Chiang Mai -- Of Elephants and Curry

Chiang Mai was a like a breath of fresh air after the chaos of  Bangkok. Its population is similar to Vancouver and there was certainly traffic to contend with, but the area where we were staying, near the Old Town, had a small town feel to it. Circling the center of town was an ancient crumbling brick wall and old moat. Our lovely guesthouse, run by Montrealer Victor and his Thai wife, lay just outside the wall on a quiet side street. From there we could easily walk to all the major Old Town sites.

Believe it or not --- the monks are not real

We spent our first day wandering through town, checking out a few temples, shops and restaurants. There seemed to be more western tourists than Thais in the streets and English was spoken everywhere. That said, there was a real charm to the old city and we felt quite at home. We spent some time in a delightful museum that told the history of Chiang Mai---all very well done!  

That evening we had the opportunity to experience the Saturday Walking Market. The market sort of materialized along a main street in the early evening and as we wandered along with the crowds, It seemed to go on forever! Every vendor seemed to be selling something unique and there were some amazing purchases to be had. And the next morning – no trace was left of the market. Wonderful!

Saturday Walking Street Market

We filled the next two days with some special and unique activities. One day we booked into a Thai cooking school. The school was run by a lovely Thai couple who were excellent teachers (and whose cooking skills were taught by the man’s mother—yeah mom!). The class was small and personal and the food we cooked…? Well, you’ll have to visit Chateau Len & Laurie on a Thai dinner night to decide for yourself. Later that evening, to celebrate the chef in us, we found a rooftop bar that was literally right out of the 1970s—with rickety ladders to climb and psychedelic black light art covering the narrow hallways leading to an open space covered with mats to sit on and views of street-life below. Even the music was reminiscent of the era. Although we were the oldest patrons in the bar, we felt quite at home!

Thai cooks

The following day we really went out of our comfort zone. I wanted to experience elephants up close as Thailand is one of the few remaining countries in Asia that elephants exist both in the wild and in controlled tourist park settings. Unfortunately these beautiful animals have been exploited and abused for tourists. Many elephant parks have shows with the animals painting, dancing, playing balls games and other unnatural physical feats. However, there are a growing number of camps that focus on providing elephants with the highest quality of life possible in a natural habitat. The one we chose was well-known for its ethical and caring treatment of rescued animals, most having been abused or neglected in some way. The day program included a chance to feed the animals their morning snack of bananas, practice sessions of getting on and off and commands for riding, a ride for an hour and a half BAREBACK through the jungle (the camp did not believe putting a saddle on the animal’s back as it was unnatural for them) and helping to bathe them.

Getting a bath and loving it...

Riding an elephant bareback was extremely intense! I sat up front on its neck area and had nothing to hold onto, while Len sat on the back holding a single rope. For me not to fall off I had to engage those core muscles for balance and press (gently) into the elephants head to stop from pitching forward. An hour and a half seemed like forever and I was so happy to get off (and a wee bit saddle-sore)! I truly appreciate those ab workouts and balance poses in yoga class now!

Bareback even!

I came away from the experience with more understanding of these gentle giants and saddened by their plight in the world. There are less than 2000 wild elephants in Thailand, all contained in the National Park in the north. One can only hope that tourists become educated enough not to support those camps that put the animals through unnatural acts for profit.

Later we splurged on a nice dinner by the canal and called it an early night to mend our elephant legs and prepare for a week at the beach at Koh Lanta.