THE ROAD TO PAI...AND OTHER SORROWS...
THE FERN RESORT IS BEAUTIFUL. I GOT MOST OF MY BEST PHOTOS THERE. IT WAS CALM AND PEACEFUL, BUT TOO SLOW FOR MATTHEW. A GREAT PLACE TO MAKE THE WORLD STOP IF THAT IS WHAT YOU WANT. THE ROOMS WERE CLEAN AND FANTASTIC RIGHT ON THE CREEK. AT NIGHT I OPENED UP MY SLIDING DOOR AND LISTENED TO THE SOUND OF THE CREEK. JENNY AND RON THOUGHT THEY WOULD ROMANTICALLY BURN A CANDLE IN THEIR ROOM. SOMEHOW JENNY'S PANTS CAUGHT FIRE AND BURNED HOLES CLEAR THROUGH. IMAGINE OUR SURPRISE WHEN WE FOUND HER PANTS HANGING OVER THE RAILING THE NEXT MORNING. I SMELLED SMOKE THE NIGHT BEFORE, BUT THOUGHT IT WAS SOME LOCAL BURNING TRASH OR A BONFIRE SO GAVE IT NO THOUGHT. THE FEREN LODGE IS RIGHT ON THE BURMA BORDER WHERE THERE IS CURRENTLY FIGHTING BETWEEN THE THAI ARMY AND BURMEESE ARMY FOR WHERE THE BORDER SHOULD BE. MAE HONG SON WAS A VERY CLEAN TOWN. EVERYONE WAS VERY HELPFUL AND FRIENDLY. WE BOOKED A MINI VAN TO TAKE US TO PAI VS GOING BY THE LOCAL "RED" BUS WITH THE LOCALS, CHICKENS, GOATS AND ASSORTED CHILDREN. THE REAL REASONWE DID NOT TAKE THE RED BUS WAS WE WANTED TO GET TO PAI SOONER VS ALOT LATER. JENNY AND RON WERE VERY HOMESICK AT THIS POINT. THE DEAL WITHOUR MINI VAN TRIP WAS THAT IT INCLUDED A TRIP TO THE KAREN TRIBE OR LONG NECK PEOPLE AND COFFIN CAVES AT A GREAT BARGAIN PRICE. THEY TOOK US TO THE LONG NECK VILLAGE FIRST.... IT WAS LIKE DISNEYLAND'S VERSION OF WHAT A KAREN TRIBE MIGHT LOOK LIKE. VERY DISAPPOINTING, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOUKNOW YOU ARE SO CLOSE TO THE REAL THING AND YOU GET THIS VERSION. WE TOOK A FEW PHOTOS, PURCHASED A FEW LITTLE THINGS, USED THE SQUAT TOILET (IT WOULD, ON THOSE OCCASSIONS, BE VERY NICE TO BE "MANLY" EQUIPPED AS SQUATTING IS NOT MY THING WHEN POTTY SEAT IS OLDER THAN ME...) HOWEVER, THEY WERE CLEAN SMELLING,BUT UNATTRACTIVE TO LOOK AT.
THE RIDE WAS WINDING AND LONG ALONG THE RIDGE TOP OF A MOUNTAIN. OFF TO THE RIGHT WAS A SHEER DROP TO THE VALLEY BELOW. OFF TO THE LEFT WAS A SHEER DROP TO THE BURMEESE VALLEY BELOW. BEAUTIFUL SCENERY. MATTHEW GOT TO SIT UP FRONT WITH THE DRIVER, A GOOD SEAT CHOICE. I HAD TWO SEATS TO MYSELF IN THE MIDDLE, THEN JENNY AND RON BEHIND ME. I SLID FROM SIDE TO SIDE AT EVERY CORNER AS THERE WERE NO SEAT BELTS.
NEXT WE GO TO THE COFFIN CAVES. THERE ARE ACTUALLY THREE CAVES. YOU CAN HIKE OR GO BY RAFT BETWEEN THE FIRST TWO CAVES, BUT THE LAST CAVE, WHERE THE HANGING COFFINS ARE, YOUR ONLY OPTION IS TO GO BY FLAT RAFT. THE RAFT TAKES YOU INSIDE THE CAVE AND THROUGH IT.
