Christmas in Pai

So this year, me and my boyfriend decided to spend our Christmas up north in a little town called ‘Pai’, Pai is in Maehongsorn province which is in the northern part of Thailand.

You can get there by bus via Chiangmai, drive up there yourself or fly to Chiangmai then to Pai. Another way that is more adventurous would be to get up there by motorbike… now let me tell you first that the way to Pai is not an easy path, since it is situated in the mountain valley - there are over 1,864 curves (some are sharp curves) you have to get through to get to this enchanting town. But don’t give up just yet! I guaranteed you that it will be worth it :)

The town itself is a very friendly, quiet and peaceful place, where you can get close to nature. Perfect for anyone who wants to spend a lower pace of life… like me and my bf :D

We left Bangkok at 5 am and get to Pai at 3pm which is pretty fast, our 1-year-old Jack Russel ‘Bobbii Jo’ also came along - this is his first road trip and his first Christmas :)

bbj enjoys the view

We got to Chiangmai and didn’t waste any time, after getting some gas we head to route 1095 and continued our way to the destination

welcome to the notorious route 1095

it was only a 130-kilometer route which on a normal road would only take an hour to get there

Google maps is our savior on this trip … along with my bf’s Nexus S ;)

if you think you can get car sick from all the curves and sharp turns, get yourself some motion sickness meds - do you know that dogs can get car sick too??? Luckily, my Bobbii Jo is a tough pup!

he stands like this through all those nasty curves! good boy!

after almost 3 hrs of driving, we got to Pai! yayyyyyyy

our first stop which is also a must for every traveler is a coffee place called ‘Coffee in love’ - i know the place sounds cheesy but the view is spectacular!

oh the last ‘e’ was missing! whoops

we let BBJ ran around, stretching out after a long journey

he’s out of breath! - in this pic, BBj is sitting with Tourism Authority of Thailand mascot ‘nong suk-jai’ … and yes, his ears are really like that :p

the weather is just awesome - just perfect for Christmas (in Thailand!) around 10c at night

Pai walking street got a lil something for everyone so be sure to stop by - get some nice food/ souvenirs along the way or chill at an open air bar… there are a lot of choices to pick ( or you can start the night early and try them all! )

walking street - usually packed during weekends

this one looks really nice! love the curtain :)

another thing to try in Pai is the hot spring - several to choose from, try googling it or stop by the tour operators (many of them and very easy to find) or just ask your hotel staff

hot spring - not as impressive as those in Japan but still a nice place to swim around, i think of it as a warm swimming pool :p

view from the hot tub… i meant the hot spring pool hehehe, nice huh?

another thing i like about Pai is that i don’t need to put on any make up - my face stays matte all day long hehehe

okay so i did put on some gloss - just so my lips don’t crack up! :p

we spent our Christmas eve at a friend’s place, ordered food from a restaurant next door, popping up champagne, singing Glee’s christmas tracks - life’s good!

merry christmas! :D

i rocked this Glee apps! love love love love it!

we went to a bar ‘Bebop’ after dinner and i was way too drunk/ cold/ sleepy so…

my juicy couture hoodie and paul smith scarf are covered up by… a Nike windbreaker! so much for ‘style’ lol

next day we went to a Yunan village (tribe people of Chinese descent) and got ourselves some badass hot pot!

it’s just huge, there were 6 of us and we couldn’t even finish!

they just built something that looks like the great wall of China but i didn’t take pics (think it’s a lil weird) you can also rent some Chinese looking outfits that makes you look like those kungfu characters and get on a horse to take pics and have them printed out on a little plate as a souvenir too ( seriously - who would go thru all the trouble for that??? definitely not me!)

i paid 10 baht and posed with this instead! think i look too cowboy for an ancient Chinese carriage lol

on Christmas, we were invited to a party over at a friend’s house so my friend let me help her baked a cake - a heart shaped strawberry short cake for Christmas!