A True Adventure

On Saturday 17^th April 2010 we went with Suriya to the Mae Ping Elephant Camp in the Chiang Dao District. We paid for a multiple ticket for 1,200 Baht (£24). This included watching the Elephant show, riding the Elephants for 1 hour (around the camp and up the Mae Ping River), taking a ride on an Ox Cart and floating down the Mae Ping River on a bamboo raft for 45 minutes, finishing with a delicious Thai lunch at the Royal Ping Garden Resort. We would definitely recommend this package. The day ran so smoothly and everything was extremely enjoyable.

We arrived in time for the last Elephant show which starts at 10 am, an earlier one starts at 8.30am. I would advise you to arrive early, as the show starts promptly. After buying your tickets you will get to watch the Elephants being washed in the Mae Ping River. From here they proceed to a demonstration area, where you will get to sit and watch the Elephants do various tricks and tasks. Such tricks include, carrying a sign that welcomes you to the show, kicking a football, painting and shooting a ball into a hoop.

We were surprised to see how well the Elephants were trained. We didn’t realise an Elephant could be trained to do such tasks. Elephants are an important animal in Thailand.

Elephants have played an important role in Thai history: nation, religion and royal affairs. From the beginning of Thai history, the elephant image was displayed on the Thai flag, it was also the vehicle the Thai King used for fighting battles and protecting the country. We have used elephants for logging and heavy labor. (elephantvillage.com)

After watching the show, your guide will direct you to a high platform, where you will wait for your Elephant. Suriya managed to get us to the front of the queue. Once seated on the Elephant we started our trek around the Elephant Camp, which involved walking through the Mae Ping River, which was around 4 ft deep. The Mahout (Elephant driver) directs the Elephant by pressing behind the Elephants ears with his knees. He also carries an Elephant hook, which is only used if the Elephant misbehaves. The hook is inserted into the elephant’s sensitive skin, either slightly or more deeply, to cause pain and get him to behave in a certain manner. At times we would get quite close to a sheer drop and the mahout would have to direct him back.

Paul and Ruth Elephant Riding

 The scenery we passed was beautiful yet the ride was very bumpy. We passed by several tree top shops, where you can purchase food, such as sugar cane and bananas for your Elephant. Our Elephant kept grabbing the sugar cane with his trunk, demanding that we bought it for him. I didn’t want to mess with him! Elephants need a lot of food, this is not surprising, considering the size of them!

Because of their immense body size, elephants need great volumes of food and water everyday. They consume an astonishing 150 to 300 kg. of jungle fodder and about 200 litres of water per day. They enjoy bamboo shoots, grass and all sorts of vegetation. (elephantvillage.com)

We really enjoyed the Elephant riding. I would of liked to experience sitting on his bare back, maybe next time.

Next we took a short Ox-Cart ride. This took us round a circuit that went up and down hill. Shame this circuit was circular, as we ended up back where we started! The poor Oxen carrying us no where useful! The ride was very bumpy, especially when going down hill as the cart was pushing the Oxen.

We then took a very peaceful ride on a Bamboo Raft, down the Mae Ping River. We were surprised at how steady and calm the Bamboo Raft was. You could easily fall asleep on it. The driver pushes the raft along using a long bamboo stick. It took around 45 minutes to get to the hotel resort, where we went for lunch.

Relaxing on a Bamboo Raft

The service and food at the Royal Ping Garden Resort was of a very high standard. All food including water was included in the price of our ticket. If you require any other drinks, you may purchase them at an extra cost. We were served rice, steamed vegetables, spring rolls and a tofu dish with a sweet and sour sauce. We were offered extra vegetables and rice. We were then served a fresh fruit salad. We were extremely satisfied with the food and service.

The day ended around 2pm. We had an amazing time and would recommend this package to anyone!

On the way back to Chiangmai we went to the Orchid and Butterfly park, which is free on entry, when going with a guide. Here you can see many types of Orchids and butterflies. This was small in comparison to other Orchid Gardens we have gone to. There is also a restaurant and souvenir shop, where you can buy various Orchids preserved with resin, which almost resemble glass.

