Chang World Reggae 2010 Coffee-in-Love, Pai-Mea Hong Son

It has the look of a 100-year old market town with its teak wood houses and quaint rambling lanes and when combined with its mountain scenery, Pai village makes the cover of Thai fashion magazines. Although it has been popular with foreign tourists, mainly backpackers since the 90s, Pai really took off in 2006 when it featured as the locale for a couple of romantic Thai movies. Today, Pai is still a chic, cool destination that appeals to both foreign and Thai tourists who pack around 120 guest houses and boutique resorts during the cool winter season, from mid-November to mid-February. Despite the development there are still just two sets of traffic lights in the four-street village that settled on the banks of the narrow fast flowing Pai River. This is the place to chill out or simply enjoy a spa or massage. For the more energetic there are other options -- a visit to the valley’s hot springs, white water rafting, or trekking in nearby hill country to caves and waterfalls. There is also the music scene, year round, mainly impromptu as visiting musicians share a melody with the local music fraternity in cafes and bars. Now in its fifth year the annual Pai Reggae Music Festival will convene 29 to 30 January at the Coffee-in-Love, a popular meeting spot for music lovers. This year’s event has been seriously upgraded with a new sponsor, Chang Beer. It has enough financial clout to initiate a change in name this year to “Chang World Reggae 2010”. Sponsorship details were finalised early January and for the organisers, it signals a bright future with backing and support that will draw more visitors. To add old-world charm, the music festival will have its own vintage car parade and street-side stalls selling snacks and drinks near the entrance to the concert venue. The entrance fee to attend the festival is Bt350 a night or Bt500 for both nights. Organisers are anticipating, Pai will be packed out with music lovers over the weekend and are offering tent accommodation near the music hall priced at Bt500 for two person tent. Event details are being updated at www.paireggaefest.com with a new programme identifying musicians and bands booked to perform over the two-night gig.

Getting there:
Pai stands adjacent to highway 1095, 135 km northwest from Chiang Mai, halfway to Mae Hong Son.  It takes about three hours to complete the road trip over mountain ridges. The road has more than 700 sharp, or switch-back, bends. Mini-bus services operate hourly departures from the Arcade Station, Chiang Mai. The fare is Bt150 one way.   
There is also a twice daily air service from Chiang Mai to the small airfield on the outskirts of Pai village.
SGA Airlines departs Chiang Mai at 1105 and 1250.  On Friday through to Sunday there is a third flight at 1505. It takes 20 minutes and the standard roundtrip fare is  Bt3,860 including tax. Visit: www.sga.go.th. For self-drive car or motor cycle enthusiasts, Pai is a popular stopover on the Mae Hong Son loop. This three- to four-day self-drive/ride excursion starts in Chiang Mai and follows highway 1095 through mountain scenery to Mae Hong Son and back to Chiang Mai via Doi Inthanon National Park.



Credit: www.tourismthailand.org