Peaceful, playful pachyderms
This morning we woke up nice and early to prepare for a full day of mountain adventure. Rachel had suggested a place she visited with the previous set of volunteers called Chai Lai Orchid. I couldn't find it online at first, but when I did I was pretty sure this was the type of elephant experience I was looking for in Chiang Mai. We had chosen the adventure package which included bathing the elephants, a hike through the mountains to see waterfalls, bamboo river raft ride and bareback elephant riding.
Chai Lai is a socially conscious organisation that provides a safe-house, free education and paid vocational training for ethnic minority women at risk of trafficking. After our hour ride from the city in a very hip and entertaining songtaew, we were a bit skeptical upon our arrival. We could see elephants with harnesses on their backs- definitely not the humane riding we had signed up for! We found out that was not affiliated with Chai Lai.
The day was going to start with a hike. The group opted for the short hike which would last approximately 3 hours. I decided to sit it out and hang back at the café where I had prime view of the river and passing elephants.
I had a coconut waffle with honey after the group left for their hike. My waitress' name was Ben and I later found out she was not from Thailand but spending two months working there. She had spent six years in school learning Thai and English so that she could teach others. She was so polite and soft spoken and even though there was a bit of a language barrier I could tell she was a kind and gentle person.
After I finished my delicious waffle I met Alexa, the owner of Chai Lai, who was in the café with some of the other fluent English speaking staff. Unfortunately I did not get the name of the lady who assisted me but let's just say that everyone was friendly and welcoming. This worked out to my advantage because I was going to be there for a while! I read the binder with details about Chai Lai and learned that they share the property with a local elephant camp and hope to show them by leading with example how elephant tourism can be both gainful and still humane for the elephants. That explained the passing groups of elephants with harnesses. I asked if there was anything elephant related I could do while waiting for the group that would still allow me to be ready to go when the group finished their hike. The answer: yes!
Ben would take me to feed the elephants and then I'd have a short wait before being able to bathe an elephant. Winner, winner chicken dinner!🎉 If you know me, you know I'm borderline obsessed with elephants so anything ellie-related over hiking is a no brainer.
Ben and I talked as we crossed the bridge and that's when I found out more about her. I wanted to make sure I heard her name correctly so I asked her in Thai and then told her my name. She asked if I spoke Thai but unfortunately I have yet to improve my skills beyond basic phrases. Ben wanted to know why I did not do the trek through the jungle with my friends. I explained that I liked elephants, showing her the elephant charm on my wrist. Turns out Ben likes elephants too. I was pleased to see that the elephants were not harnessed or set up to do any form of tricks. If you ever go to see elephants and are promised a show of any sort whether it's painting or playing football, I sincerely hope you walk away my dear Reader. But I digress, I proceeded to feed a bag full of bananas to these beautiful creatures. The baby elephant was the cutest; I wanted to keep her.
After the feeding we went back to the café where I had an orange juice while waiting for my ride. Ben had taken a few photos of me feeding the elephants. I decided not to post anything online since my phone battery has been so temperamental out here. I needed to save power for more photos.
A short time later I was introduced to Bae, the mahout who would take me to bathe the elephant. As we walked over the bridge I learned that Bae was from Myanmar and has been in Thailand for eight years. I told him I'm from Bermuda and I've been here one week. When we got down by the river, I could see another mahout coming with the perfect size elephant- not huge and not small enough that I wouldn't want to ride it. This mahout's name was Muk and he is from Thailand. The elephant was a four year old female named Duong Dee, which sounds very close to Do-dee. Duong Dee and I then became friends as I bathed her. Muk told me how to wash her- you have to scrub using a brush in order for her to feel it on her thick skin. I had a feeling my arms might be aching the next day! Elephants also like to have sand scrubbed on them. I felt like a spa masseuse giving a fancy body scrub except for the fact I was thigh deep in a murky river and my client was a playful pachyderm! Much like most four year olds, Duong Dee loves to play. With some verbal encouragement followed by pieces of fruit from Muk, she enjoyed splashing me and giving me kisses. The fact that Muk was using the positive reinforcement of treats rather than a bull hook to have Duong Dee follow commands made me even happier with my choice of Chai Lai - it's once thing to read that they encourage responsible elephant care but it's better to see it in person.
After Duong Dee was bathed and I was soaking wet, Muk told me to get on Duong Dee for a ride. Getting on the back I could handle. Getting on the head and sliding back, which Muk demonstrated so gracefully, was not easy for me. I fell a few times! Elephant kisses make murky river falls all better though!
I rode Duong Dee downriver for a bit and then back. We played in the water some more before I headed back to the café. Full of excitement, I posted a photo of me bathing Duong Dee on social media. Shortly after I got back I was informed that the group was finished their hike and ready to go on the bamboo raft. I rode in the back of a pickup truck to meet the group.
Ada, Heather and Sam had gone on the first raft which left Amanda and Ryan waiting for me. We hopped on and our guide expertly manoeuvred us down the river. It was a nice ride with a few fast currents along the way.
