THE ASIA DIARIES #4: PAI AND PHNOM PENH

001. During our stay in Chiang Mai we decided to venture up into the mountains to the little hippie town of Pai. One Agoda bungalow booking and a nauseating 4 hour mini van ride later, we made it. Pai was a small Thai town with lots of places to eat, hills to explore and dogs on every corner. Literally I think Pai was the place we saw the most street dogs in Asia- just lying all over the road with no intention of moving for scooters. The dogs really did embody the whole laid back and chill attitude that Pai was famous for. We both loved it!

002. During the week-or-so spent in Pai we stayed in a nice little bungalow at Rainbow Huts. Located just a short walk over the bridge out of town surrounded by mountains and fields; we spent a lot of time just lazing around in the hammocks with the peaceful surroundings. We rented some mountain bikes for a couple of days to explore and found ourselves having a mooch around the little night markets before getting dinner most days. Unfortunately our trip to Pai took a turn for the worst when Ben and myself were both struck down by food poisoning. The worst time and only time we ever got sick in Asia! Our accommodation was so lovely about us needing to stay another night, they even gave us a discount (seriously can recommend Rainbow Huts 100% for nice basic accommodation in Pai.) Trust me, you do not want to be heading back onto the mini van if you are feeling nauseous prior, the extra night was necessary! 

003. After Pai we returned back to Chiang Mai for a few days before heading to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. It was hands down the most insane city we stayed in throughout our time in Asia but it did manage to grow on me during the 3 days we spent there. It is really obvious that there is a lot of poverty in Cambodia, particularly with people begging on the streets in Phnom Penh, however there is still such a positive energy and essence about the city which is hard to describe. Yes it was smelly, dirty and chaotic but seeing such a hopeful, friendly and positive young Cambodian population going about their day-to-day lives made me really appreciate my opportunity to travel and see everything the world has to offer. Apologies there are no photos in this post of Phnom Penh, we were too busy caught in the whirlwind of our introduction to Cambodia! 

Lena x