Pai (pronounced "By") is a small mountain town three hours and change northwest of Chiang Mai. We decided to split our time in northern Thailand with a stay in Pai in the middle. We rode to and from on a rented motorbike, which was quite the adventure on its own. Thankfully, no accidents or injuries to report (other than a very sore butt). 

Stories of an artsy, hippie-filled mountain town along a river drew us to Pai. We imagined it to be like Boulder, Colorado, and it sort of was. We found it to be full of just as many grungy travelers and hipsters as hippies, hence we coined the term "hippsties." Has a nice ring to it, dontcha think?

We had two full days here to explore the mountains and nearby waterfalls, canyons, etc. The aforementioned rented motorbike made it easy. We zipped around, stopping for quick hikes and cups of coffee. 

At night, we strolled through the small town center and drank a few "big" Chang beers with fellow travelers at our hostel.

Not pictured: all the delicious street food we sampled. Although their night market was only a few blocks long, it was packed with a wide variety of vendors, each one more tempting and saliva-inducing than the next. 

Also not pictured: the piercing, unrelenting screams ringing through the cold night air as pigs were slaughtered, one by one, less than 50 yards from the hostel where we slept. Yes, seriously. I don't even want to talk about it. (But if you don't believe me I can email you a recording.)