Northern Thailand 2014: Chiang Mai and Ellies!
Off we fly to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, leaving the boat safe and secure at the marina in Phuket, for a taste of the inland landscape and hopefully a more authentic and less touristy Thailand. We booked a one-way ticket on ultra-discount airlines Air Asia for $45 each (but you even need to buy water as well as food on board), leaving the return trip open in time and mode of transport… maybe, we would fly or more likely take the train on to Bangkok for a day or two before returning to Phuket.
Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand after Bangkok. The old city is surrounded by a moat, with gates on each of the four sides. This part of town is relatively quaint, with narrow little alleys, markets, temples and places to eat, to get a massage and to shop. We stayed at a little place recommended by our friends in NZ who come here annually. Our guesthouse Baan Rao is just one block outside the moat, near Wat (temple) Champoo. Cross the street and the moat and you are at a little market and street full of small restaurants.
Crossing the street, which is congested and full of scooters, tuk-tuks (scooter-like taxis), little red van-like buses, and the occasional car and truck, means dodging and running. Most drivers here are nice and if you dart out in front of them they will slow or swerve rather than mow you down (unlike the US). We took the first few days to see some of the city and the temples.
When we arrived at Wat Prah Singh, a tuk-tuk driver approached us and asked if we would like a tour for a few hours of the local temples and handicrafts. At 200 baht (about $6.50) for 3 hours, we took him up on the offer. “Mr. Egg” was his nickname and he gave us a good tour. I really enjoyed riding in the open-air tuk-tuk, so the ride was part of the entertainment for me! We went to several temples and then headed east of town to the Thai Silk Village, where we learned about making and weaving silk first hand… from the worms munching voraciously on mulberry leaves and then spinning their cocoons, to the dying and refining of the silk, patterning and weaving. They had the most beautiful fabrics and did custom tailoring all within 24 hours. We got two shirts each that are simply lovely!
The temples were all beautiful and many of them had elaborate murals and stencils on the interior walls, portraying gods and telling stories of war, love, and life.
There was a delightful assortment of “Nagas” (sea serpents), which grace the entrances of Wats and gates, serving as their protectors. We even came across “Mom-Nagas” with little ones!
The Elephant Nature Park
Finally, the event I had been waiting for and sooooo looking forward to… the trip up to the Elephant Nature Park, a sanctuary about 60km north of Chiang Mai. I booked us for an overnight stay and I am so glad I did. During the day, many people were there, but after the day visitors left there were only 16 people (not including staff and volunteers) who stayed on. This allowed us to get an early start the second morning and we walked with the herd and watched them frolic in the river. We were also able to hike up into the bush and see several of the elephants in their natural jungle environment, which was breathtaking! It was a lovely time there with plenty of “hands on” (literally) elephant time. We fed them, bathed them in the river, petted them, hugged them, etc. It is simply magical to hold an elephant trunk or have one suction-cup your knee. There are 39 elephants at the park at this time, and all but a few were rescued from being abused, retired, without care, or orphaned. No riding, no tricks and no show here… simply elephants being natural and happy elephants. We learned about the practice of “breaking” the elephant as training to prepare them for working and it was heart wrenching. This is why you do not want to support elephants in the tourist trade. Most of the elephants are mistreated in one way or another. Do not engage in elephant tourism. Instead, visit and support a real sanctuary like the Elephant Nature Park. I think we took about 15 GB of photos and videos of these wonderful, intelligent and gentle beings.
Back to Chiang Mai and more walking around the following days with visits to the art and cultural museums and for me, the Sunday Street Walking Market, which was a blast. While Roger worked on his computer, I engaged Mr. Egg to take me to the Tiger Kingdom for another opportunity to play with the striped kitties. A note here on the “tiger encounters”… I found out later that all was not as it seemed and that tiger cubs were taken from their mothers way too early and not because the mother abandoned them as was stated. Also, the larger cats were heavily sedated so as to not pose a threat to tourists. Knowing this, I am deeply saddened and regret my part in supporting this industry.
We spent a few more days in town and I browsed some hill-tribe silver jewelry wholesale shops. I found some nice handcrafted earrings to bring back as gifts, though the rustic look probably wouldn’t blend well with western chic. I also went to the Chinese market, meandering into tiny little winding alleys, and found some great things… Unfortunately, I only had a little time before we were to take off for points south, but I could easily have amused myself for several more days in that maze of little shops and stalls. I did buy a wonderful handmade top done by one of the hill tribes. I bargained hard, but the shopkeeper knew that it was great quality and only came down a little in price. It was still beyond reasonable for the beautiful workmanship.
We had a last lunch in Chiang Mai and then packed up, said our goodbyes to hosts David and Ting, and headed out to find a tuk-tuk to the train station. We wound up in a little red bus, as that stopped for us first, and off we went for our overnight Thai sleeper train experience on our way to Bangkok!