TAOACC

July 24th, 2008 | Posted by Sharon Joy

My Little Southeast Asia Adventure – Eleventh Stop: Pai and Chiang Mai, Thailand
July 7 to July 10

As soon as I arrived Bangkok from Hanoi, I got on a 10-hour overnight bus and arrived Chiang Mai at 5AM. Thinking that none of the guesthouses were open yet, I decided to stay and eat breakfast at the bus station. At 6AM, I decided to go find the “popular” Julie Guesthouse.  When I got there, “WHOAH!” There were already about 15 people waiting to get a room ahead of me. And it was only 6AM! The guesthouse doesn’t open until 8 and by then, there were already at least 30 people waiting. Looks like I’m not gonna make it. So I decided to walk around the neighborhood to find nearby guesthouses, instead, I found an internet cafe. I decided to find an emergency CS couch!

I had already contacted a Couchsurfer before coming to Chiang Mai, but it so happens that when I get there, he’d be in Pai. We’ve became instant friends from our exchange of CS messages after he replied to my post in the CS Chiang Mai group. It’s very unlikely that you easily and comfortably connect with someone you’ve never seen face to face, but Steve was one of those people that I easily connected with.

I must have been in luck because when I sent an email to Steve telling him of my situation and asking him for advise on which couchsurfers in Chiang Mai I could approach that could take me in even without prior notice, he was online and immediately responded that I was crazy and I should get on a van and travel 3 hours to Pai. I just arrived from a 10 hour bus ride. What’s another 3 hours, right? He was checked in the posh Quarter Hotel and got a two-bed room and he was willing to offer me the other one and I could pay him however much I would although he said it wasn’t necessary because he’s already paid for the room (I think it was his way of making me feel that it was not in anyway a malicious invitation. Steve is such a real gentleman.)

So I went to Pai and finally met Steve, who’s kept me company in my previous travels through our CS messages. And boy was The Quarter Hotel NICE. It was like a breathe of heaven after running after buses and riding 10 hour trains for weeks. We stayed in Pai for a day, went biking around town, and I treat him to dinner. Then we went back to Chiang Mai the next day.

Everything about Chiang Mai is charming. Even Steve’s bungalow. I mostly did temple seeing that my host Steve said I’ve been templed-out LOL!

Steve had already lived here for a while that he can speak a some Thai, and Thai people get weirded out that the white guy can speak Thai and the Thai looking girl is just clueless. There were even a bunch of promo girls who won’t believe him and they think me and Steve were just pulling their legs LOL!

Click image to view photo album.

Golden Buddha

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