Chiang Mai, Thailand
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Published: April 22nd 2015
Back of the Truck
Our ride up to Spicy Villa was in the back of a truck taxi. First half hour was not bad, we had smiles on our faces. We were headed up into the mountains of Northern Thailand for a 3 day stay at an Eco-lodge.Songkran is Thailand's 3 day New Year' festival. We speak of it towards the end of our trip. Check out this video clip to see how much fun they have.
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China Southern Airline delivered us to the airport 5:30AM on Tuesday, April 7th. Linda encountered a young acquaintance in the airport in Guangzhou.... in China, of all places. It's a small world! We landed in Chiang Mai Thailand around noon and were greeted by our Eco-lodge driver, Sun. We purchased SIM cards for our phones, a must now that we are traveling with tech-savvy Lulu. We stepped outside, and knew we were in Thailand as the temperature was in the mid to high 30's. It was sweltering! We were loaded into the back of a small pickup equipped with bench seats along the sides and a canopied roof, and we were off. We stopped at a local market and convenience store where we got some cash, a few supplies, and some lunch. After a half hour on the highway, the truck turned onto a dirt road and began the ascent into the mountains. We spent an hour slowly winding our way up the terracotta colored trail, dust billowing
Long Winding Dusty Road
We slowly climbed the dusty road up into the mountains. It got a bit dusty in the back of the truck. in through the open rear.
Spicy Villa Eco-lodge are simple bungalows, located high in the mountains of Mae Wang area. They have an organic farm on the premises and are attempting to grow all the food they required to meet the lodges' needs, as this new location has only been open 6 months.
We were shown to our room and given a few instructions. They use solar power so use as little as possible, and use the waterfall for cooling off and bathing. The accommodations were very rustic to say the least. We could volunteer to help prep for meals. We were to stay clean and make sure we didn't smell. They offer 12 different tours through the lodge: bamboo rafting, elephant riding/bathing/ training, cycling, trekking, and various river activities when the water is high enough. The lodge employs mostly people from the local Karen tribe. The 'Karen' tribe are better known as the long-necked people. Now only some of their women are allowed to wear many copper rings around their necks. The Karen people at the lodge had 4 elephants that they used for tourists, both Spicy Villa guests as well as outside groups.
We changed
First Glimpse of Spicy Villa
Spicy Villa offers guests an opportunity to see how life is for the Karen tribe people who live in Northern Thailand. We were to expect only solar powered electricity, no hot water, and local cuisine. into swimsuits and headed down to the waterfalls to cool off. We shared our supper with a couple of young ladies from Germany and two young fellows from Brooklyn. Once back at the bungalow we realized that we had/have a rat as a visitor. It was not after food but liked the perfume scent and ate through Linda's make up case and the backpack with the down filled jacket. We washed up and headed to bed. We were told that there were few mosquitoes but we surrounded ourselves with the mosquito net anyway. During the night we were visited twice by the rat, resulting in an unsettled sleep. And, we were not accustomed to the rural night sounds, for example the crickets, the rooster crowing at 4:30, and the dogs mating.
Wednesday morning, we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast of coffee, sweet potatoes, toast, eggs and fruit. We left for a visit to the Karen preschool with its 32 students, ages from 2 years, 5 months to 6 years old. We then drove through the lush valley, hiked to a waterfall where we wallowed in the cold water. Our guides prepared lunch for us using only natural materials. They cut
Dining Room at Spicy Villa
This is where all the guests gathered for meals, or just to lounge and read. a bamboo stalk in order to create 2 pots and added water then put them in the fire to boil. They created bowls from leaves and chopsticks from bamboo. They added spices, vegetables and noodles to the boiling water. We dined in fine fashion! We refilled our water bottles from the water coming out of the rocks and trekked back to the truck. We arrived back and headed down to cool off in the waterfall. Late in the afternoon, a gusty wind hit us and lifted part of the roof of Lulu's bungalow as well as 2 others. After repairs to Lulu's roof, 32 drops of rain fell and the squall was over. The evening was beautiful and we relaxed over another fantastic meal of plentiful Thai dishes. We really enjoyed visiting with the other guests. The girls spoke of life in Europe and the guys entertained us with their stories of travels far and wide. We were told that the rat had been poisoned and weren't disturbed at night again. The power didn't work in our bungalow but that was OK since it was time for sleep anyway.
We spent a much more restful night without visitors. We
The View
Spicy Villa overlooks a pretty little valley nestled between the hills high in the mountains. There is a waterfall at the bottom where we could bathe, and a little downstream a spot where the elephants could too. woke to the rooster crowing, kids talking, engines coming and going, .... it was time to get moving. We spent the morning reading, deleting photos and doing a little laundry. A couple of the men were repairing the roof on bungalow 2 and the elephants were on their second or third round of visitors. It was wonderful just laying around and relishing the tranquility of the pastoral environment. Midafternoon, we headed down the trail to the elephant post. The handlers brought a couple of elephants for us to ride. We spent a half hour riding up and down through the trees, but the elephants seemed tired. So we headed back to the post, and Maurice's elephant immediately dropped to her front knees....in other words...time to get off! The elephants headed straight to the river and wallowed in a shallow pool. Linda rode her elephant all the way in, she slipped off, grabbed a brush and scrubbed and rubbed her elephant down.
