Pai Shop

We also visited some small communities surrounding Pai. One community, Baan Din Doi, was populated by the Lisu people, one of a few ethnically distinct “hill tribe” people who live in Northern Thailand. The women wore very colorful tops wrapped diagonally across their chests and long black skirts adorned with silver, very striking. Nearby was a community of ethnic Chinese who had initially fled China during the Communist takeover. The buildings were constructed of an adobe or earthen type of material and were situated around a central plaza. The food and faces were, of course, Chinese. We watched the men play a game where one would spin a large top by pulling quickly on a stick tied to the string that was wrapped around the top. Another would try to spin his top into the first. Once the tops collided, much running and shouting ensued although we couldn’t really figure out the point of it all. There was also a large wooden 4-seater human-powered Ferris wheel in the main square. I, of course, suggested a ride. Maya was game but Zak wouldn’t go near it. However, as it was the eve of Chinese New Year, Zak did purchase a string of 500 firecrackers (the 250 string just didn’t seem big enough).

Maya is a big hit with the locals who all assume she is Thai (she does look like she could be). This creates quite a few opportunities to talk to the locals, which is nice. I've picked up the basic "hello" "goodbye" "how are you" "see you later" "excuse me" “how much is that” "please" "thank you" and some basic numbers all of which also goes a long way to endearing ourselves to the natives. Zak’s been trying to blend in with native dress. His latest acquisition was a very stylish hand-knit stocking cap (brown with silver stripes) with ear flaps, chin ties, and a tassle on top. He bought it outside of a Wat in Pai that inside featured a depiction of a hell other than travelling without our spouse and mother.