The Travelling Feet

My clock registered 5:30am. It was the 4th day of my 2nd trip to Pai and we were to leave that afternoon to head back to Bangkok. My friend, Den, was missing in action early that morning. To maximize my time, I decided to go on an early morning walk in Pai and head straight to Coffee in Love. I had always wanted to go back in that coffee shop after my quick visit from our previous trip. The sceneries on your way there are a sight to behold and it was the perfect time to work out my sleeping muscles.

Renting motorbikes and bicycles are common ways to move around Pai. However, I left the bike that I rented since I was about to pass through Pai’s national highway. You see, I had that morbid imagination wherein I might get crushed by huge vehicles on Pai’s national roads. I was on my own and no one might help me should something bad happen to me. And that was the reason I went on foot from the town center of Pai and walked 2 kilometers going to Coffee in Love (4 kilometers if you were to add the trip back).

It was still early when I left my guesthouse. The streets were still deserted except for a few locals who were walking by. I also saw a couple of monks roaming around town asking for alms. Alms giving in Thailand is natural and is practiced by monks on a daily basis. It is believed that giving alms will bring one good luck as those monks will pray for you and bless you and your family. When you travel to these Southeast Asian countries, don’t be surprised when you see this practice.

Once I reached my 1st kilometer, I decided to drop by Baan Kung Kang de Pai. I knew that there was a small windmill in that hotel and although we passed by this area the day before, we skipped entering the area. I wanted to see the windmill. When I reached the hostel, the place looked very surreal! I’ll share that on a different post.

After getting side tracked, I continued on my journey and hoped that it wouldn’t rain. People passing by were looking at me. If I knew too well, I’d suspect that they were thinking how crazy I was with what I was doing. Pai’s national road was desserted and I was the only one moving in there.

Then all of a sudden, I saw them. A few meters away, a dog started to bark at me. I tried to walk on the farthest side of the road so that the dog wouldn’t bother me. The barking didn’t stop. 2 more dogs joined the 1st one. They were barking non-stop and I had to walk slowly at that time, carefully calculating my next move. I silently chanted for them to stay on their side of the road.

I could not panic. I couldn’t afford to. I know that dogs can sense fear in any person. I had to conceal my fright. I don’t want to end up in a hospital to get some anti-rabies. I had no budget for that.

The worst thing happened next. Since the road was deserted, the dogs freely crossed the street and decided to gang up on me. I froze. This time, they were barking at me, just a few inches away from my body. Instead of hitting them with the first object I could grab  and  threatening them to go away, I started talking to them. I started scolding them and pointed my finger at each one of them and told them to stop barking. When they saw my hand, they jumped as if they wanted to eat it. I extended it higher. They thought it was a game and they jumped higher. My other hand started stroking the head of one of those dogs while I continued raising my other arm to play along.

They stopped barking. Instead, they playfully bit my legs and hands. I had to stroke the heads of the dogs so that they’d get distracted. I squatted on the floor to give each one a pat in their back. They started licking my hand. Two of the dogs ran around me while the other one sat on the street. When I decided to take photos of them, they became willing models.

The other dog probably got bored since he went back to his home. The other two remained at my side. I urged them to go home so that I could go on with my walk. However, every time I walk, they walked with me. I kept telling them to go home but they wouldn’t budge. I guess they wanted to go with me.

I let them walk first while I lagged behind. At times, they’d stop walking. When I went ahead, they’d follow me again. They followed me all the way to Coffee in Love.

Once we reached the coffee shop, the other dog must have gotten bored and disappeared. The tamed one stayed behind. When I took photos of the place, I noticed that the dog hid behind my legs. He was trying to hide from another dog and seeked my protection. That  was so sweet of him. I told him to relax and calm down.

From time to time, the dog would go back to me as he was afraid of the other dog in the area. I talked to him as if I was talking to an old friend, reassuring him that everything’s going to be fine.

At times, the dog would stand at my my photo subjects as if signaling me to also take his picture.

When it was time for me to leave the coffee shop, the dog walked back with me. We walked side by side going down that sloped hill. When we reached their home, I said goodbye and told the dog to run home. He did as told. He ran towards their house. Then I started walking again. When I turned to check on him, I saw that he ran back towards me. He almost caused an accident since a motorcycle was passing by when he crossed the street. The good thing was the driver managed to control his bike. I was afraid he’d pull over and scold me and the dog for the hassle.

