Pai (March 22-24)

Yesterday I went out with some people I met on the streets. Some of them were belonging to the “alternative” scene, visible through their tattoos, piercings and clothes. It has to be explained that Pai as a tourist destination has once been founded by hippies in the 90s and that this place is especially attracting “alternatives” from around the world. In Pai, “alternative” has already become the mainstream. There are loads of tattoo and piercing studios and shops selling all kind of “alternative” insignia.

Yesterday evening I had to leave this group of people because from my point of view, a normal conversation was simply not possible. The list of discussed topics was reduced to drinking, smoking (not tobacco), tattoos and piercings (combined with an elevated alcohol level). They think they are different and cool compared to the “normal” people but I don’t think it is very alternative to get tattoos and piercings, drink latte ice shakes, eat veggie burgers (because meat is bad!), get spiritual enlightenment by drinking fancy tea sorts (to balance body and soul) and enjoy all the other Western amenities which are offered here. By consuming alcohol and marihuana and who knows what else, body and soul will never be balanced anyway, useless to spend money on fancy Indian tea!

The really alternative people (in a positive sense) would never go to Pai anyway because this place has as much to do with traditional Thailand as wearing rags, piercings and rastas has to do with being alternative. For me being alternative is having a specific mindset. For me it means being extremely tolerant and open for new things, having the absolute will to immerse in new cultures. I am not this person but I met people who are like this, obviously not in Pai. They don’t need to wear specific clothes (if you can call rags clothes) or piercings or whatever because being alternative is part of their mindset and doesn’t need to be defined through their outward appearance.

Wearing rastas, piercings and tattoos is equal to wearing suit and tie, it means belonging to a specific group of people. This is nothing bad (and I don’t have a problem with that) but I cannot hear these comments anymore from “alternatives”, who think that they are so tolerant because they discover “exotic” countries like Thailand. At the end of the day, the only reason for them to come to Thailand is because it’s cheap, an important factor taking into account that a large part of their travel budget is spent for alcohol and marihuana. Pai is a very nice town (otherwise I wouldn’t have come back) but it could be everywhere on earth. “Alternative” towns look pretty much the same everywhere. Fortunately, the mainstream alternative places also attract lawyers or investment bankers (who can live like kings with their fat bonuses and pay-offs from previous jobs). They are the new “alternatives” in Pai. Long live capitalism!