A view of the Pai River from the nearby mountain

We’ve just uploaded photos from our last two days in Pai. Instead of joining an organized trekking tour, we decided to ride around by ourselves and explore different villages, waterfalls, wats and farmland. It was fabulous.

Check out the photos from day 3 and day 4.

We are now back in Chiang Mai packing our bags and getting ready to say goodbye to each other and to Thailand. Tomorrow morning we both fly out of Chiang Mai – I am flying back to HCMC for 1 night before flying back home (via Tokyo) and Kevin is flying to Malaysia to start his adventure!

The “sexiness” of the beach destinations was evaluated based on a combination of how sexy the local population is thought to be, the sexiness of the tourists crowd and the overall sexy nature of the nightlife or party scene. Most of the beaches were top quality in terms of standard beach criteria as well: sun, sand, water, etc.

We have not yet been to either of these beaches but Koh Phi Phi has been on our list for some time now.

Pam Bok Waterfall Near Pai

We’ve uploaded new photo albums from our first two days here in Pai in the North of Thailand. Check out photos of our motorbike travels:

Pai, Thailand – Day 1
Pai, Thailand – Day 2

We decided to skip the included “American Breakfast” as it’s called and cross the street for something a bit more interesting and healthy. We first dropped off our dirty laundry, also across the tiny street, where they wash your clothes for 20 Baht (50 cents) and it’s ready by 6PM the same day. The breakfast cafe was small and charming with statues, flowers and little offerings of food in dishes which the passing dogs seemed to enjoy very much. Tamar had a fruit, yogurt and muesli cup and I enjoyed a mushroom crepe and some very strong and good coffee.

We rented a motorbike yesterday and we’ll probably keep it for the entire week that we’re here. Motorbikes are only 100 Baht here in Pai which is about $2.50 and you can fill up the tank for about the same price so it’s just good to have a bike handy for whenever you might need it. However, the air is so cool and clear in the morning that we plan to go on mini-excursions each morning before the afternoon heat arrives.

Narrow walkway along the Pai Canyon

Today we ventured South past the turnoff to the waterfall we visited yesterday, our current destination being the Pai Canyon. The travel agent we spoke to in town apologized to us in advance that it’s “much smaller than the Grand Canyon” and she told us to not be disappointed. It’s true that if Las Vegas were to create a “Grand Canyon, the Experience” theme park it would be roughly the size of the Pai Canyon but with the mountain view and trees everywhere it was really a nice place to visit. Many narrow natural walkways or dirt paved ridges surrounded the canyon, most of them looking too precarious to even attempt. The view from the canyon was beautiful.

We then continued further South to the “WWII Bridge” which was an old steel bridge over the Pai River. This was actually the same location from which we set out on the previous day’s bamboo raft journey down the river. From the bridge we could see several miles of farmland extending all the way to the surrounding mountains.

Water buffalo in the fields near the Mae Yen Waterfall

We decided to visit another waterfall to the East of Pai and we stopped for lunch along the way. While waiting for our food I set out on foot down the road a bit to photograph some water buffalo. I got pretty close to one who was near enough to the roadside but I think the real camera worthy moment must have been me jumping up and down, waiving my arms and making noises trying to get the buffalo’s attention for my own photo.

We followed the flow of water while driving on a narrow dirt road through fields of crops until the road ended in the shade. We found out that the waterfall was another seven kilometers walk from there. Since this was the hottest time of the day we decided it would be best to return for the hike to the waterfall tomorrow morning when it’s still cool and we weren’t stuffed from eating such a large lunch.

Back in Pai we have WIFI Internet, electricity and a large selection of organic, vegetarian food (and seafood) and fresh baked goods at a nice restaurant called “The Sanctuary” just along the river. It’s the perfect place to chill out during the peak of the day’s heat and to catch up on our blogging!

Some of you may have noticed that we had a technical problem with the video we shot at Koh Mak Seafood and included in our post, Koh Mak Seafood: A Taste of the Island and Its History. The problem was due to YouTube not processing the video we uploaded and the video appeared to be unavailable.

