Pai Canyon

4th March

This was my main reason for coming to Pai so I was determined to get to the canyon somehow, despite Grab not operating in the area. Jisse & Michelle had told me about it & tipped me off to go early, or at sunrise. Everyone on the trips go at sunset & it gets packed. 

It only cost 100 baht to go at sunset on the trip. The same company wanted 600 baht to take me there & back in the morning. 

I asked at another place & they offered 250 to take me there, so I went with that. I didn't get up for sunrise - the sun was rising whilst driving there, which looked beautiful. There were also queues & queues of people at the petrol stations panic buying fuel - it was crazy.

When she dropped me, was the only person there apart from 3 guys making a 'Tik Tok' or something ad it certainly wasn't peaceful....but actually I didn't mind. It was such an amazing place!

See what I mean 

Once I'd got further away from them, it was better & I was just enjoying the views and watching the birds, including these gorgeous green birds flying around. This kind of thing is what makes me happy & makes me want to travel & explore more.

It was also exciting to walk along the narrow paths, with the canyon dropping below, and climb between the sandy rocks to get to the high points. 

I spent a while there, and then made my way back along the road. 

 

I was happy to walk back but I kept coming across dogs that, I felt, were not the usual sleepy ones you come across in the towns. 

These are stray or 'soi dogs' and there were a few along the road, barking and showing me a little too much attention for my liking.

I stopped at a little shop along the road and was wondering what to do when I spotted a guy on a bike dressed in green & flagged him down. He had a 'lineman' uniform, another local taxi service, so I asked him how much to take me to Pai? He said 30 baht, then spoke into his phone on google translate. 

This was to tell me he needed to go & get me a helmet and that he'd be 5 minutes. 

He rode off, and to my joy, he did return with a helmet & off we went.

There were still queues all up the road in town, for the petrol stations. He dropped me near my hostel & I gave him 40 baht.

I did very little for the rest of the day. I think I'm still feeling low after my illness & I've lost my appetite.

When it gets dark the frogs all come out & croak away all night. Its a funny sound.