Chiang Mai - Part 2

We spontaneously received a visit! Sascha came to Chiang Mai on Wednesday ☺️ We explored Wat Chedi Luang and other beautiful spots in the city together. Of course, a picture with the kerchief cap was a must 😉 In the evening, we went to the Night Bazaar, which we really liked. There were artists, clothes, jewelry, live music, and, in our opinion, the best Pad Thai we've ever had. 

The next day, we headed south of the region to an elephant camp. We thought a lot about this topic. We were told in advance that these were rescued elephants that had been mistreated in other camps. In our camp, the focus was on providing medical care to the elephants, observing them, and if possible, reintroducing them to the wild. The camp is financed 50% by government subsidies and 50% by tourist revenue, and 100% of the money goes to the elephants. No riding, no beating, no chains. So much for that: the last point was true to the best of our knowledge. Unfortunately, we didn't have a guide on site who could tell us a lot about the elephants, as promised. Additionally, we were told that all the elephants were born in the camp and were not rescued animals or intended to be released into the wild. That made us suspicious, as the information at the tourist information office was different. The commands from the caretakers were all given verbally. If the elephants didn't move forward or deviated significantly from the path, the caretakers would sometimes pull their ears or poke their sides, which we naturally didn't like... on the other hand, these large animals cannot be left to walk with tourists if they cannot be stopped in case of emergency. We thought a lot about it and we are not sure if we would do another day with animals and tourists, even with the highest claim to animal welfare, as it always involves human control over the animal. Despite all the controversies surrounding this topic, we had a very special day with these impressive animals and want to share it here.

After picking up all 4 travelers (2 from Scotland, 1 from Canada, and 1 from the Philippines), we went to different market stalls where our guides bought watermelons for us and an incredible amount of sacks of bananas for the elephants. Then we stopped at a small market where we could buy breakfast, and shortly after, we arrived at the camp. We crossed a shaky suspension bridge and arrived at a bamboo hut where we were given special clothes to wear so that the elephants would not be afraid of us and our unfamiliar attire. And suddenly, the elephants came around the corner, accompanied by a one-year-old baby that was already quite big. We prepared probiotics by mixing oats, salt, tamarind, and bananas in a mortar and transferring this mixture back into the banana peel. This is supposed to stimulate intestinal activity and ensure sufficient... well, let’s just say it makes them poop 😄 Since the elephants eat all day long, they apparently often have stomach aches and constipation. Then the big feeding began, and the two adults and the baby ate a lot. We could easily sneak in the prepared bananas because they got lost among the "normal" bananas. This was a wonderful moment, especially for Philip, to be so close to these awe-inspiring animals. By the way, their skin feels very firm and they have long, thick hair all over their bodies. Their trunks are quite agile, and as soon as you had a banana in your hand, it was already gone 🐘 🍌 After that, we took a short digestion walk through the surrounding fields, where they continued munching happily. The baby did whatever it wanted and ran all over the place. The caretaker responsible for it always had to be on the lookout for where it was going next. As a snack, the baby always got a few pieces of orange. To be honest, we all had respect because the elephants can run pretty fast, and we always had to watch where they stepped 🙈 Afterward, we went into a muddy hole where the baby splashed around wildly, and we smeared mud on the elephants (and ourselves). We then moved to the nearby river to clean ourselves and the elephants with water, and said goodbye to them. After a delicious lunch, we continued to a beautiful waterfall with icy cold water. Unfortunately, it was a bit slippery for Jana, and she unintentionally fell on the rocks, but it turned out alright with just a few scratches on her arm and a bruise on her bottom. After that, the three of us returned to Chiang Mai, while our companions booked a bamboo rafting trip. In the evening, we treated our feet to a fish spa, which tickled a lot, but after getting used to it, it was quite pleasant.

The next day, we had the Doi Inthanon National Park on our agenda, and we drove there with a rental car. On the way, we saw a great temple. Arriving at the national park, our first stop was an over 70m high waterfall, which was very impressive. We climbed up to the top of the waterfall, where we could marvel at the water masses all by ourselves. After a second smaller waterfall, we drove through dense greenery just before the summit to the royal pagodas. These large towers were built in honor of the 60th birthday of the royal couple (King Rama IX - father and predecessor of the current king - and his wife Sirikit) in 1987 and 1992. Beautiful flower gardens have been created here at over 2000m above sea level. Afterwards, we visited the relatively unspectacular summit at 2565m. On the way back, we saw two beautiful temples, one of which looked like a fairytale castle, and a huge Buddha at sunset. Exhausted and hungry, we went to a delicious vegan restaurant in Chiang Mai and then back to the hotel. Tomorrow morning, we will take the bus to Pai.