WE WERE TIRED AND HUNGRY WHEN WE ARRIVED IN PAI AS NONE OF US HAD ANYTHING SINCE BREAKFAST AND IT WAS DINNER TIME. THE DOGS, JENRON AND ASSORTED WORKERS ALL CAME TO MEET AND GREET US HAPPILY. FOOD CAME QUICKLY. THE PAI MOUNTAIN LODGE IS VERY RUSTIC, VERY CLEAN, THEFOOD FANTSTIC AND WE FEELCOMPLETELY SAFE AND HAPPY HERE. MATTHEW QUICKLY WON THE HEART OF JENRON WHO,WITHIN HOURS GAVE HIM THE KEYS TO THE MOTORCYCLE. HE WAS THE ONLY ONE WITH ENOUGH ENERGY TO GO INTO THE TOWN OF PAI THAT NIGHT BUT HE ONLY LASTED UNTIL 7:30 PM WHEN HE RETURNED AND WE ALL CRASHED FOR THE NIGHT.
MY CABIN HAS EVERYTHING A GIRL COULD WANT...WHEN THE LIGHT IS ON IN MY BEDROOM, I CAN SEE CLEARLY WITHOUT TURNING ON THE LIGHTS IN ANY OTHER PART OF THE CABIN BECAUSE THE LIGHT SHINES THROUGH THE WALL BOARDS INTO EACH ROOM, KIND OF LIKE VERTICAL LIGHT STICKS SHINING THROUGH. THE SHOWER IS THE ENTIRE BATHROOM... WHEN YOU SHOWER, THERE IS NO SEPARATE ROOM, YOU SHOWER NEXT TO THE TOILET AND SINK, EVERYTHING GETS WET AND THE GREY WATER COLLECTS AT THE FAR END OF THE BATHROOM FLOOR AND POURS DIRECTLY ONTO THE GROUND UNDER THE CABIN. I HAVE A TELEVISION WITH EIGHT CHANNELS...ONLY ONE WORKS,BUT IT OFFERS YOU EIGHT! OH WELL, LUCKY ME, I LIKE JAPANESE TELEVISION, I CAN MAKE UP MY OWN STORY.
TODAY MATTHEW IS TEACHING ME TO DRIVE THE MOTORCYCLE. HE SAYS HE IS TIRED OF DRIVING MY VOLUMPTIOUS BUTT INTO TOWN THREE TIMES A DAY. MONDAY WE ARE GOING SWIMMING WITH THE ELEPHANTS IN THE RIVER. LATER INTHE WEEK WE GO FLAT RAFTING DOWN THE RIVER ( ???).
PAI IS DEFINITELY A THROWBACK TO 1965 BOB MARLEYVILLE, BOB MARLEY MUSIC, BOB MARLEY DREDLOCKS, HIPPIE HAIR, PETOULIE OIL, MARAJUANA EVERWHERE, THEY TRY TO FLAG YOU DOWN INTHE FIELDS TO OFFER YOU SMOKE EVERYTIME YOU PASS BY. YESTERDAY THERE WAS A MAN WALKING DOWN THE STREED WITH A NASAL INHALER STUFFED UP HIS NOSE ACTING AS IF THIS IS NORMAL AND I'MSURE IT IS FOR HIM.
THERE ARE THREE WAYS TO GET TO PAI, WE HAVE TRIED THEM ALL. I DO NOT EVER WANT TO GO THROUGH THE ORCHARD SHORTCUT AGAIN...JUST IN CASE YOU ARE READING THIS MATTHEW...NEVER AGAIN. SO FAR TRAFFIC HAS BEEN FAIRLY LIGHT, WE ONLY HAD ONE NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE SO FAR,SO ARE FEELING QUITE LUCKY AT THIS POINT. I DO, HOWEVER, HAVE TO REMIND MATTHEW TO STAY ON THE THAI SIDE OF THE ROAD NOT THE AMERICAN SIDE. HARD HABBIT TO BREAK...
