500 miles north of Bangkok is the second largest city, Chiang Mai. This was my first time travelling solo, and so a whole new experience. I stayed at Hug Hostel in the heart of the city. In need of a drink I purchased a bottle of the local rum, Samsong, from the hostel bar which at only 150 baht ($5) is encouraging alcoholism. I found myself playing the infamous get drunk card game ‘ring of fire’ with a group of travelers including an Irishman, Americans, Australians and a Dutch. This led to us heading to Zoe in Yellow bar for a night of fist pump-esque music.
Chiang Mai was the place I had heard so many other travellers talk about; you must go to a cookery class, you need to go to an elephant sanctuary… so I did just that. I joined 2 other girls from my hostel on a half day course at the Thai Kitchen Cookery Centre for 800 baht which is about $25. When I do return home, whenever that may be, fear not I can now cook you deliciously crispy spring rolls followed by a sweet and spicy massaman curry and peanut filled pad Thai.
The following day I booked onto a day tour which included a visit to an orchid and butterfly farm, visits to the long neck village and 7 hill tribe, an elephant ride and ended in a trip to a waterfall and bamboo rafting. This trip put me back 1600 baht ($50). Yes this was quite expensive, however for me totally worth the money. It was so fascinating learning about the tribes and their way of life. For example the long neck tribe are refugees from Burma who were accepted and supported by the Thai government for the tourist money they bring in. As you enter their village, women and children are selling souvenirs and scarves for you to buy.
So why the long neck? Women originally wore the brass copper metals coiled up around their necks to protect them from tiger attacks. Nowadays this is a tradition and girls as young as 5 years old can be found wearing these. The youngest girl I met was just 10 years old and I wish I could say she looked comfortable… I tried on a half ring weighing in at around 2kg and it pressed hard into my collar bone.
Now before anyone judges me, yes I did ride an elephant with a seat. However, read to the end of my blog to understand my experience. I mention this because I have met so many backpackers who would ‘omg never ride an elephant’. It seems to be somewhat of a taboo subject in the traveler world. So I arrived to the camp where some of the elephants were chained and some of the trained Mahout riders were using bamboo sticks to control the elephants, not the iydillic image I had in mind. However, I read a poster on arrival that explains their reasoning for their control methods. For example, the chains are used to prevent the elephants from running wild into the surrounding farms and it is the same as to how a horse is kept in a stable. The poster also explained elephants can weigh up to 35 tonnes and carry up to 20 tonnes. Their skin is around 1 inch thick so the bamboo stick should not cause harm, so it says. This camp also used mats to protect the elephant from the seat used.
Our rider just used his voice and the occasional kick to control the elephant and I had my token photo with the elephant I rode. Happy days, or maybe not so much…
Wanting to experience an even closer encounter with the Asian elephant I paid 2500 baht ($75) to visit the well known Elephant Nature Park for the day. With promises of feeding and washing the elephants I couldn’t wait. During the 1.5 hour mini bus drive to the sanctuary we were played a video featuring Tom Oliver, aka Lou Carpenter from Neighbours, followed by an Animal Planet feature on Asian elephants. Cheesy? Far from it. For the first time, I began to understand the horrible fate for many of these gentle giants.
In Thailand there is an estimated 3,000-4,000 elephants. Around half are domesticated and the remainder living wild in National Parks Reserves, whilst some 300 are still suffering. A movie during the visit tells the inspiring story of Lek, the woman who opened the 250 acre sanctuary for distressed elephants from all over Thailand. Her herd includes disabled, orphaned and blind elephants of all ages who have been rescued from the abusive training involved in the tourism, begging and logging industries. I learned of one female elephant who broke her back left hip whilst logging, although now in a much happier place she still struggles with this injury.
I experienced mixed emotions during this visit. Although I do want to believe the Mahout love their elephants and respect their business, you really can see how happy the elephants in their wild habitat seemed in comparison to those I saw being ridden the day before.
I know you may be a little bored of reading about my Asian adventure now, so if you want to stop reading here I’ll just say this – Pai is BRILLIANT! Want to read more?
Ok, good. So after a 2 hour bus journey from Chiang Mai (180 baht) you can find yourself in the peaceful town of Pai, again somewhere mentioned as a favourite spot with backpackers. As soon as I arrived, after the monstrous 762 curve drive famous for making people vomit, I felt a sense of peace. It really is beautifully picturesque.
During the day I sunbathed at the infinity pool and watched acro-yoga and circus tricks being practiced by a mainly hippie type crowd staying at the Famous Pai Circus Resort.
Walking Street was just a short walk away once you crossed the bamboo bridge. Walking Street market is perfect, you can find silly cheap street eats from Thai dishes to burritos, burgers and crepes. In the mornings we would have breakfast at our favourite spot Cafe de Pai where we could enjoy eggs on toast with fresh avocado.
Come night time, Pai Circus resort came alive with music playing and everyone enjoying buckets and Chang. For me and my new pal Cherry, this also meant an early bedtime. Their buckets are strong, don’t be fooled by the sweetness of the juice! On our second evening we watched a fire show where some of the performers had found their new talent at the resort – great free entertainment.
Now I say the resort came alive at night, however to be honest it also never really sleeps. For 200 baht I selected a 12 bed dorm. Equipped with bamboo beds and bamboo flooring this is basic accommodation. I was allocated a top bunk, a backpacker’s dread, my ladder was hanging on by one side and I did fear I would find myself plummeting into the depths of the bamboo below. Generally speaking I can sleep anywhere, so the squeaky bamboo floor and the clucking chickens didn’t bother me so much. What I wasn’t prepared for was how cold it became during the night. Newly purchased hippie pants, a jumper and 3x blankets didn’t quite cut it. Now, onto the sunny South…
Asian & Australian Adventures 