Songkram, Hill Treks and Elephants

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We landed in Chang Mai just in time for the Songkram Festival (Thai New Year). We were greeted with friendly smiling Thais around every street corner ready to assist with washing away your bad luck for the new year, this involves throwing water on you. Pick-up trucks loaded with people and a full barrel of water in the box also drove around to join in the fun. There were tuk-tuks with plastic barrels of water as well. This Thailand wide water fight went on for 3 days! You couldn't walk a block without getting a face full of water.

The first major thing we booked in Thailand was a zip line tour called the Flight of the Gibbon. We flew across many zip lines, repelled from trees and crossed rope and wooden bridges. It was good fun, but it went to quickly and soon we found ourselves back out of the jungle and in Chang Mai getting soaked.

Because of Songkram festival most of the tours and shops were closed. The trek tour we wanted to take was also closed. Just as we were starting think we were not going to get in a real trek we found a company that would take us. We had 2 other trekkers in our group, a brother and sister from Dubai. We went on a 3 day 2 night trek with real hiking, about 5 hours a day. We saw many species of bugs and spiders, even a huge harry tarantula! Kah, our tour guide, was really excited and wanted to have it for BBQ, but it had an egg sack. We saw and swam in many waterfalls during out trek, we stayed in bamboo and grass huts, ate lunch from a banana leaf, had fire roasted frog, drank from bamboo cups and had some thai moonshine made by our guide! We found wild jungle chickens and held some wild jungle chicks. Our tour guide, Kah, grew up in the hill tribes. Not only was Kah a super guide, he cooked all of our meals too.

Our trekking tour included bamboo rafting and an elephant ride (which I will get to). The bamboo rafting ride lasted for 1 hour. All 6 of us (this includes our tour guide) piled onto a home made bamboo raft that wasn't more than about 10 lengths of bamboo tree and a few strings of rope. Because of Songkram the rafting was super busy. As we passed other rafts and shore sitters we all proceeded to splash each other as much as we could for songkram. The rafting was so much fun. After rafting we all piled in the back of the tour truck to join in for more songkram. "No wet, no fun" our tour guide declared!

As for the elephant rides.... I already knew I didn't want to join in on this one. The place we were taken to used hooks. Right when we got there I watched a mahout use his hook in his elphants bum to get it moving with the tourists on it's back. As the elphant slowly started crossing the road the mahout threw his hook at the elephant hitting it in the bum again. It would be one thing if the elephants were treated properly, but these elphants have to endure great hardship and sevre cruelty called pujaan during their inital training. All 3 of us decided to sit out of this activity.All elephants in trekking camps, street begging, music, dance and paint shows also endure the hardship of pujaan as part of their training.

After 3 hard days of trekking we went back to Chang Mai for a night of much deserved rest. The next day we went to Elephant Nature Park for 2 days and one night. ( http://www.elephantnaturepark.org )

The day we arrived at Elephant Nature Park a new baby had been born that very morning. This was a first for the park because the baby elephant was born from one of the park's very own elephants, Bau Tong. Bau Tong and her first daughter were rescued from a Trekking camp through a generous donation by a girl named Olivia. The new elephant was named Pharmai, we were told it means new generation or new sky.

Marcin and I had sponsered 2 elephants about a month and a half before arriving at the park. We were looking forward to meeting Jokia (The elephant I sponsored) and Maximus (The elephant Marcin sponsored). We were met with very sad news. About the time of our arrival Max had passed away. Max had a very hard life, if there was a job that an elephant did, Max had done it. Unfortunetly Max was hit by a Semi Truck while street begging with his Mahout. Max struggeled for a year with the injury before being put back to work street begging. He never did heal properly and still had trouble with his injury through out the rest of his life. Max was rescued by Lek about 6 years ago. He had 6 years of medical care and freedom before eventually passing from his injury. Lek had been passing by the group right after he had passed. She told our tour guide what had happened and then said she wasn't able to talk right now. It was very hard to see the pain of her loss and I think alot of the people in the group got teary eyed. Max was estimated at about 72 years old, but Lek thought he was even older. A candle light ceremony was held for Max later that night at his grave. After some of the volunteers sang a song they had previously written about Max.

We soon met Jokia during feeding time, although she is blind her sense of smell is very keen and she knows where to look for fallen food or even other elephant's food baskets! She has a best friend, Mae Perm. They go everywhere together. Mae adopted Jokia almost immediatly when she arrived at the park and has been by her side every since. If Mae is ever too far away for Jokia's liking, Jokia will send out a trumpet and Mae will come running!

After feeing time we took a splash in the river with the elephants. A great way to get a cool down for everyone! After bathing the elephants wasted no time in re-applying their sunscreen (dirt and mud). We watched the elephants from the platform for a bit. The feeding and bathing goes on twice a day.

All of our delicious meals were included in our stay. There are many dogs and cats also residing at the park as well as a pony and many cows that have been rescued.

There were so many elephants at the park that we will remember, Hope being one of the main ones. Hope is an 8 year old elephant who has never had to endure the cruelty of pujaan. He is a lively youngster and like any human 8 year old he was to play all the time and get into trouble! Apparently he really likes ice cream! We were told about the time he he kicked the icecream man's cart and stole a bunch of his ice cream costing the park a bit of cash!

Jungle boy was also really memorable. He is also a younger elephant. He has a really nice set of tusks and has started to flirt with the girls. He ended the 2nd days morning bath time quickly when he ran into the water chasing a couple female elephants. A stampeed of elephants soon had everyone out of the water and bath time was over!

We got to also see the baby elephant later one the 1st day and again on the morning of the 2nd day. It's big eyes were very red. We watched it drink milk from its mom. It was so cute!

It was great hanging out with the elepants and watching them graze and play. Many of them have suffered so much, one even lost its leg to a land mine in Burma where elephant logging is still legal. Elephant nature park is a great place to start educating people on the terrible treatement of these majestic creatures. Hopefully through time and education views and ways can change for the better. Lek is proving it with her reward training.

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Comments

[Dave]

Elephant Nature Park stories
Thanks for sharing your experience at the Elephant Nature Park. I volunteered there for a week last May during the same water festival. It was the best week of my life, I think. I wish you would post some photos of your trip, so we could see some of the wonderful elephants at the Park. I miss them all, especially Medo and poor Max. Thanks also for describing how cruel the elehant trek mahouts are. I hope you do your best to spread the word to everyone you can to not go on those treks, but to instead visit or volunteer at the Elephant Nature Park. Thanks!