We are loving Pai- after being down South, its really refreshing to come up here.

There are so many beautiful views and every bar is a chillout bar with open fires and beds to lay on.

We havent done a whole lot here. We had a fantastic New Years Eve. We went to a club called Ting Tongs which was outside. There was a dance bar at the front with Drum and Bass and trance and then at the back was the Reggae Bar, which again had a big camp fire and cushions to lay on. The barman was really chatty and asked us to sign our names on the bar. We got chatting to a bus load of Ozzies who were clearly drunk and dancing on the bar. hehe

We bought a fire lantern . It works like a hot air balloon, you light the bottom of it and (eventually) it rises into the sky ...sounds a bit lame but its an important part of new year to the Northern Thais (they release them all year round on special occasions)

They believe that they are symbolic of your problems and worries floating away. (It is tradition to offer the lanterns to Temples and monks, as givers believe they will receive enlightenment in return, as the flame of the lantern is said to symbolize wisdom)

Later on in the night, the bar staff were giving them out for free to everyone. We all counted down to midnight and everyone let go of theirs at the same time (see the video!!!)

It was actually quite breathtaking to see them floating away and you can understand the symbolism of it all.

After this everyone just got drunk and started dancing, there was a fire show and fireworks! Very impressive

Our heads were a little sore the next day

Yesterday we rented mopeds and went to visit a waterfal and the Pai Canyon

Traffic was very bad so we didnt get to see much else unfortunately ! Seems everyone was leaving Pai to go home

The nights are all very eventful here with stall after stall selling tshirts,candles and other novelties or as Dom calls it, TAT! (Except he thought it would be amusing to buy an I LOVE PAI tshirt !! hehe

They have street dancers and they even had a giant sheep dancing around (obviously 2 men in a costume, not a real dancing sheep) but the streets are so tiny that they take up the full width of it and everyone gathers round clapping and taking photos

Thats it for now really

Laos tonight... taking a bus , which should take about 10 hours i think in total....draining....were getting used to all the travelling now, thank God for ipods! Life savers. And Dom hasnt read this many books in his life hehehe joke

love to you all have a fab 2009 - make it a good one xxx