Feet, subway, train, plane, van. Phew! We made it up to Chiang Mai, the second largest city in Thailand. Our hotel, Horizon Village Resort, was in the countryside and bordered the Tweechol botanical gardens. When we arrived at
the airport in Chiang Mai I couldn’t find the Horizon driver so I asked and when I said the word” Horizon” I was immediately corrected. I needed to pronounce it “Hor –rhee – zahn”. It was an out-of-the-way,
but beautiful, location – buggy with lots of ants, mosquitoes, and little lizards. However, those little creatures did not take away from the beauty of the surrounding area – they were just part of the natural surroundings. The night
noises included the Thai version of katydids (only louder) and the frog sounds were unlike any frogs I’ve ever heard. The saltwater pool would have been refreshing, but Steve and I had forgotten our swimsuits down in Krabi. The people were,
once again, kind and hospitable. I love the way the Thais call me “Madame” with a French accent. It beats being called “ma’am”. And, the wai salutation (hands in a prayer position with heads bowed) is such a
nice way to greet people.
Our room was situated on a small canal that separated us from a working rice paddy with oxen kept nearby. It was nice to just sit and enjoy the peace and quiet and munch on the fresh fruit (rambutan/ngook,
grapes, and rose apple) that was waiting for us in the room. Later on we decided to go over to the restaurant in the botanical garden. When the receptionists at the desk heard us talking they arranged for a golf cart to drive us over because
they said it was too far to walk. I think they were just taking care of us because we were (once again) the oldest people there. So we were dutifully driven to the restaurant where we ate some yummy tie food. (noodles with beef,, hot basil,
and chilies). I actually had an ice coffee. The ice coffee here is very good – but sweet. After eating we strolled around part of the botanical gardens. The topiary was remarkable. Instead of asking for a ride back to the
hotel these old people actually walked. It was all of a quarter of a mile (LOL). Once back we made arrangements for a van to take us into the city center that evening for the Night Market.
Wow! I don’t know what
I was thinking of when I heard “Night Market” but it certainly wasn’t this. The entire city was taken over by a carnival type atmosphere, but instead of rides and cotton candy, there were vendors galore selling everything from intricately
carved soap, to food, to clothing, jewelry, leather, and anything else you can imagine! There was even a “booth” where you could put your feet into a huge tank and have the garra rufa fish eat the dead skin off your feet. Steve
kept telling me to do it so he could take a video. I just wasn’t up to having my feet nibbled at, especially since I’ve been nursing what I think is a broken toe. The van had dropped us off for 3 hours of shopping but that wasn’t enough
time to see even half of what was there. Walking was treacherous – as in all of Thailand. There are uneven sidewalks, metal pipes sticking up, actual holes, and missing pieces of cement. By the end of the evening I was disoriented from
overload of stimuli and the stress of trying not to fall. I would have been totally lost if not for Steve. I would have missed the van back to the hotel and would have been sleeping on the street because I was at least a quarter of a mile
off in the wrong direction. Steve actually remembered the exact location where we were supposed to meet our van and we made it back safely. It was an exhausting night so it was necessary to get right to sleep. The next day we would
be at the elephant sanctuary!
At around 8:45 the next morning the van from the Elephant Nature Park picked us up at the hotel. In addition to the driver and guide (a young woman named Quan) there were 8 other people being transported
for a one and a half hour drive further north. The others in the van were Pamela and Ben from England and their two young children as well as their friends, Katherine and John and their two young children. So Steve and I were kept amused for the
journey up to the elephant park by listening to the children’s’ British accents. Once off the highway (actually more of a secondary road) and onto the back roads we were confronted by some traffic. This traffic was a bit different.
It wasn’t vehicles come heading toward us but elephants. They appeared to be “working” elephants and were ridden by their mahouts. It was quite the sight to see.
Once at the Elephant Nature Park we were given
some time to relax and have some cold beverages. Our guide Quan, who was with us for the entire day, taught us the safety rules. First NEVER turn your back on an elephant. Next, don’t stand directly in front of an elephant or directly
in back of them. Don’t run. And if Quan yells at you to move (due to an elephant running at you) then MOVE! So, now that we were informed and somewhat fearful we were taken to the feeding dock to get introduced to some of the elephants.
On the way over to the feeding dock I just kept telling myself that if little kids could do this then I could too. We were instructed on how to place the fruit in the elephants’ trunks and how NOT to stop feeding until the basket of fruit was empty.
This was because the elephants are smart enough to know there is more food and they wouldn’t hesitate in grabbing the entire basket of fruit away from you. Today the elephants were getting watermelon, sugar cane, and bananas. It was fun to
hold their trunks in one hand as you place the food just behind the “nostrils”. They were very gentle and waited patiently as we clumsily learned how to feed them properly.
