Leaving the city behind was both hard and a relief. Ditching the comforts and friendliness of Tamarind Village just as we were getting acclimated to Thailand was a bit daunting, especially not knowing exactly what we were in for, but we were game.
Heading into the mountains was an exciting proposition. And they did not disappoint.
The highest point in Thailand was only about 30km from where we were, as the crow flies.
These mountains were lush with banana trees and banyan trees and all manner of bush and bamboo, rivers and creeks flowing through villages and rice fields and jungles, steep and winding roads used by foot and scooter and pickup alike.
Spicy Villa was quite an amazing place, a set of bungalows perched on a steep hillside overlooking a waterfall and an organic farm, with forested mountains rising on all sides. Rice fields, cattle, water buffalo, so many types of birds and small mammals that the silence of nighttime was cacophonous.
And elephants! It took me a couple days just to get used to them being there, in plain site, hanging out and eating and bathing and trumpeting as if they just belong on this earth. Crazy.
Our first day we spent just hanging around. Most other people were off on day trips, so that meant we had the lodge largely to ourselves, which was great.
Our guides, Pan and Chang, took great care of us. We had a few outings--trekking to a waterfall, visiting a local village and school, eating lunch with a local family, elephant riding, bamboo rafting--but the pace was never rushed, the schedule never too full.
Theo got to feed the pigs and gather eggs a few times, thanks to Ploy, one of the wonderful ladies who worked there.
And the food at this place was remarkable. All meals were prepared in teh common area, with all guests encouraged to pitch in, so I did. Chopping herbs and pumpkins and chilis, pounding curry pastes, all of it was really fun and I learned a good bit.
We were in Spicy Villa for the big festival of lanterns, so we got to participate and set lanterns loose into the sky from our jungle hut, which was fantastic.
Our huts were modest and comfortable with solar light and mosquito nets.
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Theo's visit to a local school was pretty interesting. On the way in, he said "This school is more boring than mine." But on the way out, after playing with the kids and sitting through lunch and seeing the roosters and dogs roaming the grounds he said "My school is more boring than this school."
We took a few great day trips with Pan and Chang. Visiting waterfalls, stopping in at local schools, having lunch in a village home of a friend of Pan's.
During one of our day trips, to a waterfall, we lucked into the after school ceremony where all the kids let lanterns go. Talk about the right place at the right time. Theo got in there and did one, too. What a cool thing to see.
To Theo, riding in the back of the pickup trucks was definitely a highlight again and again.
In all, Spicy Villa was a fantastic experience. We relaxed, and we exercised. We sat around and we did stuff. We socialized and we spent many silent hours together.
We ate well, I drank a good amount of Chang beer, and we read and relaxed and played and walked and sat. This was the calm, mindful state I was after. A great second week.
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