Pai, Thailand. Where time stands still.

I travelled through Thailand a few times around the turn of the millennium.  I thoroughly enjoyed the culture and the scenery both.  I only wish I’d had a better camera most of the time.  But I like these photos from Pai, North Western Thailand.  Pai sits in a large and dormant volcanic crater, lush and fertile land surrounded by the high walls of the crater in the form of mountains, reaching up from, and covered in dense forest.  Almost my entire time there, the sky was full of cloud, and this seemed to be touching the crater rim all around, sealing the town into its own bubble of reality.

There was things to see and do as well.  One little temple I enjoyed, mostly for the exquisitely tiled Dragon carvings as you find in temples all over South East Asia.  Each unique, and with varying styles as you move regions and countries.

But mostly I enjoyed a break from travelling and hung out at the guest house, which was nothing more than a kitchen area, and a few stilted huts sat in the padi fields.  It was basic and beautiful.  They did Thai cooking lessons in the Kitchen, and actually served some real nice food.  It was so basic in many ways, but that simplicity combined with the beauty of the place made for a total slow down in life, something we all need every now and then.