Thailand Adventure--Day 11

Up and out by 7 this morning. We headed for the Maesa Elephant Camp in the forest above Chiang Mai. This was a place I had really been looking forward to visiting as it was to be an up close and personal interaction with Asian Elephants which are native to this area.

The grounds were beautifully maintained, lush forest with a lively stream running through it. If it were in the U.S. I would have thought the stream would have been full of trout, but when I mentioned it to Anil he said there are no trout in Thailand and that trout are a real delicacy here.

We walked down the hill from the entrance along the stream. At the bottom of the hill was our first encounter with the elephants where a small group of four were bathing in the stream. A baby one was rolling around in the deep hole in the stream. Their keepers hollered commands to their elephants and the elephants seemed to obey them happily while still playing and getting cooled and cleaned.

Our next stop was the elephant ride. We had paid for a half hour ride. Climbing the stairs to the level where we could mount the back of the elephant, a keeper, introduced himself as Sok. He rode his elephant up to us and we were helped on. A bar swung across our laps to secure us and we were off. Billy, our new elephant friend was slow but steady. He seemed more interested in munching away on the big bundle of bamboo he held in his mouth. Billy walked us through the forest.  Sok, who spoke English pretty well, explained he had been a keeper for 22 years, but his first elephant had died and so he had been with Billy for 15. 

At one point Sook got off the elephant with our camera and took several photos of us and walked along in front of Billy while we plodded along on our own. At another spot, Billy walked down into a stream where he tanked up on water and cooled his heels. Several of our tour group were on elephants with us so we all rode along together giggling and laughing like school children. It was a thrill of a lifetime.

We said our goodbyes to our new friends, especially Billy. Wandering the grounds, we also met  and feed several other elephants including a baby one who kept close to its mama. We bought bunches of bananas and sugar cane and when offered the elephants would reach out with their trunks, nimbly grasp the offering and stuff it into their mouths. One elephant followed us up a trail knowing we had food. I finally turned to face the elephant and he lifted his trunk towards me. He made quick work of the food I had left.

The elephant show began in a big open air theater. Some 20 elephants showcased their skills including playing soccer, bursting balloons by throwing darts and even painting pictures which were for sale in the gift shop.

 I guess one could make a genuine argument for why this all seemed wrong and I could agree with you to some extent. It did seem a bit sad. But on the other hand, these magnificent creatures are disappearing from the wild due to encroaching human presence and the destruction of their habitat. They require about 300 pounds of food a day and while thousands were once domesticated and used as construction animals, as horses and oxen once were in our country, mechanization has reduced the need for elephants.  What do you do with all these beautiful, intelligent animals?  And how do you educate the public about their plight? The answer seems to be these tourist attractions where people are willing to pay to get in, pay to feed them, pay to ride them and pay to buy their original art work. The animals are treated humanely, they seem to lead happy and busy lives. The alternative is not good.

 

For us it was an experience of a lifetime. At one point we each were able to sit on the knee of an elephant who posed for photos, We petted and scratched it. It even put a hat on our heads and gave us a kiss. In return, we offered a few Baht which the elephant took with its trunk and passed along to the keeper. We felt better for having had the experience and the money collected went to help maintain and support the camp. It seems to be a win win situation.

Later in the day, we had lunch at the orchid and butterfly gardens where we enjoyed another Thai meal and took lots of photos of the dozens of varieties of orchids on display. Lovely spot.

I was less than thrilled with the next two stops but others seemed to enjoy them. We toured first a silk factory and then stopped at a lacquer factory. I went into neither preferring to stay in the air conditioned bus and nap a bit. We'd seen both of these processes in China years ago and the idea of touring a place whose real intention was to sell me something I didn't want anyway, just didn't do it for me. To each his own.

I think Anil sensed that we had had enough and he drove us back to the hotel for an afternoon rest. Some of our group headed out to shop while others lounged at the pool. We decided to nap a while.

Rested, our evening was spent in the home of a local Thai family enjoying the hospitality and a home-cooked northern Thai meal. The hostess was a woman whose husband died a few years ago and she found herself in need of something to do. At some point she met a representative of the Gate 1 tour company and agreed to host a dinner for the group. It seems it has worked well for both her and Gate 1. She was very gracious, inviting us into her beautiful home, showing us how to cook a couple of the dishes served to us and showing us around her spacious, lovely home.

 

We sat down to dinner and the dishes came out and kept coming out. At least 6 different dishes arrived including the chicken curry she not only demonstrated earlier. She gave each of us a little gift bag with the recipe and some of the ingredients for making it. She also demonstrated cooking a soup for us that we all had as our first course.

 

As the evening came to a close our hostess walked us out to the driveway where little hot air balloons had been placed for each of us. Made of rice paper, these clever devices have a little wax burner in the bottom that, when lit, fills the balloon light and hot air. A wish is made by those holding the balloon and then it is released into the night air. The glowing bag of air rose into the night sky taking with it our wishes and concerns. We all released ours at the same time. 5 balloons rose higher and higher until they finally blended into the background of stars and then disappeared. Releasing these balloons is a common tradition in Asia with sometimes hundreds or even thousands being released at once. It must be a breath-taking site to behold. I know ours was truly a magical way to end our evening with this gracious lady.