January 20th is the day we have been looking forward to the most on this trip— it’s really the only day we had planned with any specificity. But because of this plan, we knew that Thailand had to come somewhere close to the end, which, combined with the weather, dictated the entire order of this trip.

Today was the day we go to the elephants!

Elephant Nature Park is an elephant sanctuary near Chiang Mai, which focuses on ethical practices. They currently have around 70 elephants under their care in the sanctuary itself, and they also work with local communities to better care for the elephants, without taking away their livelihoods.

The package we had chosen was a day trip to a Karen farm community. The farmers used to use the elephants for labor and riding, but now they contract with Elephant Nature Park to allow travelers to visit, so long as they receive proper treatment.

Our day started with a long ride from Chiang Mai to the farm. We were picked up at 8am, and arrived no sooner than 9. Once there, we met our three new elephant friends. There was a mother-daughter pair that had been rescued from a local circus, and an adult male that grew up on the farm. The mother was in her mid forties—quite docile—and the daughter was only nine years old. The male was somewhere between the two.

Our host, whose name was something like “Batcha,” is Karen, from the north of Thailand near the border of Burma. He currently speaks four languages, and learning a fifth (Spanish). He explained that he actually learned English by studying under a Minnesotan. Minnesota has a fairly large Karen population, so I guess it makes sense that Thailand would have a few Minnesotans!

 

Our first interaction was feeding the elephants. There were three large baskets of squash, pineapple skins, and bananas that the elephants happily accepted. The youngest was rocking back and forth, which we initially assumed was nerves, but were later told was excitement. If any were visible in your hand, a trunk wouldn’t be far behind. The youngest would even try to snatch food out of the older male’s mouth!

Working closely with humans, they knew a few verbal commands. One command would get the male to open his mouth, prepared for a snack. The guides encouraged us to put it directly on their tongue, rather than trying to throw it in.

We then took the elephants on a walk up the mountain. The twelve tourists marched up the clay path, book-ended by elephants who would stop at the first sign of bamboo or other snacks. After the walk, we went back for lunch provided by our Karen hosts. A delicious mix of fruits, curries, and fried foods.

The last activity of the day was a mud-bath. We got a little messy as we rubbed mud all over these animals. Our hosts then decided to have a mud-fight, which added to the mess. Once they were good and covered, we walked them to the river to rinse them off. The logic of all of this escapes me, but my understanding is that it is a way that the elephant likes to cool off.

We walked back, without our elephant friends. Our host explained to us: “No food, no friends,” which I think we’ll have to get turned into a needlepoint at some time. We were returned to our hostel after a long car ride through Chiang Mai rush hour traffic.

In the evening, we went to the Saturday Night Market to see the sites. I’ve been told that Chiang Mai is 90% tourist, 10% Thai, and that was apparent in this market. We went browsing for a few gifts, and found some dinner. We tried a few things, including some Pad Thai, fruit shakes, samosas, dumplings, and egg rolls.

We ended our evening with a long walk home through the Old City, and a long shower to get all the remaining mud off.