Elephants!
Need I say more?
Okay, you’re right. It would be rude of me to stop there.
It started in the dingy room of our hostel in Nepal.
B: I think we should go to Thailand next. It’s supposed to be amazing.
Me: *Shrugs* It’s still the wet season, and I really want to check out New Zealand and show you Australia.
B: Thailand is waaay more budget friendly.
Me: *Strains against the utmost of logical arguments*
B: This one guy blogs about spending a whole day with elephants.
Me: Let’s go to Thailand next. I hear it’s supposed to be amazing.
Apparently, I’m willing to shirk most future desires to spend time with elephants. I did not know that about myself. But, Elephants are amazing, majestic creatures, and I was not going to miss an opportunity to commune with them. Unfortunately, elephant tourist camps are generally known for mistreating the elephants: beating them, chaining them to their “parking spaces,” and making them perform out of fear – a heart-wrenching sight and not one we wanted to contribute to. Thankfully, there are a few conservation centers that really care for the elephants, and in which one can feed, wash, and just be with them while they hang out doing there 16+ hours a day of eating as much as possible. We chose one of these.
I really wanted to write about how extraordinary the experience was: about how we engaged with the elephants, gazing affectionately at them as we searched their salvaged souls in return for some serious elephant love, whatever that looks like. And it was pretty amazing just to be close to these creatures. But, to be honest, following the theme of feeling lukewarm about Thailand, our overall experience was lacking. Or at the very least it was both extraordinary and ordinary at the same time.
We largely credit our somewhat disinterested tour guide for the hopeful but overall apathetic nature of the day. Case in point, there was a huge stampede around lunchtime, and one of the tour groups had to bolt to a shelter to avoid being trampled. We were all out of our seats, eyes popping, phones snapping and recording (from safe distances). Our tour guide when asked what had happened, “pssht (waving her arm dismissively toward one of the stampeding herd), drama queen.” Not exactly empathetic to the novelty of our experience.
And the elephants? Well, they were a bit less than reciprocal toward everything around them save the food. But, who could blame them? Despite being treated well, they’re approached and fondled by hundreds of tourists a day. Strangers. I was amazed they were as calm as they were.
And yet, despite this lack of enthusiasm, I was pretty much in heaven. Can we take one of these blessed creatures home… pretty please with sugar on top?! Their skin feels rough like the worst of callouses. But it’s super sensitive to the touch, and their ears are almost velvety soft. Their trunks are inquisitive and take food right out of your hand. They are gentle but firmly protective of each other. Several are permanently disabled from previous injuries, dramatically upping the sympathy factor and making us extra glad we chose to visit this center despite the rather ordinary tourist feel of it all. Awesome elephant experience? Check. Lukewarm experience? Check. Intensity of desire to return to a different, multi-day elephant retreat center? High.
Overall feel: OMG Elephants!
Cooking Class
You’d think, after three weeks of stomach problems, we might be turned off from eating anything more than steamed rice the rest of our trip, let alone try a cooking class. And we were skeptical. Our Thai eating experiences were always bittersweet: delicious going down, then largely destructive after that… leaving us fearful of just about every bite we took (and no, it wasn’t the spices, and no, it wasn’t the street food…). Thankfully, a bit of online research (and previous anecdotal evidence from Jenny in Nepal) finally led us to try Pepto Bismol before meals. And, voila! No more stomach problems. Bring it on, Thailand! We were ready to eat again!
The cooking classes are widely regarded as one of the best experiences people have on their Thailand trips, and ours was no exception. Lukewarm it was not… just hot and spicy how we like it! Thailand knows how to teach cooking. And Mama Noi’s offered an exceptional experience including a tour of a local market, a walk around the small farm grounds from which much of the produce is taken, an opportunity to bottle feed the young pigs (Squeee!)… oh yeah, and an awesome cooking and dining experience to boot! We each chose three dishes to make from a list of about 15. All the prep, chopping and such, was already done for us, so we actually learned some of the cooking technique: making our own curry pastes with mortars and pestles, stir-frying our own pad thai, and simmering our own soups.
Each person had a prep station and a stove station, and our leader was great at guiding everyone in the art of creating and perfecting the dishes to individual satisfaction. And damn were we good. One of our best Thai meals to be sure. And what better to top that off with than getting classmates who all go out for drinks together afterward?! Win! btw, the class came complete with a cookbook of all the dishes. So, let’s cook Thai together sometime!
Bicycle Touring
As it turns out, Thailand is a great country to go bicycling in despite what every tour agency will tell you – you’ll die – and especially great if you stick to backroads – lower risk of death. After a wonderfully delightful half-day bicycling trip to the White Temple in Chiang Rai to test out the experience, We spent 11 days bicycle touring around Chiang Mai province on a self-guided route pre-planned for us by Click and Travel (five stars to this small, amazing company!). Originally we thought this trip would consume most of our writings on Thailand. But, the true highlights of this trip really could be summed up in one word – lovely – the details just aren’t that important (or nearly as story-worthy). Lovely. Lovely was every day of cycling through farmlands, orchards, and small hills (skirting but not climbing the more major mountains). Lovely was the weather. Lovely was the scenery. Lovely was every mini resort we stayed in on this journey. Lovely was every side trip to a temple or market, or factory. Lovely was every meal we ate (okay, a few were way better than lovely and thanks to our Pepto, lovely were our stomachs afterward!). And lovely were the people. Friendly and welcoming and so happy to see travelers farther from the tourist hubs… Just lovely.
Phuket
Actually, John Gray’s Sea Canoe (kayak) tour, Phuket. Because we had an amazing time at a beautiful resort in Phuket, courtesy of some wonderfully generous family. But I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess that the juicy details of our cush hotel room and hamburger grazing are not why you’re here. If so, do let me know, and I’ll regale you privately.
I’m guessing you’re more curious why I would ever get in a kayak again after Croatia (spoiler alert: I didn’t have to paddle). Or perhaps what made this the best tour of our entire travel experience. Because it was. The best.
John Gray is a fascinating character who, among other notable achievements, started a sea canoe tour company on $28 US back in 1983. The tours paddle around the spectacular islands, hongs (caves), and lagoons of Phang Nga Bay in the Gulf of Phuket. And this tour company is something special. Did I mention? The best? Really. The best.
Several elements made it the best (read below for a glorification of our tour guide, Tom), but of these, the biggest perk was that our group was essentially alone. We visited sites without even a trace of civilization on or around them. It was a mind-blowing evening. Jungle covered rocks sticking straight out of the sea (see the top image on this post). Mangrove filled lagoons accessible only via narrow hongs at low tide by laying flat in a partially deflated kayak. Exotic birds and monkeys dancing above. Swimming in sparsely populated waters with pristine views. Private Loi Krathong ceremonies and kicking up phosphorescent algae in post-sunset pitch dark coves. And did I mention no other tour groups to contend with? No other tour groups to contend with.
Okay, a teensy bit more detail. Each kayak holds two tourists and a guide allowing small groups to paddle to and from a larger boat at each stop. And only the guides do the paddling (yay!). We just float along snapping pictures. We got super lucky with our guide, Tom. (We love you, Tom!) You want Tom. Tom was easy to understand, and he was thoughtful and knowledgeable of the area and its history. He pointed out different birds and bird calls and spotted monkeys way up in the trees. And, he took us on a private route (away from the rest of our tour group) at our last stop for a breathtaking and serene “solo” experience. Seriously. The best.
This is a must do, a reason to visit Thailand again or for the first time if you’ve never been. I’m smitten, and I want to go back and do their 7-day sea canoe experience. Anyone?