Outside of its awesomely laid back culture and atmosphere, Pai has some pretty cool parks and highlights. After a two-day rafting trip on the Pai river, we rented a motor scooter to see what kind of natural beauty we could find just outside of town. The answer was A LOT. We spent two days exploring and did not get to see it all. Our first day after the rafting, after getting cheap breakfast and some delicious iced mochas in town, we scootered to the trailhead of a really scenic waterfall called Mo Paeng falls, just a short drive out-of-town. You can slide down sections of the falls and also do some short cliff jumps, but make sure to check water depth before! We did our sliding and jumping on the level just above the middle level where there is (or was) a large heart made of rocks in the mud.
That night, as with almost every other night we were in Pai, we got some good, cheap Thai food off of the main street (prices are much better away from the walking street), then we headed back to the walking street for some cheap street food for dessert! There’s anything from ice cream to crepes for less than $1!
The next morning we woke up bright and early (5 am) to catch an awesome sunrise with our scooter at the lookout just past the Chinese village. Afterwards, we came back to town for coffee and  big lunch before trading in the scooter for mountain bikes. We rode from town to Pai Canyon. Although it wasn’t much of a canyon, more like a maze of small cliffs, we caught a sunrise that was even more breathtaking than that morning’s sunrise.
Outside of hitting the major attractions just outside of town like this, Pai is a great place to just take it easy. Chances are you need it if you’ve been travelling as much as most have by the time they reach the happiness mecca. Make sure to give yourself a day just to chill at a coffee shop and nap in a hammock strung up from your bungalow (definitely ditch the hostel and find a bungalow). Finish off the night with some cold drinks at one of the many happy hours in town, and then maybe use all the energy you saved to check out the sunrise and slide down a waterfall the next morning! Â Enjoy!
