Day 9: Pai

Well, the rain gods finally found us—and of course, they chose the worst possible day to catch up.

Our alarms went off at the ungodly hour of 3 AM so we could be picked up at 4 and watch the sunrise from a mountaintop at 5. But guess what? No sunrise. Just rain. Buckets of it. Luckily, Pai doesn’t disappoint—even when the sun ghosts you. We found refuge in a charming coffee shop perched on the ridge, sipping hot chocolate and Thai-style omelet-over-rice while staring into a dreamy valley where mist floated lazily between the hills. Honestly, it felt like a scene from a Studio Ghibli film.

Next up: cave adventure! Or… partial cave adventure. Thanks to the swollen river, two out of three caves were off-limits, and rafting was a no-go. But plot twist: that made the experience even better. With no crowds in sight, we had the third cave all to ourselves—like some kind of Indiana Jones VIP experience.

We followed an elderly Thai lady into the pitch-black cave, her lantern swinging as the only source of light. Between the flickering shadows, the echo of dripping water, and the constant shrieks of bats above our heads, it felt like we had walked into the opening scene of a horror movie. Honestly, I was half-expecting a ghost monk to appear. But what we got was better: our guide pointing out formations that looked like monkeys, teeth, UFOs, and other charming oddities, all with the kind of whimsy you can’t script. No floodlights. No railings. Just a raw, magical cave and one lantern.

The afternoon? Total rest mode. We collapsed back at the resort and spent hours just lounging, listening to the rain, and enjoying the peaceful hum of Pai’s countryside.

Later, we ventured out to the Pai night market… which turned out to be less “cultural experience” and more “backpacker party zone.” Picture: college spring break, but with Chang beer instead of margaritas. We dodged through the crowd of bleary-eyed twenty-somethings long enough to grab some delicious street food, then made a tactical retreat. One tasty skewer and done!

Not every day needs to be Insta-perfect. Sometimes, the best memories come wrapped in fog and lit by a lantern.Baca lagi