The Big Picture –
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Up
for something new? Head over to Chiang Mai, Thailand and
volunteer at the Elephant Nature Park.
By Philip Sen
He’s asleep and no matter how much we shake him he won’t
get up. It’s early in the morning and it’s a long way home,
but like a grumpy teenager he just wants five more minutes.
You can’t blame him; he’s in elephant heaven.
Elephants are one of Thailand’s big draws,
and in their time have been employed as anything from
beasts of burden to machines of war. Their images abound
from sarongs to handbags to the label on your Beer Chang.
But since the ban on logging in the mid 1980s, many of the
country’s jobbing jumbos have found themselves downsized to
the tourist trade.
It’s cheap, comfortable and family-friendly and what’s
more, it’s ethical.
Trekker’s Mecca Chiang Mai is now
surrounded by elephant camps, offering the usual blend of
activities, shows and rides. And though the profession of
the mahout – the lifelong human trainer, driver and
companion assigned to each animal – is still alive, in the
cutthroat market of Thai tourism many of its more noble
traditions have been forgotten.
Appalled at the less-than perfect conditions in which the
majority of working elephants are kept, in 1996 former
tourist guide ‘Lek’ Chailert decided to offer an
alternative. Set amongst the wild terrain of the Mae Taman
valley, today the Elephant Nature Park
offers visitors the chance to get to know these noble
beasts not from a distance but right in your face. No
saddles, no chains, no confinement. It’s cheap, comfortable
and family-friendly and what’s more, it’s ethical.
Now a benchmark for Thailand’s embryonic ecotourism
industry, the 100-acre park has since featured on the
National Geographic and Discovery TV channels, counting
celebrities such as Meg Ryan as among its friends. Part of
its mission to prove to the rest of the tourist industry
that it is possible to keep elephants in an
ethical manner and yet make them earn money. Each
individual of the resident herd of 15-20 animals has in
fact been rescued from some kind of ill-treatment. One was
blinded; one lost a tusk to poachers; two were orphaned.
‘Volunteers’ (overnight guests are required to participate
in the running of the camp and upon application via the
website or the agents in Chiang Mai there’s a quick vetting
process) should be aware the Elephant Nature Park is no
five star luxury resort. Situated 50km north of Chiang Mai
it nestles in a river basin miles away from any
restaurants, bars or nightclubs. It’s a sanctuary first; a
tourist centre second.
After a help-yourself breakfast of jam and toast,
volunteers grab buckets and brushes...
Life there depends on the season. During the dry period
from November to March, for example, there’s an urgent need
to swish around the vegetation with old machetes collecting
fresh fodder. On occasions, guests can join the ‘Jumbo
Express’ helping distribute veterinary attention to working
elephants kept by remote hill tribes – a unique spin on the
region’s ethno-tourism business (of which the benefits are
often dubious). Everyday routine, however, is based on and
around the animals themselves, so be ready to muck in.
After a help-yourself breakfast of jam and toast,
volunteers grab buckets and brushes and wander down to the
river that snakes through the camp. Despite their thick
skins, elephants are prone to parasites and other
irritating conditions so for them it’s a bonus, not a
gimmick. Of course it’s still great fun for the visitors
and from the amount of playful splashing you can tell the
elephants love it too.
Should you choose you can then take an elephant for a
half-hour constitutional. But don’t expect to be perched on
a seat on the elephant’s back like at Chiang Mai’s more
typical trekking centres. "An elephant’s neck muscles are
much stronger – this is where the mahout traditionally
sits," explain camp staff. "Seats are not good for an
elephant’s spine – far from it – and they have been known
to affect elephant pregnancies." And once you’ve ridden an
elephant bareback, its bristles of wiry hair pricking
against your legs, you’ll know the difference. Though it
feels odd for a while, riding this way is an interface
between man and beast. You connect.
What’s more, those seats look so colonial.
At around noon a pick-up truck laden with the treats of the
day – bananas, pineapples, papaya – rolls up and the
feeding frenzy begins. Guests are expected to get involved,
and it’s another opportunity to bond with elephants up
close. It’s a messy time (after a few minutes you’ll be
covered in fruit pulp and elephant snot) but a magical one.
There is nothing quite like the rubbery but dry touch of an
elephant’s skin or communing with the supple gentleness of
100,000 muscles of its trunk to convince you that you are
in the presence of an equal intelligence.
Perhaps the park’s biggest departure from trekking industry
conventions are these opportunities to get to know the
elephants. Yes, each animal has a character, a personality
of its own. Sumbun squeaks to attract your hand. The
youngsters Hope and Jungle Boy are boisterous and full of
fun. Missing his tusk, Bhun Khum is stately and reserved.
