Elfalumps and Weasels

Day 2- Chiang Mai, Thailand

After skimming through an extensive collection of promotions that our guest house offered, we finally decided which excursion to choose. It wasn't too difficult really, when we saw what was included and how much it cost. When you think of Thailand you think of elephants, it's no wonder that the country itself is actually in the shape of one.  

Its a side profile... Do you see it?

So what was in store for us this time? For the price of 1,000 Baht [or 30 American Dollars] It was time, and long overdue, for us to ride some elephants! But not only elephants, this trip included transportation to and from, a stop at an orchid and butterfly garden, elephant ride through the jungle, a hike up a mountain to a waterfall, white water rafting, bamboo rafting, and if that wasn't enough a trip through a local village. It all went down a little like this...

7 am, bright and early we made our way to our Song Tao, (the vehicle I described as a truck with "2 Rows" in my previous Vlog) and met the 2 other people who would be joining our group.  A lovely French couple who spoke little English. Luckily for them, Cassandra is fluent in French and was able to help them out from time to time. I myself have never had the most politically correct view on the French, and would have to admit, quite an ignorant one.[Freedom Fries All the Way] The more French I meet, the more stereotypical they become...but more on that later. 

You know the saying, half the fun is the ride there?  Well this could not be more true. Even though it was so early, the 4 of us were very excited for this day we had ahead of us.  We decide it would be appropriate to act like school kids on a field trip and sing any song that came to mind. Including but not limited to any 1980-1990 television sitcom theme song, The Macarena, and Party in the USA. At this point I could only imagine what our 2 new French "friends" were thinking, although the girl did chime in from time to time when we sang a song she recognized! 

1st stop Orchid and Butterfly garden. This place was very tranquil and beautiful filled with so many different colored flowers and so beautifully arranged. I found it quite necessary to frolic up and down each aisle.  A great way to start your morning, highly recommend it! ;)

The flowers were my favorite part of this stop, the butterflies were a little lame to be honest. There were very few, and most were boring colors like brown and black.  This is the best one I could find, but it was cool to see none the less! 

Next: Elephant Jungle

After a 15 minute walk through fields and over bridges we could see the elephants in the distance!! I was so excited! Finally, going on an elephant ride and who could ask for a better setting? In the middle of the hills/mountains surrounded by only more fields and mountains! So secluded and not flooded with tourists! Two by two we  slowly mounted our elephants, first the french couple, then Michelle and Cassandra and finally Nick and I. Except when we got on ours, we didn't have a lovely Thai man joining us.. off we went into the wilderness with out a guide, just me, Nick, and the elephant whose name slips my mind at the moment.  Lucky for me I got to sit bare back around his neck, no ropes, no seatbelt... NO-NOTHING! It was pretty scary at first to be honest with you. But once we made our way... it got easier! 

This was the best picture I could take, it's quite difficult to capture the perfect image while mounted on an enormous creature! Over the river and through the woods...with frequent stops by our elephant to eat! He didn't listen very well to the other guides yelling at him, but I thought that added character and grew quite fond of our ride. 

It was such a cool feeling to be so close, let alone riding such a majestic creature! His skin was so rough, and furry!  About half way through I traded with Nick for the safer seat, so he could experience what it felt like to jump into "The Jungle Book".

It was so soothing, and thrilling at the same time! 

Nick felt like he was King of the Jungle! 

After about a 45 minute trek, it was feeding time! Despite the amount of food our elephant acquired along the way,  he didn't turn down any of our snacks. For a "donation" of 20 baht, we fed the elephants whole, un-peeled bananas. You could tell this was their favorite part because their eyes lit up, they got big smiles on their face, and became much more playful! 

It was such a memorable experience, and although we hear they do not treat the elephants as good as they could, I'm glad we did it!  After we were done, we stopped and had a little lunch, cashew chicken and white rice! 

Of course at some point there had to be a women selling her "Handmade Crafts" right outside the bathroom. Although her items for sale were rather unique. I could spot the Herf Jones "Marines"  ring from a mile away, she insisted that she "made herself".  I chuckled to myself and kindly declined her offer for me to buy it. 

After such an amazing time, I would have been satisfied with just the elephant ride! But, our day had just begun! Where to next? An hour hike up the side of the mountain, to a small waterfall where we were able to swim. I however opted out of the swimming, the water was far to cold for my Florida skin. The view was just fine for me! And after the hour hike, my out of shape body could use the break.  Michelle and Cassandra dove right in, shortly followed by Nick and our adorable tour guide, "G". For some reason Thai's don't LOVE to swim! Most of the time if they do go in, they are fully clothed. 

Next stop on our jammed packed day was white water rafting, and to my surprise they had safety gear! 

Even though we looked like complete dweebs, I throughly appreciated the vest and helmet! In our raft and off  the six of us go! Down the river, rowing ourselves. We were not the most coordinated group out there. Personally, I blame the French. On the right side of the boat were Nick, Michelle, and I... and on the left was the lovely French couple and Cassandra. Our guide would say "Row, faster, faster!" and we would just go in a circle, on more than 1 occasion I saw the couple put down their oars! It was very frustrating, as I am sure anyone who has ever rowed a boat of any kind, knows that rowing in unison is the key to moving forward. Aside from our lazy companions, we did some how manage to make it down the river. 

Out of one raft and onto another. From the blown up raft (that I'm pretty sure was leaking air) to a floating bamboo raft. This one was much more relaxing as all we had to do was sit and float.  After a short trip to a local village our day had finally come to a end. 

And what a long yet eventful day it was! Such an exciting way to see more of this beautiful country I currently call "Home".  Every once in a while there are those moments where you stop and think about what you are doing. Occasionally,  I stop and say "Okay, I'm on the other side of the world. Now I'm on an elephant".  The longer I am here, the more I grow appreciation for my life and all the amazing people in it. Especially my amazing boyfriend Nicholas Watt.. who was very sneaky during this trip and put together a beautiful video for me. 

It showcases the amazing scenery along the way: I hope you enjoy.