GOING FOR BREAKFAST NOW...MORE LATER, AFTER THE ELEPHANT TREK/SWIM. YAHOO! SUSIE
THE FERN RESORT IS BEAUTIFUL. I GOT MOST OF MY BEST PHOTOS THERE. IT WAS CALM AND PEACEFUL, BUT TOO SLOW FOR MATTHEW. A GREAT PLACE TO MAKE THE WORLD STOP IF THAT IS WHAT YOU WANT. THE ROOMS WERE CLEAN AND FANTASTIC RIGHT ON THE CREEK. AT NIGHT I OPENED UP MY SLIDING DOOR AND LISTENED TO THE SOUND OF THE CREEK. JENNY AND RON THOUGHT THEY WOULD ROMANTICALLY BURN A CANDLE IN THEIR ROOM. SOMEHOW JENNY'S PANTS CAUGHT FIRE AND BURNED HOLES CLEAR THROUGH. IMAGINE OUR SURPRISE WHEN WE FOUND HER PANTS HANGING OVER THE RAILING THE NEXT MORNING. I SMELLED SMOKE THE NIGHT BEFORE, BUT THOUGHT IT WAS SOME LOCAL BURNING TRASH OR A BONFIRE SO GAVE IT NO THOUGHT. THE FEREN LODGE IS RIGHT ON THE BURMA BORDER WHERE THERE IS CURRENTLY FIGHTING BETWEEN THE THAI ARMY AND BURMEESE ARMY FOR WHERE THE BORDER SHOULD BE. MAE HONG SON WAS A VERY CLEAN TOWN. EVERYONE WAS VERY HELPFUL AND FRIENDLY. WE BOOKED A MINI VAN TO TAKE US TO PAI VS GOING BY THE LOCAL "RED" BUS WITH THE LOCALS, CHICKENS, GOATS AND ASSORTED CHILDREN. THE REAL REASONWE DID NOT TAKE THE RED BUS WAS WE WANTED TO GET TO PAI SOONER VS ALOT LATER. JENNY AND RON WERE VERY HOMESICK AT THIS POINT. THE DEAL WITHOUR MINI VAN TRIP WAS THAT IT INCLUDED A TRIP TO THE KAREN TRIBE OR LONG NECK PEOPLE AND COFFIN CAVES AT A GREAT BARGAIN PRICE. THEY TOOK US TO THE LONG NECK VILLAGE FIRST.... IT WAS LIKE DISNEYLAND'S VERSION OF WHAT A KAREN TRIBE MIGHT LOOK LIKE. VERY DISAPPOINTING, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOUKNOW YOU ARE SO CLOSE TO THE REAL THING AND YOU GET THIS VERSION. WE TOOK A FEW PHOTOS, PURCHASED A FEW LITTLE THINGS, USED THE SQUAT TOILET (IT WOULD, ON THOSE OCCASSIONS, BE VERY NICE TO BE "MANLY" EQUIPPED AS SQUATTING IS NOT MY THING WHEN POTTY SEAT IS OLDER THAN ME...) HOWEVER, THEY WERE CLEAN SMELLING,BUT UNATTRACTIVE TO LOOK AT.
THE RIDE WAS WINDING AND LONG ALONG THE RIDGE TOP OF A MOUNTAIN. OFF TO THE RIGHT WAS A SHEER DROP TO THE VALLEY BELOW. OFF TO THE LEFT WAS A SHEER DROP TO THE BURMEESE VALLEY BELOW. BEAUTIFUL SCENERY. MATTHEW GOT TO SIT UP FRONT WITH THE DRIVER, A GOOD SEAT CHOICE. I HAD TWO SEATS TO MYSELF IN THE MIDDLE, THEN JENNY AND RON BEHIND ME. I SLID FROM SIDE TO SIDE AT EVERY CORNER AS THERE WERE NO SEAT BELTS.
NEXT WE GO TO THE COFFIN CAVES. THERE ARE ACTUALLY THREE CAVES. YOU CAN HIKE OR GO BY RAFT BETWEEN THE FIRST TWO CAVES, BUT THE LAST CAVE, WHERE THE HANGING COFFINS ARE, YOUR ONLY OPTION IS TO GO BY FLAT RAFT. THE RAFT TAKES YOU INSIDE THE CAVE AND THROUGH IT.
