Spicy Villa Eco Lodge, near Chiang Mai

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After Chiang Mai we were headed to the mountainous jungles and were spending two nights at Spicy Villa Eco Lodge, outside Chiang Mai city near the Mae Wang countryside.



Samart, the owner of Spicy as well as our guide for the weekend picked us up from Green Tiger Vegetarian Hostel at 10 am sharp (blog about Ching Mai to follow -- I was too excited about Spicy, and had to write!).



We enjoyed a nice breakfast in Chiang Mai before we climbed into the mud-covered, 4-wheel drive SUV. Our backpacks were strapped down to the top and inside the car we met a very friendly Australian couple who was heading up the mountain with us. They had been to Spicy before, one year ago, as guests, but now they were returning as volunteers to help Samart with his many projects. Samart, our new best friend for the weekend, spoke English and was very friendly, but didn't exactly explain our plan for the day. We drove through Chiang Mai city and I'd say maybe an hour later we stopped at an open air market to buy any supplies we may need ("torches", water and toilet paper were recommended). Lauren and I bought 4 big bottles of water for the weekend (I don't know what we were thinking -- We needed WAY more).

Samart bought fresh cooking supplies for our meals at the village, along some fresh fried banana snacks he happily shared with us in the car as we trekked onward.

From there it was another 45 minutes until we stopped again. The Aussies told us more about their trip and their time here with Samart. They had aleady been traveling for a few months and were going to stay at Spicy for 9 more months helping Samart expand the Spicy Eco Lodges. He is in the middle of constructing some bungalows by the river, and this is where these volunteers would be helping. We drove up a narrow mountain road and stopped at what appeared to be a village along the river -- by village I mean there were a few grass huts with floors but no walls.

We all pilled out of the car to see the progress of the Spicy villas, and to drop off the volunteers. For the next couple of days they would be staying down here near the village before returning up the mountain for various jobs at the main Spicy bungalows.

Resting under an old broken down car were Samart's two ADORABLE puppies -- Spicy and Pumpkin. We have seen a lot of dogs throughout our trip, but these two were clearly loved. They were a brother and sister duo who were only 2 months old and so very playful.

After a quick tour around the river area Samart took us across the street to eat lunch. We were talking about how it was very "Anthony Bordain" of us, becuase the spot was extremely local. A basket full of chili sauces sat in the middle of the table, and a few local people sat at a table near us, wrapping up their lunch. Being a very local spot, the toilets were very questionable...They've been pretty questionable throughout our entire trip but I think these were the worst. In some of the more rural bathrooms (like this one), there are huge vases of water in the bathroom, and then a plastic bucket floating in the top -- we're not sure what this system is but it gets the floor very very wet with who knows what...



After we finished eating, we headed up the mountain yet again ! As we drove another 30 or so minutes, the road became more narrow and steep as we climbed to the top. Mae Wang is the closest large town to Spicy Villa, but throughout the mountains there are villages of "Ethnic Minority" as Samart describes them. These are often refugees who have come to Thailand from Burma, Cambodia, Laos, etc. They live sustainabily in the mountains, rarely coming down to the cities or larger villages. Samart was explaining to us how much the Royal Family in Thailand supports these people. Along with the government's help, they provide items to these groups of minorities to help sustain their infrastructure in a way that preserves their culture and values. It was interesting hearing Samart talk about this especially with everything that has recently been going on in Thailand between the red shirts vs. yellow shirts and the military coup. He, along with the people of the north, support the royal family because they have done so many good things for their people. They have "royal projects" that they fund -- for example, they will help local people start a organic farm with rotating seasonal crops that can be packaged and sent down the mountain to the larger villages. For the most part, these small villages are self sustainable and each farm only grows enough rice for the family that owns it.



Samart was explaining to us the difference between people in the North and South of Thailand. He said if you go visit the South, people will greet you by saying "Hi, How are you?", but if you visit the North of Thailand people greet you by saying, "Have you eaten yet?" If you answer with no, they bring you into their home to feed you, and once fed, they then say "Hi, How are you?" 😊 This really rang true throughout our time in the countryside !



The roads were so narrow at the top of the mountain that going around each bend, Samart would lay on the horn to make people aware we were coming. By the way, people drive on the other side of the road here in Thailand, but you wouldn't really notice it by the way he was driving up this mountain road!



Today we were going to go by the elephant camp, but first, Samart wanted to show us a local waterfall spot.



