I have been to a lot of places, but Southeast Asia was not one of them. It is a popular destination, especially from the west coast, and I know people that spend months wandering through the countries and that there is a plethora of things to see and do. But when I think of this region, I think of one thing- elephants! Read More...
After we arrived, we decided to wander around the Old City. We were staying right within the city walls, so it was an easy stroll. Chiang Mai is also known for its numerous temples; in and around the city there are around 300.
(and they even have dogs!)
After walking around, we got some foot massages before getting food and heading to bed.
The next morning, a van was waiting outside our hotel for us. We drove around the city picking up other people before heading outside of Chiang Mai to the Elephant Nature Park. The Elephant Nature Park was founded by a Thai woman and helped to rescue elephants that has been mistreated and abused. On the ride up, we were shown a documentary about the work that they complete.
We were taught about the abuse that elephants suffer in the region and all over the world, especially in places that cater to tourists: elephant rides, circus tricks, safaris, etc. The sanctuary runs mostly by the money that the tourists that come that come to volunteer donate. You pay a fee to come visit for the day, but people can also pay to stay for longer periods of time. The rescue center then uses this money to house the elephants (and many other animals!) and to purchase the elephants. Many times, they must pay a huge amount to save the elephants from owners who don't want to give them up.
When we arrived, we had our first glimpse of the elephants. They gave us buckets of fruit and told us we could feed them.
Then, they led us over to our first elephant. The sanctuary is HUGE and they allow the elephants to find their own family groups that they feel comfortable with. They explained that many of the elephants that they have rescued are not comfortable with humans because of what they have suffered, so we would not be interacting with them. It is for our safety, but mostly for the safety and care of the elephant.
To keep them safe, you are not allowed to approach the elephant from the back, and have to stay within eyesight so that they know you are there.
We spent most of the morning wandering from group to group, providing food and getting to watch them.
The center also rescues other animals, such as dogs and buffalos, so it was quite normal to see the groups of tourists and volunteers with their own dog to guide them.
This elephant had been kept as a family pet. The volunteers told us that as she got older, the owners didn't want her anymore, so the center bought her off of them. She never interacted with any other elephants, so she has chosen to not join a family, but is very friendly and enjoys being around humans, so we were allowed to give her a hug :)
We finally came upon a baby! We were very strictly told that you are in no way allowed to try to interact with a baby elephant. They genuinely want to play with you and are so cute, but also weigh about 200 pounds just at birth. They told us that the baby WILL try to play with you and WILL hurt you because he doesn't know how big he is.
This elephant was rescued after she stepped on a land mine. They assured us that she was not in any pain, but did walk with a limp.
Next up was bath time!
They led the elephants down to the river, and we were each given a bucket. Throughout the day, the elephants will use the dirt and sand to cover their bodies and protect themselves from the sun. It was time to clean them off, although they would most likely just cake on some more dirt right after.
So clean!
Overall, it was an amazing day. Moral of the story: elephants are gentle creatures that do NOT want you to ride them. They want to live with their families and there are good people in the world working to keep them safe and healthy.
So one thing I am undecided about about my trip to Thailand was how I feel about Songkran, the Thai New Year. We planned this trip far in advance without knowing the significance of the week. Songkran is the Thai New Year, and is basically a big water fight. It began in a traditional sense; pouring water on someone's hands was a way of showing respect and washing away the last year. During Songkran, you would go to the temple and pour water on the buddha's head to show respect.
Now, it is a huge water fight throughout the country, with the biggest celebration happening in Chiang Mai. Lucky us!
I won't lie and say it wasn't fun, but it wasn't exactly was I was expecting.
You couldn't leave your hotel without getting a huge bucket of moat water dumped on your head, so you might as well join in!
Needless to say, I was soaked and did not bring my phone or camera, as I wanted them to survive the trip.
Songkran was fun, but it also put a damper on things. We were not able to go outside the city much, as none of the taxi drivers wanted to drive through the traffic, and also, they wanted to celebrate too!
We were able to wake up very early one morning and persuade a driver to drive us up to the Temple on the mountain, Doi Suthep. We drove up the long and winding road (none of us felt too great after that) before hiking our way up the steps to the temple.
(I was very slow)
Unfortunately, Chiang Mai is a bit smoggy.
So there wasn't much to see.
The next morning, I took my own tuk tuk to the airport 7 hours before my flight as all the cab drivers told me that otherwise, I would never make it to my flight. As I suspected, I made it to the airport 6 hours and 40 minutes before departure. Woohoo!
Michael and Kate continued on to explore the islands of Thailand while I headed back to Doha.
Although it was nice to see my family, it really was the beginning of the end. It was my last week long break, so I could officially start my countdown to the end of school! (2 months but who was counting?)
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