The Elephant in the Room

Upon deciding to come to Thailand, there was one thing that was on the very top of my absolute "MUST-DO's", and that was to spend some time with elephants.  Elephants are ubiquitous in Thailand (they're the country's national animal) but unfortunately they've more often been used and abused by humans here rather than revered and protected.  In the days of Alexander the Great, they were used as instruments of war, carrying soldiers into battle.  In the 1930's and 40's, elephants became popular in the logging industry, lifting and carrying fallen trees in areas that modern machinery wasn't able to reach. When logging was banned by the Thai government in 1989, Thai elephants and their mahouts turned to the tourism industry as a means of survival, with elephants often found "begging" on the streets or trekking tourists around the jungle.  The result of all of this abuse has been a significant decline in the amount of elephants left in Thailand, with the number of domesticated elephants down from 100,000 in 1850 to about 2,700 today. Wild elephants have fared no better, with their numbers estimated to be between 2,0000 - 3,000 today.  The tide is turning though, albeit slowly, and more people here are becoming focused on conservation, and protecting the well-being of these amazing animals.  Street begging is now illegal, and all locals and tourists are encouraged to report any incidents they may observe to Thai authorities, or to a local conservation group.  Trekking camps do, unfortunately, still exist throughout the country, and do continue to profit from tourists uneducated about the harsh conditions that exist for the elephants in this sort of environment.  Not only are the elephants frequently overworked and underfed in camps like these, but the actual act of carrying a heavy metal "seat" plus the weight of multiple people on their backs is painful and damaging to the elephant, as well. Despite their size, an elephant's back is actually the most fragile part of its body, and isn't able to comfortably support more weight than one small-ish human being.  I've been surprised at the number of western tourists I've met here that had no idea about this fact.  I've talked more than a few out of doing a trek, in favor of visiting a sanctuary instead. 

Now, that being said, not all sanctuaries in Thailand are created equal.  Some do still offer "rides" (shorter than a trek, but no less painful or abusive), some keep the elephants chained for a majority of the day, some allow the free use of bull-hooks by the mahouts which, while they can be used as a gentle "guide" to help handle the elephant, are more often wielded as weapons.  I was in the market for a sanctuary that was truly dedicated to the health and well-being of the elephants over the financial gain provided by the tourism industry.  In my research, I hit upon three consistently reputable sanctuaries. Near Chiang Mai there was Elephant Nature Park, and Boon Lott Elephant Sanctuary, the former being the much larger organization of the two.  Each park offers day trips as well as programs that allow volunteers to work at the park with the elephants for periods of a week or more.  Unfortunately, these programs often fill up months in advance, and I didn't get my spot locked down quickly enough.  A little further digging led me to my third option: a sanctuary outside Kanchanaburi called Elephant's World.  While much lesser-known than the other two, my research uncovered nothing but glowing reviews from visitors, and a philosophy that I could really get behind: "Where we work for the elephants, and not the elephants for us".  They also had an opening in their Mahout Program, which was a bit different to programs offered by the other two parks.  In the Mahout Program, the volunteer is paired with one elephant and his/her mahout for one to four weeks, to learn about that elephant's daily life, and the relationship between the elephant and his/her Mahout.  It was a chance to spend a week working side-by-side with an elephant, and I jumped at it.

I could probably fill a novel with the experiences I had during that one week, but what I really took away from it all was the beauty of these animals, and how similar to human beings they really are.  Elephants are the only species of mammal other than humans to mourn and bury their dead.  They exhibit characteristics of altruism, compassion, self-awareness, and grief.  They can suffer from PTSD brought on by abusive conditions in the past.  They use tools, solve problems, and appreciate art and music.  They are so close to human beings in so many different ways that I wonder how anyone could consider treating them so poorly. 

I was paired with Aum Pan (Amber) and her mahout, Nato, who has taken very good care of her for the past year.  At 80 years old, Aum Pan is the oldest elephant at the sanctuary, and one look into her beautiful brown eyes is enough to tell you that while she may be old, she's not lost her spirit.  I was the first mahout trainee that Aum Pan ever had, and while she can be stubborn when she wants to be (a forceful "thwack!" of her trunk against the ground means she's had just about enough of you telling her what to do, thank you very much!) by the end of the week she would willingly follow me throughout the park, adhering to my commands to "come here" or "back up" (when she was a little too eager while waiting for her sticky rice balls to be made in the afternoons) sometimes more so than she did with Nato.  We walked together, we bathed in the river together.  She got to know me, and what's more, she came to trust me.  Aum Pan has a bit of a history of being picked on by some of the younger elephants in the sanctuary, and as she's gotten older and her vision has started to decline (she's completely blind in her right eye already) she often becomes nervous when there is a lot of elephant activity going on around her.  My response if she got anxious was to stroke her trunk and gently tell her "it's ok, you're ok", while looking right into her good left eye.  On my last day at the sanctuary, she looked straight back into my eyes and she gently but firmly leaned her trunk into me, as if to acknowledge that she knew what I was doing and to say "thank you". 