We parked on the side of the road near a small village and took a short 10 minute hike in. The waterfall was breathtakingly beautiful! Very tall, with lush jungle surrounding, you could watch the water gracefully fall from a large boulder sitting are. The only other people there were a group of 4 men, clearly tourists, and according to Samart, from the South of Thailand.

As soon as we walked up to the waterfall, even before we could sit down, they approached us and asked if they could take a photo with us...We are so famous around here with our blonde hair.

We didn't go swimming but just took a few minutes to rest near the waterfall. The Thai men were shameless taking candid photos of us pretty much the whole time. It was pretty funny, and strange! On our hike back to the car Samart pointed out a few massive insects--cicadas, millipedes, HUGE rolly-pollies. I guess we are in the jungle now!! He also casually informed us that although tarantulas here aren't poisonous they DO have the ability to bite the tip of your finger off with their razor sharp teeth!!!! Trying to avoid these at all costs.



After the waterfall we headed down a small dirt road to the elephants. We were told not to wear shoes, so there Lauren and I were, on a dirt road in the middle of the Thai jungle, waiting for our elephants to arrive.



The two elephant boys/trainers each appeared through the bush with two HUGE elephants. They are such magical creatures, but really, really large. They just walked right up to us and started using their trunks to feel us out (and look for food). It was pretty overwhelming! As soon as they got there, it was a whirlwind, and there was no time for dilly dallying -- we were told to get right on, bare back !

My elephant kneeled down but it was a mad rush because I guess due to their weight they cannot kneel for long. Lauren's elephant did a fancy circus-like trip and somehow used its foot to hoist her up.

You sit much farther up than I was expecting -- you're not on the back at all but rather directly behind the ears, straddling the neck. I felt SO unbelievably unstable and rather terrified...Not the feelingI was expecting! And of course, as soon as I got on it was clear that I had the mischievous elephant...Kind of like when you go horse back riding and you get the horse that always wants to veer off the path and eat...imagine that, but times 100.

My life definitely flashed before my eyes a few times there at the beginning -- I thought I was going to fall off this huge animal, head-first, and get crushed by her ginormous feet!

Mine was being rather unrully and rebelous, not listening to anyone and kind of doing her own thing (with me on her back). The trainers said she was probably hungry so they threw me a sack of bananas to feed her. I would put the banana on the top of her head and yell a word in Thai that I now forget, and she would reach up with her trunk and grab the banana out of my hand ! This snack calmed her down for a hot 5 minutes. and then we started trekking down a path and my elephant just did NOT want to go anywhere until she ate. We learned that they eat 1/10 of their body weight daily, which basically means they're constantly eating.



For the first 20 minutes I would say I was the most scared I've been in a very, very long time. I really felt like I was going to fall off and the language barrier with the elephant trainers was not helping ! Maybe this is a normal reaction?

Feeling like she was a bit out of control I just gripped tighter with my thighs. This was literally the only thing I could do! You have nothing to hold on to up there...We place our hands on the top of the elephants' head, THAT'S IT.

Lauren made the whole look like a piece of cake. She was calm cool and collected as I was sweating bullets with an elephant who was easily distracted by bamboo forests.

At one point mine veered off the road towards a small cliff, trying to reach some bamboo at a distance, putting me NEXT to the power lines. yes, the power lines were eye level, only a few inches away (and who knows what Thai power lines are like?!) The elephant trainer did not seem that concerned, but I was freaking out. Finally she uprooted the entire bamboo plant and was satisfied enough to trek on (while eating her bamboo bush...)



We rode through a village until we reached the river. Our elephants went straight in ! They rolled over and fully emerged themselves which I was not expecting. My elephant just sunk beneath the surface and sat underwater for a whillllle. I dismounted her and Samart told us that elephants love it if you clean behind their ears with water and sand because it gets itchy and that's the most difficult place for them to reach. Obviously I tried this technique, in hopes of calming my elephant and her eating habits. It began to really feel like they were humongous dogs that we were playing with. She really liked me getting behind her ears, and would kind of flap her ear if I stopped, as if she was saying "more, more!".

We lounged in the river for a while and they played with the water, then we hopped back on and rode back!

When we returned to the elephant camp we got to see a baby elephant and her mamma. It was also feeding time so we helped pass out bundles of bamboo to each elephant. We hung out by the baby for a while since she was so cute but her mom didn't exactly enjoy our company. She kept using her trunk to try to swat us away with bamboo! Samart told us that elephants are "like ladies" -- very emotional and each is monogamous to their trainer. Whoever is their trainer is their one and only and anyone else is kind of viewed like an outsider.

