Chiang Mai - day 4

6 Oct 2015

As expected, we woke up on day 4 feeling a little depressed because it was the last day of the vacation. Our flight was in the afternoon, so we decided to explore the nearby areas on foot until then. 

Xena playing with an inflated elephant that Maya had bought for Pickles in the street market

We stumbled upon a cafe called 'Catmosphere'. The two kids in the group -- Pizzadude and Xena -- were absolutely thrilled at the prospect of dining with cats. 

Unfortunately, the place was not open, so she had to make do with peering through the glass doors to say hi to the cats.

In a way, Catmosphere not being open turned out well for us because we walked around quite a bit and came across the....

...Mac Cafe! Wait till you see the inside... 

Yes, the cafe had not been randomly named. It truly was Mac-themed. Check out their desserts!

There was a tree right inside the cafe!

Viv tours the cafe, checking out the various Macs were on display.

Xena had, meanwhile, found and perched herself on a 'high chair'. 

We ordered some lovely tea...

...and some lovelier food! 

One of the best meals we had in Chiang Mai for sure!

Once the tummies were full, we decided to walk about a little more. We saw many funny signs, such as the...

...See man pub! We were not sure if it was a pub where you go to see many a hot man or what.

And of course, there was 'the best Physics Academy ever'!

Soon, it was time to pack up and check out so we went back and did exactly that. Reluctantly. 

We flagged a songthaew to take us back to the airport. He looked at the group and quoted us a sum, which was lower than what we expected. He didn't charge anything for the kids, even though normally they charge per person.  

Xena really enjoyed the journey. She spent the entire journey making funny faces with her daddy. This is just a sample. 

Xena says 'kapun kap' (thank you) to the songthaew driver. He was very amused. 

The waiting lounge was right beside the runway and we had a fab view of the planes against the mountain backdrop. 

The airport was not very crowded, and Xena had a great time making use of all that space.

Xena bags a window seat for the journey back to Singapore. Good bye, Chiang Mai. You were fab!

Chiang Mai - day 3

5 October 2015

Today was the highlight of the trip - the elephant jungle sanctuary! Chiang Mai has a lot of elephant camps you can go to and interact with elephants. I was looking for something that treated the animals well (no chains, no rides, no elephants painting, etc.). Though I found one initially that had a lot of interactions with the elephants in their natural surroundings, including the opportunity to feed and bathe them, it was a full day affair, and we were not sure the kids would be able to take a long day out. They did have a half-day option, but then you didn't get to bathe the elephants, which was the most enticing part. 

Finally I found the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary, which ticked all the boxes and could be done in half a day. The price was on the steep side, around 70 dollars per person, but it was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity so everyone agreed quickly. It was an early start - the van picked us up at 7 am. But we had no trouble getting up early due to the 1-hour time difference between Chiang Mai and Singapore. (Most days, my body clock would wake me up at 6 am, even before my alarm rang, and I found the early morning time with nothing to do, very refreshing.) 

It was a super long ride to where the elephants lived, about 2 hours from the city. We were in a 4x4 pick-up truck, laden with bananas (Xena was a little shocked to see so many, and then we told her they were for the elephants, not us!) and with plenty of fresh air blowing at us. To pass the time, Viv suddenly came up with a question. What I expected to be a riddle turned out to be this - What is the number of zeroes in 87 factorial? Oh dear lord. If the journey was not enough to put me to sleep, this sure was! I didn't sleep though, I just watched as Pizzadude cast aside his pain and actually attempted to work out the answer. (Don't ask me for the answer. If I cared about what it was, I'd tell you.)

The loooooong road to see the elephants

Xena wanted to wear a bandana just like me!

Once we were close to the sanctuary, our vehicle got on to a winding downhill dirt track, and I have to say it was quite the experience. You have to hand it to these drivers. It's not everyone's cup of tea to drive on that kind of surface! There were two other people in our truck and they were armed with anti-motion-sickness pills! Normally, I get motion sickness if I'm in the back of a car for too long, but I was fine this time, possibly because it was open and there was plenty of fresh air. Maya felt quite sick though. Luckily, we reached quickly and she felt okay. 

We could see the elephants in the distance and Xena was getting super excited! 

We were welcomed by the elephant handlers and we joined a group already seated in a thatched hut. 

The hut was ready with mats and cushions.

Our group of fellow adventurers

We were given traditional clothing called 'Karen' after the tribe, to wear so that the elephants would take to us the way they did to their handlers. 

