A Slice of Pai Part 2

So here we are living in Pai, northern Thailand. You can read part 1 of our time in Pai here.

It seems like aaaages ago since Kat and Alex were here, but we did promise a full recap of our adventures with them, so here it is. Plus, we haven't really been doing too much since they left, mostly snoozing and enjoying the local eateries, buzzing about on scooters, drinking excellent iced coffee and beer, hanging out by five star resort swimming pools, enjoying daily 2 hour Thai massages and still managing to fit in some great box sets on the laptop with top class thai food take aways. We know, life, eh?!

Oh and we've been making plans for the next chapters, but more on that to come soon...

So we continued to live in the artsy bungalow at Sawasdee Pai, right by the river...it's like a home away from home here. For some reason we just can't seem to be without an ocean or a river nearby!

This is the view from our porch.

We have been eating so much yummy food, including reviewing all the eggs Benedict on offer in town! With an iced coffee of course.

Eggs Benedict, Boomelicious cafe, Pai

Whilst Kat and Alex were here we got up to all sorts...

...we climbed up 350 steps to see a temple and look over the Pai valley for a stunning sunset view...

The views over the Pai valley were spectacular, spectacular! We listened to the temple dogs who have a lovely daily ritual of howling over the hills when the temple monk bashed his big temple bong at 6 pm every day, daily. In Buddhism, time essentially has its own meaning. Ask the dogs!

Beautiful Buddhas

Clear blue skies...for now.

Love the colours at the temple.

It was so great to hang out with these two!

We finally fulfilled Maddy's dream of riding an elephant. Although it wasn't quite as she had imagined and actually very, um, uncomfortable. She wouldn't move forward enough for poor Paddy to stay on without fear of sliding off the back.

The Ashes were on TMS so whilst Alex and Paddy got stuck into that, Kat and Maddy went off and got pedicures!

...We went off on a day trip to visit the Lod caves. On the way there, we sat in rock pools and watched tipsy Thai men ride down waterfalls. Alex was keen on following suit, but a stern look from Kat spoke to the contrary so instead Simon and Alex sat in the pool and looked on forlornly.

Simon had a little difficulty posing for this photo..

Babes in the rock pool (what you didn't see: Kat slipping down a rock face and me catching her 'cheeks' to stop her falling! Also, none of us except Alex could actually get anywhere without falling!!)

Once we got to Lod caves, we clambered aboard a bamboo raft and stopped off to look at three different caves. There we were, clutching our bags of fish food.

Here are just a few things that Maddy wasn't sure about: the dark, the bats, the size of the fish, the rickety bamboo, the poo-covered handrails, slipping on rocks.

Lots to rest with...

Wish you could all hear the screeching of the bats ...

We hired a lady with a lantern for a mere 250 baht (5 quid) to show us round the caves as we had been told this was the best way to see the caves. She pointed out all the rock formations that looked "like" things. And so begins the show...

Teeth

Popcorn

We got a bit distracted...

Prehistoric painting of an animal. Unfortunately faded due to time and flash photography. This photo was taken without flash but just by lantern light.

Our charming guide.

The boob!

Stalagmite and stalactite joined together...

Rickety stairs (not covered in bat poo for once)

Huge catfish jumping out of the water,
fighting over the food we had bought for them.

Come back, lady with the lantern!

Us lot on the raft.

One last funny shaped rock for you - the crocodile!

When we had finished the boat trip and cave tour, we had been advised to stay behind and wait for the big swoop of bats that would emerge at sunset. So we waited.

In hope...

And whilst we waited, KitKat and Mandolin (their nicknames for each other dating back to when they used to be flatmates - Katherine and Maddy to everyone else) discussed the pros and cons of selfies and getting just the right amount of background in the shot...

...but alas whilst many many swifts did fly in (it was very dramatic!), the cloud of bats did not fly out...apparently they aren't keen on coming out if rain is on the way which it most certainly was as we found out slippy slide style on the drive back to Pai!

...we also visited some local hot springs. They were, well, hot. And smelly! As we walked further up the hill the springs got hotter, and the eggy smell became stronger. The temptation to boil eggs was strong, but somehow we resisted....