More blogs on Chiangmai coming soon,

Ruth and Paul

The  Songkran Festival (Thai New Year) runs from 13th-15th April. We decided to cellerbrate this in Chiangmai as this is where the cellerbration originated from. In the 20th century it spread across the rest of Thailand, and is now cellerbrated across the whole of Thailand. However Chiangmai is still regarded as the best place to be for the festival, and the cellerbrations there go on for 6 days and more.

The main way people cellerbrate Songkran, is by throwing water over eachother. Many tourists come to Chiangmai especially for this event. Every shop stocks up with water guns and by the end of the festival water guns are left behind in guest houses by tourists, and probably sold on again next year.

People also visit Wats (Buddhist Monasteries) to pray and they also give offerings to Monks. People also go o visit with family and friends. During the festival a parade is performed around the city. Here you can gently throw water over beauty queens and Buddha images and shrines. This water is mixed with Thai fragrance and is believed to bring good luck and prosterity for the New Year.

The throwing of water originated as a way to pay respect to people, by capturing the water after it had been poured over the Buddhas for cleansing and then using this “blessed” water to give good fortune to elders and family by gently pouring it on the shoulder.The water is meant as a symbol of washing all of the bad away and is sometimes filled with fragrant herbs when celebrated in the traditional manner. (Wiki)

Throwing water over the Buddha Image

Even though the Festival runs from the 13th-15th April be prepared to get soaked for a few days running up to this time. The locals and tourists are eager to get started with the water throwing. The best place to be in Chiangmai is around the Moat. During the festival all around the moat is packed with tourists and locals throwing water. People buy buckets on string and thwo it in to the moat to fill up with water. No one stays dry! You can get a taxi, tuk tuk and even stay in doors, but guaranteed someone will come and wet you! In fact people like to target people who are trying their hardest to stay dry in a taxi.

The festival is a lot of fun. The locals are very welcoming to tourists and you can join in with everyone and have a lot of fun. During the festival guest houses and bars have massive barrels of water outside to throw at people passing. Also people go around on pick up trucks with buckets of ice cold water to throw. This is quite nice in the heat, and helps cool you down:)

We spent the first day of the festival around the Moat and joined in with locals and tourists and had a lot of fun getting wet and soaking people. We bought ourselves super soaker water guns. These are very powerful and can hurt if you shoot them too close. We stayed out for most of the day. People continued to wet eachother till about 7pm. We also watched the parade during the day.

Paul waiting for passing Taxi's

On the second day of the festival we also meant around the moat again. There was a foam machine spilling out foam all over the street. This was a lot of fun! People were runnign around in it and throwing it at eachother. In the afternoon we went to spend time with Suriya and joined in with some of his friend in a near by guesthouse. They had massive cubes of ice in massive buckets of water. We soaked every person passing by on this quite street. There is no escaping the water, not even on a small quite street!

Foam on the streets of Chiangmai

I would definatley suggest you visit Chiangmai during the Songkran Festival. We had so much fun with the locals. They are so welcoming and ensure that you have an amazing time! Be prepared to get soaked! It is a nice way of cooling down in the heat!

Pictures of Songkran coming soon,

Ruth and Paul

Saturday 10^th Continued…..

In the afternoon, after visiting the different tribes, we went to a snake, monkey and Tiger park. There are many animal parks in Thailand. It has become a huge tourist attraction. After talking with Suriya and learning a little bit about these parks, it is really sad to hear that some of these parks do not treat the animals well at all. In fact Suriya has stopped taking his tours to the Night Safari because of bad treatment to the animals.

First we went to see the Elephants at the Chiang Dao Elephant Training Camp. Here you can go Elephant Riding and Bamboo Rafting, for about 1200 Baht (£24). The Elephants go up the River and this is followed by a bamboo raft up the river. We decided to leave this till next week.

