This is Niall, and my wife Adrie in Thailand. In this series, we’ll take you out of Vietnam to explore the neighboring country, Thailand. In the last episode, we compared Thai and Vietnamese food. If you haven’t watched, make sure to check it out.
On our second day in Thailand, we left the comfort of Chiang Mai and set off on a road trip to Pai—a small mountain town in the north that I’d been curious about for years.
The day was truly an adventure as we stopped at random sites and tried random food, but they were all amazing. Let’s follow Adrie and me to find out.
From Chiang Mai to Pai: Biking Experience
Our second day in Thailand kicked off with a bit of excitement and a little bit of stress. We were heading from Chiang Mai to Pai, and thanks to Adrie’s amazing research skills (and some solid Googling), we had a plan in place.
We’d rented a motorbike the day before to drive the 130 kilometers up to Pai. But of course, a bike doesn’t exactly come with room for big backpacks. Luckily, we found a service that would take our bags up for us. We handed them over in the morning, and they said they’d arrive in Pai around 5 p.m. We expected to get there a bit earlier, but that was fine—we were in no rush. We were just excited to enjoy the ride, make a few stops, and see more of Thailand along the way.
Driving a bike in Thailand is mostly straightforward, but there was one big difference from Vietnam: they drive on the left-hand side of the road. It took a bit of getting used to. Adrie was driving at the time and doing a great job, but we kept having to remind ourselves—stay left, not right!
The roads were in good condition, the weather was nice, and it felt great to be exploring a new part of the country. This was the furthest north we’d ever been in Thailand, and we’d never been to Pai before. We were both really looking forward to what the day would bring.
Warning: The Erotic Garden!!
On the way, we came across something completely unexpected.
We pulled into a place that looked like a garden—or maybe a park? It was peaceful, green, quiet… and full of penises. Everywhere.
Turns out, we had stumbled into an Erotic Garden.
At first, I honestly thought it must’ve been a mistranslation. Maybe they meant “exotic garden” or something like that? But no, it was exactly what it sounded like.
A very friendly woman greeted us and started telling us all about the place. She explained that erotic art is natural, and a part of being human. She encouraged visitors to relax and not take things too seriously. “Just have fun,” she said. “Use your imagination.”
There were sculptures, statues, and… well, let’s just say a lot of symbolic body parts. She showed us a piece that, depending on how you looked at it, could mean all sorts of things..”
It was wild.
Adrie and I just looked at each other like, what is happening?
We kept walking and came across a wall filled with—no joke—134 penis sculptures. According to our guide, they’re a symbol of good luck in Thai culture. I mean, who knew?
The whole place was completely random, kind of hilarious, and actually a bit thoughtful in a strange way. The woman running the garden was lovely and clearly passionate about the art and message behind it. I couldn’t tell if we were in a sculpture park, a museum, or someone’s cheeky backyard project—but I loved it.
After that very unexpected stop, we jumped back on the bike, still laughing about what we just saw, and got ready to tackle the next part of the drive.
The Long, Winding Road to Pai
After the surprise Erotic Garden detour, we got back on the road and pulled off again a little while later to check out a waterfall. It was called Mok Fa Waterfall, and getting there was an absolute mission. The hill leading up to it was ridiculously steep, and our motorbike was… well, let’s just say we did not get the best one on the lot.
It claimed to be a 125cc, but it definitely didn’t feel like one. With two full-grown adults on it, it had almost no power. It made weird noises, struggled up the hills, and felt more like a dying lawnmower than a proper motorbike. Adrie started to worry about the rest of the drive to Pai.
But we tried to focus on the positives. The area around the waterfall was beautiful, and Adrie even considered going for a swim. The view was amazing, the water was flowing fast, and it felt like we’d found a hidden gem. In the end, though, we decided not to swim—mostly because we didn’t want to ride the bike soaking wet.
We ended up rating the waterfall. Adrie gave it an 8 out of 10, which was fair.
Then it was time to keep going. We headed back to the bike, and I have to say—it might have been the steepest hill I’ve ever had to ride up. The engine barely pulled us, even in first gear. We were crawling at about 17 km/h and just hoping we’d make it to the top without stalling. Once we got over the hill, we were going downhill again, which came with its own kind of panic.
By now, the temperature had started to drop a bit as we got higher into the hills. It was getting cooler, and I could feel the wind more in my lovely “red” shorts. But at least we were still rolling, still laughing, and still headed for Pai.
First Impressions of Pai and a Whole Lot of Food
After a long day of driving and struggling with our little lemon of a bike, we finally made it to Pai. We told the rental place there was definitely something wrong with the bike, and they said they’d either fix it or swap it out. At that point, I didn’t really care—I was just happy to have arrived.
The vibe in Pai was totally different from anywhere else we’d been in Thailand. Right away, we noticed everyone’s fashion sense. Gen Z guys were walking around in tiny workout shorts, and the whole place had a kind of hippie, anything-goes energy.
What We Ate In Pai
- Gyoza
We spotted a street food stall selling gyoza—Japanese dumplings—which made us laugh a little. Here we were in Thailand, eating Japanese food.
But the whole street was full of international food: Mexican places, Italian pasta stalls, even vegan burger joints. We grabbed a portion of dumplings for 60 baht.
We walked through the market and were blown away by how packed it was. Bars, food stalls, people everywhere. It reminded us of somewhere we’d been in Goa, India… for about five seconds.
- Coconut pancakes.
These were our guilty pleasures in Laos, and we were thrilled to find them again in Pai.
They were fresh, hot, and dangerously addictive. I tried one, and my mouth was on fire—not from spice, just from the heat. My tongue was totally burned, but I still wanted more. They were sweet, soft, and slightly crispy on the outside. I described them as “soggy biscuits but delicious,” which is honestly the highest praise I can give.
- Dumplings
And just when we thought we couldn’t eat anymore, we saw halal chicken dumplings. They were in a quieter section that seemed to be mostly Muslim-run stalls. Everything smelled incredible. I used my classic move of pretending the food wasn’t that good so I could keep it all to myself. “So bad,” I told Adrie, trying not to grin. “You definitely don’t want any.” She knows me too well, though—she saw right through it.
We kept saying we were done eating, but the food just kept getting better. We spotted a crowd outside one particular stall, and when we got closer, we realized they were all lining up for… Vietnamese banh mi. In Thailand. And not just any banh mi—it wasn’t actually banh mi at all. It was basically a fried chicken sandwich on a bun. Still, the line was constant, and it looked delicious. So, of course, we made a mental note to try it later.
- Lasagna
The final food stop of the night (yes, there was more) was something I never expected to find in northern Thailand: a lasagna bar.
They had seven kinds of lasagna, each one made with macaroni. I had no idea until Adrie pointed it out. We chose the spinach, macaroni, and cheese one—Adrie loves spinach, I love cheese, so it was the perfect combo. It was so popular that most flavors were already sold out. Only the pesto one was left untouched, which surprised me because I love pesto. But hey, maybe it’s just not a crowd favorite in Pai.
The lasagna was rich, cheesy, and absolutely hit the spot. We were full, happy, and amazed at how much variety the street food scene had to offer in such a small mountain town.
Conclusion – A Day in Pai
Pai ended up being nothing like I expected—and I loved that. What I thought would be a sleepy little town turned out to be full of life, colour, and more food options than you could ever imagine. From coconut pancakes and gyoza to fake banh mi and spinach lasagna, we were stuffed, a bit cold (well, Adrie was), and completely entertained.