About a month ago, during Golden Week (a week-long holiday here in Japan), Kaz and I added another international stamp to our passports as we spent five days exploring Thailand. Thailand has been on my list of places to visit since we arrived in Japan - and after much research and many conversations with friends who'd been to Thailand - we decided on visiting Chiang Mai (in northern Thailand) and Bangkok (in central Thailand).
Thailand, formerly known as Siam until 1939, is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been colonized by a foreign power. It is a constitutional monarchy - meaning that the Prime Minister is the head of the government and the hereditary monarch (the king) is the head of the state. Thailand is very loyal to their King - and this loyalty is apparent as soon as you step foot into the country. Last October, the longest reigning King (Bhumibol Adulyadej; who reigned for 70 years) died; and, the country is in the middle of a year-long mourning period. Everywhere you look, there are tributes to the late King...memorials, signs, billboards, etc.
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| Tributes to the late king |
Interestingly, there have been many military coups in Thailand and currently the country is run by a military dictatorship which allows no political opposition. Since about 2006, there have been strict rules and punishments for anyone who says anything negative or disrespectful about the monarchy. I read an article about a man who made a joke about the King's dog on Facebook and was then sentenced to 37 years in prison! Yikes! Could you imagine if the United States had rules like this for comments made about our president?
Chiang Mai
We began our trip with three days in Chiang Mai. In many ways, Chiang Mai reminded me a bit of Bali...the cars, rickshaws, and taxis zooming in and out of traffic; the little stands set up on the sides of the streets selling everything you could imagine; holding my breath when stepping out into traffic to cross the street and hoping people would stop; the smells of different foods blending together; and, just the amount of stuff everywhere you looked. While Thai is definitely the most common language spoken in Thailand - the number of people who can (and will) speak English is much higher. Which is a good thing because I didn't even know where to start. To me, Thai sounded so different from English that even after a week - I wasn't able to pick up on simple greetings or commonly used words. 
The theme of our time in Chiang Mai was definitely wats! Followed closely by elephants and then massaman curry. The massaman curry was my absolute favorite - and actually one of the only dishes mild enough for someone who lacks an ability to handle spicy foods! Wat is the Thai-word for Buddhist temple and there are more than 300 wats scattered throughout Chiang Mai. Thailand has one of the highest Buddhist populations in the world - with close to 95% of its population practicing Theravada Buddhism. As with its loyalty to the King, Thailand's strong Buddhist beliefs are also quite apparent as you travel throughout the country.
The temples in Thailand are usually brightly-colored and covered with gemstones and gold leafing from top to bottom. Quite different than the "one with nature" temples of Japan. At each wat, you are required to take off your shoes (when walking inside the buildings) and have both your shoulders and legs covered. Because it's usually over 100-degrees outside, natives often wear pants made of thin, flowy material and wrap thin scarves around their shoulders when entering the temples.
We probably visited at least seven wats during our time in Chiang Mai - and each one had its own unique story and design. Here are some pictures and a few interesting tidbits about just some of the wats we visited.
*Wat Phra That Doi Suthep*
Wat Phra That Doi Suthrep dates back to the 14th century and is considered one of the most holy sites in all of Thailand. According to a famous Thai legend, a monk had a dream in which he was told to go to Pang Cha and find a relic. He went and found a bone that was believed to be the shoulder bone of Gautama Buddha (the founder of Buddhism). The bone displayed magical powers; however, when the monk presented it to the King - the King was unable to witness the magical powers and he told the monk to keep it. Later, the monk took the bone to northern Thailand where it broke into two pieces. One piece was enshrined in a temple and the other was placed on the back of a white elephant. Apparently, the elephant climbed up Dio Suthep - stopped, trumpeted three times, and the dropped dead. This was interpreted as an omen and Wat Phra That Doi Suthep was then built exactly where the elephant was said to have fallen.
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| Teens studying to be Buddhist monks |
*Wat Suan Dok*
Wat Suan Dok is said to be the temple in which the other half of the relic (from the story above) is housed. The Chiang Mai campus of the Buddhist Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University (try saying that one ten times fast) is also housed within the temple compound. As we were walking around the grounds, we actually stumbled upon an event in which the international students were teaching their classmates about their cultures and backgrounds. 
*Wat Phra Singh*
It was at this wat that I had my first (and hopefully last) experience with durian fruit. Durian is known as "the King of fruits" in southeast Asia and is notorious for its smell...its awful, awful smell! Think rotting garbage mixed with skunk mixed with heat mixed with humidity! Apparently, the taste is much better than the smell...however, after trying a durian popsicle...I beg to disagree!
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| Many wats contained VERY life-like statues of monks who'd once lived there |
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| Durian...need I say more?! |
Inside Wat Chedi Luang, I was actually able to buy a piece of gold leafing - for about 30 cents - and put it on one of the buddhas inside the wat. The recommendation was to put it on the buddha with your zodiac sign - so that's what I did! As funny as it sounds, it was really neat to be able to buy some gold and leave "my mark" in Thailand!
