Pai (Thai: ปาย)

Pai was once a quiet market village inhabited by Shan people but nowadays Pai primarily thrives on tourism. Well-known among backpackers for its relaxed atmosphere, the town is full of cheap guesthouses, souvenir shops and restaurants. In the proximity of the town are spas and elephant camps. Further outside of town, there are several waterfalls and a number of natural hot springs varying in temperature from 80 to 200 degrees Celsius. Some resorts tap the hot springs and feed hot water into private bungalows and public pools. As Pai lies at the foot of the mountains, many tourists use it as a base for trekking and visiting hill tribes like Karen, Hmong, Lisu and Lahu. Another notable attraction is the town's excellent Wednesday Market which brings large and colorful crowds of local villagers and tribal people from all around the Pai Valley.

Pai is a small community, embraced by rolling mountains and enveloped in natural setting that is fresh and beautiful. The atmosphere is clean, pure, quiet and warmly welcoming. The different ethnic groups, religious beliefs and languages of the people of plains and the people of the mountains have blended together here to form a unique set of cultural traditions.

The citizens of Pai live their lives with a spirit of generosity and a sense of community, always ready to give someone a helping hand. Yet at the same time, the remoteness of the region makes travel to and from Pai difficult. Many people would rather not come and risk their chances in such an isolated place. However, many other people entrust their luck to fate in this very spot, and others dream of having just one chance in their lives to come and experience the summit of the north of Thailand.

Koh Samui Chaweng

Koh Samui (เกาะสมุย in Thai language) is the island of the coconut trees and the third largest island in Thailand (only Phuket and Koh Chang are larger by size).

The total area is about 247 km² and it is located in the Gulf of Thailand, 700 km South of Bangkok in the Surat Thani province. There is a 55 kilometer long ring road on the island which makes it convenient to travel from beach to beach.

Well known beaches are Chaweng, Lamai, Bophut, Big Buddha, Choeng Mon, Hua Thanon and Maenam. Samui do also has many sister islands; Koh Tao (top diving destination in Asia), Koh Phangan (known for it's Full Moon Party etc.), Angthong National Marine Park, Koh Tan and the spectacular Koh Nang Yuan.How to get to Samui?Flight
1. With Bangkok Airways from Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok or from Phuket Airport in Phuket. There are several daily flights, but these are rather often fully booked at high and peak season, so our suggestion is to make the booking early to be sure to get a seat.

2. With Thai Airways from Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. Either directly to Samui Airport, or to Suratthani Airport on the main land. From there you will have to take a bus, minivan or taxi to the ferry piers in Donsak. You can buy the ferry ticket at any of these piers.

Book the air tickets on internet directly from the airline or from any travel agency in Thailand.Bus
From Bangkok, the buses departs either from the famous tourist / backpacker street; Khao San Road or from the Southern Bus Terminal, located at Boromrat Chonnani Road. Tickets can be bought in almost any travel agency in Bangkok.

There are also buses from Phuket, Krabi, Pattaya and Hat Yai. The tickets can be bought at almost any local travel agency or directly at the bus terminals.

The bus will take you to Donsak or another pier at the coastline of the Surat Thani province. You can buy the ferry ticket at these piers, if you haven't purchased it already.Train
The train departs from Hualampong Railway Station in Bangkok. Buy the tickets in any travel agency in the capital city, or directly at the railway station. There are both 1th class private sleeping cars (two persons) and 2nd class coaches and "public" sleeping cars.

Your final destination (but not the trains') is the town of Suratthani. From there you will have to take a bus, minivan or taxi to the piers in Donsak. You are able to buy the ferry ticket at these piers.
Koh Samui's busiest and biggest town has sprung up around one of the island's best beaches. As well as offering more accommodation options than elsewhere on the island, Chaweng is also nightlife central with bars and restaurants catering to every taste.
From beachside institutions to sophisticated cocktail bars, Chaweng's nightlife is streets ahead of anywhere else on Samui in terms of choice.
The famous Green Mango strip still forms the axis around which the rest of the town's bars revolve and is packed with (mostly) young revellers every night, alternating between the pubs, dance bars and girly bars. Chaweng's main strip is nearly three kilometres long though, and lots of smaller centres of activity have sprung up along it. McDonalds' forms a landmark in the south of town just across the road from Chaweng's single most popular bar, Tropical Murphy's Irish pub.