Chiang Mai / Northern Thailand

Mowgli

The next leg of our Journey took us to Chiang Mai, an ancient city in Northern Thailand.  Surrounded by a centuries old moat and wall Chiang Mai is a common stop for tourists traveling through SE Asia.  The city today has swelled outside of its former boundaries and is a fairly sprawling metropolis.  It is popular now for its mix of history as a former capital of a Northern Thai Kingdom filled with incredible Wats (Buddhist temples),  and culture including wonderful food.  It also serves as a gateway to the outdoors and beautiful mountains 

Highlight of Northern Thaialnd for us was a day with Patara Elephant Farm. They provided an incredible comprehensive full day of education and interaction with these incredible, gentle giants.  

We were outfitted in attire that the elephants would be more comfortable with.  We learned how to get them to come to us and helped feed them bananas and stalks of sugar cane by putting it directly in their mouths.  

We learned how to do a quick health assessment of our elephant.
1.  Do they flap there ears and flip there tail every so often
2. Are there signs that the elephant has been sleeping lying down and rotates sides.  You do this by looking for dirt or smooth spots on each side.  Apparently an elephant that is sick will not lay down to sleep as it knows it will not have the strength to get back up.  The elephant also has to get up every hour or so to lay on its other side so as not to crush any of its organs.
3. A healthy elephant will produce sweat.  Any idea what part of an elephant sweats?
Only on the cuticles or base of their toenails.  We felt for moisture on their toes to ensure health.
4.  Most important in evaluating the health of the elephant is the poo inspection.  Each motion should provide at least six large turds.  It should be moist and you should be able to squeeze water out of it.  You must also break it apart to make sure the elephant has healthy teeth and there are not any large food particles.  You also need to give it a good sniff.  Healthy elephant poo is not at all offensive in smell.  Yes we all participated in all steps. 

Baby elephants were very possessive of their mothers.  

We learned commands to make them follow us.  We were also taught to firmly pull their ear in the direction we wanted them to go.

Several different ways to mount.  Owen demonstrating the method where the elephant lowers its head  and  lifts you up with its trunk

We rode them up and down some pretty steep muddy tracts and they are incredibly sure footed

Excellent lunch provided.  Wrapped up in banana leaves is sticky rice.  

Best part of taking care of the elephants was a complete scrubbing of their hides.   Takes a little longer than washing your average dog.

"thats my mommy"

Welcoming lemongrass tea.  Banyan tree behind Keira and Skyler

I find that whatever country I am in, the local beer tastes the best.  This may taste like urine back home but here it is the nectar of the gods.

Night market Chiang Mai

A few more elephant shots

Keira holding an elephant turd.  No big deal.  

Poo collector.  Floating turds in background.  Took a little getting used to swimming in elephant toilet.

Day two in Chiang Mai was village to visit hill tribes.  They continue to live today much as they have for centuries

making mush

Rice paddy

The long neck people.  1 ring per year and they are quite heavy

Owen really enjoys the guitar lessons he has been taking.  Nice to be able to get in a little practice in rural Thailand

They had lots of home done textiles for sale

Orchid farm.  Roots do not need soil they absorb water and nutrients right out of the air.

 Noodle shop Chiang Mai

The girls getting foot massages from little fish that nibble all the dead skin off your feet.  Weird

Bangkok

On July 6th, Lindsey's 14th birthday, we made our way from New Zealand to Southeast asia for a 3 week trip many months in the making.  We felt like a trip to this part of the world would be stimulating for all of our senses and another great experience we could share together as a family.  So far it has not disappointed.  We spent the first 3 days getting acclimated in Bangkok, a great city complete with sights, sounds, smells, and tastes that none of has ever encountered.  The kids loved the tuktuks (above) and the long tail boats with which we pretty much got around on.

Bangkok is an interesting mix of new, European and modern blended with old traditional Asian culture.
You can eat traditional Thai noodles served by any one of thousands of street vendors or at restaurants representative of the finest European cuisine.  You can travel in a new air conditioned Toyota taxi, elevated super modern sky train or by open air unmuffled motorized tuktuks (we suggest the Tuktuks, though they do drive like mad).  There are open air markets packed to the gills with merchants and there are some the fanciest looking shopping malls I have ever seen.  Truly a vibrant place.

We are joined on this trip by our dear friends Brian and Daryl and their kiddos Jasper and Kiera.  We met 2 years ago after arriving in NZ.  Brian and I worked together in the ED and though they returned to their home in Canada 1 year ago we remain good friends and they kept their vow to join us on a trip a year after leaving NZ.

What follows is mainly a photo log of our travels thus far.

Chinese style pagoda

typical Thai Wat or temple

Khmer, or Cambodian influenced Wat

Spent a lot of time traveling on the Chao Phraya (river through central Bangkok)

Street Vendors are everywhere.  Many urbanites so not have kitchens so this is where they get their meals.
Very cheap often a meal for less than $1.  We stuck to restaurants as we felt our stomachs not quite ready for  Thai street food.  

Fruit everywhere also.  Fruits I have never seen before.  Interestingly I noticed apples from NZ and oranges from Florida for sale on the streets..

 Outside the temple of the Emerald Buddha next to the Grand Palace.   Allegedly over 2,000 years old the Emerald Buddha, though he only stands about 2.5 feet high is one of the most revered in all of Buddhism.  He has been moved over the centuries around SE asia depending on who was in power.  Four times a year, depending on the season, they have a special ceremony presided over by the king in which they change the Buddha's attire to make sure he is appropriately dressed.

On the grounds of the Grand Palace.  Though never fully colonized by a European power, Thailand early on adopted many western traditions including architecture.  I find this place interesting in that the building itself has a very European look to it but the roof is very Thai.  

Elephants are very important in Thai culture and images of them are everywhere

Our preferred mode of travel

The Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho

Owen enjoying his Thai massage

The Flower Market in the Old City.  Incredible colors and smells

Long tail boat, powered by old car engines with long propeller shaft that also functions as a rudder 

Who would have thought?
Bangkok has everything

Lindsey and Kiera

"Floating Market"

Cold Beer while on Long tail boat ride through canals of Bangkok, priceless

Cold cokes equally priceless

Very friendly people where ever we have been in Thailand

Morning exercise in Lumphini Park close to our hotel.  Old folks out as groups all wearing same colored shirts doing Tai-chi early every morning.