Day 3 started when Pan (guide), Ho (driver) and Julie (fellow Trekker) picked us up in a Mitsubishi Pajero; the long lost twin of the Montero of my childhood, fully equipped with a tipometer! We drove for about 45 minutes out of the city before we made a brief stop at a suburban/rural outdoor market to pick up supplies for dinner and grab some additional waters and an off-label energy drink (Pan's recommendation.)
Having experienced a number of markets in different countries of varying economic standing, this one did not stand out massively. The people were friendly, the vegetables were fresh, the meat and fish were in ice and the curry pastes smelled intoxicating. What was different however, was the way in which they managed the fly/bug problem. Every stall had a something similar to a folded wire hanger with pieces of plastic bag in the ends attached to a small, battery powers electric motor. Basically a super ghetto fly shoo-er.
The next stop was a house in the countryside where we picked up our bikes and began our tour, the beginning of which was a bit shaky. Our bikes were old and not everyone was a seasoned cyclist, leading to a number of near-death experiences on the dirt and rock paths. Fortunately, about 45 minutes in we switched to paved roads, or else one of us certainly would have perished.
The first stop was a shrine in honor of a 17th? Century warrior-king, who happened to be a huge fan of cock fighting. Due to his love of the sport, the shrine was adorned with tons of rooster statues, as it is the accepted way for locals to pay their respect.
The second stop was a Buddhist school, which was home to a brand new, exquisitely colored 4 story temple. The temple gave us our first look at the incredible serpents/dragons who guard the stairs. A design element I am still in awe of. Additionally the view from the top story was incredible, providing the opportunity for a full 360 of the surrounding temples, schools, hills and jungle.
The next stop was our first locally guided food experience. We stopped at a hut on the side of the road where we got to try some local fare consisting of fried pork skin, fried chicken skin, spicy pickled vegetables and a coconut sticky treat wrapped in banana leaf. All of the snacks were excellent and Pan seemed excited that we appreciated local Thai food.
Following the snacks our bike tour ended, at which point of time we started the short drive to lunch, where we feasted on chicken with fried garlic, Tom kah soup, an omelette, rice and Leo beers.
When our meal concluded, we braved the mighty stream next to the restaurant on a bamboo raft piloted by a 20-something local. It was a relaxing ride despite our butts getting soaked and a group of rowdy 5 year old girls viciously splash attacking us. Fortunately we survived.
The final stop for the day was the Spicy Villa, which we reached after a 45 minute uphill, off-road trek in which Ho proved to us what a Pajero/Montero is truly capable of.
The villa is an eco lodge on the side of a hill in the middle of the jungle. There is green as far as the eye can see with a mixture of wild, rice paddies and farms, tended to by the local Karen people (indigenous people who do not follow traditional country borders and have their own language.)
When we got our stuff away we immediately went to meet the stars of the property... The elephants! After getting introduced to their handlers (each elephant has only one handler for its entire life) and learning a bit about the beasts, we found out we would be riding bareback. We managed to mount successfully at which point of time we started the relatively anxiety inducing downhill journey towards the water where the elephants were to be bathed.
Highlights included my elephant headbutting and knocking over a wooden pole (ostensibly because it looked at him funny) as well as farting on the elephants behind him. Katie's elephant took a different approach, often taking breaks to eat anything in sight and once used a near bye boulder to scratch his butt on. The elephants were not the most cooperative animals, often stopping to eat despite the wishes of their trainers. Perhaps the funniest moment came when we discovered that elephants often poop immediately when getting into the water. A hysterical phenomenon, which immediately led to regret when we realized we had to jump into the same water to bathe them... Fortunately it was a stream/river and we were up-poop of them when we dismounted.
At night we cooked our own dinner with Pan including green curry, jungle curry and a fish soup. After dinner we sat around the fire and got to know the workers as well as the volunteers over some Chang and local whiskey, which wasn't half bad.
The final adventure of the day was hopping into bed. Particularly interesting considering it was about 50 degrees and there was negative insulation in the bungalow we stayed in. Fortunately we were given two comforters and managed to survive the night :)
