Bad News

Okay, slipped on a curb a couple days ago. I was on my way to get dinner at my favorite noodle place just two blocks away from the house when it happened. They have these curbs that are like a foot high and have sloped edges, so somehow I slipped and landed on my left ankle. It hurt, and was kind of scraped up, but I figured that it was nothing too serious since I could still limp back to the house. I washed it off and went to bed.

The next morning, however, I had shooting pains up my leg as soon as I tried standing. Told my roommate, who helped find someone to take me to the hospital. Waited at the hospital for a couple hours before I could even get x-rayed, then a couple more to see a doctor. The doctor said there is a "stable fracture" and the swelling and inflammation was likely from muscle tearing. And because the bone wasn't actually broken, there is not much they can do but wrap up the foot and prescribe painkillers.

Will be coming home about a week early because of this. I fly out tomorrow night. As sad as I am to be leaving Thailand, I am grateful that I still had plenty of amazing experiences during my time here. It could've happened the first day here, but luckily it didn't. I am staying positive, and looking forward to being back home with my kitties. They will be good company while I can't get around much in the next few weeks.

Took this picture right before we went to the hospital. The swelling has gone down some since then.

Tiger Kingdom

My roommate May and I ventured out to a place called Tiger Kingdom, about thirty minutes away in Mae Rim. You decide which tigers you want to get close to (smallest, small, medium, and large) and then buy tickets. May and I decided to go with everything but large. It was a better deal to do more than one or two, anyway. But we still weren't brave enough to go with large. So off we went. We started with the smallest, which were around three months of age.

They were so cute! They were all very playful, like kittens. It was actually a bit of a challenge to get one to stay in still for one second to take a photo. They made these little "rawr" noises, too, like they were trying to be big and scary tigers. It ended up sounding like a meow.

Next we went to the small tiger habitat. They were just a few months older than the first group, averaging about six months old. They were a little more mellow, so maybe a few months really does matter when it comes to maturity. Much easier to get pictures with.

Then finally, the medium tigers. We had to ask if we were at the right habitat, thinking the sign was wrong. These tigers were huge! Especially compared to the itty bitty things we had just left. But no, these were really the "medium" tigers. We were a tad nervous approaching these ones, but they ended up being the most snuggly things ever. They were just like house cats, sprawled around the ground. Some sitting composed under trees, others on their backs soaking up the sun.

It was a great experience. We spent about thirty minutes in each habitat. Then afterwards, we ate lunch at a restaurant which overlooked the large tiger habitat. And they were absolutely massive! It actually did make the medium tigers seem appropriately classified.

Hospital

Today we visited the world's first elephant hospital. It is run privately by a Thai woman we interviewed. She was really amazing to listen to. She has dedicated her life to saving elephants and stopping the ivory trade. It is a very long and expensive battle. The hospital currently has eight elephants staying there, including Pong. He is a 38-year old elephant who had his tusks harvested. He is also going blind, so we had to be very careful in approaching him. But by the end, he was really warmed up to us. He was wagging his tail and feeling the cameras with his trunk. His caretaker told us he hasn't been that excited in a long time.

The woman we interviewed told us she arranges new homes for the elephants once they are recovered enough to leave. Pong will be sent to a place like the one we visited last weekend to live in his natural environment safely with other rescued elephants. The woman we interviewed:

We also got to meet a 4-year-old baby who was rescued from an abusive owner. She came in with a broken leg, but was close to being transferred. Her name is Kai, and she was not shy at all...

Luckily this elephant hospital has been gaining a lot more recognition recently. The owner has an interview with a BBC crew next week and several magazine and newspaper stories being written about her efforts. She says any attention will help bring in donations and possibly allow her to expand the facilities. 

Elephants!

We have had limited internet access the last couple days, but for a really exciting reason. We finally got to get up close with some elephants! We had already been to the elephant hospital, but couldn’t get close enough to touch them. A lot of them were recent rescues and were recovering from various ailments and conditions. We visited a camp this weekend, though, where the elephants were rehabilitated and able to socialize with people again. There were 27 elephants at this park, and only 3 were born there. The rest had been sent from elephant hospitals or rehabilitation centers for a good permanent home.