Kwan, his wife and 2 children joined us later at the waterfall for a bath including a hair wash. Their little girl, Feefee, thoroughly enjoyed the water and hiding under the falls with her dad. Leaving the falls
Spicy Villa from the Valley
On the left is the main cooking and dining area, then the bungalows stretch out to the right. The buildings below house chickens and pigs. There are also gardens where they grow vegetables. we walked up the hill, ate supper, and said goodbye to the boys from Brooklyn. Next morning, April 10th, we were awake at 6AM listening to morning sounds. We packed up, joined our German friends, Alexa and Elene for breakfast and settled our bill with the Eco-lodge. We said our goodbyes to the staff and the girls, then piled into the jeep and headed down the mountain to the airport. This time, we were in a Jeep, so the ride wasn't as dusty and 2 hours later we were at the airport where we picked up a rental car for the remaining 5 days of our holiday in Chiang Mai.
Lulu navigated and Maurice drove our rented Nissan to the Maninarakorn Hotel, near the moated inner city, where we checked in for the next 3 nights. We drove south of Chiang Mai to an area called Hangdong looking for woodcarving / artisan markets recommended to us by a teacher who had lived there. Lulu found the area for us, we wandered and shopped, then Lulu discovered a textile market in a different direction. Lulu navigated very well with her iPhone and Maurice drove, on the wrong side of the
Linda's on Her Way to Shower
The waterfall is just behind the buildings at the bottom. road of course. It was so hot, we roamed and purchased a few items, and discovered that you cannot buy liquor in Thailand before 11AM and between 2-5PM either in restaurants or even the 7/11. We had to make do with water! From there we found the Gekko Restaurant, again recommended by Greg and Ton. We had shrimp fried rice, spicy green papaya salad, spicy, sweet and sour whole fish, 2 large beer and pineapple juice for 583baht. We found one of the night markets. Maurice went for a Thai massage, Linda had a foot massage and Lulu wandered and explored. We jumped in the pool to cool off and made plans for the next day.
Saturday morning, we called home. It was the first time since leaving Kaohsiung that we had access to good internet; Facebook and Google are blocked in China, so the Chinese have their own sites. We dropped off our laundry and headed to the old historical center which is surrounded by a moat. We decided to drive to Mae Hong Son via Pai. Pai, we were told was a fascinating backpackers town which reminded our friends, from the U.S, of the sixties. Chiang Mai
Pool and Shower
We could shower in the waterfall, play in the water on the rocks, or just wallow in the pool. to Pai was 123 kilometers, and we made the drive in just under 3 hours! We arrived in Pai, found a restaurant and ordered Tom Yum Goong soup, chicken satay, Pad Thai glass noodles and 2 big beer, noodle soup with chicken and pineapple juice, all for just 565 baht. Our Nissan was underpowered for the curves and hills! We saw a T-shirt that said there were 762 curves in 140KMs, and we believe it. We drove through valleys filled with smoke caused by the controlled burning on the mountainsides. There were many police check points along the way and we wondered if they were watching the burns or the people.
After lunch in Pai we made the drive to Mae Hong Son. 1864 curves and 2 hours later we arrived. We drove through the town, up the mountain to Khong Mu Temple for a spectacular view. We filled with gas and headed back to Chiang Mai, it was 6PM. We stopped once again in Pai for supper. Because Linda was riding in the back she was a little car sick and found the smell of food sickening. However it was chow time and Maurice and Lulu enjoyed noodles,
Cooking a Feast
They encouraged us to help with the meal preparations, that way, we could learn how they cooked the food and what herbs and spices they add to create delicious dishes for us. stir fried veggies and veggie rice. Then on the road to CM and the end of the 1864 curves, arriving back at 11:30PM. It was a brutal 10 hours of driving, but Maurice did it!
Sunday, April 12th began hot and cloudy, a perfect day to begin celebrating the Songkran. After breakfast, we went out on the street to participate in the festivities of the Thailand New Year. The water fight traditions began when people would wash their Buddha statues and springle water on each other to ward off evil spirits, to bless and wish prosperity to one another. It has now evolved into full fledged water fights, with people of all ages using water guns, hoses, buckets, anything they can to throw water on passersby. No one is immune! It was hilarious, and very pleasant because it is so warm out, 40C. You must make sure your cell phone and wallets and purses are well covered, because you will be soaked through and through. We stopped at one of the many street vendors selling plastic cases, water guns and buckets. Once we were outfitted, we hit the streets, returning fire (water) whenever we could. The little children were
Kwan's Children Help Too
The young fellow is 4 and his sister is 2 years, 5 months. They are following in their parents footsteps. the most fun. Many people also plaster their cheeks and their vehicles with white "talc" powder. We made our way to the moat surrounding the historical centre. People there were pulling water from the moat and filling barrels, buckets, whatever they could. Our problem was that the gun only held 2 liters, and we would run out. We found the Phae Gate, the center of activities. It was packed! Music was blaring and the police were trying to direct traffic, though they were getting wet too. Ice was being added to the water to make it cold causing many to squeal as they were drenched. We lunched at the Phae Gate and then walked back to the hotel and hit the pool to wash off and read. A big wind and a little rain chased us to our room where we relaxed, read and napped. Lulu researched supper ideas and we ended up at the Shek Istana for Moroccan food in the most beautiful setting possible, a table on the deck overlooking the river. We had cous cous chicken, tajine beef, seafood tajine and a torta with ice cream and strawberries while we listened to Linkin Park. We walked most
Suppertime
We were 7 guests staying at the Villa, and we were served gourmet meals. of the way to the night market and shopped for awhile, then walked all the way back to our hotel.
