I first arrived in Pai tired and miserable after one of the bumpiest bus rides I've been on yet. After checking into my hostel at the same time as another American traveller, he quickly latched onto me, and I naively agreed to grab lunch with him. After spending a few hours with him, I realised how little we had in common, and was desperate to escape! Think, complete opposite to myself - completely against adventure and anything that comes with budget travelling, not to mention his terrible treatment of the waitress at the restaurant (anyone who is rude to people in service is someone I don't want to associate with). After spending the day with him I was about ready to pack up my bags and leave, but luckily as we made our way back to the hostel after dinner and drinks with some fellow backpackers we met in town we crashed a bit of a party going on in our hostel. Within 10 minutes I had made friends with a group of travellers from all over the world, who thankfully were much more on the same wavelength as me! They were all so lovely I ended up staying an extra few nights, returning to Bangkok just in time to spend a day shopping and make it in time for my flight.
Hostel
I booked myself into Darling View Point Bungalows, which was a very simple hostel, with a convenient location and an amazing community feel. The facilities were nothing out of the ordinary, but it was good value, and any simplistic amenities were overruled by the hostel vibe. I made some great friends (after an initial setback), and the set up was great for making friends and playing drinking games.
Food
The best food was available at the night markets which ran down the main street of Pai. The burritos were a must have (I know the irony of eating burritos in Thailand, but trust me), and there was a huge variety of traditional thai food, fresh fruit, delicious fruit juices made in front of you, and my personal favourite dessert - the nutella banana crepe!
Activities
There was a huge selection of activities to undertake in Pai, but my personal favourite was tubing. We bought snacks and beers, and made our way by truck to the end of the river, hours later ending up right by the path that led up to the hostel. It was a great chilled out day chatting and floating down the river, with a few rough patches including getting stuck on rocks, deflating tubes and lost shoes.
The final visit to Bangkok I decided to go all out and book myself into a concept style hostel, Suneta Hostel Khao San which was just off the main strip of Khao San road, and gave me a modern and clean hostel experience with the privacy of their cabin style beds. Essentially you got your own little 'capsule' bed, which locked up and included your own television and inside storage. It was a bit of a splurge for South East Asia, but it was worth it to splash out for my final night in Thailand. I took advantage of my final day and a bit by visiting the amazing Chatuchak weekend markets, which I could not recommend more. We came back with bags of gifts, artwork and vintage clothing for a very modest amount of money. I also visited the famous MBK shopping centre, which has just about everything you could imagine! My final day in Bangkok was spent eating everything (I'm talking everything on a stick, pad thai, crepes, you name it) and enjoying the bars along Khao San. I also treated myself to a hair treatment and manicure/pedicure, because when in Thailand! After 30 odd hours of chaos in Bangkok I finally made my way to the airport for my flight home, and as sad as I always am to leave it's the best feeling to know you're on your way back to sleeping in your own bed and not living out of a backpack!
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