Onward to Chiang Mai and the elephants!

The Pool at Siripanna

 We arrived in Chiang Mai on 29th of April after a 3 hour long flight from Phuket. After arriving at the airport, we took a taxi to our hotel, Siripanna Resort and Spa, and were amazed by the quality of the hotel and the service. The grounds were beautiful, and full of various fruit trees and flowers, as well as a couple of rice paddies. The pool was also really neat, as it was a huge infinity pool surrounded by the gardens. After settling into our room, which was also incredibly nice, we set our for the famous Chiang Mai Night Bazaar in search of knockoff bags and Thai silk. We ended up pretty disappointed in the bazaar, as the quality of almost everything was poor, however, it was a good experience to see the place.

Feeding the elephants sugarcane

 We called it a pretty early night, because we had big plans for the next day: Baan Chang Elephant Park. Chiang Mai is famous for the various elephant parks, where elephants are made to perform. After reading how cruel the animals are treated to force them to learn these tricks, we decided we wanted something different. We looked around online, and found Baan Chang Elephant Park, which is an elephant sanctuary that rescues elephants from all over the country. There, you can sign up to be an elephant keeper for the day.

We were picked up from our hotel at 8:30 in the morning, and driven about an hour outside of Chiang Mai to the park. Immediately upon arrival, we could see the huge elephants and we both started getting really excited. After changing into our stylish outfits and a few words about the park and a safety talk, we were off to feed the elephants bananas and sugarcane. I've grown up around horses and cattle, but being close to something as large as an elephant is a completely different experience. It really sinks in how large they are when you walk up to one of the full grown ones and hold up an entire bunch of bananas, which it then takes with its trunk and then eats the entire

bunch in one mouthful. Feeding the elephants was one of the highlights of the day. You walk amongst the huge creatures with hands full of sugar cane and bananas and see the huge trunks reaching out to you as you walk by. We made an effort to feed the ones in the back, as they tend to not get as much attention as the ones closer to the baskets of food. You can either let the elephants reach at and take the food with their trunks, or you can put the food directly in their mouths, both of which were highly entertaining. There were also two baby elephants that had been born at the park, and they were two of the cutest animals I have ever been near. 

We fed the babies a single banana at a time, and they would regularly trumpet and put on a show for us. Near the end of feeding time, the guide told us that the baby elephant wanted to give us kisses, at which point we took turns standing by the baby, which then put its trunk on your shoulders and kissed your neck. It was one of the strangest and most hilarious feelings and sights that I have ever seen.

Elephant kisses and petting the baby elephant

After letting the baby attempt to give us hickies on our necks, it was time to practice getting on the adult elephants in preparation for our ride that afternoon. We were taught the commands that we would need to tell the elephant to let us on or off, as well as how to make it go forward, stop, and turn. When you want to get on, the elephant lays down, and you then attempt to get on its back. After you climb aboard, the elephant stands up, and you really realize how tall they are. We practiced taking the elephants in small loops, and then got off and headed inside for a tasty lunch. After lunch it was time for our big elephant ride. I had been worried that having both of us on the same elephant wouldn't leave enough elephant to go around, but it turns out there is lots of space on an elephant's back. I started out as the driver, with Senushi in back as the passenger. Our elephant was called Mae Dom, and she was a gentle old elephant, however, it turns out that elephant hair is really coarse, and it can be a bit abrasive on your legs. By the time we reached the halfway point my butt was sore, and I was ready to be the passenger for the second half of the journey.  After having a drink of water and learning a bit about the elephants, we set off again with Senushi as the driver. It turns out that riding as passenger wasn't much more comfortable, but we made it safely back to the park and headed straight for the pond where the elephants would get cooled off and we would get a chance to wash them. Senushi wanted nothing to do with the pond, so it was up to me to wash Mae Dom. I trudged into the mud with my bucket and brush, and set about washing the elephant, which was also a lot of fun. After we finished washing the elephants, we headed back to the main building for a shower and then were taken bakc to the hotel. The day at the elephant park was one of the highlights of the trip, and it was an experience that neither of us will ever forget!




A speedy ride in a tuk tuk to the Chiang Mai night bazaar

 



 

Several street vendors at the market