Chiang Mai – Part 2

This is a continuation of my last post on Thailand.

The elephant park is really cool! It’s also a resort cum school for learning how to train elephants. I think it’s a such a novel way to spend your holidays, learning how to train elephants.

#1 – Elephants bathing in the river with the student trainers.

You don’t see any elephant locked up in a cages like Malaysia. The area is free for the elephants to wander about but they’re never without a master (mahout) so you don’t have to be afraid about getting trampled into a pulp :P

#2 – Posing with baby of the herd.

There’s also an elephant show where they get to show off their talents. It’s pretty amazing what these bigass animals can do. Balancing on one leg on a tree trunk, moving stuff around etc. The baby elephant even knew how to help a person put a hat on!

#3 – Baby elephant putting a hat over the girl’s head.

And they can paint! You can buy an elephant’s painting from 500 baht and above.

#4 – Elephant paintings gallery.

The sanctuary’s got a blog here, you can see much better pictures of the elephants and the activities there.

We left the elephant sanctuary for Wat Phra That Lampang Luang. The sky was glorious, just perfect for pictures.

#5 – Temple entrance.

There weren’t many people so it felt really serene and peaceful. I could hang out there for a while.

#6 – Prayers in progress.

#7 – Under the bell.

#8 – Another one at the entrance before leaving.

Next, we went to a ceramics factory, nothing much to shout about. It’s huge and filled with high quality ceramic stuff for sale. I got a couple of ceramic magnets as souveniers and a mug. I thought of buying more stuff but the moment I put something into my shopping basket, my brain screamed LOGISTIC NIGHTMARE.

Dinner time was at this restaurant called Khum Khan Tok. We were treated to a cultural show and authentic Thai food presented specially for very honoured guests.

#9 – Thai food platter.

Speaking of this food platter, it’s basically a few bowls of different food with dips. My favourite part of the platter is definitely the bowl of pork cracklings. Hmmm hmmm. Best thing about it? It’s refillable, babeh.

#10 – Pork cracklings.

After dinner, we even got to light up these lanterns, not unlike the traditional chinese flying lanterns. Lighting those lanterns was a hot affair, literally.

#11 – Lighting up the lantern. Can you spot my me?

#12 – Drifting away…

#13 – And away…

We went back to hotel in a tuktuk convoy lead by a cop. We felt like proper VIPs!

#14 – In my tuktuk.

#15 – My tuktuk driver.

#16 – One with the convoy leader. A real police! Don’t play play.

Next post will be about Chiang Rai, kap kun ka!

Read Chiang Mai – Part 1.