The countryside is beautiful, and the best way to experience it is via motorbike. I was nervous because I’d never ridden one, nor had I been in a place where I had to drive on the left, but Pai is a great place to practice both of those things. Some noob tips:

  • One person to a scooter. It’s much, much harder to drive with two or more people. If you’re new to scooters, don’t risk it.
  • Get a mount for your phone, so you can use GPS. They didn’t have them at the rental shops when I was there, so bring your own.
  • Bring eye protection. In general, it’s not necessary, but if it starts raining, you’ll really appreciate having it.
  • The rental place will ask if you know how to ride. If you say “no,” they won’t rent to you. If you don’t want to lie, watch a video online beforehand - then at least you’ll have the knowledge, if not the skill.
  • Be careful! As you walk around town, you’ll see lots of people with scratched up arms and legs, and probably even a few people with braces/casts. Don’t be one of them. It’s really not that difficult to ride, you just need to be smart and cautious.

And finally a pro-tip for getting to Pai: Take a motion sickness pill before the ride up. I don’t get sea-sick, I don’t get sick on rides, and I haven’t thrown up in over a decade. It doesn’t matter how strong your stomach is, you’ll feel the ride. Any pharmacy will have the pills, and they are very cheap.

  • miseducator@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Better yet, rent a motorbike in Chang Mai and cruise it over to Pai. Then you don’t have to worry about the motion sickness.

    • JoeyJoeJoeJrOP
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      1 year ago

      Just make sure to watch out for the vans - my driver was excessively speeding, and driving well over the center line in order to make the turns. He clearly drove that route multiple times everyday, and knew it well, but I was terrified we’d hit someone or something.

    • JoeyJoeJoeJrOP
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      1 year ago

      I just used Wi-Fi the whole time - every shop, restaurant, etc has Wi-Fi, so I figured I’d save the money. You can download maps ahead of time, so that was never an issue.

      Most people are not as cheap as I am, and do pay for a SIM card while they are there. I never heard anyone complain about it. Service is cheap, and seemed to be reliable. Even in the mountains, I never heard anyone complain about not having signal.