My friend Luke arrived surprisingly awake after his long journey from Albuquerque, and we immediately set out to explore Chiang Mai, get Luke his first Tom Ka Gai soup, and buy him one of the famed Thai yellow shirts for the King’s birthday celebration the next day. After another meal of Kao Soi (which got rave reviews from Luke), we met up with Abby and her new squeeze, Bronwyn, for drinks and a delicious Italian dinner. So much for sticking to Thai food. Later, we enjoyed the Port Luke so valiantly brought us (getting it through customs was a bit of a gamble), and devouring handfuls of his other offering, Reece’s Pieces, and then all headed off to bed in anticipation of our very exciting and action packed next day.

We woke up and met Abby and Bronwyn downstairs, grabbed a banana pancake breakfast, and boarded a minibus to the Elephant Nature Park (www.elephantnaturefoundation.org). We had an absolutely incredible day feeding, bathing, and hanging out with the elephants. It was an amazing experience, and I strongly encourage anyone coming to this neck of the woods to check this out, especially before (if not in lieu of) trekking and elephant rides.

We arrived at a valley surrounded by low rising mountains covered with green jungle and manicured fruit farms. A river runs through it, topping off the picturesque, near Hollywood blockbuster views of the area. Greeted by an energetic, passionate, and very easy going Australian woman named Michelle, we were led to the area where we fed the elephants, and got our first explanations on their moods, behaviors, and human-like traits. After an amazing Thai buffet lunch, we waded into the river where we used buckets and brushes to give the elephants a bath. The rest of the day was spent learning more about the elephants and their role in Thai culture and history, watching a National Geographic documentary on the organization, and wandering around the valley amongst these regal giants.

The foundation is run by a Thai woman named Sangduen “Lek” Chailert. She has made it her life’s mission to care for the elephants, many of whom have been cast aside after years of hard work in the timber or tourism industry, injured by careless (or down right malicious) owners or landmines, or who have fallen ill. It was an amazing experience to simply be around these enormous mammals, who weren’t performing tricks or being forced to carry heavy tourists and wooden saddles, but who were just “being elephants”, as Michelle put it. All the proceeds for the cost of our day went right back to the foundation, towards feeding, providing care and space for the elephants, and purchasing new elephants in need of the sanctuary. Obviously, we felt like our money was very well spent.

After a rewarding day, we were brought back to Chiang Mai where the celebration for the King’s birthday was in full swing. After changing into our yellow shirts, we joined the vast sea of yellow in front of Tae Pai Gate where the national anthem and other patriotic songs were being sung. We arrived just in time, as the crowd released hundreds of cylindrical, paper, balloon like structures that are heated up by a candle at the base and sent floating brightly into the dark sky. It was such a beautiful site, Luke decided to buy one for all of us to enjoy. We signed birthday wishes with a pen, lit the candle, attached a fire cracker, and released our ‘hot air balloon’ into the night.

The next day, our last full day in Chiang Mai, Luke and I went zipping around on tuk tuks, buying bus and train tickets for our upcoming travels, checking out the Chiang Mai Zoo, and driving up the mountain to the famous Doi Sethep temple. After enjoying the great views and a cup of coffee, we sailed down the mountain and into the city where we met Abby and Bronwyn at The Riverside bar and restaurant for an hour and a half dinner cruise along the river. After a relaxing meal, Luke and I checked out a great 7 person cover band that sounded exactly like U2, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Evanescence, or whoever else they were covering. We tried a few delicious alcoholic, coconut concoctions, and went home to pack for our journey north to the qaint and hippified Pai.