A Weekend in Pai

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A view of the hills of Pai

A view of the hills of Pai

From Chiang Mai it’s just a 3-4 hour bus ride up to Pai, a small mountain town filled surrounded by waterfalls and hot springs. I spent a few nights there as a break from Chiang Mai and had a lovely time staying in a quiet bungalow with resident chickens. I rented a motorbike for the first time ever and drove on the left – also for the first time ever! It was a challenge, and in retrospect it may not have been entirely smart to go off by myself for the day, but I survived the experience.

I loved hiking in the Muang Pai stone forest – a site that’s not commonly mentioned among backpackers but I saw some signs on the road near the elephant camps so decided to stop. The changing colors of the leaves and the crunch of the winter ground reminded me a lot of hiking back home. That is, I was reminded of home until I stumbled upon a bunch of banana trees!

I also had a fun night celebrating Australia Day at SpicyPai hostel. There was a delicious BBQ and good company. Nobody, though, not even the Australians, could explain what Australia Day actually is.

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Chiang Mai Street Art Part 2

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A colorful mural with a positive message in Chiang Mai, Thailand

A colorful mural with a positive message in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Here’s the second batch of street art photos from Chiang Mai! There’s a few more from SY as well as some from POAS, another artist whose work can be seen throughout the city.

I love some of the wackier pieces of work that I saw, such as the walking birds and the bomb doing archery. I also like the Kurt Cobain angel, which is actually a stencil that pops up all around the old city and its surroundings.

You can see the first post of my Chiang Mai street art photos here. Yet another batch of photos will be coming soon!

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Chiang Mai Street Art Part 1

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A cyclops painted on a wall in Chiang Mai

A cyclops painted on a wall in Chiang Mai

For the past few weeks I’ve been hanging out in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, taking a bit of a break from living out of a backpack and hopping on buses every few days. I’ve rented a room at Phra Singh Guesthouse for only 3,500 baht and it’s so nice to have a place to call home for a little while.

I’ve taken advantage of this time to explore some of the less touristy streets and hunt out some street art. The culture here isn’t huge on graffiti and murals, but the few artists that do work around here are pretty prolific. SY is one tag I have seen at least 30 times, and I think he is responsible for the 3D blocks that dot the walls around the city.

Here’s the first batch of photos, another batch coming soon!

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Biking to Banteay Srei

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The ruins of Banteay Srei in the Angkor Archaeological Complex

The ruins of Banteay Srei in the Angkor Archaeological Park complex

On my second day visiting the Angkor Archaeological Park, I biked all the way from my hostel in Siem Reap to the ruins of Banteay Srei, nearly 40 km outside of town. It was New Year’s Eve and honestly it was the best way I could have finished out 2013, a year filled with adventures, learning, and growth.

The ruins of Banteay Srei are small but impressive with their well preserved and highly intricate carvings. Built in the 10th century, the ruins pre-date Angkor Wat by about 200 years and it’s believed the temple is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva.

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Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom

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The Yank without a Chain in Angkor Wat

The Yank without a Chain in Angkor Wat

The highlight of my time in Cambodia was definitely Siem Reap and riding a bicycle around the Angkor Archaeological Park. I got the three day pass for $40, thinking that would allow me ample time to see pretty much everything. The park was much, much larger than I anticipated and in actuality I only scratched the surface!

My first day I visited the two major sites, Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, as well as smaller sites like Phnom Bakheng for sunset and Baksei Chamkrong which lies between Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. It was difficult getting good photos because of the sheer number of other tourists who were trying to get the same photos at the same time, but I did manage to capture some of the details of the places. Once you can ignore the pushiness of both fellow tourists and locals, it’s truly magical to bring yourself back in time over 800 years to think about how these ancient royals lived.

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