I love visiting new places – especially ones I’ve heard so many good things about. I also love hanging out with my sister, Maggie. Needless to say this combination made for an awesome trip to Thailand. We had a great time navigating a new country together and were able to visit three different places during our trip – Chiang Mai, Koh Lanta, and Krabi.
Melissa Brobst, a high school friend of ours, is currently living in Chiang Mai which is where we started our trip. Melissa has been living in the city for over a year and thus was able to recommend a lot for us to do. A couple of the highlights from Chiang Mai include visiting Doi Suthep, the Mae Sa waterfalls, and our elephant trek.
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is a Theravada Buddhist temple perched high up on Doi Suthep mountain about 10 miles outside of the city. The temple was built in 1383 and draws from both Buddhism and Hinduism. There were multiple pagodas, statues, and shrines with the most holy being the copper plated cheri in the picture to the right.
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
We also visited the Mae Sa waterfalls which is an 8 tiered waterfall where you can hike to the top. It was pretty hot out by the time we arrived, but the climb was beautiful and there were fewer and fewer tourists as we got to the top. I kept trying to compare the landscape of Chiang Mai to something familiar to me and could only come up with this – it was similar to the hilly, winding landscape of Big Sur minus the ocean, but including beautiful “fall” foliage (technically it’s just the dry season, not fall, but, oh well).
Hiking Mae Sa waterfalls
The next day we went on an elephant trek with the Ran-Tong Elephant Centre. I was apprehensive about attending one of these tours as I know many companies treat the animals poorly and are only in business to make money rather than provide a sanctuary for the animals. Also, after experience working in a captive marine mammal facility I have mixed feelings about keeping large mammals in captivity. However, with all that being said, after some research we decided to go on the tour and were really happy with our decision. Seeing these animals up close was an experience I will never forget – even by the end of the day I could not get over the combination of their size and power mixed with their gentle nature.
After we arrived we were allowed to feed the elephants an assortment of fruits and sugarcane – watching their probing trunks seeking out tourists with the food was hysterical. We then took a 30-minute ride on the back of the elephant around the countryside. The guide assured us no one has fallen off so we wouldn’t either. I highly doubt they will be able to claim this forever. The person who sits in front has to tuck their legs behind the elephant's ear and then hang on to a very thin rope all the while moving side to side underneath the elephant’s undulating spine. Maggie promptly decided she was sitting in back so I braved the front which turned out fine minus a precarious moment when I thought I could use my GoPro and hold on at the same time. In the afternoon we rode the elephants down to a lake. Our elephant marched right into the water and sat down, prompting Maggie and me to jump off and watch the elephant roll around in the water cooling itself off. At one point a guide came up to Maggie and handed her something before she could object – it was a massive piece of elephant poop. I was laughing so hard and eventually Maggie was, too.
The mahouts and the guides on the trip were excellent. Each elephant has a mahout or “trainer” who helps take care of it and teach it the commands of “go” “stop” and “lay down” etc. Many of these camps use hooks to make the animals behave, but true to the advertisements, I didn’t see any sign they were used here. Also, during lunch I had stepped away from the group for some reason and witnessed one of the mahouts playing with a 2 year old elephant. He was sort of tickling it with his foot over and over and not to anthropomorphize, but the elephant looked to be enjoying it. While I’m sure there’s plenty of moments like this, it was neat to witness this interaction. Finally, our guide, Adam (definitely not his Thai name) was a good spokesperson for the center and elephant conservation. He used to work as a translator for the U.N. and thus his English was near perfect. He explained that all the elephants in the camp either had been used to assist with logging or were used as taxis for tourists, often shuttling people around for 12 hours each day. I had been informed about questions to ask to ensure the animals were treated properly and was pleased Adam addressed each of them to the group. The center employs a veterinarian who visits once a month to check on each of the animals. The animals are fed a balanced diet of fruit and grasses. The elephants are only ridden for an hour maximum and the animals did not have any noticeable wounds, supporting their no hook use policy. While I realize I was trying to justify my enjoyment of seeing these amazing creatures up close by trying to ascertain whether they’re treated well, I believe overall our money did go to a worthy organization – even if all animals aren’t always meant to be interacted with in such an up-close manner.
Paddle boarding
After seeing the nightlife of Chiang Mai with Melissa and her friends (which I quite enjoyed after the sleepy nights in Kratie), we headed to Koh Lanta – the largest of the three major islands comprising Koh Lanta district. Koh Lanta is known for its beautiful beaches and it did not disappoint. The water was the perfect temperature and crystal clear at the shore fading into a cerulean blue. The first day Maggie and I soaked up the sun and went for a short paddle board ride. The next day we went diving/snorkeling at Ko Haa – a dive site about an hour away from Koh Lanta. Although we didn’t see any whale sharks, the dives were still fun. I saw several moray eels, a sea snake, and soft coral species I had never seen. When I asked the dive guide what kind of coral it was he told me it was purple soft coral. I suppose I’ll have to do some extra work if I want to actually I.D. the species!
While basically everything was enjoyable in Koh Lanta – the food, the beach, relaxed atmosphere etc., the mosquitoes had other plans. Maggie and I stayed in a hotel comprised of these modern concrete bungalows nestled along the beach. Although they looked to be airtight, each morning Maggie and I were bombarded by clouds of mosquitoes. I made some offhanded remark about malaria and dengue which did not sit well with Maggie, but we both seem fine for now and all in all thoroughly enjoyed this part of our trip.
We then made our way to Krabi which is located on the mainland about a two hour ferry ride north of Koh Lanta. We only had one full day in Krabi which we spent on Railay Beach – a 15 minute boat ride from Krabi. The island is known for its limestone cliffs which attract lots of rock climbers and also beach-goers like us. There is one section of the island where you can climb one of the cliffs to a lookout spot. The climb consisted of clambering over rocks and using a thick rope to hoist yourself up most of the way. The effort was definitely worth it, though, as the view from the top was stunning.
View from lookout point
We spent the rest of the day relaxing on the beach and after a little too much sun decided to try to catch a boat back to Krabi. We had bought a roundtrip ticket and assumed any one of the boats on the beach would take us back. They were all anchored a bit far out so we waded out to one and got on. The driver said something to us in Thai and then left – we sat there for 30 minutes when he came back and told us to get on another boat because it matched the number on our ticket. We struggled to not get completely soaked or trip on one of the many anchor lines while switching boats. After about an hour we made it back to Krabi. All in all we made it back without too much delay, but I had to laugh at the situation. The system to catch a boat back was simple; Maggie and I just didn’t understand it. I’ve found this is the case with most of the traveling I’ve done – you are assured to make mistakes no mater how simple the task and learn as you go.
Overall, though, the trip was a wonderful getaway for me and I hope an enjoyable graduation gift for Maggie who truly deserved it after all her hard work.