I bid my final farewell to my new buddy and told him to be good and to be careful when crossing the road. I patted him on his back one last time and told him to go home.

He finally crossed the street and halfway on the other side, he looked back at me. It was as if he was telling me he’ll miss me too. After taking a final photo of him, I waved goodbye once more and he ran fast towards their house.

That morning walk refreshed my body and mind. I never expected I’d meet a new buddy on my last day in Pai. I never imagined how a stranger who started out barfing at me ended up to be one of my sweetest travel buddies even for a short while.

Doggie, I will surely miss you!

When I travel, I prefer going to different places to explore new sights. However, I also have this habit of going back to the places I love. My stay in Thailand and Cambodia for 5 months were proof to this. Instead of moving on to that next adventure, I get stuck at those places and I allow it to happen. When I first travelled to Pai, one of the towns in the Mae Hong Son province in northern Thailand, I immediately realized that that trip was not going to be my first and last one.

When I first came to Pai, I was quick to judge the place without giving her the chance to know her better. I immediately labeled it as a ghost town. I tagged it as one of those fake touristy towns where travellers get sucked because of the artsy stuff lying everywhere.

Little did I know that I would soon eat my words the moment my eyes betrayed me. For when I decided to explore Pai’s countryside, I fell in love with Pai and found solace there.

Pai’s beautiful countryside is its best asset. You will see greenery everywhere you go. I know other places offer sceneries like this but there’s something magical about Pai.

I used to dream of going to Ireland. I want to see leprechauns in Ireland’s countryside.   I used to imagine roaming the castles of Scotland. My friend Marge even persuaded me to visit Venere.com for Edinburgh hotels offer great accommodation deals when she learned that I wanted to travel to Europe. She told me she’d be my tour guide to see Europe’s castles and its countryside. But after seeing Pai, I felt happy. Although it may take a while before my feet find the roads of Europe, I was happy to be given the chance to experience something similar in Pai.

For your knowledge, majority of the travellers that roam around Southeast Asia are Europeans. Seldom would you find travellers from America or elsewhere. These folks tend to travel to the tropical countries of Asia to escape the cold climate in Europe. Some of them return to their country after the winter season is over. Others who get stuck stay behind.

And I think this is one of the reasons why you would see a similar design in the architecture or other establishments in the countryside of Pai. The Europeans who have claimed Pai as their second home made an imprint in the lives and culture of the Thai people living in Pai.

I find it sad that Thai’s rich culture got overshadowed by these foreigners. I guess Pai just had to adapt and conform to change. I know I can’t do much about this since I was just passing through. With my short stay in Pai, I think I can say that Pai’s culture is still safe though unlike what happened to the town of Vang Vieng in Laos. I just hope Pai doesn’t end up like Vang Vieng.

If Thailand is on your travel destination list, I also encourage you to visit Pai. It’s actually almost 15 hours travel by bus but you can also ride a plane to Chiang Mai. Travelling to Pai from Chiang Mai will only take 3 hrs. There’s also an airport in Pai if you want to avoid the long and winding road when travelling to Pai.

I wouldn’t get tired having a view like this every single day.

I promised myself I will go back to Pai in October to witness sunflowers bloom and by December to January to see the beautiful sakuras during the province’ winter season but I guess I’ll have to take a rain check on that.

These beautiful small flowers will do for now…

My second visit to Pai, a beautiful countryside on the northern part of Thailand, was super fun and I was glad I returned there. The country of Thailand was celebrating one of their holidays and because of the long weekend, my friend and I decided to travel back to Pai. Well, to tell you honestly, she forced me to go with her. Just don’t let her know I said so. If I even mention here the real reason why she dragged me there in the first place, I might not see the next sunrise. lol. So I’ll keep that secret between the two of us (plus my other friends, Edcel and Debbie )

Anyway, since she dragged me to one of the most beautiful countryside in Thailand, she’ll be the topic of this article. sssssh. Don’t tell her, ok?

One of the best things about the residents of Pai are their creativity. You will see how creative they are based on the artworks that they sell at the walking street bazaar, which you will find in the town center.

One evening, while we were roaming around the area, we came across a shop of a Pai artist.

After seeing that board on top, my friend got interested and asked how big the photos were. She compared each size with its corresponding amount. After discussing the rates, she decided to have her portrait sketched with the A6 postcard size.

The artist asked my friend to sit down. He turned on the spotlight and directed it to my friend, Den.

