Discussed: 16 Feb 2025 at 07: 02
Mae Hong Son: Amid the mountains of northwestern Thailand is a hub for tourists to stay in beds, swim in rivers, walk along the Bamboo Bridge and bask in the sun, as guests gradually sink into what’s known as the” Pai hole” in Pai district.
However, an overabundance of tourists may cause problems for locals in paradise, which could cause tension.
When a calm marketplace village, surrounded by wheat fields, warm springs and rivers, Pai is today a thriving wifi for Thailand’s tourists. Famous for its hippy environment, affordable life and exciting celebration field, Pai is a travelling backpacker’s dream.
Travelers who intend to visit for a few days and keep for a lifetime are likely to fall into the Pai Hole.
French traveller, Alex Chambers, 29, knows what it is to slide into the Pai opening.
” Once you are ok you realise just how special Pai is, it becomes very difficult to want to left”, says Mr Chambers, who has been to Pai nine days.
The accessible area layout, great, inexpensive quality food and weather are the important factors that make Pai but particular, Mr Chambers says.
There are moments of foreigners hopping about on rented mopeds, jumping waterfalls, and chasing the classic twilight at Pai Canyon while walking through the area. ” Pai Canyon is a geological know”, said Mr Chambers.
Tipsy Tubing is another common Pai exercise where hundreds of tourists pay 250 bass to glide down the Pai River on inflatable tubes while stopping at restaurants along the way. Every year, thousands of travelers join in Tipsy Tubing, with beverages in hand and some phones sluggish in the valley.
The arts image is another striking feature of Pai. From life music and tattooed shops to fashion markets, graffiti, flow arts and fire dancing,” the local artists around are very talented”, said Mr Chambers.
” All the people who have “fall into the Pai hole” are proud to call this place home,” said Mr. Chambers.
A once tranquil town has become the heart of northern Thailand’s backpacking scene as a result of the boom in tourism. Pai is at risk of feeling culturally cleansed despite supporting the local economy by bringing money into the valley.
Locals mostly live outside the central area of Pai town because the area is overpopulated with foreigners.
” There is some tension between the locals and foreigners because of clashing cultures”, said Mr Chambers.
The behavior that some foreigners are bringing from their cultures into the valley irritates the locals, he said, with some tourists disrespectfully acting in disrespect at local shops and restaurants or after engaging in alcohol-fueled activities.
Being belligerent is not a vibe anywhere, but particularly not typical behavior from the local Thais, according to Mr. Chambers, who said the strain will likely go away when most tourists leave during the upcoming burning season.