Viv and Xena in Karen clothing

Xena and me in Karen clothing

Next, we had a quick briefing on the dos and don'ts. I found it heart-warming that they asked us to wash our hands with soap and water, especially if we had put mosquito repellant on ourselves, as they didn't want it getting in the elephants' mouths when we fed them.

Armed with bunches of the small bananas, before we made our way down to feed the elephants. 


Xena thought it was too much food for the elephants!

Our guide told us that the tusked Asian elephants were males. Xena quickly identified all the tusked ones and christened them Eddy and the ones with no tusks Elly. 

Step 1: Approach elephant, while waving banana in air. 

Step 2: Let the elephant take the banana with its trunk.

Step 3: Watch it gulp the banana down!

Step 4: Repeat. (And try to keep up with the elephants' appetite!)

There was a 1-year-old baby elephant, which was the most adorable of the lot. Obviously. Xena was scared of the bigger ones but she managed to feed some bananas to this one. 

Xena offers baby Elly a banana.

Here's a video of her going, "Eat it, Elly, eat it!"

She wanted to touch it, but was too scared so she sub-contracted the job to daddy. 

I couldn't get over how cute the baby elephant was! 

And friendly too!

Some of the bigger elephants were also eating corn. Our guide said that each of them ate like 300 kg of food every day! 

Me just about to get whacked by the elephant's tail... no, I didn't. Phew!

Next, we followed the elephants as they walked up the hills, grazing on grass! It was an amazing experience being so close to them that you literally had to make way for them to pass, and save yourself from getting a sharp tail slap from them!

Xena was tired so she hitched a ride.

We went up the hilly path and the handlers got the elephants to follow.

We saw some of them blowing dirt on their backs, scratching themselves against tree trunks, hitting the plucked grass against their legs to get rid of the soil before they ate it, and generally having a blast.

Spot the elephant scratching itself, precariously perched on the edge?

Next, we were to take them into a large mud puddle for a mud spa! We unanimously decided to skip the part, though it was quite sad as we were the only ones that did that. The rest of the group changed into their swimsuits and swim trunks and dived right in, some quite literally. One of the ladies laughingly said as she rubbed an elephant with mud, "After all, when else am I ever going to do this?"

The elephants were obviously loving their spa session, and many of them plonked down on their sides to truly relax and let their masseurs and masseuses get to work. 

The guides were also in the mud, splashing one another. One of them was very playful and the guide who had driven us said, "Don't mind him, he's a little crazy. Too much time with the elephants I think." 

And then came the bestest part of all. We walked up the hill again and over a bamboo ladder precariously balanced over some rocks and branches and came to... a waterfall! It was amazing! The elephants had been lovingly led there and they immediately headed for the water. It was starting to drizzle, adding on to the sense of excitement. 

We were given plastic basins and hard brushes to clean the mud off the elephants. It was a little scary at first to be in the water with 6 elephants, but it was amazing! It also got less and less scary by the minute, and by the end of it, I felt like I was so much more okay with being around elephants than I was before the visit. Xena was happily splashing the elephants. 

All of us splashing the elephants, who seemed only too happy about it

We scrubbed and cleaned this elephant!

The elephants were having so much fun splashing and rolling around in the water that it was difficult to tell where one elephant ended and another began!

Soon, we heard loud laughter from the handlers. We turned to see what was going on and realised that one of the elephants had pooped! In the water! But one of the handlers quickly fished everything out with a deep triangular net. I was surprised to see how it didn't mix with the water, but stayed floating in the form of lumps. 

We made our way back to the hut where there was pad Thai wrapped in leaves waiting for us, as well as freshly-cut fruits and bottles of water. We were quite hungry so we gobbled it all up gratefully. 

I took Xena to a very primitive looking bamboo toilet which was surprisingly well-equipped on the inside!


A happy little girl at the end of the tour

Then we said goodbye to the handlers and made our way back. Our guide dropped us off in the lane where we'd had dinner the previous day. We checked the menu at a few restaurants along the way, but decided to go back to De Zaab for another hearty meal. 

De Zaab restaurant

Yummy lunch and drinks!

Daddy and baby trying to mimic the mascot outside De Zaab

The daddies went back with the kids, while Maya, Pizzadude and I went to get our two-hour massages. The boss lady there was quite chatty and told us how she'd lived in Calcutta for 6 months. When I asked her if she liked it, she smiled and said, "No." It was hilarious. 

