Market of Eden: Chiang Mai Attractions

After being in Chiang Mai for over a year, seeing Thai elephants was definitely a long overdue experience. We had been apprehensive about jumping on the elephant tour bandwagon for a number of reasons - the most important being that we are very sceptical about the role of animals in Thailand’s tourism industry. Also, I'm allergic to tour groups, tourists, and toury-touristy type things in general.

Another reason we were so late to go play with the big gentle giants is that personally, I was not all that desperate to see them. Having grown up in South Africa with a family who all had ants in their pants, I was often taken on camping trips out in the bush or on the beach, or rustic cabins out in the forests and mountains. There were times we’d wake up to a zebra casually nudging through all our supplies, or a warthog grunting at the entrance to our tents. My dad always pushed me and my sisters to be explorative and unafraid of the wild (and I suspect he also secretly hoped we’d roughen out all our soft little girly edges). That encouragement led me to numerous encounters with nature and wildlife that impacted me profoundly from a young age.

I remember a time I sat face to face with a hyena, perched on a step while the stinky dog was a few steps below me, curiously sniffing out our leftovers from our dinner hours before. There was another time my over-enthusiastic gran jumped out our car to snap some close-up pics of a rhino, which began pawing the ground, perhaps preparing to charge, while we yelled at her profusely, “Get back in the car! GRAN!” to which she replied, “Just one more snap! That rhino would never charge an old lady like me!”

I have always been proud of my country’s passionate wildlife conservation efforts, and was horrified the first time I actually met somebody who said they hunted for sport. He was a Midwestern American, unfortunately dumb as a piece of plastic, and I fantasized about stalking and executing him for days after our retch-worthy meeting. Many South Africans share this sweet sentiment about hunters and poachers, and those in the know will annoyingly bombard you with endless conservation facts and figures...

Like the one about African elephant populations hovering around 700,000, while Asia only has about 32,000. Or the one about the biggest threat to Asian elephants being a lack of space, not to mention the abuse and hardships that working elephants still suffer from even today. Without getting too deep in the elephant dung-pile, I always knew that by coming to Thailand I would be exposed to issues surrounding wildlife and nature that I’d struggle to understand. And I do, all the time.

This is why my stomach sank when my boyfriend said to me the other day, “That’s it. I've had enough of all these people on Facebook having a big elephant party! Let’s do it!” I had to give in, because it’s a rather reasonable desire to want to see elephants in Thailand, but I had two conditions: I did not want to ride an elephant, and I did not want to see them chained up.

After a search on elephants in tourism, and the state of elephant camps in Thailand (and much outrage and ranting from me) I found the Elephant Nature Park. I was immediately drawn to their statement “our aim has always been to provide a sanctuary and rescue centre for elephants” because when you search for elephants in Chiang Mai, you will land upon more than a few elephant camps, whose messages don’t seem to be about rescuing or rehabilitating elephants, but more about how you as a tourist can have a good time. Another selling factor was that Elephant Nature Park’s lunch was already vegetarian, which might seem silly to some, but says a lot about their attitude towards all animals. Our day at their park was promptly booked, for 2500 a person (again, a lot cheaper than others).

A picture that sums up the entire park: elephants, dogs, nature, and caring people.

I have something to confess: I have been trying to write this post for almost two weeks. I have written paragraphs of mumbo-jumbo, and then just gone back and erased it all, multiple times. The truth is, there is no story to this post, or any interesting anecdotes, or even a single photo of food! It's just going to be a no-nonsense, straight-up photo post, seeing as the main attraction of staying in a Treehouse Resort is, of course, the treehouses themselves.

The Longan Treehouse.

The middle level of the Sticky Falls.

After being in Chiang Mai for a while, you may hear foreigners talk about a waterfall you can climb up like a gecko climbs up a wall, and they might refer to it as the "Sticky Falls", or maybe, the "Limestone Waterfall". You might hear a Thai person talk about "Buatong" or "Nam Phu Chet Si", and casually refer to it as a nice place to visit. They would all be talking about the same place, and anyone will tell you it is an attraction well-worth experiencing, probably unlike any other you've had before.

The Songkran Festival is the Thai New Year, which takes place for three days from April 13th to April 15th (although in Chiang Mai, the famous celebrations continue for up to six days or longer). The normal new year actually begins on the first of January like most other countries, but the traditional new year is still vigorously celebrated and is a national holiday for all, when many people either join in the festivities, go back to their hometowns to visit their elders, or simply take some time off to fulfil their Buddhist rites. Of course, the ritual that everyone knows about is the throwing of water, but there are a few more which many people overlook amongst all the wet chaos.

Even little people are dangerous during Songkran.

The first day is usually when more traditional Thai people will interpret the renewal aspect of a new year quite literally, and clean out their entire homes. As a time for cleansing, people will splash water on their Buddha statues to "bathe" them, and images of Buddha are displayed publicly for strangers to pay respect to with sprinklings of jasmine-scented water. People also choose to "cleanse" themselves, by making vows to abstain from alcohol or smoking, or refrain from other behaviours, similar to western New Year resolutions. The first day is also when the celebrations begin, at home and in the streets, and you can expect to get soaking wet walking or driving anywhere.

Wan Nao is the second day of Songkran, and is when many Thais will go to temples to pray, and offer alms to monks. Younger people will gently pour water over their elders' shoulders, and people believe their respect and kindness on this particular day will bring them refreshment of the spirit and prosperity for the new year. Another ritual carried out during this time is the act of tying strings around others' wrists, while uttering blessings and wishes of good luck. People aren't supposed to remove the strings, but rather let them fall off on their own accord, and some people take pride in amassing a whole armful of them, which carries all the blessings they have received.

The third day is when the city is completely transformed into a big, slippery, flowery-smelling mess, with street food stalls in full bloom, as well as parades filled with Buddhist decorations, traditionally-dressed Thais and plenty of water-throwing. By this time, many people are all partied out, but the streets are still full, and they will be for a few more days. Water-guns and buckets are still being sold by the boatload, and stories are beginning to emerge about people finding creatures from the netherworld lurking in the moat, and scooters sliding into Starbucks and destroying all the brownies, and so on. April is the hottest month in Thailand, with an average daily high of 36°C, and record highs over 40°C, which is another reason Songkran in Thailand has become more about playing with water than with traditional rituals. Add 2 million foreign tourists to that equation (in the month of April) and you have yourself a rather large party. Here are my photos from the Thai New Year of 2013:

Ready to strike as I'm driving past.

Throwing water from trucks.

My friend and I in the midst of the madness.

My friend and I again, completely soaked.

Fighting guns with buckets.

These guys have got some evil, watery schemes going on.

The generic water-guns for sale for a small fortune (mine broke within the hour).

Action shot.

Cute.

Big chunks of ice which are being broken up to keep the water freezing. Great!

I'm guessing a lot of people say RIP to their phones during Songkran.

The chaos at Thapae Square (along with a few way-too-wasted foreigners).

Wearing a helmet was a really good idea - what a smartie-pants.

Getting splashed.

Aargh!

The ground covered in water at Thapae Square.

Ob Khan National Park, Thailand.

Here's yet another place to escape the bustle of Chiang Mai: Ob Khan National Park, about 40 minutes to an hour from the old city. The drive is simple, and thankfully has a sign or two in English, and you'll know you're in the right place once you're surrounded by beautiful forests and rocky cliffs. Please take note that it is very difficult to find accurate directions online unless you can write in Thai, so I've had a little trek through Google Streetview and found the exact route to the park. Take a look at my Ob Khan National Park Directions map below:

View Ob Khan National Park Directions in a larger map

My boyfriend and I first found ourselves at the park to test out our new camping equipment, and soon we were coming back for longer stays and camping further into the wilderness. There's nothing better than setting up tent near a gentle stream, surrounded by bamboo trees and sandy pits to make your fires.

The first time we went, we tried to speak to a woman sitting in an office, although we weren't entirely sure what the office was for exactly, or who this woman was meant to be. After a long while of exchanging nonsense, which included us repeatedly pointing out our own tent and camping equipment, and her insisting we still needed to rent one, we paid her 50 Baht just to get out of there. To us, the conclusion was that there was no fee to camp at the park with your own gear, and sure enough, no one checked up on our whereabouts, or asked us for any more money during our stay.

On top of that, there is no entrance fee to this park, unlike many others, and nor is there a charge for parking. The bathroom facilities are better than others I've seen in Thailand, with hot showers that are kept very clean. There is also a small cafeteria-type place which sells Mama's noodles, crisps, and soft drinks, but doesn't provide any cooked meals. It really is just you and your foil-wrapped potatoes at this place, so don't forget to bring anything you might need. The convenient thing is that water and beer can be kept relatively cool by lodging them in between rocks in the stream. You can go off exploring at 10 am in the hot sun and come back in the cool evening to find your drinks are still cool themselves.

At Ob Khan, there are plenty of things to see and do during the day, if you ever get tired of just relaxing in nature. There is a pleasant trail which winds along next to the river, and there are quite a few isolated areas to picnic and swim along the way. There are also waterfalls, viewpoints, and a few interesting birds and creatures to spot. Also, the park is sort of like a hidden gem in the sense that it's usually quite empty. We've seen a camp of churchgoers there once, and another time there was a large group of Fine Art students from Chiang Mai University, who sat around quietly sketching the beauty of our surroundings. All in all, it's an undisturbed, peaceful place to waste away a few days, and come back to the city refreshed and revitalised.

A view of the river at the start of the nature trail.

Hello.

Lost in the trees.

Alongside the river.

Late afternoon.

On the way back to camp.

A view of the same spot of river in the late afternoon.

Our fire as the moon rose.

Perfecting the art of cavemanship.

Relaxing outside the tent in the early morning.

A natural bamboo awning near our tent.

It was during the dry season at this time - still very beautiful.

A little bridge that led to our campsite.

Perfect for swimming.

About 10km out of the old city lies a well-known man-made lake called Huay Tung Tao. It's where you'll find groups of Thais sharing large platters of steamed fish and drinking beers on a sunny afternoon, and goldendoodles plopping in the water to cool off, and fully-clothed Thai children doing the same. It's a lovely place to watch the world pass by, even if that world only consists of a crisp mountain view over an enormous lake.

View Larger Map

It's 20 Baht to get in the park, and you drive to any side of the lake you choose. You can hire pedal boats and tubes, and the menu offers the usual Thai fare, although it is a little pricier than usual. You can bring your own beers and food although you'll have to pay 500 Baht to use the table. We have never swum there, as we've heard rumours about lake-snakes and other creepy-crawlies, and usually get a bit distracted by our ice-cold beers, dancing shrimp, and great conversation.

Here are my photos from various outings to the lake:

Late afternoon skies.

The setting sun.

Some of the other huts.

A view of the lake and mountain from our eating-spot.

Myself, my boyfriend, and our dog for the day.

Serious Teacher Martin and Playful Teacher Matt.

Some gorgeous girlfriends.

A friend squeezing water from her skirt, and fire-smoke in the background.

About an hour out of Chiang Mai, you can find yourself wobbling on a houseboat in the middle of a picturesque dam,

It's the last Sunday of December 2012 and I'm hurrying out of my dark apartment at quarter to four in the morning. I'm wearing whatever I hustled out the wardrobe in my bleary-eyed state and hopping on the back of a certain hoodrat motorbike.

We're off to give a mass of strangers anything that can last, from candles to toothpaste, packs of Mama's noodles, bags of rice, sachets of over-sweetened coffee mixes, to boxes of milk drinks aimed at kindergarten kids. And by mass I mean 12,999 of them, according to the posters in Thai around town. And by strangers, I mean monks, from all over Chiang Mai and the surrounding areas, who return to their own temples after the ceremony.

Once we'd taken our cross-legged positions on the massive red and white banner which lined the entire length of this usually busy road, we began to wait. We had been in Chiang Mai about four months at that time, and we were already used to drifting off while the background static of monotonous Thai failed to snatch us back into reality. We almost regretted arriving so early, because we had no idea what was being said or chanted for almost 3 hours, and it was only when the sky became light that the monks slowly started floating in.

And then it was all worth it, because they floated in one by one, orange figure trailing behind another orange figure, until there were thousands. Up and down the entire road, monks ambled on in a silent tiptoe. It was a spectacular sight, and a moving ceremony to be a part of - you could almost say it was one of those many moments I realised I was in love with the world, and I was addicted to exploring it.

Here are my photos of the ceremony:

Monks, military cadets, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Military cadets keeping the road warm for the monks.

One weekend near the end of 2012, my boyfriend and I grew restless (as we often do in the city) and decided to take an aimless drive to see if we could get lost in some nature. In a place like Chiang Mai, that's very easy to do, and before we knew it, we were winding through breezy roads around Doi Saket, where we found a little waterfall in the jungle, a temple near the mountain, and a sprawling scene of fields just as the sun started sinking.

Here are the photos from our day-trip through Doi Saket:

Welcome to Doi Saket.

The road up to the temple.

Wat Phra Tat in Doi Saket.

For Christmas I instructed my boyfriend to drive us to Mae Rim, where I tried to trick him into believing we were doing something utterly uneventful. As we took the turn off the main road out of the city, huge signs started pouncing out of the bushes showing white lions and yawning tigers. I tried to feign deafness when he started yelling, "We're going to go see Richard Parker!" (ironically, we had just seen Life of Pi at the cinema the previous evening), although once we were walking inside, I finally admitted that we might actually be doing something pretty eventful after all.

We found ourselves in a large reception area full of excited, chatty tourists who were all waiting to buy a ticket, or perhaps for something else (I still have many years of tourist behaviour to study). When my boyfriend and I eventually got our chance at the front desk, we chose to buy a ticket each for the medium tigers, aged 9 - 12 months. We would get 15 minutes with the cats, and although there was an option to have photos taken for an extra cost, we opted to take our own. You can find the rest of the prices for the different tigers on the Tiger Kingdom Website.

Once we had our tickets, we were led into the park itself, and before we knew it we were in the enclosure with the cats. The guide was a big laid-back Thai man who almost reminded me of a tiger himself, and he gave us whatever information he could between our beginner's Thai and his broken English. These cats were considered teenagers, and were becoming more and more boisterous, with lots of energy to burn. This meant they would soon be moved into another enclosure, where many of them would not be safe to play with tourists at the Kingdom anymore. The man said that some of them would go to zoos or other tiger parks, where they could live out their days in comfortable captivity.

Hello Beautiful.

On the motorbike on the way home, my boyfriend and I had a discussion about our experience (this is actually where we have many of our deeper conversations, shouting at each other through our helmets, and incessantly repeating words like "Huh?" or "What?"). I was of the opinion that although creatures in captivity are a sad sight to behold, this is in many ways their only means of survival. He was of a similar opinion, but more curious about whether these animals were drugged, and to what extent their natural instincts had been trained right out of them for the sake of human safety. In the modern world, survival has become an outdated word. Wild animals are no longer surviving in their natural homes. Just because it's a fact doesn't mean it's right by any means, but we are not living in an ideal world. And because of that, is it not better for these animals to survive, even in captivity? Is it not better for them to avoid extinction, and for us to strive to breed them and raise them, even if that means they are somewhat domesticated, or more docile? And although it is unfortunate that exploitation must be used for monetary gain, is it not for the greater good when that money is used to care for the animals?

There were many questions left unanswered from our visit to the Tiger Kingdom, but at the end of the day I was glad to have seen actual living tigers, even in an enclosure, surrounded by snap-happy humans. That was a far better sight to me than no tigers at all.

UPDATE: Growing up in South Africa I was exposed to many issues related to wildlife conservation from a young age, and I stand by my belief that it is better for wildlife to survive in captivity as opposed to dying in the wild (just as our rhinos and lions in South Africa are only surviving in a form of captivity - they have long ago been wiped out in the wild just as tigers have in Asia). While it's a horrible reality that leaves us with those options, and I personally feel uncomfortable with the concept of caged animals in any form, I have to face the facts: there is no other alternative except extinction. Humans are not going to wake up tomorrow and decide to live as one with the earth and not bring harm to other living beings - no, they will wake up with their loaded guns and go out and kill them as usual, for whatever profit or pleasure. So when a place like Tiger Kingdom makes a tidy profit and us as tourists have a pleasurable experience, I find that to be the lesser evil by leaps and bounds. Which is why I won't write it off as one of "these places" as many people are quick to say (also, everybody conveniently seems to become an activist behind a keyboard). And that is merely one facet of the discussion I am trying to encourage with this blog post, so please don't be afraid to share. I will not, however, tolerate rude or nasty comments that do not contribute any value to this important and multi-faceted debate.