Elephants World is a sanctuary that most definitely has its heart in the right place, though there are still some challenges I think they need to overcome to really make it the kind of place they would like it to be.  They are currently raising money to buy more land so that they have more room to plant bana grass and banana trees and melons for the elephants food. This new land would also allow them to create proper places for the elephants to sleep at night, as opposed to being tethered to an area (by a 20 meter long chain, so not super restrictive) outside the actual park.  While I found many of the mahouts to be caring and attentive, some others I observed were less-so, and so I think a better policing system may need to be put in place in the future in that regard.  I didn't witness any incidents of outright abuse or injury (bull-hooks are allowed but only for leading the elephants. If mahouts are caught using them as weapons they are taken away. Nato never used one with Aum Pan.) but I did see a bit more bullying and/or neglect than I would have liked from certain mahouts.  This is where I think the Mahout Program is beneficial, in that it puts an extra set of watchful eyes out in the field to observe the interactions between mahouts and their elephants.  All told, it was a wonderful week that flew by way too fast.  It was harder than I would have thought to say goodbye to Aum Pan, Nato, and the volunteers I had worked with over the week, and even now two days later I still miss my "baby girl" and her one elephant friend at the sanctuary, Tangmo, (AKA the watermelon thief) who I also got to know as the pair would often be together.  It's an experience I'll never forget, and one that I highly recommend to anyone interested in getting up close and personal with these fascinating animals.  And now, the photos:

After lunch mud bath

Waiting for her sticky rice

Follow the leader

Elephant selfie!

Tangmo & Aum Pan: BFFS

Tangmo wants her breakfast

Bath time!

 

Tangmo and the neverending quest for more food

 

Aum Pan: Keepin' it OG

 

Exceeding Expectation

When I decided to make Thailand the first  stop on this next leg of my adventures around the world, I really didn't have much of an idea what I was in for. I planned on hot weather, spicy food, cheap prices, and elephants (more on this last one later). What I've found in the week and a half I've been here is a solo traveler's paradise! Not only is everything outrageously inexpensive (it's amazing how quickly you find yourself becoming insulted at the idea of paying the extortionate price of $20 a night for a hotel room, or $8 for a skirt) but the locals are lovely and extremely friendly and helpful, and it is literally teeming with solo travelers. You may arrive in Thailand alone, but rest assured you won't stay that way for long. Over my couple nights in Bangkok I met and spent time with an Englishman and two Americans (who had just met one another hours earlier), a Thai local, an Indian man, and a Finnish woman.  Then I continued on to Kanchanaburi, where I met a Spaniard, two Brits, and a German all on the bus to Erawan Falls. The five of us (all solo travelers) spent the day together and compared notes about our upcoming travel plans. Whatever trepidation I may have had about setting off on my own once more, vanished pretty quickly upon arrival.

The beauty of Erawan Falls

What also vanished upon arrival was any rememberance of what it felt like to NOT be a big sweaty mess. January is allegedly one of the months that holds the "best" weather in Thailand, as the winter season means cooler temperatures and very little rain. All I was able to think as I trudged around Bangkok looking as though I'd just come out of a swimming pool was: if this is "cool", I don't ever want to see "hot"! Walking the few blocks from the cab to my hotel after arriving close to midnight and realizing that even at this late hour it was a stifling 80 degrees (and humid!) I knew I was screwed. I also knew that the jeans I was currently wearing would likely not see the outside of my bag again for the rest of the trip. I was told by friends in the know before I left not to overpack, as anything I needed could be bought in Thailand cheaper than in the US. With this in mind, I did scale down to the smallest pack I own (20 liters), plus an even smaller pack for trekking/carting home souvenirs.  Still, if I had it to do over, I would have gone even more extreme: wear one outfit on the plane, and buy the rest on arrival. The clothes you find here, in addition to being inexpensive, are also better suited to the weather conditions than anything they could dream up in Washington state. I bought a pair of pants (for $4) almost immediately that are now the most favorite thing I own, and will be worn until they literally fall apart. Furher clothing purchases are sure to follow in the coming weeks.

So, scorching hot weather: check! Insanely cheap prices: check! This brings us to the food, which is delicious. I may never eat Thai food in the states again, if only because I won't be able to rationalize the price, knowing that a typical meal out in Thailand (a main dish, spring rolls, and a drink) costs an average of $5.  Whereas a lot of the dishes I've had here have been remarkably similar to their counterparts in US Thai restaurants, the more traditional dishes ARE notoriously spicy; so much so that the menus often contain a "warning" to us farang (foreigners) or a reassurance that they can make it less spicy, if we wish. For the most part it's been far too hot for me to consider trying one of these dishes...I've been sweating enough as it is.

In short, I'd say Thailand is a country that knows how to make one hell of a good first impression. So far, it's lived up to my expectations and then some, and I'm eager to see what other surprises it has in store. I'm also eager to move on to what I think could be the highlight of this Southeast Asia experience...spending a week with the elephants! 