While the artist was busy sketching my friend’s portrait, Den started commenting on the artist’s strokes. She was saying that the sketch should be beautiful or else…

The artist kept telling Den to look at the green spot behind him so that he can focus on his work. However, my friend didn’t obey. Instead, we kept laughing since we could see what the artist was sketching.

The artist was laughing too as he continued sketching my friend. At that point, one might mistake we smoked weed because of the laughter ringing in the area. Den and I were already laughing hard at how ridiculous Den looked on her sketch, not to mention Den’s complaints. The artist just laughed with us. Den started saying she didn’t look close to anything that the artist was drawing.

Despite my friend’s complains, the artist kept sketching as if he didn’t hear her. A few tourists also dropped by to check out the final sketch.

After a few minutes, the ordeal was over. The artist handed Den her caricature. I was laughing hard when I saw that the artist never changed the one thing that Den asked him to change, her chin. Den was complaining the whole time that she doesn’t have a huge chin like the one the artist just drew. But the artist just laughed at us. Den also realized that her chin and neckline was probably one of her most striking  features for that was the area that the artist focused on distorting.

When we left the place, my friend asked if I had a pen since she was bent on altering the portrait. She said she’d draw a neckline to break the huge fat chin that the artist sketched. Since I’m evil, I didn’t give her my pen

By dinner time, she managed to borrow a pen from the owner of the restaurant. My pen’s ink was better than the regular pen Den got so I gave in and handed my pen over. In the end, she got what she wanted – a smaller chin for her caricature portrait.

Den is an artist too. She’s the artist behind my logo. After seeing her caricature, she couldn’t help say that she drew better than that artist. Bitter mode? Peace Den. Miss yah!

Last April, my friend, Den, joined me on a trip to Pai in Northern Thailand after I celebrated the Songkran Festival in Chiang Mai. A few hours after we arrived in that artsy town, Den and I met travellers who were training Muay Thai. When we got invitations to try out Muay Thai, I had to pass since my knee was still healing after a bike accident in Siem Reap. Besides, three is a crowd.

Den went with one of our newfound friends on a gym located in the outskirts of Pai. When she came back to our guesthouse after her first Muay Thai training experience, her face was all red and she looked like she was about to collapse. Here’s her account of what happened on her first attempt to learn Muay Thai…

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I first heard of muay thai from my friend, Lindsay, way back in 2004. She said that her best workouts were during the sessions she had with her muay thai instructor. Heck, she even went as far as saying that it was the best of all the martial arts and anyone who used it can easily knock his opponent out. In the spirit of fairness, I will not go to the length of announcing that it is the best of all the martial arts (as every form has something unique to offer) but I will say that it is the only workout that has me begging for breaks every 2 minutes.

Muay Thai is a martial art from Thailand that is commonly referred to as the ‘Science of Eight Limbs’ because it makes use of eight points of contacts using the fists, hands, feet, elbows, and knees – a slight opposition to a more regulated combat sport like kickboxing.

After being oriented 8 years ago about this martial art, I finally gave it a whack last April while vacationing in Pai, Thailand with my friend, Doi. (Okay, fine.) I will admit that I registered for a session because of the cute guy I met who invited me to try it out at the gym where he was also training in. The gym was called Wisarutwat and it was off the beaten path which became my excuse to hitch a ride in my new friend’s motorcycle. Don’t judge please, he was more than happy to oblige.

Anyway, my first muay thai training was not entirely a disaster according to my friend, who goes by the name of Boris (although he was smiling a lot while he was watching and taking photos of me).

with my trainer, Pi Pot

I never imagined that it was going to be that strenuous. In fact, I was quite confident that I can breeze through the whole 2 hours since I had years of dance and taekwondo training in the past. But man, was I mistaken!

I was constantly out of breath and my arms ached like hell. It was either really hard or I was just out of shape; either way it made me lose my ‘dancer’ poise. Not to mention that I was eyeing the clock every 20 seconds because I was silently begging for the training to be over.

That was my mistake. Obviously my body was not ready and I just dived in for the wrong reason. Like most competitive full contact combat sports, muay thai is focused heavily on body conditioning which required many staples such as stretching, running, shadowboxing, rope jumping, body weight resistance and abdominal exercises. In my case, since I was new at it, I was only advised to do a 20-minute rope/rubber tire jumping, a 10-minute stretch, as well as, 15 minutes of shadowboxing. After that, my trainer, Pi Pot, started with the Thai pad training which is considered to be the cornerstone of muay thai conditioning. I was coached to punch, kick (using my shin and not my feet), and strike with my knees and elbows.

