9 Weeks Back packing SE Asia - Part 5a- Chiang Mai, Thailand

Transparency: This post is being written in 2020 as we did not have a blog in 2016.  I am using stay at home time to flatten the curve of the global pandemic Covid-19 to organize photos from this trip into a post.  Memories may not be exact.

Chiang Mai (The Rose of the North)

We are so looking forward to seeing Chiang Mai - The Rose of the North.  Unfortunately, we don't have time to go any further north in Thailand to visit the hill tribes and the terraced rice fields set in the misty mountains, or even some day trips to the nearby National Park or Chiang Rai.  The drive in the minivan from the border town of Chiang Kong is through very pretty country.  We drive through Chiang Rai, but don't stop.

Chiang Mai on the banks of the Ping River was founded in 1296 as the capital of an ancient kingdom.  Today it's considered to be one of the cultural capitals of Thailand.  There are over 300 temples in the city, thirty in the old city alone.

The city was constructed with a moat and outer perimeter wall, then the inner city walls.  Much of the 700-year-old wall was destroyed in battles, but some have been restored.

Four purpose-specific gates were built as access to the city and each was named.  Subsequent kings over time added two additional gates.  Until as recently as the second world war the six gates were the only access to the city and they were closed and guarded at night.

The four corners of the wall are also considered significant, facing the four cardinal directions and again, each is named.  One day is set aside on the calendar for citizens to celebrate the guardian spirits who reside at each gate and corner.

It was spring when we were there and strolling the river walk with its landscaping, fountains, flowering trees and little bridges was a great way to spend some time.

In the photo below the yellow tree on the left is Thailand's national flower.  Here its called Ratchaphruek but known commonly as the Golden Showers Tree.

We spend most of our short time here in the old city.  So there are lots of photos of temples although I have tried to severely restrict that.  Each temple is so different and so stunning that the camera just keeps popping into our hands.  We love the food here and the refreshing pure fruit juices.

A Few Temples:

Some statues: 

Some Stupas:

Alters:

Doors:

Windows:

Random photos from Temples & Temple Grounds:

Elephant Sanctuary

The highlight of this nine-week trip without a doubt was to have some time with elephants in a sanctuary.  We did our best to research carefully to try to find one that really was helping the elephants.  We no longer remember the name of it.  Some of the characteristics included: owned by a vet; tourist fees also support mahouts; elephants return to the jungle each night with their mahout; no use of hooks; no riding; no baby elephants; only one small tourist group through in a day.  These elephants may have been rescued from logging or other activities.  Some may be here for a short while as they recover from an illness or injury or while their mahout gets back on his feet.

The elephants have already arrived and been checked by the vet by the time we arrive.  Our first job is to be paired with an elephant to feed it palm leaves.  Paul's guy is over 60 years old.  His trunk doesn't work so Paul needs to put any food right into his (big) mouth.  Amazing how they can strip those palm leaves.  Feeding is the best way to start a relationship with them.

Getting to know you

Trunk up - Happy Elephant.  Note small ears on Asian elephant

Then we learn how to make medicine balls for the elephants and we feed those to them also.  We put a measured amount of brown medicine (left photo) into a measured amount of sticky rice so that it's in the centre of the rice ball.

Finally, we take bark from some tree and smash it with wooden mallets to make a sponge that has some natural cleaner.  Then the fun begins!  We climb into the river with our elephant who lies down in the water and we scrub his skin.  They all seem to love it, and they get to eat the scrubber when we are done.  Paul's old guy never goes to the river, so Paul helps out scrubbing other elephants.

We are incredibly impressed with the relationship between elephant and mahout.  The mahouts use different, usually gentle tones of voice to control the elephant and they are so responsive to their mahouts.  There is a long-standing relationship between the two.

I think this is the mother-daughter pair here at the sanctuary.  The daughter was two years old at the time.  Look at her size.  There was a time when mom was on the close shore and daughter was on the far shore.  Daughter gave a whimper and momma went charging over to her side to see what was disturbing her.  What a relationship!!

Down to the river

ah - that feels better

Scrub harder, please

A good rinse is important

A good time was had by all!

I still get ooey-gooey and shivers when I think of being so close to those incredible animals.
What a wonderful experience.

Next, we go on a hike in the jungle.  A local man leads the way and teaches us about the plants we pass.

One of the women in our group is without a hat so the guide (red check shirt) quickly makes her a hat out of leaves.

The family that lives here runs a little concession for hikers

Falls & swimming hole is the final destination on the hike

We finish the day with a supposed tube/floaty trip on the river.  The water is so low that in some places we ground our floaties.  There is a scary moment on the river when some elephants are travelling along the shore with their mahouts.  A mahout recognizes there is something about us that disturbs an elephant and he yells at us to stop.  The elephant charges into the river at us but the mahout can bring him under control.  We never learn what the issue was.

Bicycle Chiang Mai

I actually have little memory and we have only a few photos of the bicycle trip other than our "ladyboy" guide made it fun.  We were the only two people on the tour, but the tour went on anyway.  She actually taught me something about bicycle riding that I still practice today.

We stop by a market and sample some goodies.

We ride through the grounds of the McKean Institute for Leprosy Patients.  It gets us out of the traffic and the grounds are beautiful.  The people here with leprosy got it a long time ago.  They get to live in these lovely little cottages on the grounds.  There is a workshop where they can make things to sell.  We stop in and talk with them a while.

Finally, we stop by the ancient ruins of Wiang Kum Kam

Centuries ago the Ping River abruptly changed course and completely flooded this low lying city which was the capital of the Lanna Kingdom.

Time passed too quickly here, there is so much to see and do.  Now we fly to Bangkok so that a bus can transport us to Ayutthaya.

This shiny, gleaming tuk-tuk proudly owned by the woman next door to our guest house is what we choose to transport us to the airport.  Lots of room for luggage and a comfortable ride.