Simply being in the presence of elephants at large educates
the visitor like no circus or even safari ever can.
Every few days the elephants and mahouts begin the
leisurely trudge to ‘Elephant Heaven’, an area of natural
forest managed by the park after a generous donation from
an American backer. After negotiating a river – on foot
mind you, but to the elephants it’s no hassle to bear you
across if you don’t want to get wet – it’s a steep climb
through the rainforest to the top of the hill. Again, if
jungle trekking isn’t your cup of tea, take a ride and save
your legs.
There at the end of the journey, the elephants are released
to roam in the jungle as nature intended. While the
visitors rest the elephants crash around until nightfall,
stuffing themselves with natural foliage. Meanwhile, over
an open fire the guide rustles up dinner for mahouts and
guests alike. This is real Thai cooking:
traditional flavours, spices and textures traditionally
prepared.
Visiting elephant heaven means a night out in the jungle:
OK, the beds are hard, there’s odd noises in the darkness
and even one or two creepy-crawlies but it’s an experience
never to be forgotten. Assuming you’ve slept, once daybreak
comes visitors hook up with a mahout and set off to track
down the elephants for the journey back to the valley. If
you’ve never seen a sleeping elephant before, now’s your
chance. It’s a sight to behold. Not many people ever get
the opportunity to witness an animal’s natural behaviour in
its natural environment at quite the proximity they can
here.
The Elephant Nature Park likes to keep the numbers down;
there’s only limited accommodation and crowding is not good
for the animals. While at US$260 per week it’s hardly
expensive, it’s not as cheap as its rivals either. But,
explains founder Lek Chailert, "when people come here they
see that all of the money goes to the elephants
themselves." There are few places in the world where you
can get to know animals this close and this personal, yet
know that you’re doing the right thing.
People come here without expectations, says Lek; when they
leave they’ve fallen in love.
elephantnaturepark.org
35 mm slides available from author
Essentials
Go by…
Plane.
Chiang Mai boasts an international airport with daily
direct flights by Thai Air (www.thaiairways.com.cn).
Alternatively transfer from Bangkok – it’s a major regional
hub connected to pretty much everywhere.
Stay at…
Accommodation
at the park itself is part of the deal. What you get for
your money is a comfortable bamboo chalet among the trees,
three square meals a day and as much bottled water (tea or
coffee should you prefer) as you can drink. The rooms do
have beds and mosquito nets but no fans or air
conditioning. The north of Thailand is relatively temperate
at night – you won’t miss aircon that much – and
while the showers are cold, the days are hot.
If you can’t face roughing it every night for a whole week,
camp staff will give you a lift into Chiang Mai and back.
There you’ll find a range of accommodation from the
palatial but pricey to the cheap but truly scuzzy.
Lai Thai strikes a good budget to mid-range balance.
Beautifully decorated rooms from 600B (US$15) include
air-con, hot water and cable TV, and there’s even a
swimming pool. Telephone +66 (0)5327 1725 or check the
website laithai.com
Eat at…
You’ll
be amazed at the quality and variety of Thai cuisine that
the camp cooks can whip up in their simple kitchen. It’s
also prepared in a more authentic style than the
foreigner-friendly fare of Chiang Mai restaurants and after
a day on the ranch pretty much matches up to anything the
city can offer. Put it this way: you’ll never go hungry.
Back in Chiang Mai, one recommendation for travellers who
do tire of green curry and Pad Thai noodles is Jerusalem
(Moon Muang Road, opposite Tapae Gate). A decent meal with
drinks for two costs about 400B (US$10); the place sets out
a mean falafel. There’s plenty more restaurants and bars
near the city’s celebrated night market.
Drink at…
You can
store your beers in the camp kitchen’s fridge and drink
them out on the veranda under the stars. Travellers looking
for go-go bars and all-night parties are advised to remain
in Bangkok.
Go in…
Best
time is the ‘cool season’ that runs from October to
February; daytime temperatures still exceed 30DEGC. March
and April are hot and dry and it’s tougher to find green
leaves for the elephants; after April and you’re facing the
monsoon.
PS…
It’s a
sticky fifteen-minute walk to the nearest stall for a can
of Coke; you’re advised to stock up on any creature
comforts you might need. Moreover, you are going
to get hot, wet, sweaty and dirty (perhaps all four) so
bring plenty of old, light clothes.
Finally, though no-one has ever been hurt at the camp and
the staff are ever-present, be sensible. The beauty of the
Elephant Nature Park is that it lets you get close to the
animals but take care not to severely annoy or startle them
or you’ll find yourself on the receiving end of an angry
trunk.
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