This particular park is about an hour drive from the city center, which makes it a popular getaway for a lot of tourists. The park survives on the money it brings in from tours and donations visitors make. Each elephant can eat a couple hundred pounds of food per day, so you can imagine how costly it is. We spent the first day at the park just learning how to interact with the elephants. One of the first things we learned how to do was feed them. They love bamboo, sugar cane, bananas (by the bunch), and anything they can strip off the trees. They were not shy about taking anything, either. Often I would be carrying an armload of bananas over to my elephant and another one would reach over and steal some. They had to chain up one leg of the elephants (only during feeding time) to prevent fights over food. Most of these elephants are no longer aggressive, but they will occasionally have flashbacks of needing to fight for food. (Think Wookie and Royal during treat time...)

My elephant for the weekend was Khan. I love his name, especially because of the recent Star Trek movie. But he was mostly called by his nickname, Smooch. I quickly found out what this meant…

He loves to give kisses! He will wrap his trunk around your neck and give you a very loud smooch. He was the only one at the park that did this. I can now say I’ve gotten a hicky from an elephant. Khan was one of the few elephants to be born at the park. He is still considered a baby, being only five years old. He was definitely one of the more playful ones, too. His mahout (caretaker) said this is because he is still in his naughty little boy phase. Kind of reminded me of Royal… Here he is taking a rest. He just flops over wherever he wants and wags his tail.

For example, on the second day we rode our elephants through the jungle for a couple hours to a river to bathe them. They were supposed to stop and let us off before going in the water. But Khan got so excited and started trumpeting when he saw that it was bath time that he ran into the water with me on top still. We spent about an hour in the water, playing and washing. All the elephants love to load up their trunks with water and spray huge fountains over everyone.

I did get to try sitting up on one of the big ones the second day. It was soo high up! A little bit scary at first, but actually felt more stable than little Khan. The big one I sat on is named Ohm. He was very polite, even handed me my shoes with his trunk. By the way, the unflattering outfits we are wearing are to protect our skin from rash from elephant's tough skin.

It has been a couple very tiring, but awesome, days.

Massage

Just got back from a massage. Roommate May and I decided to get one to relax us before bedtime. There is a nice little place like 50 feet from our front door, so we just walked there in pajamas. It was sooo relaxing! I got an hour long full body aromatherapy massage and a 30 minute foot and hand massage on top of it. You know what that cost? $8 all together. Absolutely amazing.
I tried giving the girl $12 with tip and she gave me back $2 saying the tip was too much. Tipping is weird here. You're not really expected to tip anyone, even at restaurants. But she did such an awesome job I felt I needed to. So at least she accepted some of it.

I have a feeling I will be getting one at least once a week. And I had the idea that I will get one the day I leave since my flight isn't until nighttime. Be all melty and relaxed for the long flights.

Goodnight, everyone!

Night Market

A couple girls and I took a walk down to the night bazaar for dinner and possibly a little shopping last night. It was a beautiful, cool evening. The perfect temperature for strolling around. We took the route that lines the river.

We all got something different to eat. I was in the mood for noodles, and there is definitely no shortage of those.

It is really fun just to walk around and watch the venders make food. Got some gyoza a little later. I know Gabby would eat all they have, especially because you can get a dozen for about a dollar.

Did a little shopping, then it started to drizzle so we decided to head back to the house. About half way home, someone spotted a street cart selling something called rotee. She said, "Oh, you have to try it!" It is a Thai pancake with different fruits and things folded inside. We ordered a banana and nutella one. It took about two minutes to make, and I was eager to taste it. It was absolutely heavenly! The outside was crispy and light, and the inside was gooey with the fillings. My new favorite dessert... And only $0.50!

Will need to watch them make it more closely next time, then maybe I can recreate it at home. I have a feeling I'm going to crave these.

Hot Day

Another hot and humid day here in Chiang Mai. One of our Thai guides told us that Thailand has three seasons: hot, hotter, and hottest. And supposedly we are in the hot season. Can't imagine what the hottest is like. Last night, a group of five of us walked around downtown for dinner. Can't remember the name of the place, but the menu was pretty limited English. So I just took a risk and pointed to something on the list. This is what came out:

It was some sort of pork dish with lots of vegetables and in a sweet and spicy sauce. It was delicious! And what's more, little plates of what I guess were side dishes kept coming out. I thought surely they weren't all for me, but everyone got their own. By the end, I think something like 10 mini dishes were brought. My roommate May was checking them out:

And all together, including a large Thai beer, it cost around $4.00. Someone told me this is an expensive meal for Thailand. It never ceases to amaze me what things cost here.

