in a torrential downpour and are laid up at a little “cafe” until it subsides. After that we head up the road and stop for lunch at a restaurant with a pretty great view.

Fountain at the train station. Berry wanted to go for a swim but we had places to be.

Berry and our ride at the front of the train station. Steph went in to get her ticket so I chilled outside so we didnt have to actually park the scooter.

Seeking shelter during a torrential downpour. 

View from lunch spot. Calm after the storm with a beautiful back yard to enjoy lunch overlooking.

Look at that sexy beast on his powerful 2 wheeler. Yeah baby!

After lunch we continue on our way and it is here that I really missed a manual bike as the up/down winding road to get to P was not appropriate to be on with a 115cc scooter, but we made it :). We were staying in the Canary guest house and it turns out we have to park our scooter across a bridge from the place and walk our stuff over to it as there is no direct parking at the guest house from what I could see.

View from the bridge to our place. 

That is a giant mountainside Buddha in the distance indeed. 

They painted a window on one of the walls. Sneaky people. This is our room for the next 2 nights.

After checking in, we head out to find dinner and happen to run into some friends of Steph from earlier in the trip and have some drinks with them. We then go find more food and wind up finding locally made feta at a middle eastern convenience store, putting that on a baguette, and calling it dinner. Great cheese. We head to the jazz club in Pai for a drink before heading back to the hostel to get some rest.

Berry enjoyed the evening sky as we begin our walk around town.

Steph enjoying a smoothie out of her jar. 

One of the ladies we stopped at to grab some food on our walk around town.

Berry and I enjoying the lady's samosa. Delicious indeed!

Night market in Pai.