WE WERE TIRED AND HUNGRY WHEN WE ARRIVED IN PAI AS NONE OF US HAD ANYTHING SINCE BREAKFAST AND IT WAS DINNER TIME. THE DOGS, JENRON AND ASSORTED WORKERS ALL CAME TO MEET AND GREET US HAPPILY. FOOD CAME QUICKLY. THE PAI MOUNTAIN LODGE IS VERY RUSTIC, VERY CLEAN, THEFOOD FANTSTIC AND WE FEELCOMPLETELY SAFE AND HAPPY HERE. MATTHEW QUICKLY WON THE HEART OF JENRON WHO,WITHIN HOURS GAVE HIM THE KEYS TO THE MOTORCYCLE. HE WAS THE ONLY ONE WITH ENOUGH ENERGY TO GO INTO THE TOWN OF PAI THAT NIGHT BUT HE ONLY LASTED UNTIL 7:30 PM WHEN HE RETURNED AND WE ALL CRASHED FOR THE NIGHT.
MY CABIN HAS EVERYTHING A GIRL COULD WANT...WHEN THE LIGHT IS ON IN MY BEDROOM, I CAN SEE CLEARLY WITHOUT TURNING ON THE LIGHTS IN ANY OTHER PART OF THE CABIN BECAUSE THE LIGHT SHINES THROUGH THE WALL BOARDS INTO EACH ROOM, KIND OF LIKE VERTICAL LIGHT STICKS SHINING THROUGH. THE SHOWER IS THE ENTIRE BATHROOM... WHEN YOU SHOWER, THERE IS NO SEPARATE ROOM, YOU SHOWER NEXT TO THE TOILET AND SINK, EVERYTHING GETS WET AND THE GREY WATER COLLECTS AT THE FAR END OF THE BATHROOM FLOOR AND POURS DIRECTLY ONTO THE GROUND UNDER THE CABIN. I HAVE A TELEVISION WITH EIGHT CHANNELS...ONLY ONE WORKS,BUT IT OFFERS YOU EIGHT! OH WELL, LUCKY ME, I LIKE JAPANESE TELEVISION, I CAN MAKE UP MY OWN STORY.
TODAY MATTHEW IS TEACHING ME TO DRIVE THE MOTORCYCLE. HE SAYS HE IS TIRED OF DRIVING MY VOLUMPTIOUS BUTT INTO TOWN THREE TIMES A DAY. MONDAY WE ARE GOING SWIMMING WITH THE ELEPHANTS IN THE RIVER. LATER INTHE WEEK WE GO FLAT RAFTING DOWN THE RIVER ( ???).
PAI IS DEFINITELY A THROWBACK TO 1965 BOB MARLEYVILLE, BOB MARLEY MUSIC, BOB MARLEY DREDLOCKS, HIPPIE HAIR, PETOULIE OIL, MARAJUANA EVERWHERE, THEY TRY TO FLAG YOU DOWN INTHE FIELDS TO OFFER YOU SMOKE EVERYTIME YOU PASS BY. YESTERDAY THERE WAS A MAN WALKING DOWN THE STREED WITH A NASAL INHALER STUFFED UP HIS NOSE ACTING AS IF THIS IS NORMAL AND I'MSURE IT IS FOR HIM.
THERE ARE THREE WAYS TO GET TO PAI, WE HAVE TRIED THEM ALL. I DO NOT EVER WANT TO GO THROUGH THE ORCHARD SHORTCUT AGAIN...JUST IN CASE YOU ARE READING THIS MATTHEW...NEVER AGAIN. SO FAR TRAFFIC HAS BEEN FAIRLY LIGHT, WE ONLY HAD ONE NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE SO FAR,SO ARE FEELING QUITE LUCKY AT THIS POINT. I DO, HOWEVER, HAVE TO REMIND MATTHEW TO STAY ON THE THAI SIDE OF THE ROAD NOT THE AMERICAN SIDE. HARD HABBIT TO BREAK...
GOING FOR BREAKFAST NOW...MORE LATER, AFTER THE ELEPHANT TREK/SWIM. YAHOO! SUSIE
posted by Matthew DeWitt at 8:23 PM
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