After feeding time was over we had another break
to wander around the main hut area and observe the elephants from a safe distance. Then it was time to walk into the pasture with Quan who took us to the veterinary station and showed us the vet’s chart with elephant names, health issues, and medicines
being taken. There were no elephants being tended to by the vet but there were elephants in the area and we walked carefully around a deep trench to get up close and pet her. All the time her mahout was watching. The mahouts here do not use
prodding sticks to control the animals. They use only their voice commands and gestures. So I really don’t know what kind of control they have if an elephant went “wild”. This is a relatively new approach to working with
elephants. The sanctuary has only been in place for 17 years and up until Lek (Sangduen "Lek" Chailert), the founder, started it all elephants were domesticated the same way (by caging and torturing them to break their spirits).
After our initial close up contact with the elephants we had a delicious vegetarian lunch with the other 3 groups and their guides (there were a total of 40 visitors at the park). We then interacted (close up) with the elephants and watched their
behaviors and friendships with each other. They definitely have their best friends and are protective of them. One in particular is very protective of her friend who was crippled when she was tied up to breed. The bull who was breeding with
her broke her pelvis and she was never given medical attention. She has great difficulty moving – just watching her is painful. So when we first went out into the side pasture we were greeted by an elephant who stood her ground between us
and her crippled friend. At first it looked like she was going to charge us, but she was just standing her ground. Once she showed everyone who was boss she was approachable. Once again the mahout it there standing watch.
After a movie that showcased Lek and her mission of saving the elephants as well as graphic video clips of the inhumane way elephants are domesticated it was time to go down to the river to bathe them. At first I wasn’t going to do this.
I was afraid of hurting my back and rupturing the discs that have given me so many problems. But when I saw the little children and their moms having so much fun I just couldn’t help myself. How often does a person get to bathe an elephant
in its natural environment? So, I waded into the river with my bucket being careful not to trip on the rocky river bed. Between the elephant spraying herself with her trunk, and the back splash from buckets of water being thrown onto
her I was getting quite wet. But it didn’t matter – it was so much fun. This wasn’t so much a bath as a water toss with a little bit of gentle skin rub (sometimes with rocks) to go along with it. But we all had a blast and
it was an experience I will remember forever.
After the bathing (everyone was soaked) we had time to change (I luckily brought another shirt) and grab a water or sweet tea. Then it was time to walk through the pasture down to the
other side of the river and see a family of 8 elephants. This group included the two youngest elephants who were still referred to as babies. One of the babies is called Naughty Boy. He was rescued as an infant from a dying mother.
He was never traditionally domesticated. Lek has domesticated him with love. That means he is still somewhat “wild”. So he wears a bell around his neck to warn everyone when he is coming. Just as we were about to enter
the pasture it started to pour. Despite the rain we ventured out. Steve and I shared an umbrella that Quan handed out. We walked with one eye on the roaming elephants and one eye on the elephant dung. The walking was treacherous (just
like in the city) with uneven ground, holes, and long strands of grass just ready to trip you. When we got to the other side of the pasture we saw the family of 8 elephants freely frolicking in the river. It was a great site to behold!
One at a time the elephants started to lumber out of the river and slowly walked by us. At times they would change direction so we would change direction too (remember the rules!). Suddenly the mahouts were rushing at us and telling
us to get away, get away. Naughty Boy was coming!!!! He finished frolicking in the river with his girlfriend and they were literally running ashore. The mahouts didn’t know the exact direction Naughty Boy and his gal would take.
As we were quickly moving my foot (with the broken little toe) got caught on one of those long strands of grass. The umbrella didn’t cover me as I was trying to unvelcro my sandal to get my foot adjusted so I got drenched in the continuing downpour.
By that time we were all relieved to see that Naughty Boy and his gal were running in the opposite direction. As Quan so nicely put it – they wanted time to honeymoon.
Now that my foot was readjusted in my sandal and
the other 6 elephants in the family were circled around the youngest (the herd is always protective of its “baby”) it was time for more picture taking. Unfortunately my camera has been temperamental today so some of my shots were blurry,
but I did manage to get some good close-ups.
Walking back to the main “hut” I couldn’t help but think of how far we had all come that day. We all started out a bit fearful and tentative during the initial feeding
time. But by the end of the day we had all found a certain comfort level with these wonderful animals. It is amazing to me that these creatures (some of whom were so brutally* mistreated) could welcome us into their world. Lek’s dedication
to these animals is more than admirable.
This has been an adventure I am happy to have taken. I have added photos to the photo album.
*One of Lek’s elephants was blinded by her owners when she refused to
work after the death of her newborn baby. She had been a logging elephant and gave birth while working. At birth her baby rolled down the hill away from her and she couldn’t save it. The baby died and she lay down and refused to work.
The owners shot at her eyes with slingshots and poked at her eyes with prods to get her to get up and work. That is her tragic story.