I’m currently writing this little Chiang Mai update from my hostel bunkbed on our last night in Pai – we’re already a little behind on blog posts as we’ve been so busy! The last few days have felt like a welcome break after the mayhem of Bangkok and we are glad to be in a much more laid back setting with gorgeous mountain views.
We arrived in Chiang Mai feeling rather groggy after a night of very little sleep on the bus from Bangkok. The seats were fairly comfortable, but the strange overall experience of the night bus didn’t lend itself to getting much shut-eye. We were woken up around midnight to stop at a service station, where we were given meal vouchers for the canteen style catering. Our travel-sick stomachs were not quite ready for food having just woken up, and the lack of a vegetarian option cemented our decision to opt out. The cockroaches and stray dogs in the service station toilets completed the bizarre wake up call.
After a quick snooze at the hostel in the morning, it was temple time: Chiang Mai edition. First stop was Wat Chedi Luang, where we were disappointed to find that women were not permitted to enter certain parts of the temple as menstruation is considered a humiliation to sacred sites. We of course handled this with grace and did not complain as the boys entered without us.
The parts of the temple we were able to see were pretty spectacular, particularly the 14th century ruins that have been reconstructed after earthquake damage.
The other temples we visited were Wat Phantao and Wat Phra Singh, which we entered during prayer time and observed the monks’ ceremonial chanting. A great debate divided the group – whether the older looking monks lining the walls were real people (and so advanced at meditation that they showed no signs of breathing) or wax models. On closer inspection we found that they were indeed impressive fakes.
That evening we headed out to sample some of the glorious street food at the night bazaar.
Bua Tong Waterfalls
On our second day in Chiang Mai we headed to Bua Tong, nicknamed the ‘sticky waterfall’, because of its grippy limestone surface that allows people to walk up and down it barefoot. We started at the bottom of the three waterfalls, stopping for a dip in the plunge pool and then climbing all the way up. It was the most bizarre sensation first stepping onto the rocks, and it goes against every survival instinct you have to trust that you won’t slip and be washed away.
After we’d reached the top and marveled at the gorgeous viewpoint, we prepared for round 2 and clambered back down the waterfall. Despite the grip this did feel decidedly more risky than the way up (unless my Mum & Dad are reading this, in which case it was perfectly safe). Fortunately there were ropes to cling onto as we made our ungraceful descent.
Into the Wild Elephant Sanctuary
Elephant encounters have become a must-do tourist activity in Chiang Mai, and whilst we were eager to experience it ourselves, we were very conscious of the ethical issues surrounding these attractions in Thailand and we wanted to make sure we chose one with a good reputation.
Our hostel was endorsing ‘Into the Wild’ elephant sanctuary, and after some research and some reassurance from the hostel that they periodically visit to review the standards of care, we decided to go ahead and book.
The journey into the mountains was less than relaxing, and the twists and turns of the road almost resulted in a few of us losing our breakfast over the side of the truck. To reach the sanctuary there was also a short trek through the jungle, which was pretty eventful with our fearless guide stopping to put a giant spider he’d found in his mouth.
The sanctuary itself is in an idyllic spot in the valley, where the elephants have access to a mud pool, the river and acres of jungle space to roam in. On arrival we were given a talk by Pai, one of the mahouts, on Thailand’s history of using elephants for work and the controversy around elephant riding in recent years. He compared the situation to our use of horses, much smaller and lighter animals, and made some excellent points explaining the complicated grey areas of using any animal for tourism. Despite our skepticism it was clear that these elephants, mostly rescued from the logging trade, had a far higher quality of life here with one-on-one care and freedom to roam, than they would elsewhere.
When we were introduced to the elephants I was in awe of them and overwhelmed to see the sheer size and power of them up close. We were able to feed them and walk with them through the jungle, watching them eat their way through the trees and covering themselves with dirt to cool down. Next up was the mud bath, which involved us throwing copious amounts of mud over them, each other, and the elephants kindly shitting in the water we were all standing in. The highlight of the day was washing them off in the river and watching one of the baby elephants playfully jump into the water from the rocks.
I’m still unsure how I feel about being able to get so close and personal with a wild animal under these circumstances, but we could tell for certain that the elephants here are well loved and that our money was going towards a high standard of care and rehabilitation.
Chiang Mai was a breath of fresh air compared with busy Bangkok, but we were soon climbing back aboard the bus to move onto our next stop in Northern Thailand, Pai!
Chloe x
Beds slept in: 4
Items lost: 3
Number of bus/train/plane/boats: 2
Pint-Sized Adventurers 