My Elephant Experience in Chiang Mai, Thailand: Bathing Elephants, Riding Elephants Through the Jungle and Fields
These two articles talked about the two-day itinerary in Chiang Mai, as Thai transportation is not very convenient, and each place is far apart, so we signed up for a local travel group in Chiang Mai, and the itinerary was very full every day, going to several attractions in one day. This time we share the third and fourth days' itinerary.
Seeing the other country's village by boat
Day 3: Golden Triangle - Laos Tour - Long Neck Village
01 This time we first went to the Golden Triangle, which we often see in movies and television shows as the border between Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. It is famous worldwide for drug trafficking.
Golden Triangle landmarks and map
We arrived at the meeting place and found many tourists already waiting on the boats. Everyone came here for a name. Because it was lunchtime but needed to finish this attraction before eating, we could only buy some snacks to fill our bellies. It's strange that the small convenience stores next to the attraction usually only sell chips and biscuits, fortunately there was a banana seller nearby.
Finally we boarded the boat, and the guide charged a one-time fee for the Laos island trip. Getting on the boat, the island we landed on is Laos's Tour Island.
Tour Island in Laos has been developed into a tourist spot, and everywhere is full of modern and ethnic handicrafts.
The prices seemed cheaper than the prices in Chiang Mai Old City, which made us happy to find the triangular crossbody bag we had been chasing for a long time, and we also bought handmade bags, but unfortunately the lines on the bags were a little cracked. When we disembarked, we thought about what the free trade zone of the Golden Triangle was really about.
A comfortable courtyard with full greeneryFinally we could have lunch, which seemed quite far away, and it took about an hour to get there. The restaurant where we ate was very small, probably built for tourists, and the food was full of Western people's favorites like fries, salad and chicken. We chose some fried rice, soup and noodles, and ate them together. We had to continue the afternoon itinerary, apparently there was another attraction in the middle but the guide said it was controlled by the Thai army, so we went straight to the Long Neck Village.
A relaxing corner on the street
Day 3: Next stop is Long Neck Village in Thailand.
The women in Long Neck Village are famous for wearing a large number of rings. The older the women are, the more rings they wear, and the longer their necks are stretched. Some people have never left the village in their lifetime.
The girls in the village started wearing rings from a young age, and their necks were stretched by two years, and they lived in the village for a lifetime.
The women in the village make handicrafts themselves, waiting for tourists to come and consume, but how much income can they earn in a day, I'm worried about their lives, it feels like they are still living in a primitive tribal setting.
A young girl in Long Neck Village started wearing rings from a young ageWe still couldn't resist buying several bags in different shapes and sizes to give away later. The tour friends finally returned to Chiang Mai, and everyone could finally relax after a full day's itinerary, feeling a little tired. The muscle soreness after today's marathon was even worse, and the little partner still disliked me walking slowly, and even difficult to take steps. Today we finally went to foot massage to relieve the soreness after marathon running and daily walking.
Waiting for the elephant food
Back to time is not early, we bought some food to go back and rest. Before leaving, we booked the next day's elephant ride. Feeling my feet so tired and sore, I wanted to relax as soon as possible, so I found a foot massage place to massage for half an hour. Although many times it hurts to hit acupoints, but after finishing, I really feel a little relaxed. The Thai people really know how to enjoy life, and it's really admirable.
Day 4: Washing and riding elephants in the elephant camp.
01 The first time washing elephants, it was a very exciting experience: I was thrown from the water by the elephant, fortunately I was okay.
Probably due to the soil and food incompatibility, my stomach started to bother me all day, I kept having diarrhea, and I had to go to the toilet many times, I felt dizzy and weak, and I consumed the few remaining rounds of Uncle's special pills.
We took a break in the morning, and after having breakfast and finishing lunch, we waited for the departure to the elephant camp.
Using tree bark to wipe the elephant's thick skin
This time there is a Guangzhou girl who came to Thailand, they came from Bangkok and Huaxin, they told us some good things, and they showed us photos, Huaxin is a good place, it's a seaside city, not many tourists, three hours by car from Bangkok, we can consider going next time. At the same time, we learned that they booked tickets at the night market, which was much cheaper than ours, reminding everyone to book tickets at the night market.
On the way to the elephant camp, the driver dropped off four of us to go rafting, the two Chinese companions were very cool, they didn't bring anything, they rafted and rode elephants, it's really admirable, and later we realized that they were right, and they wouldn't get wet at all, unlike us, so miserable.
The elephant camp arrived, and we started rafting with the companions who came to join us.
The elephant's huge body is equipped with a comfortable seat cushion, the nose is tied with a steel wire and fixed with a bracket, I sympathize with these poor elephants, they should be running freely on the grassland, but they are now bound here.
The elephant slowly walks, the road is very rugged, holding the railing tightly is quite stable. After walking through the rugged road, the elephant drank water and didn't want to leave. Looking around this small village, it's very quiet, if there are no tourists in the usual time, the rice fields are already golden yellow, and behind it is a hill. The sun shines down, which looks beautiful.
Sitting on the tall chair, watching the elephant's buttocks swaying
After walking through the rice field road, we arrived at a small river. The elephant drank a lot of water before leaving. Under the urging of the villagers, we continued to move forward by wading through the river. The river is full of rocks and sand, and the elephant walks steadily step by step. After crossing the river, we wanted to take a shortcut, but the villagers stopped us and walked slowly. After walking through the village, we finally returned to the starting point, and it seemed that it was tired. It's really good to have company.
It's a pleasant trip except for the experience of being thrown into the water, and the elephant camp has a great journey.
First, pour water on the elephant sitting in the water, let it get used to you.
Second, sit cross-legged on its back, the heavy skin wraps its body temperature, which feels warm, reminding you to sit in the middle is safer.
I am the last person to sit, it's the most dangerous. Every time it moves, I'm also shouting in a mess, afraid of falling into the water. Finally, under the guidance of the villagers,
Third, after riding, maintain balance carefully, be careful not to throw into the water.
As the elephant stood up suddenly, I was unceremoniously thrown into the deep water, with nothing to rely on, I accidentally pulled my companion into the water, and we all felt sorry for me, and luckily it was okay after returning to the shore. Many people took turns to wash the elephant, thankfully today my stomach gradually improved, otherwise being drenched in the whole body would make the situation worse. After washing, we were arranged to ride the elephant.
Steps for washing the elephant:
First, pour water on the elephant sitting in the water, let it get used to you.
Second, sit cross-legged on its back, the heavy skin wraps its body temperature, which feels warm, reminding you to sit in the middle is safer.
I am the last person to sit, it's the most dangerous. Every time it moves,
Third, after riding, maintain balance carefully, be careful not to throw into the water.
As the elephant stood up suddenly, I was unceremoniously thrown into the deep water, with nothing to rely on, I accidentally pulled my companion into the water, and we all felt sorry for me, and luckily it was okay after returning to the shore. Many people took turns to wash the elephant, thankfully today my stomach gradually improved, otherwise being drenched in the whole body would make the situation worse. After washing, we were arranged to ride the elephant.
It's a pleasant trip except for the experience of being thrown into the water, and the elephant camp has a great journey.
Finally we returned to Chiang Mai.
If I can have free time in the future, I want to apply to take care of injured elephants in Thailand, and I hope to see them recover and return to the natural environment, I don't want to participate in such elephant camps again, these elephants should be free to live in nature and not be tools for human entertainment and work (including some pictures from the internet, if you have any copyright issues, please contact us to delete.)
PAI
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