To Pai we say!

Then Terry ushered us off to our next mission, getting to Pai. We're in an air conditioned SUV till we get to some gas station, where we need to meet the minivan taking us to Pai at 4.30, which really means 5. This is one trip I'm super glad I don't get car sick for. Theres something like 765 turns...it's like driving to Takaka and back 13 times, then going over the Rimutakas 9 more. But the views are amazing, forresty jungle hills, and the higher you get the more mist there is, it got so misty at one point I was sure Sigourney and the Gorillas would be waiting round the bend. Obviously it gets to some people, we came across a crash at the top, some fancy 2010 Toyota ute had gone off the road and ploughed into a tree. There may have been some involvement from one of the many loose bouvines that seems to be free to roam the hill. Did someone not notice about 56 cows went missing one night? Apparently not. Or it may be due to everyone passing on blind corners when visability is at 12%.

This place we are all looking forward to, its temperature is said to be a tad on the cooler side, and some chilling in general will be good. We go to the place we booked, Palm house, and she tells us to go over the road to Pravees house, cos theyre same same. We are all really rather tired from the days activity, and are looking forward to some food and sleep. We stroll down the market street, which is filled with everything I've ever wanted, it's crazy pants heaven, and as I'm sure you know, my crazy pants collection had to be culled a shit load to move countries, so the mental battle of saving wins out and I don't even buy one pair. I'm feeling sad about that but ah. Theres also a crazy amount of country western themed clothing/leather things/tassles/belts, and that leather beaded bag with 20cm leather tassles off the bottom is calling my name, but if I dont need pants I dont need another bag. No doubt in Laos or Vietnam I'll snap and go on a buying frenzy. Hopefully not. Kinda. Where was I...Pai, right, food on the first night for me is a Pai beef steak, and it's so tasty I eat the whole plate in 3.7 minutes and then have heart burn. Me and Claire are sharing a room, and it's weird because the blanket in here is another one made of towelling. WTF.

This next day is set to be exciting...for I am to learn to Scooter. I figure if the 9 year old kid can pick up his 10 year old sister from school on a 200cc motorbike, I can ride a 100cc scooter. I keep thinking it's going to end up like the first time I tried to ride a motorbike when I was 11...CJ I'm sure you haven't forgotten. It wasn't pretty. This time I'll find out how to stop and steer and use the handdle thingi and sit on it and yeah. Turns out it's a piece of piss and the funnest thing ever. We get doubled to some back street, where all the bits and bobs are pointed out, then it's get on and go. Mash only has to do the practice stretch one time, while me and Claire have to go three times, and Claire has to turn 180 without using her feet. Scooters are fun, I'd love to own one. Claire and Mash are enjoying the shit out of it too, and off we go on a tour of Pai. First stop some epic waterfall, then a (un)impressive 'canyon' a Wat on the top of a hill, and a fair bit of stopping to take photos/discuss how we will all know if the others want to stop, which is NOT by beeping, cos much to my dismay, my horn doesnt go. There's one more waterfall to see. Lets go. Random track. Lots of bush. No signs. Half an hour later, Claires turned back and me and Mash stop to confrence on the likelyhood we are in the right place. We go back, and find out the waterfall is a 2.5 hour trek...Glad we didn't persevere. All the sightseeing takes about 5 hours, with only one casualty, Claires scooter slips over on the gravel road, and don't worry, no injuries, we were going very very slowly.

We decide to go back into town for some lunch and carry on our new-found scooter love after the sun sets a bit, as we are all starting to look like lobsters from the sun. Internet cafe/beer o clock it is. Just after we were Skyping Sam, we were sitting in the shade from the scorching beating sun, then in 3 minutes it turns cloudy, and the heaviest rainstorm I've been in begins. Monsoon season, yay. Then lightening as bright as the sunny day an hour before, then the loudest longest thunder, this guy who was standing near our table actually ducked down like someone shot him. It reminded me of a war movies bombing scenes, it was insane. But lucky we had mash to tell us dad jokes. He also went to stand out in the rain just to see what it was like. Each to their own eh hahaha. This random lady sat at our table and we started talking, turns out she was a wedding photographer, what are the odds? So we had good yarns. Then beef noodle soup, mmmmm oh so yummy. We thought the rain would only last an hour or so, but by 9pm we realised our scootering in the afternoon dreams were dashed. Waa.

Beers instead. Then me and Mash went to find some music while Claire went back to our room, and we randomly bumped into the only other person who was on our minibus to Pai. She was from Holland and had been travelling with a random NZ guy for a few days, and her new friend, who was from Switzerland, had just come from a 10 week holiday in NZ. Well I'll be eh! They laughed that we hadn't been to the penguin colony in our adult lives, and we laughed that Holland hadn't been to the Heinekin factory even tho it was in her home town. Har har harr. After supping on a yum drink labeled Maxican (Mexican) we left. Speaking of Engrish, That mornign I had 'moosely' for breakfast, on the menu with 'cheese and hame omelette' and a place in Bangkok was called the 'Drink Drunk Sun Fun Club'. Awesome.