Elephants-Chiang Mai

I'm back now but there are many neat stories yet to tell - and to be honest thousands more pictures to share!  So, I shall carry on with this trip blog and hope you will enjoy.  Today, I want to share about the elephants in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  This is the place to be for elephants!

Although there are elephants all over Thailand there is a higher prevalence of them in the Chiang Mai area.  The particular training centre I visited, Chiang Dao, specializes in helping orphaned, young or otherwise damaged elephants learn necessary forest working skills with an eye to them returning to work. Our guide grew up in the area and confirmed that the use of elephants to work is still very high and the bond to Thai people extremely close.

The entrance into the centre was across a small river over a very wobbly but safe bamboo bridge - certainly no elephant would get out across here!  I hurried to the show centre where elephants were demonstrating their knowledge and skills.  This picture show how the mahout (trainer) is able to mount the elephant stepping up from their feet.

These next two shots show the inside of an elephant's mouth (while eating bananas!) and how they sleep.  Speaking of mouth, elephants eat about 1/3 of their body weight a day, in grass, leaves, bamboo shoots, twigs and of course fruit!  This could be up to 250-300 kgs of food and they drink 240 litres of water a day! Talk about diet!

A couple of other little jobs these fellas had been trained for were picking up litter and for fun...a little painting class on the side!  And yes, I do have this painting - I couldn't miss the opportunity to have another "Monet" in my collection!

The next stage of the visit was the most fun!  We got to ride the elephants in the jungle and river for quite a while experiencing their unique sense of humour, sense of direction, and insatiable appetite along the way!  My elephant's name was Son Boon (good luck) and we found that his naughty sense of fun as the leader of our group truly did need good luck!

Asian elephants are so much smaller than African ones you didn't feel unsafe at all.  Our Mahout was a riot and every time Son Boon decided to make a sharp turn, up or down a path in the jungle or to the river he would yell out "Oh My god..." surely mimicking many previous tourists!  What a hoot!  We just laughed as we knew we were totally safe!  The ride went through the jungle, along a very tiny creek bed, up some steep hills all while Son Boon was munching on the vegetation.  We found a red ants nest at one point but stayed clear!  Then the group went towards the bigger river and yes....into it we went!  We truly thought this was going to be a wet experience, but were pleasantly surprised with just a walk in the water!

A drink along the way was fine for the elephants - could have used one myself at this point!

After our ride we went along past some of the baby pens and had the opportunity to feed bananas to the mums and babies.  All proceeds from any purchases (including bananas) went to the upkeep of the animals.  

As we left the area we saw containers that are used to collect, dry and press the dung into paper materials.  The Centre's flyer, art paper and mailing tubes were all made of this type of paper. Right now it was too dry; the rainy season is coming.

This was a great segment of the day and well worth the stop.  I continue to marvel that at each turn there is something new, fun and exciting to see!  

More tales another day!

The White Temple - Wat Rong Khun

Chiang Rai, a city established in 1262 BC and which has seen many years of change and conflict, is now the northernmost large city in Thailand.  It has several claims to fame but the the one I want to tell you about is the amazing White Temple (Wat Rong Khun).  When we arrived at this stunning site we were greeted with a beautiful white, glistening temple which immediately reminded me of Canadian Ice Palaces from the dead of winter.  It was beautiful and definitely unique in the style of temples seen to date!

This modern temple is still under construction, having only been started in 1997 by an unconventional Buddhist artist by the name of Chalermchai Kositpipat.  He decided to build a new temple as an offering to Lord Buddha and it has been under work ever since.  The cool part about this temple is its contemporary messages offered at every turn.  Most temples start with the premise of evil and show the way to heaven through pictures, sculptures and legends painted on the walls.  On that front, this temple is no different.  However, what is different are the images.  Anyone from modern society can relate to the artists' renditions of the Twin Towers, Michael Jackson, G.W. Bush, or modern super heroes such as Batman, Spiderman and others which are at the entrance to the temple.  From there we saw artists up on scaffolding working along at painting in more images of peace and heavenly virtues. It was almost like Michelangelo revisited.  