Our ride finished back at the café where Muk met us to bathe Duong Dee. What can I say she loves bath time! I think she enjoyed it even more with more people to splash and play with! After everyone else had a turn riding Duong Dee, Muk let me ride her back to the café. We went to have lunch and Duong Dee entertained herself on the river bank.
Chai Lai is a socially conscious organisation that provides a safe-house, free education and paid vocational training for ethnic minority women at risk of trafficking. After our hour ride from the city in a very hip and entertaining songtaew, we were a bit skeptical upon our arrival. We could see elephants with harnesses on their backs- definitely not the humane riding we had signed up for! We found out that was not affiliated with Chai Lai.
The day was going to start with a hike. The group opted for the short hike which would last approximately 3 hours. I decided to sit it out and hang back at the café where I had prime view of the river and passing elephants.
I had a coconut waffle with honey after the group left for their hike. My waitress' name was Ben and I later found out she was not from Thailand but spending two months working there. She had spent six years in school learning Thai and English so that she could teach others. She was so polite and soft spoken and even though there was a bit of a language barrier I could tell she was a kind and gentle person.
After I finished my delicious waffle I met Alexa, the owner of Chai Lai, who was in the café with some of the other fluent English speaking staff. Unfortunately I did not get the name of the lady who assisted me but let's just say that everyone was friendly and welcoming. This worked out to my advantage because I was going to be there for a while! I read the binder with details about Chai Lai and learned that they share the property with a local elephant camp and hope to show them by leading with example how elephant tourism can be both gainful and still humane for the elephants. That explained the passing groups of elephants with harnesses. I asked if there was anything elephant related I could do while waiting for the group that would still allow me to be ready to go when the group finished their hike. The answer: yes!
Ben would take me to feed the elephants and then I'd have a short wait before being able to bathe an elephant. Winner, winner chicken dinner!🎉 If you know me, you know I'm borderline obsessed with elephants so anything ellie-related over hiking is a no brainer.
Ben and I talked as we crossed the bridge and that's when I found out more about her. I wanted to make sure I heard her name correctly so I asked her in Thai and then told her my name. She asked if I spoke Thai but unfortunately I have yet to improve my skills beyond basic phrases. Ben wanted to know why I did not do the trek through the jungle with my friends. I explained that I liked elephants, showing her the elephant charm on my wrist. Turns out Ben likes elephants too. I was pleased to see that the elephants were not harnessed or set up to do any form of tricks. If you ever go to see elephants and are promised a show of any sort whether it's painting or playing football, I sincerely hope you walk away my dear Reader. But I digress, I proceeded to feed a bag full of bananas to these beautiful creatures. The baby elephant was the cutest; I wanted to keep her.
After the feeding we went back to the café where I had an orange juice while waiting for my ride. Ben had taken a few photos of me feeding the elephants. I decided not to post anything online since my phone battery has been so temperamental out here. I needed to save power for more photos.
A short time later I was introduced to Bae, the mahout who would take me to bathe the elephant. As we walked over the bridge I learned that Bae was from Myanmar and has been in Thailand for eight years. I told him I'm from Bermuda and I've been here one week. When we got down by the river, I could see another mahout coming with the perfect size elephant- not huge and not small enough that I wouldn't want to ride it. This mahout's name was Muk and he is from Thailand. The elephant was a four year old female named Duong Dee, which sounds very close to Do-dee. Duong Dee and I then became friends as I bathed her. Muk told me how to wash her- you have to scrub using a brush in order for her to feel it on her thick skin. I had a feeling my arms might be aching the next day! Elephants also like to have sand scrubbed on them. I felt like a spa masseuse giving a fancy body scrub except for the fact I was thigh deep in a murky river and my client was a playful pachyderm! Much like most four year olds, Duong Dee loves to play. With some verbal encouragement followed by pieces of fruit from Muk, she enjoyed splashing me and giving me kisses. The fact that Muk was using the positive reinforcement of treats rather than a bull hook to have Duong Dee follow commands made me even happier with my choice of Chai Lai - it's once thing to read that they encourage responsible elephant care but it's better to see it in person.
After Duong Dee was bathed and I was soaking wet, Muk told me to get on Duong Dee for a ride. Getting on the back I could handle. Getting on the head and sliding back, which Muk demonstrated so gracefully, was not easy for me. I fell a few times! Elephant kisses make murky river falls all better though!
I rode Duong Dee downriver for a bit and then back. We played in the water some more before I headed back to the café. Full of excitement, I posted a photo of me bathing Duong Dee on social media. Shortly after I got back I was informed that the group was finished their hike and ready to go on the bamboo raft. I rode in the back of a pickup truck to meet the group.
Ada, Heather and Sam had gone on the first raft which left Amanda and Ryan waiting for me. We hopped on and our guide expertly manoeuvred us down the river. It was a nice ride with a few fast currents along the way.
Our ride finished back at the café where Muk met us to bathe Duong Dee. What can I say she loves bath time! I think she enjoyed it even more with more people to splash and play with! After everyone else had a turn riding Duong Dee, Muk let me ride her back to the café. We went to have lunch and Duong Dee entertained herself on the river bank.
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