Chiang Mai and The Elephants

Friday morning seven out of the group of ten flew to Chiang Mai, the second biggest city in Thailand found towards the North of Thailand.  Four of us flew on Nok Air which was an awesome airline!! It was around $70 one way and we got free snacks and drinks on the airplane, not to mention the flight was only around 45 minutes from Bangkok.  Once we landed we were greeted by the the spectacular lush green covered hills. The city was not very big at all in comparison to Bangkok.  We stayed at a hostel called Thailandwow in a dorm of ten for two nights and it was not bad at all- the bathrooms were decent and the beds were just bunk beds.  Not bad for only spending about 5$ per night! We arrived around 1 PM so we decided to go out to eat and visit a temple.  Once again, it was beautiful full of gold and red intricate details and monks chanting and praying in one section of the temple.

It also had a forest full of plaques on the trees with quotes such as: "Read not only books but man" and "peace is the highest bliss". After the temples we went to the most famous night bazaar in Chiang Mai and I definitely got most of my souvenir shopping done.  It had some interesting trinkets, lots of jewelry, and a lot a lot of food.  I have decided that once I get back home I am learning how to carve wood because that is one of the things that "speaks" to me while I am here. I keep on noticing the intricate wood work and just all the little detail that goes into things.  I want to become really really good at something and creating wood carvings with my own hands is going to be an amazing feat.  While at the night bazaar we also decided to get Thai massages because they are one of the things you must experience while you are here so we paid 100 Baht (which is basically 3.5$) for 30 minutes.  It was definitely well worth it and we continued shopping around for the rest of the night.

Day Two: Ride Bicycles Not Elephants
One of the things that I wanted most to do in Thailand was to see or ride an elephant.  I am obsessed with elephants and Chiang Mai is known for its elephants and trekking through the mountains.  However, two girls in my group convinced me to go the Elephant Nature Park which was an hour drive from Chiang Mai.  They told me it was a sanctuary and that it was highly recommended by a friend (5 stars on tripadvisor) and that it would be a life changing experience.  Of course I was a little skeptical because it wasn't exactly what I was looking for and a tad bit expensive but I went with it because it did still sound like fun and six of us were going.  Little did I know, this might and actually probably is the best part of my trip.

A little background on elephants.  Elephants are a huge part of Thailand culture.  Not only are they depicted as deities and are significant in religion, but they also were a huge part of the logging business as well as tourism.  In the last ten years the elephant population has declined significantly from 100,000 to as little as 5,000.  Using elephants for logging is strictly illegal but they are still used significantly for tourism and rides.  This sounds all great and dandy, I mean who doesn't want to ride an elephant?  But little does the general population know about how elephants come to know how to give rides to people.  When the elephants are young, it has been a traditional ritual to put an elephant into a crusher cage which literally is supposed to crush their hopes so that they become a submissive animal.  They are poked and prodded with sticks and nails, beaten, and taught how to lift their feet on command all from beatings and instilled fear.  Here is a link depicted what happens to elephants (20 seconds to 40 seconds will give you enough to know how brutal their training is): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcvGGe-zpIA.  I 100% cried when watching this at the Nature Park because it is unfathomable for me to believe that people can do this.  But since this is an ancient tradition, it has been passed down generation to generation.  However, due to new awareness about this common practice and our movement towards humane treatment of animals has led people to save the elephants from these kinds of practices.

Elephant Nature Park is an animal rescue and rehabilitation center where there are 35 rescued elephants that roam free throughout the park. Some are blind, some have healed broken legs, and each has their own mahut which is a trainer who solely works with the elephants through positive reinforcement.  At this elephant park we were able to walk around where the elephants roamed and were introduced to many for the first part of the day.  It was crazy being so close to them.  I mean, they could seriously charge at us at any moment in time if they wanted to! We got to feed them and touch them of course with certain rules such as never stand behind them or startle them.  It was literally the most amazing day.  Their skin was hairy and thick and rough with some parts smooth.  Some had different colorings with spots that even looked like a cheetah.  At the main platform is where we were able to feed them! They are vegetarian and eat a lot of watermelon and bananas... yummyyummy!  Our lunch was also vegetarian (buffet style) and it was the best meal I've had here and I am pretty sure that when I get back home I am going vegetarian. Its definitely a moral philosophical issue that I've been battling with, but I think this trip has made the decision more clear and I hope I can stick with it.  After our lunch we got to bathe the elephants in the river by splashing them with buckets of water!!

It was the coolest thing!! To cool off elephants bathe in water and then roll around in dirt because it keeps them cool and acts as a sunscreen.  Being literally a foot away from these beautiful giants and getting to touch them was indescribable.  They are extremely intelligent creatures, huge, but they have the kindest hearts.  Of course they are dangerous and especially protective over their little ones but with love these elephants are healing and you can practically see them smile at this park where they roam free.  Only the front of the park is enclosed- the elephants could roam free towards the mountains if they so wished.  It was a beautiful day. And elephants are truly beautiful creatures.

 I can't believe that I got to experience this wonderful day. I was overcome by such joy, love, and compassion that I had to hold back tears through most of the day so people wouldn't see but deep down this was one of the most touching moments of my life.  I'm tearing up just thinking back to it right now ha (ahh such a softie).  If you want to learn more about the elephants and The Elephant Nature Park check out http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/aboutus.htm. I want to share this information because so often times we think about how cool something sounds aka riding an elephant but little do we know what goes into how they are able to do so.  I want to help spread the word about what happens to the elephants so that as possible tourists one day you too can make an educated decision on the choices you make while visiting other countries such as Thailand.  I hope that maybe one day too you will be a part of saving the elephants movement :)

The elephant park concluded our Saturday fun. We relaxed for the rest of the day and hung out at the hostel playing games and on Sunday we left in the morning to arrive back to home base by noon.  This weekend was literally the best and I am so happy I was able to go to Chiang Mai. I hope to return one day and maybe volunteer at an elephant sanctuary later in my life- or perhaps open one of my own.