We’ve re-uploaded the video which includes a feline friend who helped us to pick out a crab for lunch and eat it too!

Tin Tin Up Close

Going to the north of Thailand without riding an elephant is a little like going to Vegas without gambling. Yesterday, on our first full day in Pai, we decided to go elephant riding in the afternoon. For our journey, we got “Tin Tin”, a huge female elephant who doesn’t look a day older than 412. Tin Tin, as we learned moments later, is a moody girl with a serious gas problem (the two are related, I suspect).

We rode on Tin Tin’s back, along with our guide, Chai, and were focusing very hard to not fall off. It is very tricky to hold on to the ropes and balance on top of a huge elephant. In addition to being challenging, it is also PAINFUL. Tin Tin had rough skin and very sharp prickly hair that rubbed against our legs as we were holding on tightly. Our guide was yelling orders at her the whole journey to the river but she was disobeying every single one, my kind of girl!

After what seemed like an hour (but really covered only a few hundred meters), we finally reached the river. This was where the real fun began. The water transformed Tin Tin from a grumpy old lady into a playful little girl. She had a great time splashing water on us, dropping us into the river and turning from side to side dipping one of us at a time in the brown waters. We got a real taste of the rodeo and were both super sore. We could barely walk away when the ride was over and we swore to wait another decade (at least) before the next ride.

Bamboo Rafting down the River

Next followed a special treat – we were met by another guy who took us down the river on a bamboo raft. As this is the dry season, the river was very calm and the ride peaceful. We got to see all kinds of animals on the way and wave to people going about their business by the river. The trip ended with the sunset behind the Pai mountains. It was gorgeous.

One of the many dirt roads around Koh Mak

We decided to end our week long stay on the islands by spending two nights in Koh Mak – a smaller island off of Koh Chang. We took a slow boat from Koh Chang’s fisherman’s village and an hour later we were on a gorgeous new island. Even before getting off the boat, I could already see that the water was crystal clean turquoise and the scenery resembled one of those posters you see in a tour agency. Koh Mak is definitely less touristy than Koh Chang with far less resorts, restaurants and activities. There are stretches of land where you see nothing but trees (and dogs). It is very quiet and somewhat secluded, a perfect romantic getaway.

We stayed at “Monkey Island” in a simple bungalow with a bed, mosquito net and an outdoor shower attached to the room (there is no ceiling, showering is done under the stars). In the evening, we listened to a live acoustic Thai music performance at the resort sitting a few steps from the beach. Can’t say I liked the music but I definitely enjoyed the atmosphere. In the middle of our first night we woke up to the sound of a major downpour. We were surprised by how dry everything stayed inside of the cabin but we both got soaked going out to the bathroom.

Learning to ride the bike on Koh Mak

The best way to explore the island is by riding a motorbike. We wanted to be sure to try every single beach and sample every dish around (not very hard to do as I counted 3 restaurants in total, not including resorts). Last year, while on Phu Quoc island in Vietnam, Kevin started teaching me how to ride the motorcycle. I am guessing there are still a few locals in Phu Quoc laughing their heart out at that unforgettable driving lesson. While in Koh Mak, we decided to try again, we were on a deserted island after all. This time, we rented an automatic bike and it made a huge difference! After a 10min lesson in the resort’s parking lot, I drove out to the main street and started riding around. We rode around on dirt paths exploring hidden paths and pristine beaches. It was super fun! Here are some photos from Koh Mak.

On Thursday morning, we left the island and embarked on a full day’s journey to Chiang Mai, all the way in the north of Thailand. A speedboat, minivan, bus, plane and taxi later, we were settling into our charming room at the guesthouse.

Crab with garlic and pepper

When we arrived on the small island of Koh Mak we were already hungry from the long but beautiful ride by “slow boat” from Koh Chang. After checking into our resort, Monkey Island, we asked the receptionist for a recommendation for local seafood. He said he knew of a restaurant that was open and after one phone call they were on their way to pick us up from the resort!

After about 20 minutes we were picked up by a middle aged Thai woman in a taxi which on these islands is always a covered pickup truck with 2 benches to sit on in the back. She drove us to the restaurant and the ride turned out to be a freebie (to and from the resort). Not only that, but after bringing us to the restaurant the driver then put on a smock and went back to cooking for the other customers already seated at the restaurant.