The other panels and more paintings that we saw in the adjacent museum were very fantasy-like in their depiction of dragons, horses, and other celestial bodies.  They were bright pinks, blues, greens- a medley of colours and one almost thought of Disney animation but this was different, creative, and uniquely Thai in style. We were unable to take photos inside the temple (which was actually the exact opposite of all other temples we'd visited) but it was certainly interesting to see how it was being built.  

After walking through, we went to the rear of the property and had a chance to walk through the actual workshop where the plaster-type scrolls, dragons, and other segments were being made.  They were all in white and there were piles of silver, metal, shiny pieces of glass ready to be cut and labouriously placed onto the adornments.  Each piece is hand cut and then glued in place.  They are then covered with white paint (or plaster) before being moved to the temple and set in place.  Then, other workers must scrape off the covering paint and the shiny pieces are once again revealed.  The temple really does glisten and it is interesting to see how it's done.  

The whole complex will not be white and there are already several gold buildings in place.  The complete site may take another 60 or so years to complete but is totally fascinating all the way.  One contemplates what future generations will think of this, as we think of the very old temples and their histories that we had seen to date.

One of the funny things was the cut-out standup of the artist/owner at the entrance.  He reminded me of a used car salesman promotion from TV.  He was most welcoming as you can see and everyone stood to have their picture taken by him.  However, later as we were having coffee, our guide saw him pass and pointed him out.  I took off after him and was lucky enough to not only meet him and exchange a few words but to have my picture taken with him - the real man!  He was charming and gracious and certainly pleased that we appreciated his work.

Funding for the project comes totally from donations and sales of Kositpipat's original artwork.  There was a little art gallery next to the complex and the pictures were really very good.  Too bad I don't have $3000 to contribute.

If you are in Chiang Rai, this should definitely be one of your stops.
More another day.  

The Golden Triangle

As I wind down this trip there are still a few more really fascinating places to go, including the stop at the Golden Triangle.  Infamous for the opium market trade, the area is an absolutely beautiful mountainous region where hillside farmers tend their fields and fishermen work the Mekong river for their livings.

After a day or two off line due to weak internet connections and power outages following monsoon-type torrential downpours we travelled along some extremely twisty and narrow mountain roads in the Doi Mae Salong region of the northern most areas of Thailand.  The scenery was magnificent and the rolling, very steep farms impeccably manicured by hand by these hard working people.  The farms, currently of tea, corn and rice were in days past, fields of opium poppies.  Now truly outlawed by all three countries, the farmers have been helped by the governments to make the transitions to the different crops and a healthier way of life.

The neat part about the area was the fact that we could actually step foot, and I did, into the three bordering countries.  We were in Thailand but went to the Burma (now Myanmar, but locals still call it Burma) border and walked over a small bridge  to shop at a little market.  The border was strictly controlled and a day pass was necessary. We gave up our passports, got an entry visa (for 500 baht, approx $ 15), walked through a no-mans-land, and out the other side.  Locals cross all the time along with tourists like me, who want to have the fun and experience of the crossing. Coming back reminded us of the perils of smuggling drugs.... 

After the stop in Burma we travelled onward through the mountains and then down towards the flatter, river region near the actual triangle.  The Mekong river (which starts in Tibet) and the Khong River meet and this is where the three countries share the borders.  We stopped at a lookout where we could see a fabulous view of the whole triangle and come to understand the ease with which people could pass between the countries.  

After lunch, and a visit to a really good, modern museum (built under the guidance of the King Mother)of the opium history we took another longboat ride and stepped foot into Laos.  This little region is famous for rice whiskey and yes, it was the kind with a snake in the bottle!  Looked as icky as the ones we had seen in Cambodia but I guess someone likes the stuff! The little economic development center along the river was set up strictly for tourists (another huge market with bags and local handicraft souvenirs) and the ever-popular postcard, stamp and post box counter! So yes, now, I had set foot in Laos and completed the famous Golden Triangle.

We carried on down the country side to Chiang Rai for the night. Chiang Rai was the original capital of this northern region and will be the source for another posting another day. All for now!

One Night In Bangkok (well actually one day!) From Salt to Elephants!

What a fabulous day filled with such a variety of sights - the trip continues to be amazing at every turn!  Although there is much more, here are a few highlights of our tour Thursday!

