Elephant Camp in Chiang Mai

There is something quite amazing about interacting with elephants.  I realize that elephant tourism and other large animal tourism is controversial at best, but in all honesty, I don't think I ever could have personally gotten such an appreciation for these animals without interacting with them.

The one feeling that I am always left with after seeing, touching, or being around elephants is just how intelligent, curious, and playful they are.  I mean these not in the sense that they are all "nice" or they are all at the same level of intelligence or somehow superior to other animals, but just how much they like to interact with other entities.  

I am always left with a feeling that elephants are just like VERY overgrown dogs.  Some of them are great, some will maul you, but they all have a level of intelligence behind their eyes that can change a person in a lasting manner.  No zoo or nature documentary has ever left me with this feeling.  Staring into their eyes from a few feet away while they use their trunk to figure out my purpose, (and if I have any snacks), leaves me feeling that I have just had an experience that is one that I will never forget.

If I could, I would do-away with those dumbass elephant shows.  

I have no desire to watch them paint a picture, or ride a tricycle.  

I like just watching them wander around and do "elephant" things.  You know, normal stuff.  

In that light, I am glad we found a place to go to that is much more down-to-earth and places more emphasis on feeding them and just being around them, rather than watching a show designed for photo-opportunities.

Yes, the dog was cute.  I like dogs... sue me.  I know it is a blog about elephants.  But, I mean, look how damn cute he is!?!

Temples at breakfast and bugs for dinner

- Lots of videos in this one...-

Sometimes the best plans fall apart at the last minute. We were left in Chiang Mai with about three hours to spare. Now, this is not that big of a deal, but I was charged with finding something to do. I presented the question to everyone: culture or coffee?

My thinking was simple, either we kill some time drinking coffee, or we go and find a random temple and explore it.

Thanks to a fast-talkig cab driver, we ended up on top of a mountain, climbing a bunch of stairs, and getting blessed by a monk. 

Guess days can start fairly random like that.

We wound up at Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, and I could not have been happier that we had circumstances delay our plans.

I absolutely love public transportation in Thailand. Tuk-Tuk, cabs, and those awesome converted pick-up trucks. We grabbed a converted pick-up truck, ans headed up a windy mountain road.

I don't know how we did not die, the road was windy, we were passing traffic, and the bed of a truck is not known for being the best on a crash test dummy.

Eventually we made it, only to find stairs. Now, this was only a little over 200 stairs, but still, stairs suck. Not sure why everything in Asia is vertical, but there must be a reason. 

After making it to the top, and taking photos, my wife had the idea to get a blessing. We watched one group, and then pantomimed them later. Not sure really what happened, but I now am sporting a white piece of string around my wrist. Pretty sure that means I am all set for a while. 

Be jealous, be very jealous.

After a three hour bus ride and a small rainstorm (first of the season), we went to the night market. I managed to find a stall that sold various bugs, and I had the chance to prove the age-old idea that anything fried tastes amazing. We dove right in!

New Year in Chiang Mai - Celebrating in an Interpol Shipping Container

We have learned that a major part of traveling is just to roll with the impromptu adventures.  While we were in Chiang Mai during New Year's Eve, we decided to go for a walk and see if we could find a place to celebrate.  We walked past many drunken venues that just did not have the right feel that we were looking for, and eventually settled on a multi-story tree-house that was made out of an old shipping container.  

Like I said, a tree-house made out of a shipping container.  It seemed to be the local biker bar (and by that I mean, bicycles, as there were quite a few pictures of people biking, and other memorabilia), and the bar seemed closed.  Of course this did not stop us, we ordered some food and watched as the employees had a BBQ party below.  

We also invited ourselves to their party and after some negotiation, at some of the biggest prawns I have ever seen.  

Also, the shipping container may or may not have belonged to InterPol.  While I am not sure, it sure does add to the story.

After hanging out in the shipping container for a few hours, we found ourselves at a great "buy mixed seafood by the kilo" restaurant, and decided to binge out for about $8.  Not a bad decision at all. 

A Quick Excursion in Chiang Mai

One of the ongoing problems that we have run into in Thailand is that of heat-exhaustion and/or carsickness.  While this ALWAYS sucks, it just seems to be a part of life over here for us, and we just figure out our plans and deal with it as it comes up. Dramamine does help a lot, as does continually drinking just about any liquid we can get our hands on, but some adventures need to be shortened and some situations just... suck.
Having a carsickness induced migraine while waiting for a cab or a train in the middle of a loud city is pretty much the definition of sucky.  Oh well, life goes on.  

Chiang Mai Night Market

I am not proud of this post.  At all.  I am so not proud of freaking out while getting a fish "massage".  I have no clue who invented this form of torture, but I am pretty sure it must be the CIA for use on detainees at Guantanamo Bay.  Needless to say the night market at Chiang Mai is amazing, and you can find just about anything you want while walking around the different stalls.  

This post is not about that though.  Pretty much anything you want is there, so yeah, just assume if it is something you want, the Chiang Mai night market sells it.

This post is about the new type of torture that involves fish chewing the dead skin off of your feet.  It is hell.  It tickles on a level that should be illegal.  There is no excuse for this being around.  

Literally hundreds of tiny fish chew on your feet.  It does not hurt, just feels like tiny pinches.  It also tickles beyond all reason. 

If you ever wanted to see what a full-grown man looks like freaking out while sitting next to his wife who is a champion at life, this video is for you.  I am not proud of how I looked, but it happened, and it deserves to be shared.  Needless to say, my friends Eddie and Khwan sure enjoyed watching me freak out.  

Thanks for the video... not.

The View from the North

Northern Thailand has to be one of the prettier places that I have been.  The scenery is dramatic and bold, and the atmosphere is quite different from the city-scape that I am used to living near Bangkok.  While I do live on the outskirts of Bangkok, it still has that suburban Thai feel - concrete, some greenery, and lots and lots of traffic.  While there is quite a bit of traffic in and around Chiang Mai, once you get outside of the city there is a huge emphasis on nature and greenery.  They know they have a great thing going with the eco-tourism.

The sky-walk was a very big thing for all of us, not only did we elect to walk up the mountain to get to it, (not one of our best ideas), but it was also quite a bit scary for a few people in our group.  The idea of walking out on a big glass and open steel bridge to take a look over the valley is quite cool for me, but apparently I have a much different view on what is fun and exciting.