Pai is a small town in northern Thailand's Mae Hong Son Province, near the Myanmar border, about 146 km (91 mi) north-west of Chiang Mai on the northern route to Mae Hong Son. It lies on the Pai River.
In the tourist high season of November through March there are large numbers of tourists. Prior to 2006, foreign tourists predominated, but now Thai tourists are catching up in numbers, particularly after Pai was featured in two popular, Thai-made romantic movies, The Letter: Jod Mai Rak (Thai: จดหมายรัก, 2004) and Ruk Jung (Thai: รักจัง, 2006). During high season, tourist numbers swell to the point that Pai experiences traffic jams, as well as shortages of electricity, water, and petrol.[2]