SpecTHAIcular! Part 1

Welcome to the charming Chiang Mai in north of Thailand!

Oh! But before let me brief you how I managed to get here;

When I decided to come to Thailand and do my Yoga Teacher Training, I planned to stay an extra week and spend my birthday here. Why not, right? Either be jet lagged back home or take advantage of this experience!

 

Coming Soon to a new post: Koh Tao & Bangkok

Thanks Micheal Graham for capturing the moment!

After living for a month on big island of Samui, my good friend from YTT, Nicole & I traveled to the small neighbor island of Koh Tao looking for a weekend of well deserved rest & relaxation. 

School is out for summer!!!

What I didn't know is that I would fall head over flip flops for this hidden paradise! Chill, laid back, sunny & breezy, almost no mosquitoes, surrounded by nature with an eco friendly mentality; it’s my idea of heaven! I’ll write another post on Koh Tao soon as I loved it so much - I returned later in my trip. 

Wat Pho in Bangkok with Nicole

So after this taste of perfect vacation; we headed for 1night & 2 days in Bangkok. 

 And yes, we did our own version of the song! 

 The next day, my friend returned back home to USA & I traveled north to continue my adventure.

 

PART 1 – Let’s make it Grand!

Since I was now traveling alone; I wanted to make my birthday grand and memorable. Usually, I plan big birthday dinner after a whole day of fun activities with friends… So this year, you see, was really different!  Yet another big challenge for me to overcome; spending my birthday by myself. What could I do so it will be special & avoid feeling homesick?

Let’s check my bucket list… Scroll down to number 53. – Get close & personal with the Elephant world. Oh! Perfect, I heard about this elephant sanctuary in North of Thailand; Elephant Nature Park. http://www.elephantnaturepark.org

Gentle Giant rescued from lodging industry now in peace at the Elephant Nature Park Sanctuary

It is surprisingly the ONLY real sanctuary for elephants in Thailand, where these majestic creatures are free to roam & enjoy life. Visitors & volunteers cannot ride them or make them perform tricks; as most were rescued from abusive pasts (lodging industry, streets begging, hiking tourist trails, circus...); these elephants were already used to abusive humans contact due their sad history... and yet perhaps instinctively they were comfortable to approach us at the sanctuary trusting they’re safe now!

Elies cools off by bathing everyday & wash off their natural sunscreen: dirt!

 

We could feed them and help them wash in the river. So much fun!

An Elephants can eat up to 250 kg of food/day! Donations are crucial to this sanctuary run solely on volunteers & donations!

Fresh fruits & veggies are bought from local farmers every day to feed the big residents!

Not only elephants are rescued!

Younger elies in the sanctuary are the lucky ones, born at sanctuary or rescued as orphans; all which might still have a chance to go back to the wild by limiting the human interaction. Making them independent for a better chance of survival!


Read about the herd's story:
http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/herd/index.htm

Mahout (caretaker) of rescued domesticated elephants

 

Drugged all her life with amphetamines: this big girl is a survivor from her lodging past & getting a second chance in life!

 Most tourists want to ride elephants; what they don't know is what the elephant had to go through to be so docile. Elephants are born to be wild; not tamed by getting literally their spirit broken. It is a sad hidden reality and yet very much in your face when you travel Thailand. 

 

I strongly encourage everyone to get informed before getting in any sort of tourist attractions that involves live animals; because although ignorance is bliss - it also encourage the industry to continue abusing poor souls.

Muchie time at the Free Elephant Clinic

Bday cake from Elephant Nature Park

Learning about these wonderful creatures and spending this time with them was one of the most gratifying experiences of my life and most beautiful gift I had for my birthday! To top it off; at the end of my day I was surprised with an amazing elephant birthday cake! I was so touched that tears came out! I don’t know who informed them about this special attention but THANK YOU!

Having the cake at the end of a magical day; was truly the icing on my own! Lol!

 I invite you to read more about this beautiful rescue: the story of determination and endless compassion of the founder Lek. You can also find the stories of all the residents of the sanctuary and help sponsor your favorite. 
http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/aboutelephants/overview.htm 
 This refuge is run solely on donations with no help of the government.

 This was only part 1 of my adventure in Chiang Mai 

Stay tuned for the rest of my adventure in the Land of smiles : )