We Love to Trek...on an Elephant!
Trip Start
Oct 12, 2005
1
24
48
Trip End
Mar 31, 2006
Chiang Dao,
Thailand
Saturday, December 10, 2005
We were picked up by a songthau (a truck with benches in the back to cart around tourists) and were dropped off on the side of the road. We looked around thinking we must have to hike up to the elephants and then we saw it. This huge elephant walking toward us with his handler (also called a mahout) sitting atop the elephant. The elephant walked up to a loading platform (about 8 feet off the ground). We scrambled up the platform and into a seat on top of the elephant and the mahout moved to sit on his neck. Since neither the mahout nor the elephant spoke English, we were off without a word. The elephant wandered through a jungle trail up and down steep, muddy hills giving us quite a ride. All the while his trunk reached for bamboo leaves and other vegetation which he promptly shoved into his mouth with his trunk.
00 motobike passenger in Bangkok
We have been told that one elephant eats about 2 tons of food each day and therefore only has time to sleep two hours a night! It was a blast to be about 10 feet up in the air on the back of an elephant while walking through the jungle. We had to be aware of the path the elephant decided to take so we didn't run into any branches but otherwise it felt very safe and stable. The elephant needed a bit of coaching from time to time and once he refused to finish crossing a stream until he had tended to his bodily functions. I bet you didn't know that the sound of an elephant urinating is louder than a babbling brook. ALOT louder.
After our ride, we were left in a hill tribe village to fend for ourselves against the sales tactics of the natives! Our truck arrived about twenty minutes later but the damage had been done - we managed to piss off a couple elder female tribe members by buying souvenirs from another younger tribe member. I think that probably wraps up our tour of native villages although there are about a million day tours available in the area.
The truck took us to our next activity for the lazy western tourist -- a bamboo raft ride down the Ping River. The raft rode quite low in the water so we had to sit up on a little seat about six inches off the bottom of the raft. Kristy still managed to get her shirt and sandals completely soaked. The hour ride was very sunny and relaxing until Matt spotted a snake swimming in the river ahead and pointed it out to the raft driver. The snake was just bobbing about in the water ahead of us, harmlessly going down river when the raft driver started beating it with his bamboo pole. It really wasn't close to the raft so we're assuming he just has a thing against snakes. Matt decided the next time he saw a snake he would keep it to himself.
Now, we're in Chiang Dao town checking the e-mail and doing some research to find our next destination here in northern Thailand. We'll be in Chiang Dao for a few more days. We still have a cave to visit and possibly an elephant show to attend!