*Elephants!*
After a day spent exploring more wats than we could count, we were ready for something different! So...a day in the wild with elephants it was!
Before coming to Thailand, I'd read a lot about the rehabilitation efforts being done to the elephants in Chiang Mai (and Thailand in general). In Chiang Mai, there are zero elephants that live in the wild - they are all currently living in captivity. Many of these elephants are used in shows and treated rather inhumanely. In the late 1990s, Elephant Nature Park was established as the first sanctuary in Chiang Mai to help rescue and rehabilitate elephants. Since then, many other sanctuaries have been established and Elephant Nature Park has also grown quite a bit. Currently, they have several side programs in which they are working with local elephant owners to help them learn to care for their elephants in more humane ways.
We had signed up to observe one of the smaller programs - as we were quite intrigued by the description of "spending a day with elephants in their natural habitat." When the van picked us up in the morning, we were shocked to find out that we were the only two people on our tour for the day...so we basically had the elephants completely to ourselves!
Not knowing what to expect, Kaz and I were both a bit timid when our guide gave us huge knives (about two minutes after arriving at this little hut in the middle of nowhere) and told us to start cutting up the buckets of cucumbers for the elephants. As we did that, he guided over three ginormous (and beautiful) female elephants. I was definitely overwhelmed by their size and presence. As we started to feed the elephants, I could tell that both Kaz and I were being very aware of our movements and actions. On the van ride, we'd watched a video FULL of rules regarding what to do/not to do around the elephants. However, as the day went on - I think we both got much more comfortable with the animals...especially as we saw how gentle they were!
After meal time, our guide told us that we were going to guide the elephants up a mountain to a place where they could practice finding their own food. The goal is to help the elephants get to the point where they will be able to gather enough food for survival. As we started walking, it was apparent that we were just walking through the jungle! Sometimes there were trails - sometimes not. The elephants just kept walking and at times you had to scramble to get out of their way...even if there was no where to go. I actually found myself falling into a thorn bush at one point! 
As the elephants ate, Kaz and I were treated to our own lunch inside a little hut next to a stream. Definitely the most remote meal I've ever eaten...the hut was the only "building" for miles. After lunch it was more walking with the elephants. At one point, we came to a puddle of mud - and our guide gave Kaz a huge stick and told him to jump in. His job was to stir up the mud so the elephants could take a mud bath. As Kaz stirred, the elephants sprayed mud everywhere - covering everything even remotely close to them in mud...this included us! 
During the mud baths, I asked our guide if I could pet one of the elephants on the trunk. He gave me the go ahead - and it was in these next few moments that I was able to bond with one of the elephants. I would rub her trunk and she would flap her ears (a sign of happiness). When I stopped, she would reach over and nudge me with her trunk as though to say - "Hey, keep going." This game went on for about 10 minutes - and even our guide commented on the fact that this elephant had developed trust in me! 
After the mud baths, it was more walking through the jungle before returning to the river to help bathe the elephants. I have to admit that when I first looked at the color of the river, I was really, really unsure about getting in. However, how often does one have the chance to bathe an elephant?! So, into the river I went. As we helped bathe the elephants, the one I had bonded with earlier actually made her way over to me...so I got the chance to bond even more! Such a cool experience.
After their baths, we fed the elephants some bamboo before saying our goodbyes and heading to the actual Elephant Nature Park. Our guide gave us a tour of the grounds, which included the huge outdoor kitchen where all the food is prepared for the elephants. We were also able to see many other elephants who'd been rescued walking around the grounds. It was a neat site to see!
I never would have imagined that I would have ever had the chance to spend a full day in the wild with elephants. And, while I know that the three elephants we encountered were probably more used to people than elephants in the "wild," it was amazing to see that these gentle, giant creatures really are't much different than we are!
After an evening spent trying to get the mud out of our clothes and shoes worn on our elephant excursion the day before, we spent our last day in Chiang Mai exploring Wiang Kum Kam. Wiang Kum Kam is a historic settlement and archaeological site along the Ping River. Parts of the settlement were discovered in the mid-1980s and since then more and more pieces have (and are) being discovered. Apparently, the settlement was the original capital of this area before the King moved his capital to Chiang Mai (likely due to the frequency of flooding). 
Currently, about 10 sites have been discovered and restored; and, visitors can take a horse and buggy from site to site to see them all! Yep, we were those people riding down the paved side streets in a buggy - watching the cars speed by! Exploring the sites made me feel a bit like I was in an Indiana Jones movie - as we wandered in and out of the remains of ancient civilizations. While many of the buildings have been restored, much has been left as it was...and it was neat to see the warped and broken bricks and stones. And, to see these sites scattered within a modern town. I can only wonder what else will be found - as scientists continue to explore this area.
We ended our time in Chiang Mai with a swim and some more curry before heading off to the capital city of Bangkok! Stay tuned for that post soon! In the meantime, here are some other fun photos that will give you even more of a feel of the culture, vibe, and FOOD of Chiang Mai!
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