Ruth and Paul at Chiang Dao Elephant Camp

We then went to the Snake Park. I don’t like snakes and have never touched or held one, and I never had any intention of doing so! The snake park costs 200 Baht (£4) to get in. This includes looking at the snakes and a snake show. When we got there the snakes were in the cages. We were just looking around, then one of the workers came over with a snake in his hand, and put it on my head! I was a little freaked out! I guess that’s one way of getting over your fears, being forced to!

Snake Hat

We were then guided to the seating area, ready for the show. The show was packed out, consisting of just Paul and myself. We arrived just before 4.00pm; this is a great time to arrive, if you want to be the volunteer for every act! Maybe I should have come earlier!

By the end of the show I had held a Python and a Cobra. I jumped out of my seat when a snake was thrown my way! However this was only a piece of rope! Silly me falling for it! The snake park was really good fun. The show was really entertaining and definitely worth 200 Baht!

Fake smiles with a python around our neck

We then went to a Monkey School. This was close by to the snake park. This also cost 200 Baht (£4) to get in. The Monkeys train here. Unfortunately the Monkey’s are on chains during the day. They say this is because they can be dangerous. In the evening they are set free. We looked around at the Monkeys and then watched a small show. The Monkeys are very clever. They were able to add and subtract and remember the position of wooden numbers that were faced down. I was asked to move these numbers around and then pick 2 numbers. The monkey was able to add the 2 numbers and turn the correct number over.

I also played a game of basketball with one of the monkeys. I was asked to throw the ball 3 times into the hoop. I got one in. The monkey got all 3 in. How embarrassing to be beat by a monkey!

Our last stop of the day was Tiger Kingdom. Suriya asked us if I wanted to go into a cage with a Tiger. Without putting much thought in, we just went ahead and said yes! At this point I couldn’t really understand how this was possible.

We got to Tiger Kingdom, and there was the option to see either the small, medium or large Tigers, or the Lions. You get 15 minutes in the enclosure with them. The Medium and Big Tigers cost 320 Baht (£6.40) each. The Lion and small Tigers cost 520 Baht (£10.40) each. There are also several packages to see 2 or more. We decided to go and see the Big Tiger. This was the cheaper option, probably because most people are intimidated! We were given a number to wait for our turn. Whilst you are waiting you are free to go and look around at the other Tigers and Lions.

We had to read and sign a waiver before entering, to say that we would not hold them responsible if anything was to happen to us. Scary stuff! Also before entering the enclosure with the Tigers, we had to listen to guidelines about how to approach and handle the Tigers. We were told not to approach them from the front and not to touch their face or front paws, as they would take this as a sign of wanting to play. Their version of playing is a little too rough for us!

We met with two Tigers. We laid down with them and rubbed their bellies. I also held the tail. This is very heavy! I then held the paw of the tiger in my hand. At first I was very nervous around the Tiger, but once I became familiar I relaxed. It was a very strange experience. I certainly never imagined I would be sitting beside a Tiger!

Ruth and Paul at Tiger Kingdom

Many people have asked me are the Tigers drugged or sedated. I have asked many locals, tour guides and researched on the internet to try and find out. Suriya has asked the staff at Tiger Kingdom many times, but has never managed to find out much information. From what I’ve read on the internet they don’t appear to be drugged or sedated, however I have not found enough evidence to back this. From what I could see they were treated well and had a lot of open space. They were also fed regularly. There is a lot of bad treatment to animals in Thailand, but there are also a lot of places who care well for the animals. Suriya tells me that a lot of the Elephant parks free the Elephants in the evening. I guess this is better than being trapped in a cage always!

I will write more about our time in Chiangmai Later. There is so much to write, that I am a little behind.

Ruth and Paul

On Saturday 10^th April me and Paul set of with Suriya for our first tour of Chiang Mai. He has known my Dad for over 18 years, as he was the tour guide for the tours my Dad organised for his previous business. My Dad organised tours from England, and took groups of people around the world. What a great job!

