Sat 9th Dec – Chiang Mai (Elephants)
Elephants! Today!
In Thailand, elephants can be purchased legally just like cats and dogs. There are a lot of unethical elephant tourism attractions and the tour promises that this is one that is a friend of the elephant. The jungle/rice paddy fields stretches 12 acres and is an hour and a half windy drive up from the main city of Chiang Mai. There are four elephants, and they freely roam the acerage. Each has a ‘mahoot’ that follows them around while the grounds are open to tourists (literally follows them everywhere). This is the safety net and is why we can get so close to the animals. The Mahoots tell the groups whether the elephants feel comfortable. If they don’t, we back away. If they do, we are allowed to stand very close to them and watch them go about their business.
I am thrilled to hear some light trumpeting. I also get to hear a low rumbling noise (much like a motor starting), which I’ve never heard before, and is a way for the elephant to communicate that they are anxious.
These elephants are still in captivity though. They are are not wild. It emerges that they get chained at night, and that this is for two reasons. One is that they will eat all night and deplete the acerage of plant covering. The other is, without the watchful eyes of the Mahoots (they must sleep), the elephants can destroy the fences and approach the neighbouring small village. It’s not sad like Chiang Mai Zoo, but it’s also not what I was expecting either. I was expecting an ‘in the wild’ safari where we may or may not see them at all. I love elephants.
love love the elephants
did you get a chance to pat the elephants?
is asia like america where you need to tip everywhere?
funny that the first photo of the street stall shows that they only close for 4 hours a day – hope that it is not the same staff for the whole shift.
how do you go ordering food if they don’t speak english?
were there any locals at the restaurant where you had your group dinner?
No pats for the elephant, got to respect them and be a friend.
Yes tipping is very common here. At the beginning of each tour, the guide collects money from each guest for a tipping kitty, and they take care of what is customary for each service. When I am by myself I heavily tip (2-3 times the cost) when the people have been patient with my zero Thai language ability.
Ordering street food is often a challenge, and I resort to pointing at someone else’s dish.
There were zero locals at group dinner.
zero locals = crappy tourist trap food
when you point/order food do you actually know what you are going to get?
i normally don’t like tipping but think it is a great idea in a poorer country