Our masseuses were really strong! They pulled and pummeled us for two hours, until every bone was creaking and and every muscle was aching. It was strange that they were the ones getting the workout, while we were the ones aching. My calves were still sore from the Doi Suthep walk and now they were hurting even more. I think I much prefer the Balinese gentler massage. But it was nice overall, and it gave me two long hours of mulling time. 

We returned home after the massage and as we were in no state to go out for dinner, the guys set out to pack dinner for everyone. They came back with some amazing Greek pizza, cheesecake and apple strudel. Yum! The kids fell asleep quickly and we finally had a chance to arm ourselves with wine glasses and talk about anything and everything without any interruptions. 

Read Chiang Mai - day 4 here. 

Chiang Mai - day 2

4 October 2015

I had booked a van and a driver to take us around for a half-day tour. We didn't want too early a start, so we'd asked him to come at 9 am. Contrary to our expectations, we were up really early -- before 6 am! It was the time difference and our body clocks, I guess. So it was really easy for all of us, including two kids, to be ready on time.

This little monkey was up at 6 am!

Oops, I stand corrected. She told me she was a bunny for the day. 

Our driver arrived right on time. I took a double-take when I saw the size of the vehicle.

It was the most gigantic of all vans, almost like a bus or a truck. 

My pathetic attempt at a family selfie...

Our first stop was the Wat Phra That Doi Suthep temple, popularly known as just 'Doi Suthep', though that is actually the mountain on top of which it is located. Founded in 1383, the temple was only about 15 km from the city centre, so we got there pretty quickly, in about 20 minutes.

The uphill and winding path was short, so thankfully no one got sick. 

There is a car park at the base of the temple from which you can either take a tram or climb 309 steps to reach the pagodas on top. We considered taking the tram because we felt the kids might get tired, but changed our minds and took the steps instead. 

The steps to go up to the pagodas

A statue of Buddha at the temple's base... this was only one of the many many statues we were going to see!

Daddy and bunny pose for me.

Family shot before we start the real climb - 309 steps!

To our utter surprise, just as we had competed about 100 steps (or so we thought), we realised that we had reached! 

Xena was fascinated and at the same time scared of these gigantic bells. She asked me to ring them after she had firmly closed her ears.  

Xena's impression of an elephant swaying its trunk

Devotees were offering lotus flowers and incense sticks

I wondered if that was all real gold...

Xena had many questions about why this bhagwanji was sleeping!

Buddha statues everywhere...

Some of them were really ornate. 

"Mama, look! Such a BIG candle!" Xena exclaimed.

Can you spot the tiny statue hidden in this tree?

We were done pretty quickly, as the portion of the temple that is said to offer spectacular views of the city was under renovation. So we made our way down the 309 stairs to the base of the temple, which was full of souvenir shops and food stalls. 

Interesting way of cooking eggs

There were gazillions of shops selling clothes. 

Little monk statues... gosh do you see the one with headphones on? How adorable is that??

There were kids' clothes too, but I didn't buy any because Xena was not with me and lately she only wears stuff that she has picked herself. 

And of course, the classic snack stalls, selling fried bugs!

The group had been split up, and while Viv waited with Xena at the spot where our van guy was supposed to come, Pizzadude and I walked around, checking out the shops. He told me he wanted to buy some pants, but was hopeless at bargaining. And in Thailand, even though stuff is super cheap, if you don't bargain, you are a fool. I agreed to accompany him on the condition that I was not expected to bargain on behalf of him! (It's been 6 years since I went to India, and I've not exactly had a great track record at bargaining anyway.) 

Anyway, Pizzadude really surprised me. He was actually able to bargain! Though it was a not-at-all-dramatic kinda bargaining. He liked two pairs of pants listed at 250 Baht each. He said "400 baht?" and the lady responded with a "450". He went on to say, "400 Baht, please" and she readily agreed! I couldn't believe it. That was a surprisingly calm transaction. What a disappointment. 

Our van guy came to pick us up on time and we asked him to take us to a nice lunch place. He took us to this really cool restaurant, facing a pond and lots of elephant statues all around. The waiter came and asked us, "Noodles or Thai food?" It was amazing how loud we were as all of immediately yelled out, "Thai food!" 

 

This was the view from our table!

We ordered the food and then Xena and I took a walk around the place. She was delighted to see the sheer number of elephant statues. 

"Mama, look! The elephant's trunk is a fountain!"

Xena kicks an elephant's ass!

Finally the food arrived! We were famished. Check out the spread!

The fried rice we'd ordered for the kids came in a star shape. Super cute!