Monday morning, after a Western breakfast, we left for Chiang Rai. The highway was much better than the one to Mae Hong Son, and we made good time, stopping only once to investigate a geyser shooting up 50 feet into the air. It was amazing. Lulu surfed the net and through a blog site read about an interesting restaurant, so using her maps app on her phone, guided Maurice to the outskirts of Chiang Rai. We had a fantastic lunch:
Excellent garlic whole fish, ( Pla tabtim tod kratiem (ปลาทับทิมทอดกระเทียม). I wish you could have seen my face when they brought out our order of pla tabtim tod kratiem (ปลาทับทิมทอดกระเทียม), because I think my jaw dropped all the way to the table. I’ve never seen a fish smothered in that much garlic), beef tendon salad ( nice sauce, including tendon mixed into the meat.) Beef lower leg and cilantro ( called jeen neung (จิ้นนึ่ง). The dish was basically steamed pork in a broth were a little on the fatty / oily side, and that’s probably what
Terraced Valleys
They grow food anywhere they can. The terraces creep up the mountain sides all along the valleys. added to making it so good, but the soup really had a balance of flavours that was perfect for me. The pork was incredibly fall-apart tender, the broth was rich and meaty, sour from lime juice, spicy from both the roasted dry red chilies and the slightly sour fresh green chilies, and it had a noticeable flavour of cilantro, the spiciest pork soup ever! 2 beer and a ton of water were helpful.
We climbed back into the car and headed to Mae Sai and the Golden Triangle, where Myanmar, Thailand and Laos converge at the Mekong River. We avoided as much water being thrown around us as possible and wandered the area taking photos. The pleasant atmosphere of Thailand New Years was terrific and joyful. Back into the car, we headed back to Chiang Rai, stopping by the local vegetable market before finding The Golden Land Hotel. We each got a room with a king size bed for 450baht.
April 14, Tuesday ( nice in the AM - 40C @ 1:30PM )
Songkran Festival was fully underway everywhere as we went from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai. People even pile into the back of pickups, fill a
Preschool Room
The schools in Thailand were closed for holidays when we were there, but the preschool was still operating. barrel with water, and drive slowly down the busy streets looking for targets. We headed out to visit the White Temple and were astounded by its' beauty and ornate designs. The White Temple was shimmering in the sunshine and the small mirror pieces imbedded in the mortar sparkled like diamonds. We walked through and took many pictures. We arrived back in Chiang Mai around 1:30PM, the temperature was 40C. Water was being tossed everywhere, and nobody complained. It was nice being wet. We ate at the Suan Pak restaurant, also recommended, on 'yen ta go' soup, soft shelled crab and chicken with cashew. In Thailand they are not to sell or serve beer from 2 till 5PM, but because Maurice put on his pouty face, the manager personally served our table all the Singha beer we wanted. A nice tip earned Maurice a complimentary whiskey shooter, a sprinkling of water for all of us and a bucket of ice cold water down his back. The girls decided that a pedicure was in order after lunch so Maurice wandered while Lulu and Linda were pampered. We also noticed that there seems to be an unwritten rule that after dark the water
Kwan's 2 Year Old
This was only her 2nd day at preschool, and she was ecstatic. Before, she used to cry to go to school with her brother. throwing stops.
We cooled off in the pool then took our last drive to the night market for supper, a bit of shopping and people watching.
It was Wednesday, April 15th, and time to head for home in Taiwan. We were up in good time and off to the airport which was very close to the hotel we had chosen. We were uncertain as to where to leave the car ( frustrating, but got that sorted out), then we transferred to the international terminal (very time consuming), and finally went through security with enough time to have a little yogurt and sweet buns. They fed us breakfast on the flight to Bangkok, then lunch on our Cathy Pacific flight (nice plane 747 where row 41 is right behind premier class·) before landing in Hong Kong. We were fed once again on our flight into Kaohsiung, and arrived back at our apartment around 8:30PM.
What a wonderful 19 day holiday adventure!
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Mallory and Warren
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Thailand
Awesome trip!! We were also in Thailand for the New Years water activities! It was crazy!! I also remember the white temple, pretty spectacular!