The baby was adorable and soo very playful. She kept wrapping her trunk around my leg and my arm ! I wasn't sure what her obsession was with my limbs, and I think it was playful, but Samart freaked me out by saying that the babies are so strong even when they are little that they can easily knock down and toss around grown people. The baby was adorable though, and she kept playing with her food like any little kid would. She was thrashing around her bamboo, twisting and turning it in the air before eating it



Before we hit the road up to spicy, Samart bought his favorite snack for us to try -- fried chicken skin. At first, when we ate it and he told us it was cat skin...I think we both almost threw up, but partially believed it because we've seen so many cats and dogs running around!



We drove past quaint villages tucked into the mountain side and rice farms ("rice patties"). Samart kept pointing out items that had been provided by the royal family -- Solar panels seemed to be the most popular. Every little hut, regardless of size, had at least one solar panel !

It was Friday and Samart said we would be lucky if we saw school children on their way home because on Fridays the kids are allowed to dress up in their cultural attire rather than their uniforms--Bright colors with silver and gold garb, all of the children dressing differently according to heritage.



We arrived at the villas which are on top of he mountain with STUNNING 360 degree views. Not only does he have 15+ bungalows, he has solar panels throughout, a chicken coop, some pigs, catfish and tons of organic gardens with everything from herbs to lettuce and pineapples and bananas.



Little rock pathways through a very tropical setting felt as if we were in hawaii. The common areas, are in the center -- There's a pool table, kitchen area and a few living areas all on huts over a manmade lake that Samat created to grow catfish for eating.



Down the windy path, they led us to our "villa" -- We got the hut with the best view! Very rustic and simplistic, this was TRUE outdoor indoor living mixed with quite a bit of roughing it, camping style. Our hut walls did not fully go to the ceiling, the "shower" is actually just a pipe that spouts out cold water, and we had a massive spider friend who guarded our door. He's huge.



We head up to the common area and Samart has all of tonight's dinner supplies out ready for us to prepare. We helped him make an authentic northern Thailand dish with cucumbers and green curry, then a second potato curry dish and a side of spicy Bok choy.

We were the only guests, but there were a few locals there that help run the villas with Samart, along with another couple here volunteering from New Zealand. They have already been here for 3+ months and are staying for at least 6 more! There was one more guest that arrived right before dinner. Her name was Pricilla -- a 60 something year old from Berkeley ! It's funny his you can be half way around the world but still run into people from your own neck of the woods.

After our delicious home cooked meal we all sat down and played gun rummy ! I guess although gambling is illegal here, it's very very popular. Gin rummy is their equivalent if the ever popular poker in the states, and Samart was telling us the crazy betting rules that he plays with!

We stayed up for a few hours with Samart, Pricilla and a few of the volunteers just talking and playing rummy. All our conversations were soo interesting! One of the best was when Samart taught us a little more about Buddhism and monks. He was a monk for 8 years but called himself a "commercial monk". He came from a very very poor family and the government only paid for schooling up to age 12 so after that, kids were on their own--too young to work but too old to go to school. Being a monk was really the only option for him to earn money for himself & his family. He stayed at the temple for 8 years and was asked to do weddings funerals, etc. for a fee. He explained to us that he wasn't pure enough at that age to stick it though and that he thinks the system is still pretty corrupt with many "commercial monks" only being a part of the temple for the monetary perks. For himself, he just wanted to be able to continue his schooling and earn enough money to support his family.

We also had an I depth conversation about lady-boys in Thailand--it was very very interesting...Overall it was a great first night at Spicy! You can't beat these people -- They're really the best!

As we headed back via flashlight to our bungalow, ready to fall asleep when we noticed a huge 8-legged friend hanging out in our bathroom (this is another spider, other than the one that guards our door...). On high alert, we just watched it for a while to make sure he didn't head toward the bed area...not knowing what to do we just embraced it and did a major check of our bed and mosquito net.

The sounds of the jungle were so loud they didn't exactly soothe our sleep, but rather the cicadas kept us up. I guess this is what we expected! Didn't know just how rustic spicy villas would be...but definitely one of the most amazing places I've ever been to, and we had only been there a couple of hours !

On to day 2 at Spicy...

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