| We are up in time for the tour and do not need the | | | | place where the ladies are all in traditional village |
| scheduled wake-up knock. Today, the one day we | | | | festival attire, very colorful. We find the prices here |
| probably need the nutrition and energy provided by a | | | | to be half of what they were down by the elephant |
| real breakfast, we have only coffee and a pastry. | | | | camp and pick some nice things up to bring back |
| Wouldn't you know it, the first hour of our tour is | | | | home. Then we walk and walk and walk. Ugh. Up hill. |
| spent going from hotel to hotel picking up other | | | | When we get where we are going, we see a bunch |
| tourists. We are harmonizing with our tour group, | | | | of the people who were on our bus earlier in the day. |
| welcoming each new pick up and planning to spend a | | | | Cool. We sit for lunch, which is made edible by the |
| lovely day getting to know each other a little better. | | | | addition of the sauces provided. Our group, now |
| We are intrigued with meeting Francisco from | | | | melded as one, is split up again as Victor and I are |
| Cancun, Mexico who is in Chiang Mai for a Tao | | | | taken off to ride an elephant. |
| retreat where he will have a three week spiritual | | | | We have to climb a one story platform to board the |
| experience silently ensconced in a closet. I am | | | | beast. Once in, it seems okay...until the elephant |
| fascinated. | | | | moves. Victor and I are sitting in a little metal seat |
| We welcome Gary from England who's doing the | | | | with a safety bar across the front. Victor is to my |
| tour alone as his travel friend has previously enjoyed | | | | left. As the elephant takes a step first Victor takes a |
| it. We finish our pickups with a final stop at the office | | | | dip downward, then I do as Victor comes back up. |
| where we meet many buses who have picked up | | | | Oh, My! This for an hour? I want to change places |
| other tour goers and we have a little Chinese fire drill | | | | with the guide who is sitting behind the elephants |
| as everyone gets off their bus and onto another bus. | | | | head and not experiencing any of this dipping. |
| I wonder how many years it took to develop these | | | | We head up a hill on a very narrow path and I am of |
| logistics. | | | | course on the cliff side of the hill, high up on this |
| We now have a new travel group that includes us | | | | huge animal who in picking his way on a foot wide |
| and Gary from England and we all seem too | | | | path with no safety rail to keep us on the hill should |
| frustrated to go through the meeting process again | | | | the elephant have a miss-step. I am trying hard not |
| and have a quiet ride out of town. Our first stop is | | | | to let this panic me. Victor is enjoying my fear and |
| to pick up three more travelers, all ladies from | | | | keeps telling me to take a picture of this and that |
| Australia. As the guide spends a minute telling us | | | | and all I can do is hang on. As soon as I gain |
| about the tour, it would appear that we have two | | | | confidence that we won't tumble off the hill, we |
| different programs going on here. She keeps talking | | | | reach the top. The views are beautiful with terraced |
| about the one day trek. I am absolutely positive that | | | | fields of vegetables, homes in the distance....But also |
| we have not signed up for a trek, which to me | | | | at the top is where we start going down. This is far |
| means "walk through the jungle." I am certain that in | | | | worse than going up and I feel I just might tumble |
| the jumble of folks getting on and off the bus we | | | | out of the little chair and land right on top of the |
| were supposed to go somewhere else and begin | | | | guide. I am floundering. Then I think my movements |
| dreading a day of trekking. I have improper shoes! | | | | are sure to unsettle the elephant and I will cause our |
| Our first stop is a butterfly and orchid farm. The | | | | fall. I sit very still through the rest of the ride and |
| butterflies are not colorful or impressive, but the | | | | actually enjoy the second half on fairly flat ground. |
| orchids are. Victor takes some really nice pictures and | | | | When we alight from the lumbering beast we |
| I am tempted to buy something souvenirish, but the | | | | reconnect with our tour guide and head off through |
| prices aren't good. We share a coffee with Gary | | | | the terraced fields to our waiting van. I fall off the |
| before the bus heads up the mountain. | | | | terrace twice, but don't step on any poisonous |
| When the bus gets to the little village, Victor and I | | | | snakes. Having abandoned all others, our group is |
| along with Gary and the ladies from Australia are | | | | now just three, Victor and myself and we have |
| instructed to get off and with our tour guide we will | | | | Francisco from Cancun Mexico back with us. |
| go see the Elephants. I guess the other people on | | | | Next we get a water buffalo ride through the town |
| the bus are the ones trekking. I am thrilled. | | | | and surrounding fields in what really looks like a cart |
| The plan is to first see the elephants, not ride them. | | | | that would have been around 2,000 years ago. The |
| We will then go to a zoo and then walk over to | | | | pegs holding it all together are wooden dowels. The |
| where the riding elephants are. I am confused but we | | | | water buffalo also look like they are from 2,000 |
| go along with the program figuring they have this | | | | years ago as does the town itself, with the |
| ironed out and all will be fine. | | | | exception of the half dozen Satellite dishes and |
| All but one of the big elephants is out with riders and | | | | occasional cell phone. |
| we meander over to where the babies are. Cameras | | | | Done with our land adventures, we board a bamboo |
| come out and cooing begins. We feed them food | | | | float, another relic from an earlier time. This is very |
| they can reach on their own and feel good about | | | | peaceful and uneventful. We are enjoying the |
| ourselves. I reach out to one of the elephants that | | | | company of Francisco for the last hour, Victor far |
| seems in distress and he swiftly swats me with his | | | | more that I because the are speaking Spanish most |
| trunk. I am grateful not to have been any closer! A | | | | of the time, and I only catch a few bits. We are |
| fellow rides over on an elephant who poses for | | | | passed by another raft. I don' t think this is fair and |
| pictures. This time I am not swatted and sit on an | | | | offer or guides a big tip if we retake the lead. They |
| extended elephant knee. | | | | don't really understand and we come in second. |
| Across the way is a patch with what looks to be | | | | Victor tells me it is not a race and that we got more |
| frames of some sort drying in the sun. Elephant dung | | | | time on the river than those who passed us, a better |
| paper. Cool! | | | | value for our money. I am tired and want to go |
| We wander the grounds, find the shops, look about, | | | | home. |
| find bathrooms, use them, find beverages, have one | | | | We have all agreed that we do not need to take a |
| and it is all very free form. I guess our guide had a | | | | walk through the jungle to a waterfall that has no |
| handle on where we all were because when it was | | | | water falling and head off to the vans for home. I |
| time to walk to the zoo, we were all together. Up | | | | hope that we have few stops this time, or are first |
| the hill we head and the next stop is a little market | | | | off the bus. |
