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Published: November 28th 2006
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Us on elephant
We at least didn't feel bad about how much we weigh on this big animal. We were picked up by a mini van for our day adventure at 8:35. There were ten of us taking this excursion. There was a couple from Seattle, Roger and Cindy, a family from Nova Scotia, Daryl, Mary and daughter Karen, a couple from Denmark, and a woman from Holland. Roger is a traveling doctor, as he works 3 months on in a foreign country and then gets 2 months off in which his wife meets him to travel. He has been kind enough to send us tips on Bali and India, as he was stationed in both places recently. The daughter Karen is a volunteer (missionary) in eastern Thailand and her parents just came to see her for a few weeks. The Dutch woman came to volunteer in the tsunami stricken area for three weeks, in which she helped paint schools, and then has been traveling for a few more. Both of us were looking forward to riding elephants….as it was one of the deciding reasons of why we came to Chiang Mai. It was first on the agenda. Upon arrival at the elephant camp we were encouraged to buy a bag of bananas and sugar cane to feed the
elephants along the way. We loaded up on top of the elephant on a seat, which was like a carnival ride with a bar holding you in. It was needed during some of the ups and downs of the jungle trek. During those times I pondered about how tight the cinch was holding us up on top of the elephant. The walk of an elephant is very plodding, so the motion you feel while riding it is like rocking back and forth. Our elephant was quite a pig, as he kept stopping and begging for food. He trained us quite well to keep feeding him. There are a few huts along the jungle path that sell additional bags of food. We fed our elephant two bags during our hour walk. At one hut our guide, who normally rides on the head of the elephant, got off. He was fooling around with another guide when our elephant decided it was time to go. He started to wander up the trail, the guide started yelling at him but the elephant was happy to continue. Finally the guide got the elephant’s attention, it then seemed the elephant was going to try and turn
Karen Tribe woman
She eats a nut to make her teeth turn black...beauty is in the eye of the beholder. around on the trail which was narrow with a gulley to one side. I was a bit worried until the guide just started walking in front of us up the trail and the elephant followed. We trekked through a river, really a large stream; it is low water season so at the deepest it was only three-four feet. There were a few elephants that had babies following them along the trek. They are adorable. We rode the elephant for about an hour.
After the elephant ride we went to the Karen hill tribe village. They migrated from Myanmar and have kept most of their traditions and language. The women of the Karen village wear white until they are married and then they must switch to darker colors. The older women also chew on a nut and leaves that makes their teeth turn black. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Our guide told us that the nut and leaves also causes mouth cancers. The huts are built off the ground a few feet, with thatched roofs. They are primarily farmers but tourism is now the majority of their income. They had women weaving scarves and shawls for sale.
Next
we trekked through the jungle, a short distance later we came to the Mae Wang waterfall, a few in the group went swimming in the pool. It was a pretty area. Scott and I sat on bench and chatted with others in the group. We continued our jungle walk until we came to the Meo hill tribe village. The huts here had a bit different construction, as they were built on the ground with dirt floors. Not much to see here other than the tourist junk booths with items for sale. The Meo village ancestors are from Yunnan, China. They are traditionally farmers but now days most of their money comes from tourists.
We loaded up in the mini-van to transport us lunch and then to the river for our bamboo rafting experience. When we arrived they asked us to place anything that we did not want to get wet into the van. I was under the impression this was a calm float down the river, I assumed that maybe a little water but not that much. I was wrong since we sit on a little bamboo board on top the bamboo raft that is partially submerged. Scott gets the
honor of poling, so he stands on the back of the raft. He is given no instructions other than the occasionally shout by the river guide on the front of the raft. The Dutch woman and I get soaked every time we hit a little rough spot in the water. At one point I almost fell completely off the raft. Scott manages to stay upright even though a few times his balance was thrown off. He ends up being the only one being dry out of all ten of us. It was a great day. We enjoyed all of it and would recommend anyone coming to Thailand to do it, even as touristy as it was.
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