#108 Hello, Beautiful Chiang Mai
Part 5 of my trip to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand
Mountain view in Chiang Mai by Joan Naidorf
After a long ride back to the Siem Reap Airport in Cambodia, our group flew through Bangkok to Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. We settled in tranquil resort area in the Mae Rim region. It is quite easy to see why so many people from around the world are moving to this area to retire.
Our first full day in Thailand was reserved for a visit to the Kanta Elephant Sanctuary. The sanctuary was founded in 2015 and presents itself as “an ethical and sustainable eco-tourism project” located approximately 45km from the city of Chiang Mai. The sanctuary offers a retirement home for elephants who have previously worked hard for tourism entertainment or in the logging industry.
From their website:
“We use our progressive and ethically responsible approach to elephant eco-tourism as a platform to raise awareness and educate people from Thailand and around the world about elephant care, the plight of the Asian elephant and our conservation philosophy… Our Mission is to provide as many elephants as possible with the good health, freedom, and happiness they truly deserve.”
Guests can feed, walk with, and even bathe the elephants in a huge fresh water lagoon. We got to meet the mahouts, who are the personalized riders, trainers, and keepers for each of the elephants. Traditionally, mahouts came from certain ethnic groups with generations of elephant keeping experience and will stay with an elephant for life.
Bathing the Elephants at Kanta photo by Joan Naidorf
All the visitors must change into colorful smocks and black pants to prevent the elephants from becoming frightened of the variety of humans who come their way. Feeding and bathing the elephants was a highlight of our trip to Thailand. The elephants go through the daily progression of being fed and bathed by the dozens of sanctuaries which certainly feels performative, but not cruel in any way.
On the way back to our hotel, we stopped at a small enclave of market stalls where various ethnic groups have taken up residence and sell their handicrafts. We got to see the colorful costumes and customs of several groups including the one they refer to as “Long Neck Karen.” According to the Karen Women’s Organisation:
“The Karen are a large and dispersed ethnic group of Southeast Asia. They trace their origins to the Gobi Desert, Mongolia, or Tibet. Karen settled in Burma/Myanmar’s southern Irrawaddy Delta area and in the hills along the Salween River in eastern Myanmar and in neighboring Thailand.”
There are multiple groups within this ethnic designation, and most have been subject to forced labor, loss of farm-lands, and forced relocations. The people living in this Chiang Mai area are the “Long-Neck” people who adopt the practice of their women wearing of a decorative, and restrictive brass ring coiled around their necks.
I plan to rant about this in a future blog post. In my view, that society’s definition of beauty places more than the usual burden on its female members. The wearing the metal collar removes the natural curve of the spine of the neck and forces the ladies into perpetual relaxation of position of their collar bones. I find it to be abusive.
The area was occupied by simple houses and market stalls. Our group members gladly bought some of the handiwork and souvenirs from the various merchants. We felt like this money was going directly into the pockets of the people who need it the most.
On the next day, we lit out early to visit an ornate local temple, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, a Theravada Buddhist temple (wat). The temple is often referred to as "Doi Suthep" and visiting tourists and worshippers take a funicular up to the mountain top where it is located. Here is where I started to understand how much the Buddhists love the bling.
The temples, the shrines, and all the Budha statues are gilded in bright and shiny gold. Local people come here to worship and honor their deceased family members. For a religion and philosophy that explores topics such as the nature of reality, the self, the mind, karma, rebirth, ethics, compassion, and liberation, the Buddhists of Thailand love their adornment. This site was a mere bauble as compared to the lavish ornamentation we would later visit in Bangkok.
For travelers visiting Thailand, look beyond the mega city and discover the green mountains surrounding Chiang Mai to the north. Try to find an ethical elephant sanctuary that treats these majestic giants with the respect and dignity that they deserve. Their story is an important part of this country’s history and character.
We were sad to close out our relaxing time in Chiang Mai, but the bustling metropolis of the capitol was next on our agenda. Our trip to Bangkok featured a trip to the tailor, the Jim Thompson House, the Palace complex, the gigantic Reclining Budha, and a performance of the Thai Ladyboys.
You will not want to miss the last installment yet to come.
