Once a sleepy and somewhat remote Shan town, Pai is set in a picturesque valley in Mae Hong Son province and is these days well and truly marked on any tourist itinerary of northern Thailand. Old timers and more experienced travellers may poo-poo it for not being the “real Thailand” anymore, but if you’re a young backpacker on a first trip to Thailand it can be a great fun scene and it is now easily accessible in every sense.