Thursday, March 10, 2022
5:53 a.m. Bungalow 14, Mr. Jan’s Guesthouse
Pai, Thailand
I still haven’t decided if I am going to stay in Pai or move to Chiang Dao. All I know is that I will be leaving this bungalow at Mr. Jan’s. In fact, I don’t have a choice. I checked online, and Mr. Jan’s is listed as being sold out. That seems strange to me. As far as I have been able to tell, I am the only person here. They have at least a dozen separate bungalows here, maybe more. But they are all empty. How can this place go from being empty today to being completely full tomorrow? That seems odd.
While I was looking at hotel availability, I toyed with the idea of taking a room at the semi-luxurious Lilu Hotel. The Lilu is just around the corner. I stayed there before, and I liked it quite a bit. I know for sure that the WiFi works anyway. And in some ways, the higher price of a place like the Lilu makes more sense. I saved a lot of money by staying at Mr. Jan’s, but clearly, I suffered because of it. At some point, a cheaper place offers very little value. I got nothing done while I was here. I haven’t had any new or pleasant experiences in Pai. I’ve just wasted two days and ended up in a bad mood. At the Lilu, I would have gotten good WiFi. I could have been productive. They have air conditioning, which would lead to better sleep. I’ve had trouble sleeping here partially because this bungalow gets so hot. And a room at the Lilu comes with a nice breakfast. You have to factor that into the price as well. Staying here at Mr. Jan’s, I end up going out for breakfast and coffee, and when you add that to the room cost, it’s back to being the same as a more expensive hotel.
But as far as the Lilu is concerned, I waited too long. They had a room available, but I didn’t book it right away. And when I went back to book it, it was already gone. There is another place right around the corner called the Diamond Hotel. If I don’t ride to Chiang Dao today, I might go there. It’s a bit of a risk, but if the WiFi is strong, it might be worth it. I like the Diamond because it isn’t your typical Pai place. It isn’t even listed online as far as I know. When you look for hotels and guesthouses online, you get a very typical kind of place that caters to foreigners like me. But the Diamond is more old-school. It’s unknown. It’s just a typical neighborhood hotel that I might have ended up in in the old days before the Internet existed.
The last time I was in Pai, I stayed at the Lilu, and my YouTube friend Leon stayed at the Diamond. So I got to see the inside of the rooms. They’re almost like suites. Quite basic, I think, compared to a place like the Lilu, but the rooms seemed to offer a lot of space. And it has a motel style, which I like. You can ride your scooter right up to your door. I think one thing that bothers me about Pai in general is that it is so much about pleasure. It caters to people who have come here for a holiday. And people on holiday are looking for pleasure. Pai is all about going out and having a good meal, going to a hot spring for a soak, getting a massage, and taking your selfie at a nice waterfall on a guided tour. And none of that comes naturally to me. I don’t appreciate pleasure very much. I come to these places for different reasons, I guess. And staying at a place like the Diamond fits in with that mood. It is not part of the mainstream here in Pai. It does its own thing.
Well, this is weird. I just checked online hotel listings again, and it’s completely different. There are tons of spots available here at Mr. Jan’s. And the rooms are still available at the Lilu hotel. I must have been entering my dates wrong yesterday when I was checking. Or maybe there was a glitch. I guess I just have to decide where I want to spend my time and how far I want to go on this trip. I’d probably end up feeling better if I just get on the scooter and get out of Pai. I’m just not feeling this place for some reason. And I got a pretty good rest last night. So I feel good. I would have no problem packing up and riding the scooter over the mountains. I think I’ll do that.
I had all good dreams last night. And the depth of those dreams is a clear sign that I slept well. I had my movie dreams. Yes, I think I will ride to Chiang Dao. Hopefully, I will end up at a place with good WiFi. I know which hotel I’ll go to. I stayed there last time, and I enjoyed my stay. I can’t remember what the WiFi was like, but I think it was fine. Time to pack. Very exciting. Time to get out of here.