Happy Wanderers: explore

After an amazing few days in Chiang Mai, it was time for us to leave and head to Pai which we had heard so much about from various people. After boarding the minibus, it didn't take us long to realise why the journey there came with a warning! The winding roads and cliff edges were enough to make anyone feel ill and with Sophie suffering from travel sickness, she decided to take some medication and was soon as high as a fairy and oblivious to the entire thing. It was hilarious watching her trying to find her mouth while she ate a packet of crisps haha! When we arrived, we instantly fell in love with the look and vibe Pai had. Every little cafe, shop and bar were so unique from the last and the people were all so chilled out, we knew we'd love it there! It was a bit of a mission trying to find our accommodation as the directions we got from online were all wrong, eventually we had to get a local to ring them for more directions then get a taxi!

Upon arrival, we were stunned at our accommodation because we were expecting so much less for the money we paid. We stayed at Prod-Pai Prachaupmaoh Guesthouse and were given a bungalow on stilts all to ourselves, it was the cutest thing! It was about a 15 minute walk back into the main town which meant that we could sit on the balcony and enjoy the peace and views of the surrounding mountains. The women at reception soon informed us that there would be a weekend market in the main street that night and would taxi us there and back for free of charge, so off we went to explore the goodies Pai had to offer. The market was different from normal Thai markets, it still sold some of the classic purses, elephant printed trousers etc but also sold unique hand-crafted items like dream catchers, jewellery and clothing. We ended up in a cafe which served the best variety of hot drinks and cakes for a good price, how could we ever resist!? The walls were covered by so many flowers, at first sight we thought it was a florist but soon discovered otherwise.

The next day we decided to hire a moped (which we named Phoebe) and head to a few of the local tourist spots. After a few runs up and down Pai's main street, Sophie eventually got the hang of how to ride it and we began the drive to the hot springs in Huai Nam Dang National Park. They were just a short walk from the car park and we were shocked to find that some were so hot, you could actually pay to boil an egg in them, who would do that haha!? We settled for the hottest one we could handle and made ourselves comfy as our bodies soaked in the natural minerals. There were plenty of signs in the park warning tourists not to stay in the water too long because if your body absorbed too much of the minerals, it can make you feel dizzy and unwell so we made sure to sit out for at least 5 minutes before moving down to the next one.

After spending a bit too long relaxing in the springs, it was time to dry off and head to Pai canyon which was only a 10 minute drive away. Some people say the canyon is Pai's answer to the Grand Canyon, it could more accurately be described as narrow red ridges with steep-sided valleys, both filled with pine forests. The steep 50m drop either side and stunning views over the surround countryside are impressive but we had to be extra careful because the path is extremely narrow in some places.

Next stop, Koh Tao to begin our PADI Open Water Scuba Diving course.. EXCITING!

Here are some photos of our time in Pai:

Our home away from home

Outdoor BBQ and seating area

Cute quote at Pai market

Some of the handmade jewellery at the market

The most flowers we've ever seen in one room!

Hot chocolate and cake before bed, perfect!

The fabulous 'Phoebe'!

Arriving at Huai Nam Dang National Park

Cruising to the canyon

The view from the canyon

One of the narrow ridges to walk across

The Happy Wanderers

♥

Once we boarded the train to Bagan, we were greeted by some young girls who were going through the carriages trying to sell snacks to people before we set off. They were all fascinated by us and asked endless questions about Sam's blonde hair, our country and why we were in Myanmar. When the train finally left after a 30 minute wait at the station, we were all surprisingly comfortable in the spacious cabin that we had all to ourselves. It had two bunk beds on either side of the cabin, with plenty of room underneath to stow our rucksacks away, so we all sat back and enjoyed the views of the Myanmar countryside as the sunset. A few hours into the trip and after many rounds of ' Would You Rather', Sam and Rebecca decided to hunt down some hot water to make a cup of tea (how British!). They soon arrived with news of an Australian guy called Samuel who they found in the lower class carriage who they invited to join us. Apparently he had been squished on a bench with his legs hanging out of the window where they could have been ripped off by a lamppost, because he was too tall to get comfy any other way! Soon after, he came staggering into our cabin and it didn't take us long to realised how drunk and hilarious he was. Little did we know, we would bump into Samuel a few more times during our time in Asia and Australia. After telling us many stories about his travels and hitch-hiking experiences around the world, the conductor came demanding that he leave and go back to his seat, but he soon left after we lied and said he was our family and begged him to let Samuel stay, haha! It wasn't long before we were all exhausted and decided to go to bed. However, in the middle of the night, Sarah had to ask Rebecca to sleep on the top bunk instead because she woke up having a bit of a panic attack due to the lack of space up there and how bumpy the ride had become was making her feel ill!

After 17 hours of being stuck on the train, we finally arrived at Bagan and were picked up by someone from our hostel which was the Eden Motel. However, upon arrival we were told that we had to pay for the pick-up service although when we booked, they said it was complimentary, so after a brief argument with the taxi driver, he finally accepted that he wasn't going to win haha.. Wanderers 1 - 0 Taxi Driver! Once we settled into our room and had a quick freshen up, we headed out into the town for a walk and find somewhere to have dinner that evening where we were swiftly directed to Restaurant Row, anything you wanted, they had it! Italian, Indian, Burmese, Chinese, they even had a small cafe called 'Wetherspoons' that sold a lot of British meals which entertained us. Eventually, we split way with half of us going for Italian and half going for Indian.. both were really, really tasty with Rebecca even keeping some of her curry and rotis for breakfast, well done Bagan!

The next day Rebecca, Sophie and Sarah decided to head to Mount Popa which is an extinct volcano with the Popa Taungkalat Monastery (meaning 'Pedestal Hill) built at the base. They were picked up from the motel and put into the back of a pick up truck with lots of cushions and a roof as extra comfort for the hour long drive. The monastery is famous for being home to 37 nats (spirits), which are represented by statues at the base of the volcano. To get to the top, they had to climb the 777 steps and battle with the Macaque monkeys where they were greeted by a 360 degree panorama, many shrines and fantastic views of Mount Popa. The monastery is often confused with Mount Popa, which looms over it and is sometimes called Taung Ma Gyi (Burmese for 'Mother Hill').

Sam wasn't interested in going to Mount Popa and the monastery, and found a day trip to do instead where 3 local boys take a group of tourists on their boat to show them their favourite places in their local area. She was taken to a secluded beach, a village and a local children's school where she met some of the sweetest kids! She managed to book this through the motel we stayed at as an American man who lives in Bagan came up with the idea, and gathered the boys together to give them work. However they're currently struggling to get enough publicity to get a page on TripAdvisor and other tourism websites which is a shame as Sam only had amazing things to say about her day!

On our final day Rebecca, Sam and Sophie decided to hire some bicycles and ride to the many pagodas that surround the grounds of Bagan. Sarah decided to wait at the motel because Myanmar has soooo many pagodas that she felt they all start to look the same after a while, plus she was coming to the end of the Hunger Games book and couldn't get her head out of it! After a few hours, the girls were back from their bike ride and our pick up had arrived to take us to the bus station where we would move onto Kalaw. We weren't too keen to arrive there though as it's high up in the mountains and we heard it gets VERY cold!

Here are some photos from our time in Bagan: