And now, what you've all been waiting for - my brush with Jimmy!

Today, I got an email with my official photo with Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter.

Although we didn't actually exchange words, or even meet eye to eye for that matter, I managed to get as close as possible to him for the picture. I didn't intend to cut the New Zealanders next door out of the picture, but when I made the picture bigger, blogspot just naturally knew what to get rid of!

Finally - the elephants!

The end of my Thailand adventure took me to the Elephant Conservation Center near Lampang (about an hour from Chiang Mai).

There are several elephants camps or parks near Chiang Mai. Throughout my travels, there had been much talk about which were the "better" ones. Some people just wanted to be near the magnificent creatures, others were more sensitive to how they're being treated - the appropriateness of putting them on show, demonstrating their abilities to lift and pull things, play games like soccer and paint pictures. (Many an eyebrow was raised at the opening ceremonies of the Habitat for Humanity build when Jimmy Carter unrolled a rendering of the Habitat logo that was painted by an elephant)

The reading I had done indicated that Conservation Center was the best one. Having spent nearly three days there, I admit I'm still a bit perplexed.

First of all, I have to say that the elephants at the center are well looked after and probably have about the best lives an elephant could have if that can't run free. But there aren't a whole lot who get to do that - mostly because we've encroached on their environment. And then there are all the elephants that used to work in the logging industry. Apparently, the Thai government banned logging back in 1989, so they had all these elephants who were domesticated and had nothing to do - as well as their mahouts (handlers) who had no other means of support. Tourism became the logical solution.

So when I arrived at the center, I was hoping to draw some conclusions. But it wasn't long before I was just swept away by the sheer magnificence of these intelligent, gentle animals.

I was assigned to Aleena, a five-year old girl - the smallest of the group. There were seven of us in the "VIP Mahout Training Course. Three of them were from the Habitat build, although I hadn't met them there. Two others were in the TV business in the US and the other was a Canadian woman who's been living in Kuala Lumpur for the last while.

Within moments we were being trained to get on and off our elephants, giving them verbal commands (which I'm sure they never understood when we uttered them - they really only responded to the mahouts, who were always nearby, either on the elephant with us or walking alongside us). We practiced in a ring, without really paying attention to our surroundings. Then we mounted our elephants and rode down the driveway, beside a big pond. At the end of the roadway, the elephants turned and went into the water, with all us "VIPs" sitting on their backs. We hadn't noticed that the mahouts had rolled their pants up - and in fact couldn't really see that they were standing on the backs of the elephants in the water, so they didn't get wet. Unlike the VIPS, who got drenched up to our armpits.

The surprise of this bath was surpassed by the surprise of realizing an audience had gathered to enjoy the entertainment. With no warning or instruction, we were suddenly the stars of the show! As our elephants stepped out of the pond, they began a parade back to the ring where we'd been practicing, and we were introduced as "Mahouts in Training". We were standing in a line and each of the elephants was introduced. As the name was announced, each would step forward and take a bow, with us on their backs, looking totally bewildered. Then the mahouts (the real ones) told us to demonstrate the different ways of getting on and off the elephant, getting the elephant to pick up something and hand it to us and getting the elephant to lie on its side as two announcers explained what we were doing - in Thai and English. Of course, grace was not a word that could be used to describe our mounting and dismounting skills, to the amusement of the audience. It was surreal!

Eventually, the mahouts took over and the elephants demonstrated just how clever and powerful they are. And the final feature was - of course - a few of the elephants painting pictures. I watched as my little Aleena painted her picture, with the help of her mahout, Naong who appeared to be guiding her trunk with the paintbrush held in it.

After the show, we got back on our elephants and rode out into the jungle, where the elephants were left to graze all night. And here's where I started to have some qualms - because the elephants were chained to a tree in the jungle. Now, the chain is at least 40 feet long, so they have a fair bit of "freedom". So, what's worse - an elephant penned or an elephant out in the jungle? I know. There's another option - an elephant free. But as that isn't likely for these elephants who are too used to domestication, it seems this is a pretty good life. If you consider that 20 years ago they were hauling and pulling lumber probably 14 hours a day. Doing a couple of shows and then grazing in the jungle all night isn't bad. Right?

Back at the center, we had a chance to see a couple of the baby elephants which are adorable - and insatiably hungry. We also learned about the hospital where they treat injured or abused elephants from around the country. Unfortunately, the abused ones are sent back to the owners (they have no right to keep them). I can only hope that the owners have learned their lesson - that an injured elephant doesn't make them any money.

At night, Supat who's kind of our host at the center, came to our lodgings and made us dinner. He's a lovely guy, very intelligent and driven. His English is very good - he told us that he had to work at it during school, and finally discovered Voice of America, which he listened to every night and finally mastered our language.

The next day we were told there was no show - which we we all happy about. Instead, we went back out to the jungle, bearing lengths of sugar cane, and found our elephants. Of course they were happy to see us - mostly because of the sugar cane I suppose.

Here, we saw one of the more impressive skills the elephants had learned. After the mahout unlocked the chain from the tree, he instructed the elephant to haul the chain, which she did with her trunk. She wrapped her trunk around the chain, hauled several feet forward, dropped the chain and then grasped it again, hauling another length of it forward, so that it was all coiled neatly in front of her. I asked how long it took for them to learn to do that - about a month, I was told, with loads of positive reinforcement (ie food).

Then we rode deep into the jungle to a camp site, where the mahouts made us a fabulous lunch over an open fire. It was fun and relaxing and even though we got dunked a couple more times, it was warm and the sun dried us fairly quickly.

After our jungle safari, Supat took us to his pride and joy - his new coffee shop, a franchise operation he's just opened up in the center. As much as he loves working at the center entertaining us amateur mahouts, it's this coffee shop that he sees as a way of making enough money to marry and have kids.

The next morning we had to be ready to go at 6:30 to pick up the elephants - bathe them of course - and get them back to the center for a 9:45 show. It was lovely to see the elephant parade in the morning light.

Once again we got dunked to the delight of the audience. But at least this time, we were prepared for what was going to happen. To my surprise one of the audience members was Vikki, the woman I met during the Habitat build. I'm not sure which one of us was more surprised.

What's it like to ride an elephant? Well, all I can say is after three days I was way more sore than I was at the end of the Habitat build. Part of the reason was that I had a smaller elephant, which meant she had a little less girth, a little less "padding" and she was a little less stable. So I had to use a lot of my muscles to maintain my balance. I tried riding one of the bigger elephants and it seemed a lot more comfortable, although I suppose having to stretch your legs wider for a long time probably had its own implications.

And what's my conclusion after all this time with the elephants? Well, as I said, the elephants are well treated. They seem to love their mahouts (and vice versa). I'm in full of amazement at their sensitivity, grace, sure-footedness, curiosity, the dexterity of their trunks, the range of their vocalization, and their seeming good humour.

And when we sat through the last show and I saw my little Aleena painting a picture, what else could I do? I bought the painting!

Before we all boarded our van and left for Chiang Mai, we were each given our official amateur mahout certificate (I can't wait to add that to my resume!) and then Naong took Aleena off into the jungle, but not before giving her one more command. She turned and bowed a goodbye, and my heart did a little flip-flop.

Bamboo rafting on the Mae Wong River and more...

Having found a great guide in Moh, I wasn't going to let him get away, so I asked him where we could go on my last day in Chiang Mai. We ended up going bamboo rafting down the Mae Wong, which was very peaceful and quite lovely. As you can see from the pics.





We ended up in another hilltribe village, where the Lisu people lived. as you can see, they're known for their colourful clothes.


After that, he took me to the Botanical Gardens, where there were hundreds of orchids. They had a technique of growing them which involved suspending them so that their roots hung free in the air. They were watered and fertilized from above, which apparently eliminated the need for burying their roots in the soil.

From there, we went to "Tiger Kingdom" which boasted the opportunity to get up close and personal with tigers. You got to choose between baby tigers, medium sized tigers and big tigers. I chose to put my money on the babies, partly because I figured it would be safer, but mostly because they're just so darned cute...



Later on, I got together with a woman I met in the B&B, Ginny. She's travelling for three months through southeast Asia, gathering information for a book she's writing for women who want to travel solo. We went and saw more incredible flowers, and then spent the evening together, found a great hole-in-the-wall restaurant, where we didn't really know what we were ordering, but enjoyed it nonetheless.

Wednesday - Doi Suthep with my guide Moh

Sonya and I had a nice Sushi dinner on Tuesday evening and then we said our goodbyes as she went back to her hotel and I went to my new B&B.

At 8:30 in the morning, Moh came and picked me up and took me to Doi Suthep, where the largest Wat in Chiang Mai is perched on the highest mountain overlooking the city.

Again, Moh was full of information about not only the temple but the different aspects of Buddhism that it represented.

The legend is that back in the 14th century, King Ku Na sent a white elephant out in search of a place for a holy temple and the elephant climbed to the top of Doi Suthep, trumpeted three times and knelt down. Obviously, the site had been chosen.

Not only tourists go to the temple - many Buddhists go to pay their respects and to make an offering. Some visit a monk to get a blessing (in one grouping, I couldn't help noticing that the monk's assistant had ear buds and an iPod).



One of the ways of making your presence known is by buying a bell, putting your name on it and hanging it somewhere by the temple. As Moh explained it to me, that way whenever there was a breeze, your bell would ring and you were "present" at the temple - thereby gaining another "merit". Well, it seemed like such an easy way to get some merit myself, so I bought a bell. I wonder if it's still there ringin' in the wind....

There was a parade of people who bought flowers or candles and paraded around the temple three times, praying all the while. Some brought their children, no doubt hoping to bring them good fortune.







One of the more memorable features is the long serpent - Naga - who guards the stairway up to the temple.

After touring me around Doi Suthep, Moh took me to a hilltribe village. There are several hilltribes around Chiang Mai. Although they used to make their income principally from the sale of opium, the government has put a program in place that helps them earn money from other agriculture. Ironically, one of the preferred crops is tobacco. Flowers are also a big part of Thailand's economy and the gardens here were beautiful.

They also make money from tourism, of course, and the focal point of every village is the market filled with products they've supposedly made. Moh was able to tell me which were legit and which were not. One of the popular things the Thai tourists do in this village is rent out the traditional costumes of the tribe and have their picture taken.

Moh also took me beyond "the shopping mall" to the real village. Along the way he told me that some of the villages themselves are frauds - the government has actually moved the tribe out of their real habitat and created villages that tourists then go an visit, believing they're seeing the true habitat of these hill people. Apparently this village was real, but you have to wonder when you see the satellite dish on the roof...





When Moh dropped me off, I asked him which other Wats I should see in Chiang Mai.

He recommended the Chedi Luang, which I went to that afternoon. It really is quite remarkable, dating back to 1411. It was damaged in the 1500s by a huge earthquake and was never rebuilt, but it still has a grand presence. And the grounds around it had a peaceful aura.

While I was wandering the grounds, three young Thai students approached me, and were delighted when I said I spoke English and agreed to be interviewed by one of them for a class project. We had a lovely talk, and I was happy I could help her out just by speaking my native tongue!

Touring around Chiang Mai

On Tuesday, another woman who was on the build, Sonya and I had agreed we'd spend some time together before she took off for Cambodia.
So we got together in the morning and tried to figure out what we were both interested in doing. We finally decided on a bike tour in and around the city. It sounded manageable for me. It was no problem for her - she only travels on two wheels when she's at home in Austin, Texas - either a bike or a motor bike.

I had also planned to move from the Park Hotel to a B&B that was closer to the downtown area. Sonya was curious to see the place, so she came with me, but first, we went to the roof of the Park to see the pool and the view. The view was nothing special but I got a shot of Sonya and the pool.


The new B&B, called Baan Orapin was fabulous - and if anyone goes to Chiang Mai, I would recommend it highly. As you can see it's quite idyllic.



Along with being a great place (and cheap!) it was also closer to the old city, and within walking distance of all kinds of interesting places - including the flower market, which was so beautiful.

After I checked into my B&B, Sonya and I had a nice lunch at a hole-in-the-wall place near the hotel - one of those places where you don't ask for a menu, you just ask them to give you a bowl of whatever they're cooking. And that was just fine.



Then we got picked up at the hotel by "Moh", our guide for the afternoon. He explained that Moh was his nickname, given to him by his mother when he was born. Apparently he was "as dark as a cooking pot" - and Moh means cooking pot.

Moh was great - his English was quite good, he had a lot of knowledge and could answer just about every question we threw at him, and he had a nice sense of humour. What else could you ask for?

He took us by van to a spot nearer the outskirts of town, and then we rode our bikes out past the university campus which is huge and eventually out to a lovely park with a man-made lake, and of course, some Buddha statues. Moh told us quite a bit about Buddhism, which was all quite interesting.

It was a lovey way to spend the afternoon - and I didn't hurt too much afterward. (Sonya wore a huge smile during the whole ride - I told her she looked like she'd just had great sex)

I was so happy with Moh, I asked him if he could take me on a tour the next day.

He was available, and that's what's coming up next.....