Thursday, 23 May 2013

Elephant hickey

We've had an incredible last few days here in Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand. Surrounded by hills and mountains, the city attracts many tourists for hiking, rafting and zip lining. We did none of the above though.

After we explored the city the first day, we were picked up the next morning to visit the Baan Chang elephant park 45 minutes out of the city. The site itself is beautiful, with rolling hills, bright red-leafed trees and green ponds. Oh, and a few dozen elephants. There were some young little elephants, around our height, some newly adult ones, big and strong, and other older, calmer, wiser ones.

First we were given information about the elephants, where they came from, how they were cared for, and their individual needs. It was important to learn that most elephants found in Thailand are domestic animals, and have been domesticated for centuries. Only a few wild elephants remain in Thailand. Therefore, as any other domestic animal, such as a dog or a cat, they cannot be released in the jungle, and have to be cared for by mahouts, men and women who stay and take care of the elephants almost 24 hours a day, living at the park, and developing a strong connection with their elephant. We were in awe at how well each elephant understood and listened to their mahouts.

Then we got to feed all the elephants. Excited at the sight of bananas, most of them would reach out their trunk and try to grab the bananas from our hands. I received a wet hickey on the cheek from one of the smaller elephants as I was feeding him. Afterwards we ate lichee straight from the trees above us while we listened carefully to directions on how to control elephants while riding them. We each got to practice how to get on the elephant and how to give them directions. We all rode the elephants bare back.

After a great lunch and a few minutes to relax in a hammock, we went to see our friends the elephants once more, but this time to ride them. Alex and I shared an elephant, and took turns at the front and at the back. We rode for over an hour, going down and up steep hills, and getting splashed by water and mud that our elephant would send our way with her trunk.

After our ride in the heat, both us and the elephants eagerly cooled off in a nearby pond. The elephants were especially happy, and we helped the mahouts bathe and clean our elephant. Our elephant had been one of the biggest ones, but also very calm, and she half closed her eyes in appreciation of the water we poured on her. Another small elephant was very playful and sent water our way with his trunk.

The day at the park ended too fast, but fortunately our day wasn't over yet. After eating dinner, we walked over to a recommended massage parlor. After being served green tea and getting a complimentary foot scrub, we changed into soft comfortable clothes and laid back as we were given a 90 minute traditional thai massage, which was topped off at the end with a herbal hot compress. We received more green tea after the massage, and left relaxed. We ended our great day by getting a coffee and a dessert at a coffee shop by our hotel. That day was clearly our most expensive one to date.

The next day, we had decided to sign up for a recommended cooking class. We were brought to a local market, and shown the different kinds of thai rice, then how one can obtain coconut milk. We bought the necessary ingredients for the day, then were brought to our teacher's (Sammy) organic farm just outside the city. He showed us the different herbs, fruits and vegetables he was growing, and his rice fields in the distance. He also showed us his amazing toilet.

Together, Alex and I cooked yellow and green curry, thai vegetable soup, chicken cooked in basil and roasted cashews with chicken. We ate everything with rice. We tried to eat it all, but we couldn't. With our bellies full, we took a nap in a hammock for an hour or two before resuming the class. We cooked deep fried spring rolls then a pumpkin custard. Others in the class chose to cook different meals, but we wanted to learn how to cook meals that we had eaten and enjoyed in Thailand. At the end of the day, we were each given a cookbook with all the recipes we had used that day.

Sadly, we could not stay in Thailand longer than fifteen days, which is the length of a thai visa obtained inland, so we couldn't stay in Chiang Mai any longer. We would've loved to, because the area is beautiful and has so much to offer, but for now, we're headed for Laos.





































2 comments:

  1. Je pleure en vous regardant aller!! Quelles expériences de vie. Vraiment beau.
    Et j'ai très hâte (super hâte) de manger votre repas que vous pouvez préparer/partager avec nous lors de votre retour... xoxo Maman

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  2. Lordy looord, ça résonne de miraculeux votre affaire. Kick ass. (effectivement hâte à prendre avantage de tes nouveau skills en cuisine hehehe) xxx ('tis lawrinsse)

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