A Nice Slice of Pai

Pai is a secret you don't want to tell anyone about. You'd be too afraid they'd ruin it. Sandwiched in a valley 100 miles northwest of Chang Mai, Pai is filled with people who had way too much fun in the 60's and 70's and just decided they didn't want the era to end. If you ever had an itch to grow a long beard and dreads, this is the place you'd do it. Pai is the colorful, cushion on the floor, hammock swaying fantasy you saw in a cool hippie movie. There's no temples, no museums, no tourist attractions. This is a place where you come to lay low, rent a bike to tour the country side, and as Bob Marley said, "Lively up yourself." Not to mention, they have a kick ass live music scene for everyone's taste.

I have no idea why, but I felt like walking from venue to venue asking if anyone needed a drummer for the night. As it turned out, Bebop Cafe was having a jam night, and because no one ever plays the drums, they always call up the house drummer to fill in. For the first time in my musical career, I was happy to be a drummer instead of wishing I'd been a guitarist. I jammed to some blues with a lead guitarist from Sweden, a bassist from Connecticut, a rythm guitarist from Japan, and a singer who just made a bunch of noises from Bangkok. I must admit, more people showed up to see Flight of the Conchords play a gig in an elevator. But overall, it was a very chill way to spend the evening.