hippies smell

Pai is a tiny mountain town 762 curves away from Chiang Mai. That's what all the t-shirts said, anyway.

The drive there is absolutely beautiful. We went by public, 4-hour, non-air-con bus from Chiang Mai. It was actually chilly at 7 am as the morning breeze whipped in the window of the seat in front of me. We froze, until Mariela so wisely crammed the backpack into the opening to block the wind.

By minibus, the ride takes 3 hours. It's air-conditioned, and it's quicker, but I preferred the public bus. There were much better views of the mountains and valleys from the big, open windows. And the ride is only shorter because the driver whips around the mountain curves that much faster.

Pai is full, chock full, of hippies. It was the most relaxed place I've ever been. They've got hammocks, great coffee, and some of the most delicious baked goods I've ever had -- certainly the best I've had in five months.

There are two Muslim-owned bakeries in town. I could have eaten at them for every meal. Mariela and I split a massive piece of cake our last day there. It wasn't just any cake, though. It was banana chocolate cream cheese cake. There was a layer of rich, dense banana cake, cream cheese filling, more banana cake, and about half an inch on homemade fudge frosting. Heavenly!

We also had cinnamon pumpkin pie topped with walnuts, apple pie, pineapple pie, and "real" meals scattered in here and there.