Magic Carpet Ride

Ahhh – Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is a smaller city northwest of Bangkok. It is slower paced, less traffic, less pollution, more walkable and a more complete Thai experience. And, it is easier to get out into the countryside, which is what we did.

We booked a one-day trek. In this case, our magic carpet came in the form of a covered pick-up truck with bench seats along the sides and an open back – no seat belts or airbags! It whisked us away to the hills and jungle outside of the city along with seven others from Austria, Germany and Israel.

I have felt a bit suspicious since the Grand Palace scam so I was concerned when our first stop was an orchid farm. It was beautiful with bursts of colorful orchids floating in the air. Next we were off to see traditional villages. That was an experience in conflicting feelings. The “village” was actually a collection of huts for several tribes, such as the Hmong and Karen tribes. We understood that this area helped to preserve the tribes’ cultures – a worthy goal. Nonetheless it felt like a zoo for people. When we arrived, an 85 year old woman got up from her seat when we arrived to demonstrate who they separate rice grains from the hull by beating it with a lever operated by her foot. It took a lot of strength. She could probably out run me! Kids ran around everywhere in traditional clothing, placidly posing for photos like they’ve done it many times before.

One of the most notable tribes was the Karen Long Necks. These women wear metal rings around their necks, legs and arms starting at a very young age and advancing one ring per year until age thirteen. They were able to choose whether or not to wear the rings. They were all beautiful women. They sat quietly while tourists photographed them in their rings and hair wrapped in colorful fabrics.

The church and school were at the end of the village. The school was an outdoor pavilion with only a roof and one wall. The wall held a huge blackboard where they appeared to be teaching Thai and English. Throughout villagers were selling their locally made traditional products. We skipped the products and donated to the school. It’s sad to think these people’s history and traditions may eventually end. But I’m not sure this is the lifestyle they envisioned for their future.

Back into the magic carpet truck and to the elephant camp. On the way we saw several elephant camps with the animals standing under trees. We arrived to a dusty spot under the coconut trees with a few bamboo huts. We could buy bananas or sugar cane to feed the elephants. Mike apparently didn’t hear that part, so as I went back for bananas, he yelled, “But they’re not ripe yet!” They’re not for us – silly!

With no preamble, we walked to a small bluff with a planked area. I was intently watching the elephants all around and was taken by surprise by a long brown snake-like thing curling up and around searching. Silly – it was a trunk! And it was searching for the bananas I held in my hand. After tearing one off, the trunk – seemingly disconnected from the head below us, curled around the banana and zipped it into the waiting mouth below. Fabulous.

The elephants had a sort of saddle on their backs. It was a metal frame seat for two people sitting on a pile of thick pads and strapped to the elephant’s back. But there was a problem. One elephant had a baby last week and another was pregnant. With two elephants out of commission, they needed volunteers to ride behind the driver on the neck of the elephant while two others sat in the seat behind.

Pick me! Pick me! No worries. I was the only one clamoring to get directly on the elephant’s back. With a little juggling we got all three of us on board with the driver. But we were on one of the smallest and with four people. And the elephant wasn’t happy about it. No amount of coaxing could get more than a grudging few steps. All the others soon passed us. With a brief discussion in Thai, the solution apparently was for the driver to slide off the wide face of the elephant and lead from the ground – leaving me perched happily directly behind his ears and looking down over the broad head. It seemed odd to not see his eyes which were well below me.

This approach worked better. With me talking and coaxing with my legs and the trainer in front we made “good” progress. In 40 minutes we went about 200 yards. Not exactly zipping along. It was like a trail ride on plodding horses who only perk up as they near the stables and food. In this case, the elephant would stop periodically and raise his truck to me looking for more bananas. Nope – not until we finish. He accepted that and we’d ease forward again. It was a strange ride as he slowly placed one big, round foot in front of the other. His large legs hinged just under my butt creating a strong back and forth rocking motion.

And it was a messy business – sitting on an elephant. The wiry hairs prickled and dust swirled. The end of the trunk was moist and slimy. They also use their trunks to throw dirt on themselves to keep away bugs. So, moist and slimy combined with dirt made mud. Every touch and banana left a broad smudge of elephant snot/mud – snud – on my arm. As we plodded along, we heard a loud blast. The trainer giggled as we realized it was an elephant fart. I was glad to be on top. But that was nothing compared to the dismount. When we arrived at the dismounting platform, I wanted to see his eye so I bent over to say hello. A big, wide, strong trunk wrapped over my head – as though I was a large banana. Was this elephant for happy or mad? Hard to tell but the staff quickly disentangled me and led our elephant away. I was left with snud across my neck, back and arm. I wouldn’t trade it for anything!





After our lunch of rice and melon under a bamboo hut we were back in the truck to our next event – hiking to a waterfall. In another dusty parking lot we set off at a breakneck pace – or the twenty-somethings did. Me, Mike and a couple from Great Britain – the only other middle aged people – took a more leisurely pace, took photos and were subsequently left behind. No problem.

The trail led through the jungle-covered hills. Huge trees towered against clear blue sky in the fresh air. The trail soon became rocky as it ran alongside a small boulder-strewn stream. Banana trees covered the hillside; teak trees with their plate-size leaves grew straight and tall; bamboo four-stories tall bent over the trail like a green sunlit canopy. In some places the trail crossed streams so that we picked our way across big and small stones. Other times bamboo ladders lay horizontal across rocks and streams making for a precarious but fun balancing act. After an hour we came to the waterfall and all the others lounging on rocks by the falls. It was beautiful and cool with the sound of the falls. It reminded us of our smaller waterfall in Cotignac minus the bamboo and bananas.

Always looking for opportunities to sell to tourists, two women – one very old – were selling cool drinks to the dusty crowd. The old woman, skin leathery from decades in the sun, her head wrapped in fabric, was entrancing with her sparkling eyes and distant gaze. These were the eyes of my grandmother, but set in the high check-bone face of this Thai woman. Through our guide, I told her that she reminded me of my grandmother. I hope it touched her as it did me.

After our walk back, we were off for the white water rafting. I was already weary and not excited. Without shoes but with life jackets and helmets, we boarded our raft with our guide. The river was filled with rounded boulders as the water swooshed around. It was a thrilling ride that refreshed and revived me. Between rapids we enjoyed the scenery of hills, huts, and trees. As we neared the end, the river became wide and shallow. A mother with her naked baby played. They baby lay in the shallow water kicking its feet with a naked butt popping up. So cute.

The last experience of the day was bamboo rafting. Five people on a bamboo raft is not a good plan. We floated – sort of – with the raft submerged just below the surface. Any shifting weight caused it to tip slowly side-to-side. We were completely soaked. The guide explained, “No wet, no fun!” We scrambled to shore, changed clothes and started the hour+ drive home.

We were exhausted and caked with layers of life – truck exhaust, snud, and dust cemented to our bodies with river water. The end of a perfect day.

I’ll gladly snuggle into the folds of this magic carpet and let it take me back to Chiang Mai anytime.