Pai may have been just a plain stopover en-route to Mae-Hongson, from Chiang Mai for multi-national tourists and adventure seekers in the past, but not anymore.

The town’s scenery, rich natural resources, lush green rice paddies and farms, as well as authentic locals’ traditional rites and practices have grown on its visitors. The impression imprinted on the town’s guests has been passed on to many all over the world. That’s why virtually all the roads and runways now lead to Pai! According to the TAT’s (Tourism Authority of Thailand) record, over 100,000 people come to Pai each year, most of whom are foreigners.

Unfortunately, the boom in tourism has somewhat transformed the town. Many visitors, especially the Thais, find it hard to accept that this small village on Thai soil seems overcrowded with foreigners. Costs of accommodation and food in places have, as many put it, rocketed as high as Pai’s reputation. Even so, has Pai lost its charm?

To many, the answer is ‘no’! Pai’s charm does not lie just inside its town centre and its open-air street markets. (Many people still come to Pai for its natural beauty.) The vast green valley, filled with rice paddies and cultivated farm lands, the ice-cold air at the top of Huy Nam Dang National Park, the hot spring, the locals’ traditional way of life and warm hospitality of those living here remain a powerful magnet, attracting those who have been here as well as newcomers to Pai. Its enclosed location amid mountain ranges and a peaceful united community here still makes Pai heaven on earth for many Europeans and some Thais. Some have even relocated and settled for a new life in Pai.

The Tai ethnic minority’s desserts or snacks are one of Pai’s local authentic delights. At the municipality’s fresh market, you can explore and try as many menus as you wish. If you like it enough, you might as well carry some snacks home for friends and family. Of course, the early birds win in this game, as this is a morning market. Eight in the morning is the best time to shop here, as that is its busiest time, during which the market is teeming with a huge variety of all things edible.

The Tai’s traditional snacks include ‘Alawa’, a kind of snack made from long grain rice simmered with coconut milk and sugar cane juice, baked until the top turns brown. Other snacks are ‘Pae-yee’ and ‘Pae-loh’, which are salted, roasted, soybeans, with and without shells. Another sweet choice is called ‘Nga-Boh’. This type of snack is made from sugar cane juice, simmered until it becomes sticky and topped with sesames. Surely, these are just appetisers. A lot more awaits your discovery.

What is your ideal coffee break? If relishing a nice cup of coffee with a good book and/or good company while drinking in marvellous views of mountain ranges in a laid-back environment is your answer, Pai is certainly your perfect destination! Apart from all kinds of adventures and activities this peaceful village offers, Pai is also the perfect place for you to hide away from the outside bustling world and quench your thirst with that perfect cup of coffee.

Pretty much on every road in Pai stands at least one cosy coffee shop that is open between late morning and late afternoon. The two most famous coffee shops in the town that tourists can’t afford to miss are All About Coffee and Coffee In Love. All About Coffee is located on Chaisongkram Road, famous for its yummy Banofi Pai, the highlight of its menu. Coffee In Love on the outskirts of the town on the main road from Chiang Mai leading into Pai offers a variety of mouth watering desserts and good aromatic coffee with a truly breath-taking view. So next time you hunger for a memorable coffee experience, get it for yourself in Pai.