The teeny-tiny town of Pai is about 5 square blocks of peace, adventure, and great dining in the northern Thai hills, and it has been our home and place of convolescence for the last week and a half. We've stayed here longer than planned, due to a now-healed sprain Michael suffered while we were hiking through the jungle last week, but if we could have chosen any place we've been to get stuck, this would be it. As our new Aussie friend Kaz put it, this place exudes rejuvenation.

This is a sleepy, charming place with voluminous menus at almost every restaraunt, and those that limit themselves to about 20 dishes or so make them in earnest. I've had the best Thai food I've ever tasted, along with the best cheeseburger I can remember in years, and lots and lots of amazing fruit mixed with yogurt and granola or just blended with ice into shakes. I don't know if I've ever eaten healthier or felt better.

Poor Michael is also feeling great again, although he twisted his foot while we were on the first day of a two-day jungle trek, about an hour and a half from the village where we were to spend the night. He limped the rest of the way there and, though we were both terrified he had broken a bone, I think he enjoyed the hike as much as he had before his mishap. I kept looking back to check on him, and he kept telling me to walk ahead of him and to look at some flower, interesting plant or butterfly along the trail.

Up until that point, it was amazing. Well, okay, it was amazing after that point too, but I was a little too distracted watching him wince in pain to continue feeling as awe-struck by the beauty of our surroundings. We walked through what felt like 4 different ecosystems, from a tragically burned-out former forest, to a bamboo forest, to a true jungle, and then the next day I walked alone with our guide through what looked like a North American-type oak forest. Michael's foot had swollen and he couldn't walk, so he rode on the back of a villager's motorbike down potholed, dissapearing and reappearing trails to the nearest car-accessible village.

We hiked about 10 miles the first day in 100 degree-plus heat, but a lot of it was along a river and under the jungle canopy so that cooled us down. It took us about 7 hours to reach the village, including our stops, because of the heat and the fact that a lot of our path was uphill. Since completing the hike, I'm pretty sure I'm superwoman.

Along the way, our guide showed us wild ginger, cumin, grapefruit, dung beetles and other edibles, and he could identify several species of birds by their calls. He also pointed out orchids growing on the branches of trees, and he seemed to be able to name everything we saw in English.

We spent the night in a hilltribe village. The people who owned the home we stayed in were really nice, but we couldn't help but notice how very, very few possesions they had. I probably have three times as much stuff in my huge backpack as they have in their whole home, and that is not an exaggeration. In their yard, they had some chickens, a cow and a couple of dogs, and inside it looked like they had nothing but a couple of outfits, some cooking utensils and a mat and mosquito net for sleeping. I don't think they would consider themselves particularly poor, though; they just lead a simple life and don't have much need for things.

When our guide, Micheal and I met up in another village on the second day, we cut our trip short and drove back to Pai. Our guide, whose name sounds like "Some-sock", kindly drove us to the hospital. Man, there is nothing in the world like spending a day in a rural Thai hospital to make you feel glad to be from a fully developed country. We heard one child screaming while several nurses held him down and pulled glass out of his knee without any anesthesia - it made me feel ill. I watched a gurney roll past with blood stains on the sheets. Luckily, Michael didn't have any open wounds and they had an x-ray machine, which showed his bones were all intact. They gave him some muscle relaxers, super-doses of ibuprofen and tylenol, crutches and a sort of half-cast that went under his foot, held on by an ace bandage.

He's walking normally now, so we're about to jump on an overnight bus to the Laos border, which we will cross tomorrow. Next time you hear from us, we'll be out of Thailand (moms, feel free to breathe your sighs of relief) and in sleepy little Laos. Internet isn't as common there, I think, so it might be a little bit before we write again.

Gotta run, so I'll post pictures of Pai, our trek, some nearby waterfalls and our elephant ride soon. I hope everything is going well with you all! Michael sends his love too.

written by  katieandmichael on April 26, 2009 from Pai, Thailand
from the travel blog: Katie and Michael's Travel Blog
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Mike,
Be careful. Dont take too many doses of that "High Dose Ibuprofen", can mess up your kidneys. Just a thought.
Angie (Real Nurse-American Style)

written by  Angie N. on April 26, 2009

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ah, poor michael. hope you heal well & fast.

have fun in Laos. all i know about Laos is from the guy from king of the hill. i'm doing his voice in my head right now. it's damn funny. you should be here.

written by  Angie merriman on April 27, 2009

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Well you have always had a thing with monkeying around. I want you both to know since you are in a remote area (maybe thats a good thing), but the Killer Swine Flu is in Asia now. Oh my...Please be careful.

written by  Debi Williams on April 28, 2009

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