After stuffing ourselves with the yummy food, we were off again. Our driver dropped us off at the handicraft village, where you could see the wares being hand-crafted and painted. 

Pictures of the much revered king of Thailand - Bhumibol Adulyadej - are everywhere. The 87-year-old king is the world's longest-serving current head of state, reigning since 1946. 

A poster showing how umbrellas are hand-crafted

Xena keenly observes how an umbrella is made. 

The umbrellas are left to dry in the sun before they are painted.

Xena studies a brightly-coloured gigantic fan, featuring... elephants again!

One of the sections of the handicraft village had people painting pictures on canvas. 

There were also some pictures on display, including this one, which made me chuckle. 

A lady called Xena and asked if she wanted a painting on her top. Usually Xena immediately rejects such offers. She refuses to get her face painted at birthday parties too. But strangely, she agreed! She chose a pretty butterfly design and the lady did it in less than 5 minutes! It was jaw-droppingly amazing. And just for 50 Baht (2 dollars). 

The lady stuffed a rolled up newspaper between Xena's sleeve and hand before starting to paint. 

And then she took out a hairdryer and started blow-drying it! It was hilarious!

A happy little girl showing off her butterfly

I asked the lady if the design would wash off. She immediately took a toothbrush, dipped it in water and scrubbed it all over one of her existing samples to show me that the colour didn't come off. Okay, then!

Maya got this painted on Pickles' shorts. 

Pizzadude got a couple of elephants showing their bums on the sleeve of his A&F T-shirt. 

I got tempted to get something done too, but I didn't know what and where. The lady then pointed to my phone. Oh yes, my phone! 

So I got this cute little bird painted on it. 

Nice?

We roamed around for a little longer, looking at the various handicrafts. Xena ran from table to table looking at everything with a keen eye. 

My baby poses next to a baby elephant statue. Little did she know that she was going to encounter a real one the next day!

Our driver wanted to take us to the gemstone factories but we were not keen. What is with these gemstone factories and why are we always taken there? I remember being forced to go to one in Bangkok many years ago. 

Anyway, the kids were also getting sleepy (and so were some of the adults!) so we politely declined and asked him to take us home. As soon as we were back, Xena and Viv fell asleep immediately. Me? I was making notes for this blog. :)

Bunny woke up, fresh from her nap, and insisted that we wear similar tops. I was only too happy to oblige.

Posing with her Poppy

In the evening, Pizzadude went to a museum and to do some exploring by himself, while the rest of us headed to the famous Sunday night street market. He said he would meet us at the market later. Tripadvisor had advised us to get there by 5.30 pm or so, as it gets crazy crowded after 7 pm. 

All set to go to the night market -- in Mama's cap!

A song thaew (a passenger vehicle, kind of like a shared taxi) took all of us there. Normally it's 20 Baht per person, but the driver quickly counted us and taking the two kids as one adult, quoted us 100 Baht. If only taxis in Singapore were that cheap. 

This is what a song thaew looks like.

The song thaew took us all the way to the main entrance of the street market. Can't see much of the market in this photo, but it was quite huge. 

The market was not very crowded and many stall owners were setting up their stalls. It was indeed a good time to reach there. 

Xena saw a candy floss maker and immediately wanted candy floss. But of course, she couldn't finish it and the sticky mess was everywhere - on her hands, her hair, Viv's shirt. Yikes!

The very first lane of stalls we entered drove me nuts. In a good way. I wanted everything. I'm not kidding. I wanted to pack the market in my tiny suitcase and take it home. I'm sure if my mom or mom-in-law were here, they'd have gone doubly mad with joy. Every little trinket you could think of was there, and going really cheap. I bought two skirts for myself, one for Xena, and some purses. Viv bought a pair of slippers. We also bought a handheld sewing machine which looked dubiously like a stapler, but the demo was impressive. 

My loot... if only I had more baggage allowance!

We had a Thai dinner in one of the restaurants near the night market and took another song thaew back. Pizzadude never turned up! Apparently, he'd gotten lost, but in a good way, as he got to explore a lot of places on foot. 

After we got back, Viv and R went for a two-hour traditional Thai massage, while Maya and I put the kids to sleep and grabbed a glass of Moscato each. And as if often happens, when two mommies get together over alcohol, resolving not to talk about kids, 99% of the conversation was about our kids. Sigh. 

But it was a great day overall. Of course, the main highlight of the trip was to happen the next day - the elephant encounter! 

Read Chiang Mai - day 3 here.