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Published: September 3rd 2008
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We arrived in Chiang Mai on Thursday (August 21st) afternoon and checked into the first hotel we could find (that was within budget). Due to the non-stop travelling over recent days, and the budget accommodation we have had to make do with in some of the smaller towns we stopped in, we (I) released some additional funds from the budget so we could get somewhere a bit more comfortable for the first few nights. Although it wasn’t quite five star, it was a considerable improvement on recent places. Once settled in we explored the old town of Chiang Mai for the rest of the afternoon, stopping into a few of the local bars, and reacquainting ourselves with civilisation and Coffee and Mr Beer.
During our explorations in day 1 we managed to book ourselves onto a Thai cooking class for the following day. It was a full day thing, with an early start at 09:30 (not to rub it in, but we haven’t seen too many 09:30’s over the last 40 days). The tutors were very understanding about the 09:30 thing, and allowed us to ease ourselves in gently with lesson number one; ‘ordering a cup of coffee’. The real
work began half an hour later with a visit to the market to collect our ingredients for the day. Julie got right into it. I on the other hand was pretty annoyed when I discovered just how old fashioned Thai cooking is. It turns out everything must be fresh, and a jar of ‘Uncle Bens’ from the 7-11 is not allowed. Once back in the kitchen we were all getting really stuck into it and, dare I say it, enjoying cooking. Having said that, I am not entirely convinced that all the ingredients that were used will be readily available back home in Asda. So I guess if anyone is expecting any Thai food when you come to visit you can take your pick; what will it be, Uncle Ben’s or Sizzle’n’Stir?
Day 3 was spent on Elephant Safari, training to be a Mahout. Julie was extremely keen we went somewhere that the elephants were well looked after, well fed, and most importantly, happy. My own requirement was much simpler, we must be able to ride the elephants, and the faster the better. After much investigation and deliberation I managed to convince Julie that the government sponsored National Elephant
Sanctuary was missing vital activities (i.e. elephant riding), and that the Chiang Mai Mahout School met everyone’s requirements. At the Mahout school you are provided with an outfit and a sharp hook to encourage the elephant to go where you want it to go. After some quick instructions, off we all set into the Jungle. I think Julie lasted around 10 minutes in total on the back of the elephant before she decided to walk. I managed about an hour. So the rest of the day was spent trekking through the jungle with two elephants. To Julie’s delight, this walk was regularly broken up with elephant feeding and bathing. I asked if I could get my hook back to see if I could speed things along a bit, but my request fell on deaf ears.
The fourth day was spent at Chiang Mai Zoo (Julie’s request). In my book a Zoo is a Zoo the World over, Panda or no Panda (incidentally Chiang Mai Zoo has the only two Panda’s in Asia). More intriguing than Panda’s though, Chiang Mai Zoo is into selling food to feed the animals. A bit of a moral dilemma really. On one shoulder you have a good Andy telling you “It’s wrong to buy a piece of meat on the end of a stick and poke it through the fence to feed the Panthers”. But on the other shoulder there is a bad Andy saying “Go on, give it a shot. And remember, make those guys work for it!” In the end Julie had the casting vote and we decided to stand for five minutes and look disapprovingly at everyone that took part in this disgusting parade. I guess that one will just have to stay on the “to do before I die” list for a little bit longer. Since being to the Zoo, I have also drafted an e-mail to the WWF’s Department for Wildlife Education asking if they could send some additional information on to Chiang Mai. In particular I think they need to clarify the key characteristics that differentiate a Rhino from a Koala Bear. Part of me did hope that if I followed the sign I would find the elusive Rhino Bear (half Rhino, half Koala). To be honest, the signage in the Zoo was that bad it was a struggle to find either the Rhino or the Koala.
Today was our last day in Chiang Mai before leaving on the night train back towards Bangkok. We spent much of the day walking around the city and relaxing in the shade, while Julie gave me her ‘top 10 reasons why feeding animals in Zoos should not be allowed’. In hindsight, her top 10 reasons against feeding were much stronger than my top 10 reasons in favour.
Anyway, back on the road again, heading south towards Bangkok and then onto one of the Southern Islands for some sunshine.
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