We started out early, driving south east of Bangkok, heading for the famous Damnoen Saduak floating market but on the way saw some additional neat sites.  The first was a salt flat with workers shoveling up and moving the dried salt from the flats to a nearby pile, ready to be bagged.

It was a pretty manual job, in intense heat, but the men worked hard and in fact, RAN up a small board ramp with their wheelbarrows filled.  It takes about 2 weeks for the salt to dry in the flat.  This is coarse sea salt and once bagged it is sent for "cleaning" before sometimes adding iodine and then sold.  

Our next brief stop was at a coconut oil production spot.  Instead of the usual coconuts being cut and sold for their milky juice inside, workers cut the seed fronds down from the tree, put them in a narrow bamboo tubing and worked to squeeze out the seed juice.  This is then boiled for 2-4 hours and caramelized.  The hot syrup is cooled and turned into a brown sugar of sorts which is only used in cooking.  For the tourist trade they were also making little patties of hot sugar to try, and buy.  The whole process resembled,  almost identically, that of maple sugaring off done at home.  We tried some hot sugar (and it was HOT) but didn't buy any more.  The locals also created coconut oil from this process and had some lovely scented and moisture rich products to sell.

After this stop it was on to Damnoen and a trip in yet another boat!  This time a "speed" boat, local style!  It was similar to a dugout and we sat on the floor.  The driver controlled the outboard motor and went quickly down the canals creating large wakes to roll the boat!  But he also slowed down at all the tight intersections and if there was anything good to take pictures of.  This was really fun and we all really enjoyed it!

We ended up at the floating market and were able to see how folks could buy just about anything from the boats.  Tourism has infiltrated here and although the locals still buy food (fast food) and some goods for their own use, many of the boats were selling more touristy souvenirs.  We moved on to another section of the market and there we saw far more foods being cooked and served from the boat.  Things like fried bananas, rice and meat or fish, donuts, fish and so on.  Along the side of the tow path, there were more stalls with goods for sale and we enjoyed bargaining down the price with the vendors.

From here we went to another handicraft workshop and sales area, this time for carved wood.  The talent and care taken here was amazing.  The artisans were chiseling out intricate designs on wood and creating some extremely beautiful reliefs on tables, chairs, wall murals and more.  In the shop there were some fabulous pieces of furniture and some lovely polished home furnishings - if only our suitcases were bigger! Here is just one sample of the carving - there are some many more!

Although lots more in the day to share, the final highlight I want to show you was our experience with some Thai elephants.  We saw a show demonstrating how the elephants work for the farmers and a folklore show at this next stop, but the piece de resistance was the ride on the elephants.  The first elephant was trained for tourist pictures and crossed his leg in a nonchalant manner.  He was quite tame and enjoyed being petted - even more so if we had had some fruit to give him. He was only 19 years old but his skin was dry, leathery and hairy!

The other fella was older and somewhat bigger.  He was fun to ride, if only for a short time, and enough to know that I wouldn't want to go too far on an elephant!  It would not have been a long lasting comfortable ride! 

    All for now - convention starts in earnest tomorrow.  Today was busy but tomorrow we go early in order to go through security.  We have the Thai Royal Princess speaking at our opening!  Love these special treats we get!

Reclining Buddha, Bangkok

Just a quick update on our arrival in Bangkok and our temple tour.  We are with a different tour operator and enjoying a three day overview of the city.  Today started with a tour of the 3 main temple sites in Bangkok.  With Coronation Day coming up on Saturday, and many, many Rotarians descending into the city in the next day or so, it was important to see the temples today - even though it was 36C temperatures! Wow!

Anyway, the highlight for me was the Reclining Buddha.  He is 46 meters long and simply immense.  He is covered in gold leaf and a truly amazing sight.  Here are a couple of snaps of what we saw.  Clearly, it was hard to get it all in, in one picture!

 

This is the head section....

 This is the whole body...well almost...I've missed off the feet!

  And here are some Chedis, constructed to commemorate the kings - there are many more around the site, all beautifully inlaid with coloured glass and pretty carvings.  

All for now about the temples.  Off to the Floating Market tomorrow - and possibly an elephant ride!