After the 2-hour beat down, I was spent. I had no energy left. My hands and knees were literally shaking. When Pi Pot offered me a cup of water, I had difficulty holding the cup and steadying my grip. Usually that only happens before an actual performance and not after any kind of physical training.

But then, the training did feel like I was in an actual performance because we were inside the ring and there were people watching me make a fool of myself (hence, the muay thai training = show, the ring = stage).

When Pi Pot told me that my training was finished, I happily dragged my feet to the bathroom on the second floor of the main house to change. While I was freshening up, I thought, “I badly need a massage!” I skipped the barbeque hook-up that night and told Boris to just drop me off at the guesthouse where I was staying.

This was last April. I am still doing muay thai training but this time in Bangkok; and this time, my technique and endurance have improved in accordance to my trainer.

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Note: This is a guest post written by Den Ramonal. Den is a lot of things but a dancer at best. Watch her unravel while globe-trotting for she’s the fickle pickle of all trades at TutuontheRun.com.

One of the things I considered before my backpacking trip in Southeast Asia was getting a travel insurance. But because of the lack of funds, I simply decided to let go of this necessity when I travelled out of the country. I told myself I just need to be extra careful and will pray that luck will always be with me to help avoid accidents on my journey to SEA.

However, when you are gifted with an adventurous spirit, it seems that nothing can stop you from scratching off items in your bucket list.

So on the second month of my backpacking trip, I made the most out of my stay in Siem Reap by deciding to learn how to ride a bike.

me starting to learn how to ride a bike on Siem Reap’s gardens
photo credits: Edcel of soloflighted.com

You see, Siem Reap’s laid back setting is the perfect place for anyone to learn how to ride a bike. And with the help of my biking guru and travel buddy, Edcel of soloflighted.com, I biked around Siem Reap’s gardens.

Learning how to ride a bike is not really that difficult. You just have to let go of your fear and be one with the vehicle. Some people may find it difficult at first and I’m one of those few. With two left feet, I had a hard time finding my balance. And the next thing I knew, I was already on the ground with an almost twisted knee and ankle, my bike on top of me.

At first, I thought everything was ok. I continued to ride the bike after my fall but soon noticed pain on my left knee. When we went back to our guesthouse, the pain got worse. I had no insurance and I refused to go to any cilnic or hospital. It was a good thing that my friend, who is a doctor, was online at that time and gave me instructions on what must be done.

falling is inevitable when you learn how to ride a bike
photo credits: Edcel of soloflighted.com

Luck didn’t ride with me and the bike that day.

It was almost 2 months since that incident happened and the pain on my left knee still haunted me from time to time. That accident didn’t stop me from riding a bike though.

On my latest trip to Pai, I could no longer recall how many times I fell on my bike and hurt myself. Although I had a few cuts and bruises in my arms and legs, I’m just thankful that nothing serious happened to me on my biking adventures in Pai.

And now that winter is coming, it makes me think that getting a winter sports insurance is the best thing to do if my plans of going to Nepal will push through. Having lived in a tropical country all my life, I should not heavily rely on luck anymore when I suddenly feel the urge to go biking or get myself involved in extraneous activities. I need to seriously consider getting a travel insurance as a back up plan should my health fail on me once I decide to travel to the colder regions of Asia. But now that I am still stuck in Cambodia and Thailand, I’ll continue to be very careful with the kind of activities I involve myself with like biking.

Learning how to ride a bike in Siem Reap was one of the best things I did in this backpacking trip. But the past two trips to Pai in Northern Thailand made me realize I want to live there. Pai’s uphill and downhill roads with the town’s laid back country side for a background is the perfect place to master my biking skills.

biking in the rain on one of the uphill roads in Pai, Thailand

To those of you who do not know how to ride a bike, don’t fret. It’s never too late. You can never be too old to learn how. All it takes is a small step of courage and will power.

And when you do decide to learn how to ride a bike, you only have to remember this…

You will fall.

Your body will scream with pain and falling will become a habit if you can’t take the fatigue anymore.

You will have bruises and cuts or maybe even worse.

Know that those are normal. As the saying goes “No Pain, No Gain”.

What’s important is that you rise again every time you fall.

If learning to ride a bike is that important to you, you need to endure all the pain. Mend your wounds too. It’s a must.

And lastly, NEVER GIVE UP!

photo credits to Den Ramonal