Chaing Mai

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Sunday Feb 19th: We arrive in Chaing Mai and are met by our new guide Jeff. He greets us in the traditional Thai manner with a fresh garland of Jasmine and Roses each.We head for our hotel the Ratilanna. We have been upgraded as this hotel is owned by Jim's friend Or's family. We all have huge suites which are over the top luxurious and the hotel is situated on the Maekong river. We go by bus to the old city and get out at a wholesale flower market. This country is full of flowers and the market exports all over the world. We see bunches of orchids for two dollars! We board tuk tuks which are driven by bike attached to one passenger carts. We pass by many restaurants, tourist agencies, temples, bars and hotels. We stop at the old city wall just in time for the Sunday market. Arts and crafts as well as all kinds of food are sold on several blocks of the old city. At six o'clock the National anthem is broadcast and everyone in the market comes to a complete stop. This happens everyday at 8am and 6pm at schools and all public places. We learn from Jeff that Thai stands for free and that Thailand has never been colonized. They have a king and queen who are much loved. We enjoy a meal at a cultural centre with music and dancing.

Monday : We are all excited for our day with the elephants but have no idea what we are in for!! We leave by bus and drive north into the countryside and the mountains. We pass rice fields, mule and horse ranches, rubber and teak plantations and a large military base. We see an area called "Richy Rich" where modern two story four bedroom homes sell for 150,000US. We arrive at the E.L.E elephant camp which stands for Elephant Life Experience. We are told that there are many camps in northern Thailand where hundreds of people go to see and ride elephants. Our camp, however, is the only private camp in Thailand. It provides a boutique experience. We arrive and are greeted by two young elephants who dance a greeting for us. We feed them sugar cane and each have the opportunity to be up close and personal with them. We are then taken to a beautiful thatched open air building where we are given tea and coffee and given some information on the camp which has only eight elephants. We are given the traditional outfits of the mahout or elephant trainer to change into and off we go. First we watch the elephants go into the river with their trainers for a cool bath. Then we each are given a bowl of water and a brush and help to clean the elephants. Then we meet each elephant and their trainer. We are shown how to mount an elephant from each side,back and of course on the trunk. Then each of us mount an elephant and go for a walk....bareback! We are then treated to a demonstration of elephant painting. Elephants work with the trainer to create abstract or more definite design art. Some are better than others but they are only taught to do their best. Each couple then works with a trainer and elephant to create their own masterpieces. The communication between animal and trainer is amazing to see. We then go up onto an elephant in couples on large seats strapped to their backs and go across the river and up the mountain. The up and down is unbelievable with two to three tons on beast underneath you. Back to the camp for a lovely picnic lunch and then finish with a cruise down the river on a bamboo raft. Very few people have this experience in such a small group and we are treated like royalty. Cold cloths at every turn, water and soft drinks, parasols great food and most important, hands on learning about elephants and their special trainers.

We end the day with a quick stop at a silk factory and then back to the Ratilanna for happy hour, pool time and supper. An extraordinary day.

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