The restaurant was right on the waterfront and the views were stunning. I was surprised by how clean the water looked just off of the restaurant’s pier since usually water tends to be pretty disgusting around docks and piers. There were only a few other people eating lunch there at that time so it was a really quiet place to eat and chill.

A friendly man came to take our order and we later learned that his family owned the restaurant and his wife was the chef/driver. Since this was a seafood place we decided to just point to whatever looked good by name or in photos, some crab, squid and fried fish and some refreshing watermelon shakes (always request “no sugar”) to wash it all down. I got see the assistant chef pick out my crab for me from a cage submerged in the water beneath the restaurant. These crabs are pre-caught and the cage serves as a sort of refrigerator for fresh seafood. The fried fish came with shredded young mango and the garlic and pepper on the crab was both crispy and chewy. The squid was the least interesting but BBQ squid always seems to be about the sauce you put on it (and this sauce was really spicy). All of this was topped off by a roti for dessert, a thin pancake with condensed milk dribbled over it. The food was amazing and we decided right then and there to return to Koh Mak Seafood the next day.

The waiter gave us a big black guestbook to browse and to sign. We noticed that people from all over the world had already endorsed Koh Mak Seafood with glowing reviews in many languages (Thai, German and English standing out) and also creative illustrations and so we added our praise in English and Hebrew. Most people were in agreement that this was “the best seafood on Koh Mak”. The restaurant has only been open for three months and the book was already nearly full.

The next day we ordered freshly squeezed orange juice shakes to start. We got the yellow curry crab and the fried scallops with chili sauce based on recommendations from others in the guestbook and we love the garlic and pepper sauce so much that we got some huge tiger shrimp with that. This second feast was a worthy sequel to that of the previous day and I’m talking Godfather II, not Temple of Doom! I don’t have to go on about the food since I was sure to take photos of all of the great dishes.

This time we had a nice visitor, one who was equally an expert in the consumption of fine seafood and he even helped us to pick out our crab this time (the crab tried to make a getaway). This cat didn’t have a name but he was not at all shy about sitting in our laps as we ate and being very vocal in his requests for scraps from the table. Since our cat, Cuggits, also dines with us, Tamar and I are used to paying our taxes when it comes to meals and so this cat ended up as full as the rest of us.

As we were about to leave the restaurant, we asked the waiter a question about some of the plants they were growing. That explanation led to more information about the restaurant and the pier we were standing on and before we knew it, we were taken inside of the family’s museum just next to the restaurant. This museum was an amazing little find and it detailed the family’s history and participation in the island’s formation and its community. The family was the first to bring tourism to the island by setting up the very first resort, a series of cabins on stilts in the water, the remains of which are still visible from the restaurant. Koh Mak used to belong to Cambodia and once it changed into Thai hands, the family was there to welcome the very first visit to the island by the Thai royal family.

Ake (our waiter) told us how he was just an eight year old boy during a period of hostilities between Thailand and Cambodia. One day a Cambodian naval ship docked at the Ao Nid Pier near the family’s resort but the enemy soldiers dismissed this little boy paying him no mind. However, what they didn’t know was that young Ake was actually the one tasked with calling the Thai government in the case of any emergency or any trouble from the Cambodians on Koh Mak!

8yr old Ake manning the radio to notify the Thai government of Cambodian Incursions

Our knowledge of the island and its history expanded as quickly as our stomachs that day and we walked away from Koh Mak Seafood knowing that this was a special place that we’d always remember. Hopefully we’ll have the chance to go back and visit again one day!

Click here to view all photos from Koh Mak Seafood!

The beach by the slow boat pier

We’ve just uploaded a new album of photos from the island of Koh Mak in the Koh Chang Archipelago in the Gulf of Thailand. This island is smaller than Koh Chang with less tourists and activities but offered an excellent getaway from big island life, plenty of roads to explore by motorbike (or bicycle) and very nice beaches and seafood. Click here to view the photos!