Third Time is a Charm

Sunday, February 27, 2011
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Three Time’s a Charm
We drove about an hour outside of Chiang Mai to Mae Tang Elephant Park, and saddled up for our ride through the river and forest . It was much easier to get on and off an elephant than off and on a camel. The Mahout sat on the elephant’s head and Pat and I sat in a wooden Howdah, or bench mounted on her back. There was a small piece of metal where we could rest our feet and a metal rod across the front to keep us from falling off. We had our cameras, a bottle of water and a basket containing sugar cane and bananas to feed the elephant. Her gait was a rocking motion (forward and back rather than side to side), but it wasn’t as comfortable as a rocking chair and I kept sliding forward, so had to keep a tight grip on the safety bar, as well as my camera and water. Taking pictures isn’t easy when you are going down steep hills or splashing through the river. We were accompanied by our elephant’s daughter and her daughter’s baby, who made us all smile with his antics. He actually stayed closer to his grandmother than to his mother, maybe because we were feeding him bananas. First, he sprayed his back with dirt, and managed to get some on the Mahout and Pat . Llater he played in the water, while we were traveling upstream. When we stopped to buy more sugar cane and bananas, he crawled under the fruit stand. But, the cutest thing was when he straddled a small boulder and gave himself a belly rub.      
The ride lasted 45 minutes and was almost without incident. However, when we were returning to the elephant corral to end our ride, the baby elephant began to follow another group that was just beginning their ride. His mother had already entered the corral, and my mahout took off to round him up and head him in the right direction. It seemed that we were going in circles for a few minutes, and mama was trumpeting constantly and baby was not minding. We finally got him headed in the right direction, and the family was happily reunited.   I have determined that herding cattle is a lot easier than herding one baby elephant.
After the elephant ride we walked back to the river where we boarded bamboo rafts for a trip down the Mae Tang River. It was a more comfortable trip than riding an elephant . We passed several villages, some other elephant camps and some riverside resorts. I was really enjoying the cool water lapping against my toes until I spotted the elephant dung floating by. After that, I tried to keep my feet high and dry. The ride lasted about an hour and then it was back to dry land and back on the bus. We had one more stop before returning to Chiang Mai—a butterfly and orchid farm. The butterflies were beautiful and the orchids spectacular. It reminded me that I’m missing the Philadelphia Flower Show again this year, but to paraphrase WC Fields, “All things considered, I’d rather be in Thailand.”
Back in Chiang Mai, after lunch we had a free afternoon and evening. This was our first opportunity to really shop, and I tried to make the most of it with visits to both the day and the night market. I did some bargaining and think that I found some really nice things at very good prices. Now, my main concern is getting them back to Bangkok. I was thinking about wearing multiple layers of clothing with small but heavy items stuffed into my pockets, until Panu assured me that we will check in as a group and being over the 44 pound limit shouldn’t be a problem . Before I went shopping, Panu took me to the IT Mall, where in less than 5 minutes, my computer problem was solved. It seems that the engineer at the hotel in Kanchanaburi had locked the computer and the only wifi signal that it would accept was the one from that hotel. The young girl who fixed it showed me how to changed the settings if I ever had that problem again. Its too bad that I missed the hotels with free wifi and will have to pay for it for the remainder of the trip unless I head to the corner Starbucks.
Dinner tonight was on our own and some of the group opted from McDonald’s or Subway, but Grace and I ate at a restaurant in the Night Market and I had Pad Thai for only the second time during my stay in Thailand. My meal of Pad Thai with shrimp and fresh lemonade cost 150 bhat or about $5.00. After dinner we treated ourselves to some delicious gelato.  

Comments

Dee H.
2011-03-01

I remember the ride and the joy of watching the elephant's paint. I have a framed painting in my house.

Bruce
2011-03-02

You'd rather be in Thailand than the Philadelphia Flower Show?????? Funny you mentioning this because I just told Danny that it's been several years since we went up there.

kat
2011-03-09

i <3 elephants!

2025-02-08

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