Day 6 - Coming down the mountain...

08:00
ZOPICLONE! ZOPICLONE! ZOPICLONE!

12:00
It feels really steamy this morning, and that the clouds are heavy with rain. Felix and I grab some breakfast around 09:00, and get packed up for our 11:00 bus. The walk up to the bus stop is sticky. As we arrive at the bus station, it’s just starting to rain. The bus sets off in decent time, and at quite a clip. We briefly discuss to which famous racing driver we’ll compare our bus driver. Felix initially thinks Ayrton Senna, but then hits on the right answer - Ken Block (RIP). We hoon round some pretty tight corners. I can remember coming up this way a few days ago, and it’s very fair to say our speed was less than half what we’re doing now. Admittedly, there’s an uphill/downhill situation to factor in, but still…

We’re both a little sad to be leaving Pai. It’s been the perfect 0kicking off point for our trip. We both feel like we’ve got jet-lag pretty much licked, and having such a peaceful place with such a slow pace of life has doubtless helped us along. It’s a very easy place to spend time, with some very cool bars and restaurants to visit. There’s more of the surrounding countryside to explore - for sure, we that’ll have to wait for next time. If you’re ever planning to be in Northern Thailand, I can’t recommend highly enough that you spend some time in and around Pai. It’s on my list of places to come back to - 100%.

We’ve a quick overnight in Chiang Mai before a long train day tomorrow. I’ve treated us to a hotel with a pool, as Felix is something of a water-baby. I don’t know that we’ll wanna spend a ton of time exploring Chiang Mai later today, so an afternoon by the pool might be in order.

17:00
Our driver is nuts. We’ve gone from ‘enterprising - just trying to get his passengers there in decent time’ to ‘why are you overtaking 3 cars and a lorry on a blind corner, dude?’ We come to a red light at one point. Our intrepid driver cuts across two lanes of traffic, pulls sort of a u-turn, and rejoins the carriageway on the other side of the lights, which saves us all of 30 seconds. Maybe he’s under the influence…

As we arrive back in to Chiang Mai, the heavens open - some seriously fat rain. Our hotel’s lovely. Very boujee. The décor wouldn’t be out of place in a New York loft apartment. Felix heads for a rain-soaked swim, and I decide on a little wander around the local neighbourhood. I pitch up at a bar that I think’s attached to a hotel, and have a pretty damn good glass of white wine. I’m reminded of Vicki and my experience a few months ago, where the quality of wine was, well - variable. As a result, I have 3. Heading back to the hotel, I JUST manage to miss getting absolutely pooned on by the latest rain storm. Quick shower, and we’ll head out for an evening wander around this part of Chiang Mai.

22:30
The rain seems to have abated, but the air is thick. We pitch up at a pool / sports / craft beer bar. the beer’s great, but by the power of Grayskull, it’s expensive. I’ve very quickly got used to paying £1 for a Chang. A 400ml pour of an admittedly lovely Hazy IPA is £6. We play a few racks of pool. I played a lot in my yoof, but until the game Felix and I played a couple of days ago, I think it’s probably been 20 years. I’m rusty beyond belief. Very, VERY gradually, my game comes back.

By 19:00, we’re both peckish, and head for Coconut Shell, a restaurant I’ve heard is great, and also mainly visited by locals. We order a bunch of things - some stir-fried Morning Glory, some Chiang Mai sausage, a Pad See Ew, and a Gaeng Hang Lay curry - something I’ve not heard of before, but which I’ll be cooking at home. It’s a deeply spiced, chilli hot pork curry, spiked with aromatics. It is, I think, the closest Thai equivalent to a Beef Rendang curry. We both agree it’s the best meal we’ve had on our trip so far. Guess what - less than a tenner.

From here, it’s a short walk down to a street renowned for having more than a couple of backpacker bars. We stop in at one, and play a fairly comical game of beer-pong. Comical, because:

Felix doesn’t drink, so…. And
It take us a LONG time to complete this pretty simple game

The bars are starting to get a touch busier, but it’s still pretty quiet. We’ve got an early start tomorrow, and a looooong day of travel, so agree we’re probs best off having an early night.Читать далее