First Day of Work

We were picked up from the house at 10am and brought to the conservation center of Chiang Mai. There we have some interviews to film with officials in the elephant preservation department. I think it is pretty cool that they have a whole department just dedicated to that. My job for the day was to set up lighting. I was able to do it pretty quickly, thanks to the lighting class I took with Chase last year. The interview we shot today took a few hours, but it was fascinating to listen to the man talk about all the efforts Thailand puts into saving these beautiful creatures. While many of the elephants are native to the area, quite a few have been rescued from neighboring countries that overlook the abuse circuses, zoos, logging camps, ivory hunters, etc inflict upon them. The process to save an elephant is quite expensive and time consuming, but many people here have dedicated their lives solely to that cause. And the Thai people support the cause because they believe the elephant is the most sacred animal of Buddha. The way the conservationist put it was, "Of all the footprints on this earth, that of the elephant is supreme."

After the first interview was done, Carl (the director) took everyone out to lunch. All we could talk about was the interview and some of the stories we had heard.

There are elephant statues everywhere, but I saw this unique one walking home from dinner tonight. Made me think of aunt Heidi : )

Markets

This afternoon a group went to the largest market in Chiang Mai. There were so many vendors, and it seemed to go on forever. It was mostly for food, but there were a few clothing stalls.

I bought some spices to bring home for mom (so she can make real Thai curry!) and a huge bag of dried mangos for myself. I'm used to buying small bags at Sam's Club for around $8. The giant bag I bought here was $1. We sampled some prepared foods at the market, like mangosteens, Thai pancakes (tastes like tapioca), spring rolls, and coconut ice cream. Oh my god the coconut ice cream. Probably was twice as good since it was so hot. I got a cup full for 45 cents.

There were a few things people were unwilling to try. And some stalls with buckets full of snakes and eels. The bugs were probably the grossest thing we saw. One person did try a small cricket and said it just tasted salty because it was fried. Nobody was willing to eat a cockroach.

The best part about the market was probably the flower area, simply because of the smell. It was so fragrant and calming, compared to the busy food market. People mostly buy flowers as offerings to bring to temples. I bought a small necklace to wear while walking around so I could keep smelling it.

That was really all we did today. The markets are so huge it took all day just to wind our way through the maze. Going to bed early tonight to get ready for filming tomorrow. No elephants for a few more days, we have some interviews and general city footage to get. Goodnight, everyone!

Temples

Today was another long, hot day. Since we have a couple days until the project starts, the group has been going out together. Today we visited several of the city's historic temples. The first one we visited is the oldest temple in the city, Wat Chiang Man. It was originally built in 1297. I couldn't even grasp that I was standing inside something so ancient. The temple is on the inside of the old city moat, which borders a square mile of the oldest part of the city.

You could go inside and walk around the statues and paintings, but you have to take off your shoes. Everywhere you go indoors here you have to take off your shoes. There are mats for people to kneel on and meditate or make offerings to Buddha. Very quiet and actually quite cool on the inside. It was a nice retreat from the scorching heat. This building with the elephants was in the garden. We were told it was still part of this temple, but only monks could enter it.

(I will upload more pictures on Facebook, just giving you a little taste here)

We noticed a lot of trees in the areas around the temples with colored bands of fabric tied around their trunks. Our Thai guide told us the monks do this in order to protect the trees from being cut down. It really gave them a pretty effect.

The second temple was my favorite. It was a lot smaller, but still had very intricate detail. The colors were different from all the others, too. More blacks, blues, and greens. The inside was beautiful, as well. But there was a man sitting in a box who scared us half to death when we spotted him, only to be told it was a wax statue. Below we are in front of this temple. Starting left, it is me, Sarah (from the UK), Kenzie (from Colorado), and Maria (from Amsterdam).

What I really liked learning was that the dragon statues in front of the temple are there to guard it from evil spirits and act as a barrier between heaven and hell. My favorite part of the temple was an offering area that had seven different Buddha statues with bowls beneath them. The bowls are labeled with the days of the week. Our guide told use you are supposed to put money in the bowl for the day of the week you were born. It is good luck. Luckily I actually knew mine, Saturday. After putting money in, the guide explained to me that my Buddha is the symbol of protection during tumultuous times. I'll take that.

More later. Going to bed now.