Chiang Mai and elephants!

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The short plane trip to the North of Thailand saw us arrive in Chang Mai for five days. The hotel was only a short trip from the airport and is of really good quality, with large spacious rooms, a good view and an awesome gym. We immediately hopped on a bike and went exploring. That night we went to the night bazaar which is a huge street market. The most reasonably priced stuff in Thailand. Then I found it. The Holy grail. Hard Rock Cafe. Finally a place to get a good steak dinner. And it didn't disappoint. The staff were lovely and we made some friends. We also enjoyed watching the live band murder some classics. After demolishing my meal and walking around, I went back there two hours later and consumed a late night rack of ribs. Heaven.

The following day was set aside for more exploration. The streets were busy and littered with bikes, the central square was full of temples and the whole place has a picturesque back drop of the mountains. It was awesome. We headed to the outer part of the city to visit the zoo, unfortunately this was a major disappointment. Run down, old and everything cost extra. Want to see the panda? That's extra. Bus around the park? That's extra. Hand job from a monkey? That's extra. After struggling through we decided to leave after seeing them offering elephant riding. It was chained up and had lots of marks on it. That's not what a zoo should be encouraging in my opinion. The rest of the day was spent exploring temples, taking in the sights and trying to survive riding around the city. The place is crazy busy but it all just works.

The following morning we were up very early to catch a two hour journey to see some elephants at a jungle Sanctuary. The trip was awful. We were loaded into the back of a pick up truck and it felt extremely unsafe as the driver was going so fast. Then came the mountains, up, down, up, down, all at high speeds. We actually banged on the truck and told him to slow down as we were feeling so rough from it. He eventually had to stop as one gentleman was being sick. This is Thai driving for you, about as safe as being an alter boy, you're not quite sure when it'll happen, but at some point you'll be fucked.

Eventually we made it to the Sanctuary and it was a really good day. After introductions we went straight to feed the elephants. There were seven in total. They are magnificent creatures. Very timid, friendly and very smart. We were told to hide the food behind our back and feed them one banana at time. Then immediately you found yourself being molested by a hungry and very smart elephant. It was awesome. It's a great place, some were born here and some were rescued. This is the one of many places on Thailand that is safeguarding elephants from being used for tourism. Unfortunately whilst people still feel the need to ride an elephant the market will be there. Don't ride them, there's no need, stick to riding your fat partner instead, they'll enjoy it more.

We spent time making the elephants food and medicine and fed them at different stages during the day. Watched them bath and eat. The actual interaction time isn't that high. Maybe forty minutes in total split thoroughout the day. I don't mind that though, I want to observe, get close when possible and not see them do anything they wouldn't want to do. I enjoyed the experience immensely. It's amazing to see the creatures up close and it's great seeing that they are cared for. We met some lovely people whilst on the tour which was makes the day a lot more enjoyable. The death cab took us home and then as I felt a bit small next to the elephants, I decided to work out.

The next day the ball kept rolling with the activities. Time for white water rafting.  Another long trip although this time in the comfort of a mini bus so I at least got to sleep. It seemed to take ages for the day to get going. Long drive, waiting around, then lunch. That's Thai time for you. Eventually we made it into the raft with a guide on the back. We had lots of crashes, bumps and falls during the six mile trip downstream. At times it was tough on the arms but it was cool being out on the water. I took some heavy blows to the knee's and feet which dampened the day for me slightly. The issue seemed to be the guide himself. He didn't speak English so wasn't warning us at all about dangers ahead. He would only shout 'forward' and 'stop', it would of been a better and safer experience had he of been able to say, 'coming up to the fall, lean left, tuck your feet etc'. We seemed to be the unlucky one's without an English speaking guide. I have lots of video's on the go pro which shows how dangerous it could of been. So overall I enjoyed it but I wouldn't do it again unless it was in an English speaking country with a higher standard of safety.

As we got ready to go home we could see some elephants, some unfortunately being used for riding, and even stranger a man standing in the steam, butt naked, pleasuring himself. Lovely. Fair play to the lad he's got a plan and he sticks to it. Maybe we are the weird ones? Never liked mixing it with water though to be fair it gets very sticky.

That night we headed out for another cultured meal at the Hard Rock Cafe. Unfortunately after burning off my first dinner it was closed for the second, so I had to settle for McDonald's. It gave me serious heart burn and I couldn't sleep for hours. Plus I needed a huge poo but I was more congested than a Chinese tour group.

The next day and no bowel movement's later we were awake early to go zip lining and abseiling in the jungle. Lots of short hikes and some really long lines. There's probably a druggie joke there but I'm not into that stuff. I mistook a bong for a flute earlier in the trip. There was also a sort of hanging roller coaster style zip which was really good fun but quite nervy even for me. We had a nice friendly group too, including a hilarious Chinese couple. He was very eccentric, spoke reasonable English and had a head too large for the helmet, they had to use strings to toe it around his chin! I've now met three Chinese people out of two billion that aren't rude and selfish. It was a great day and we enjoyed ourselves. Chang Mai has been the best place in Thailand. The friendliest people, nice hotel, good food and loads to do and see. I would definitely come here again. Five days wasn't enough. Now after being absolutely exhausted from three days of activities, we had a 6am flight to Hong Kong the following morning!

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