Elephant Pride Sanctuary
Day 1
We flew about two hours north from Bangkok to the city of Chiang Mai. This place was a lot different than central Thailand. Instead of the flat horizon of the city in every direction, we were now surrounded by mountains and jungle. Chiang Mai was still a busy place as well, but did not feel as hectic as the capital of the country. Our itinerary only had us in this beautiful region for about 3 days, so obviously we had to make the most of it.
With that, we rushed to our hotel to check-in and get settled - however, within an hour we were running to catch our tour van. This was a night tour where we would visit the Wat Umong and Doi Suthrep temples. Wat Umong was pretty cool to see; a large structure in the middle of a small field. But the real surprise came when we were guided to the underground tunnels that were underneath it all. We did not take pictures of the Buddha shrines inside for respect reasons, but it was so interesting to explore all the ducks and turns. And, when we turned on our flashlights and looked up, we would find groups of bats gathered amongst the ceilings.
Doi Suthep was even more breathtaking. For this temple, you could either walk up the three hundred and six steps (this is after driving all the way up the mountain through windy roads), or, for time's sake, we took a tiny elevator to the top. With it being night, any small shops were closed, but that didn't matter to us. The temple itself made me think of a city of gold. It was truly incredibly to see this against the dark, black sky. I've never seen anything like it in all of the countries I've visited so far in my life. There were several smaller buildings that surrounded the gold structures, one including a lookout of the Chiang Mai skyline. I would call Doi Suthep a must-see place if you ever visit this city. And, just like Bangkok temples, be sure to dress and act respectfully.
Doi Suthep
Day 2
The following day, we gave ourselves a rest day. We spent the day sleeping in and spending time by the hotel's infinity pool. When night finally fell, we visited the Night Bazaar market.
Here, people would set ups dozens of shop stalls that sold all sorts of souvenirs and clothes. There is even a more indoor/outdoor building in the center of it all that has more shops and local cuisine to try out.
Day 3
Chiang Mai was a beautiful place to be, but the temples and the shops were not what we had come for. The main reason we travelled north was to visit the Elephant Pride Sanctuary, and that is where we travelled several hours more by van to on our third day. This sanctuary is family-owned, and they rescue elephants from abuse/riding. On this day, they had three elephants for us to spend the day with. A baby named Jojo, Jojo's mother, and her grandmother. This day was one of the most amazing days of our lives and is nothing like we have ever experienced before.
We got to feed the elephants by hand and pet them. Then, after proper introductions, we scaled the small mountainous forest with the elephants to watch them graze and meander. It was amazing to see these creatures explore in their natural habitat, and while we had to be sure we were not in their way, the elephants would come up to us for attention. To stand next to such a beautiful animal with no barrier was both scary and unreal. I will never forget it.
After our hike, we returned back to the main camp for lunch before joining the elephants in their mud pit. This pit helped the elephants exfoliate naturally and cool off. We allowed them to do their own thing while also helping to rub more mud on them. They were like dogs - rolling about and getting dirty. After this, our group followed the elephants into a nearby river where we all cleaned ourselves and the animals off.
Finally, the day was coming to an end and we had to say goodbye to our new friends. We will remember this day for the rest of our lives. The Elephant Pride Sanctuary is an incredibly amazing organization that truly care for their elephants, and they are SO passionate with what they do that it is so inspiring.
I felt like we had a once in a lifetime experience with visiting Chiang Mai. It was totally different from the explorations of Bangkok, but still so beautiful and full of adventure. After the day with the elephants, we returned back to our hotel to rest. For the very next day we were setting off yet again - but this time to head all the way to the southern point of Thailand - to Phuket.
View of Chiang Mai Skyline from Doi Suthep
"Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing icy ours except the essential things: air, sleep, dreams, sea, the sky - all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it."
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