Needless to say, my blogging has been neglected. Ironically, the reason I have stopped blogging is the reason I wanted to start a blog in the first place: travel. In the past month since returning from Bali, I have been to Singapore, the jungles of Cambodia, and Chiang Mai.
With Chiang Mai fresh in my mind after returning two days ago, I will start with that.
I decided to go to Chiang Mai not only because I heard it was beautiful, but also because I wanted to meet up with a woman who works for the Free Burma Rangers, a NGO based in Chiang Mai that does cross-border relief to IDPs in Burma. Unfortuntely, she was unable to meet.
I decided to go to Chiang Mai not only because I heard it was beautiful, but also because I wanted to meet up with a woman who works for the Free Burma Rangers, a NGO based in Chiang Mai that does cross-border relief to IDPs in Burma. Unfortuntely, she was unable to meet.
I arrived on Friday afternoon after a small mix up in the airport which resulted in me needing to refund my current round trip ticket, and buy a one way ticket to Bangkok, in cash. With the thought that maybe this was a bad idea to be buying a one way ticket into a foreign country from another country tht was currently fighting with said country, I went ahead and did it anyways.
I spent Friday walking around the town and did a little temple viewing. What I discovered, is that once you have seen a few Southeast Asian Wats (in four countries…) you can guess whats coming. The scenery, however, was beautiful.
Saturday, however, is where the real fun begins. I signed up to do an “Elephant Mahout Training Day.” What is that you might ask?
Well, I was given an elephant and a set of incredibly attractive Mahout Training pants and shirt, complete with a scarf, for the day and told the commands. So, with me up riding on its neck, we set off into the jungle not once, but twice, complete with me ending the day by giving Pin Bwong a bath in the river.
Well, I was given an elephant and a set of incredibly attractive Mahout Training pants and shirt, complete with a scarf, for the day and told the commands. So, with me up riding on its neck, we set off into the jungle not once, but twice, complete with me ending the day by giving Pin Bwong a bath in the river.
To tell you about my friend Pin Bwong:
She was working at a lumber yard in Burma when she was rescued about ten years ago. She is currently 30 and very happy with her new life. She was abused before, but the Mahout I was working with said she smiled at me and thought I was pretty. Not sure if he was being creepy or Pin Bwong is my newest best friend.
She was working at a lumber yard in Burma when she was rescued about ten years ago. She is currently 30 and very happy with her new life. She was abused before, but the Mahout I was working with said she smiled at me and thought I was pretty. Not sure if he was being creepy or Pin Bwong is my newest best friend.
There were three baby elephants, aged 3 months, 1 year, and 3 years, but since they had not yet been to “Elephant School,” my guide (his English name was Tony) told me in broken English that I was more at risk of being trampled or hit by a baby than the adult. Though cute, the baby elephants still weighed over 200 lbs and was the size of a small pony.
It was around the time when I was caught in a rainstorm while riding my elephant throught he jungle, just riding on its neck with a very small Thai man meandering around next to me, that I realized for the second time how badly this trip could go. I thought of it a third time when my mahout offered me moonshine his village had made to warm me up after the rain.
No harm no foul and I left the trip not only able to say that I have ridden an elephant without a seat (saddle?), but all in one piece.