Cu Chi Continued - and Rubber!

Am now in Bangkok, but will finish off Cu Chi!

I continued to be fascinated by the ingenuity of the Vietnamese and how simple knowledge of the land and lack of "modern" weaponry made outside forces look less than brilliant.  Once they had weapons, they were virtually unstoppable - a sad comment on a war that could possibly have ended much earlier with much less loss of life.

We continued onward and came upon some actual tunnels that had been enlarged to allow tourists to go through, but not too large - and they were still claustrophobic and small.  Brenda managed to go down and along a little way and others in our group actually went 100m on their hands and knees.  This was truly an experience to try and understand just how people managed in these tunnels for so very many years.

They lived, ate, journalists wrote - simply everything happened down there, even babies were born.  There were "long haired soldiers" (women) participating unofficially.

 I went down one "exit" hole to see what is was like, but decided I wasn't going to go along the tunnels myself.  I "got" the "picture" from where I was!

The majority of the site was actually above ground and the quality of the guide the key to understanding the whole thing - especially to disspell myths and inconsistencies in tales and to update those of us who weren't really following the war as closely as those involved.  

The tunnels are still there although much destroyed now.  The lowest levels have eroded and caved in and only a few meters are really accessible and preserved for the public.

We returned to Ho Chi Minh along a road that passed by many rubber tree groves.  The area is rich for their growth and farmers tap them daily for export to the Chinese markets.  The terrain is well suited for rubber and trees last about 30 years.  They mature at 7 years and as mentioned, are tapped daily at approximately 1 inch intervals.  

The whole process reminded me of the Maple Sugar Bushes in Canada and I did ask if they could semi-automate the process with plastic tubing running between the trees as our farmers do.  This didn't seem possible and we learned that the sap (rubber) cannot be exposed to sunlight or it loses some of its key chemical components.  These farmers work at dawn.  The trees were beautiful and the rows very long and straight.  They reminded me of the cutlines we used to ski along in the Buffalo Head Hills in northern Alberta!  New trees are planted, watered, thinned and the Chinese are hoping to be able to speed up maturity by 4 or so years.  It will be interesting to see what the outcomes are.

We headed back to Ho Chi Minh, had a true local Pho (noodle soup) lunch and a relax.  Then we headed out for a speedboat ride up the Saigon river to an island with a very unique Chinese temple on it.  

More on that another day!

Looking forward to your comments now that I've fixed my settings!

Cheers!

Cu Chi Tunnels

A highlight for me for our stay in Ho Chin Minh has been the trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels, northwest of Saigon about an hour by car.  Our guide was most informative and en route, put into perspective many facets of the war and dispelled many of the mistruths or stories that have come about.  It was absolutely fascinating and when explained as Sa (our guide) did, so perfectly sensible.  I have to say I am not a pro on American politics or the ins and out of the war here, but as I said, I have now "got it".

First things first.  On our drive out I just have to comment on the railway crossing.  All of a sudden our mini van stopped and we saw 4 people actually hauling out a long gate to stop the traffic at the crossing.  an automatic crossing would simply not stop the numerous vehicles and motorbikes, so there is a rail - pulled out across the road by workers.  Goodness, what a job!!

Anyway, on to the Tunnels.  We were above ground most of the way, seeing openings that had been enlarged for tourists.  The Vietnamese are a small people and really, the only person that could get into this first opening was my sister who is somewhat petite in stature.

  

It isn't really funny, but it was fun to try and fit down the hole!  Just prior to this there had been two small children who actually got in and were able to have the lid put on.  The spot was completely camouflaged. And yes, their response to their parents standing right there was "OUI" to getting out quickly! (they spoke French)

We went along the paths, hearing of all the ingenious tricks used by the Vietnamese to catch the soldiers and  stop them from proceeding.  It was war and they used all the techniques they knew, without a lot of hardware and outside devices, and actually stumped the Americans - it is called a War They Could Not Win.  Here are a couple of pictures of some of the traps.

 The battery is about the run out and the electrics are packed for our 5AM departure tomorrow, so I'll have to leave this for now and finish it later!  Hope you are intrigued for now!

AFN...