Suriya took us to the Lisu Tribe and Elephant Training Centre Chiang Dao. My Dad has visited this tribe many times and knows the people there very well, as this was the tribe he visited 18 years ago, when he first came to Chiang Mai. The people in the village were very excited to meet me, and wanted to give me gifts to welcome me. It was wonderful meeting with people that my Dad knew, and seeing how excited they were to meet me. My Dad had known some of these people when they were just young, and now they are grown with children.

Some of my Dad's friends from the Lisu Tribe

After talking with them we went to look around. There is an Elephant training centre here, and you can go Elephant Riding and Bamboo Rafting on the river. This costs about 1200 Baht for both. We didn’t do this today, as we planned to come back next week to do so.

Suriya then took us to the Karen Long Neck Hill Tribe, just outside of Chiang Mai. Here you can see several tribes in one. The most famous being the Karen Long Tribe. This will cost you 500 Baht per person to get in. Luckily for us we were with Suriya, and he managed to get us in for 200 Baht only.

The Long Neck women famously wear brass rings around their necks. This distorts the growth of their collarbones and makes them look as if they have long necks – which they don’t. This row of brass rings do not actually stretch their necks but in fact squash the vertebrae and collar bones. A woman generally has about twenty or more rings around her neck, and starts to wear them from around the age of 5 years old. They get a new ring every birthday. They also wear rings around their upper legs, to hold their socks up, over their knees, whilst they are working in the fields.

Long Neck Tribe

This is a great place to visit as you get to see a lot of the tribes in one. There is the Famous Karen long neck tribe, the Aka tribe, big ear tribe and a few others which I forget. The only downer is that it is full of tourists, as it was built especially for tourism. Suriya was explaining that the long neck tribe wouldn’t be in Thailand if it wasn’t for this place being created. They have been brought over from Burma, and through the money they make, from tourism, they are able to send money back to Burma, to their families. So at least it is helping their families. It is just a shame to hear that they have to be separate from their families.

We both really enjoyed being at this Village. We got to watch the different tribes make things and play musical instruments. I had a go playing a couple of the instruments. They were mostly different variations of a guitar. I also tried the rings on my neck, they were extremely heavy! How they wear them every day, I don’t know. I guess they must get used to them.

We will write more about the rest of our day, visiting various animal parks.

Ruth and Paul

On our first day in Chiangmai we went around Chiangmai city, and looked at the many Buddhist temples. There are over 300 Buddhist Temples in Chiangmai. The temples are funded by donations made by locals and tourists. The temples are beautifully finished and made to stand out, using colourful glass and gold leaf and dragons.

Detail of Temple Roof

Each temple houses a Buddha as their centre piece. A Buddha is a very Holy person in Buddhism. The word Buddha means ‘He woke up’. The man who started Buddhism was named Siddhartha Gautama. Some people call him the Buddha, but others call anyone who has found enlightenment, Buddha. If you are close to finding enlightenment, you are called, Bottishattva. Some people pray to the Buddha, but it is important to note, that they do not see Buddha as God, but as a teacher.

A Buddha is a human being who has woken up and can see the true way the world works. This knowledge totally changes the person beyond birth, death, and rebirth. Nothing can annoy him anymore, even the circulation of incarnation, since his enlightenment put him outsides of this eternity circle in time and space. This person can help others become enlightened too in a proper way. (Wiki)

Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep is the cities most popular temple, and dates back to 1383. Wat Chiang Mang is the oldest Temple in the city, that dates back to the 13^th Century.

We went to see many temples, we can’t remember all of the names as there were so many. We went into the temples and spoke with the Monks. They are very friendly and happy for you to go and talk with them. The monks live in the monestary and study there. They are given food and donations by locals and tourists. You can purchase baskets of food in the town, that you take to the temple, to donate to the monks. They live off these donations.

Talking with two Buddhist Novices

The temples are open for everyone to take a look, and they are very happy to talk with you about the temples. They are very friendly and very welcoming. It is respectful to cover your arms and legs before going into the temples, and also to take your shoes off. They have clothing outside a lot of the temples, if you need to cover up.

Ruth and Paul