Nightmare at 30,000 Ft

Confession time: I hate to fly. I hate it! There's nothing like the idea of strapping myself into a big metal tube and ascending 30,000+ft into the air with absolutely no control over my own fate to instill me with completely irrational abject terror.  It wasn't always like this.  When I was younger there was never any sort of fear associated with plane travel. Just mind-numbing boredom and a complete inability to stay comfortable in those tiny coach seats.  For some inexplicable reason, though, at some point in time (and I can't even pinpoint exactly WHEN this occurred) my brain decided to switch from boredom to panic mode and from there it never looked back. So, needless to say, the 18 hours total flying time it was going to take to get me from Los Angeles to Bangkok has been a source of some anxiety. My previous record for longest flight was 12 hours between LA and Beijing, which happened long before this maddening flight anxiety had worked its way into my brain.  The first leg of this trip, from LA to Guangzhou, China was going to smash that record by three hours.  I had a mild panic attack the day I booked the ticket, just thinking about getting through (or potentially NOT getting through) such a long flight across the Pacific.  To make matters worse, I had failed in my mission to acquire some Xanax while in LA.  I was going into this one drug-free. 

I spent a good chunk of the evening before the flight looking up statistics online to feed the rational side of my brain, hoping that it might override the irrational, fear-mongering side.  It helped enough that I was able to sleep, but not enough to make me a pleasant companion on the drive to LAX the next morning (apologies to my friend who did his best to try to cheer me up).  By the time we arrived at the terminal I was ready to throw up, and entertaining thoughts of canning the whole trip; convinced, however irrationally, that stepping onto that plane was equivalent to signing my death warrant.  But I didn't back out. I kept going because travel is one of the great joys in my life, and I knew that the minute I let unfounded fear keep me from getting on a plane is the minute I set a precedent that loses me the ability to do what I love.  By the time I got through security the nausea had subsided (dealing with airport bureaucracy is mind-numbing enough to quell even the most extreme anxiety) and after pounding a couple quick vodka cranberries at the bar I made my way on to the plane. I'm a seasoned enough traveler that I'm quite good at hiding my anxiety.  I'm pretty certain that most other passengers around me would never suspect the kind of crazy thoughts that are swimming around in my head during a flight but anyway, they're there, interspersed with moments of calm that seem to show up only because sustaining such a high level of anxiety for such a long period of time is physically impossible.  When I finally did arrive in Bangkok all those hours later I was physically and emotionally exhausted, but nonetheless alive and well. I knew everything would be fine, ha-ha.

Why am I sharing all of this? Because statistically (yup, some of that research did sink in) 40% of airline passengers have some form of anxiety about flying, despite the fact that it is, also statistically, the safest mode of transportation.  If you're reading this and nodding your head, recognizing all of the feelings I've described, know you're not alone. If you're putting off a trip you'd really like to take because it involves a long flight, don't put it off any longer. Face your fear. Stand up to irrational anxiety.  The chances of being killed in a plane crash are 1 in 7 million.  The chances of having an amazing experience while traveling that you'll remember for the rest of your life are pretty much guaranteed.  I'll take those odds.

Back in Buisiness

Well hello again. Long time, no blog. I had every intention when I set out on my cross-country "Farewell (For Now) Tour" of America to continue my blogging throughout the journey, but for a few reasons, that didn't end up happening. Firstly, the nature of a one-woman road trip across the country and back meant that I spent an inordinate amount of time in my car... alone. While this sort of situation is very conducive to thinking, it's not particularly effective for being able to write any of those thoughts down.  At the end of a 10 or 12 hour slog, the last thing I wanted to do was whip out the tablet and go to town, especially knowing I was going to be doing the same thing the very next day.  More than that, though, in the midst of all that thinking I was doing, I realized that I'm still not entirely happy with the direction that this blog has taken over the months... or rather, lack of direction. 

Ever since I first concocted the idea of signing up for the Mongol Rally, the most common directive I've received from just about anyone and everyone I've ever talked to has been: "you should write a book!".  Generally, my response is a dismissive wave of the hand followed by an "oh, I don't know". While writing has traditionally kind of been my "thing" in one form or another, I've always felt that there are so many people out there in the world doing so many wonderful, crazy things (many of them far crazier and more entertaining than the things I've gotten up to) that if I were to throw my hat in that ring as some sort of adventure travel writer, I really needed to make sure that I had something unique to say.  Diary entries are fine if your audience is composed of family and friends who know you and have reason to care about your general day-to-day activities, but if I wanted to reach farther than that I knew I needed some sort of an angle; something that would give a complete stranger a reason to want to read what I've written down.  Sure, I've got a host of ridiculous stories from my various trips that never fail to entertain at parties, but those kind of lightning in a bottle moments just don't happen often enough to sustain any sort of lengthy narrative.  So what's my niche? Where do I fit in? How do I stand out? I went round and round with these questions for ages before finally deciding on a new methodology: Build it, and they will come.

Writers, when faced with blockages, or the kind of crippling self-doubt that drives so many of them ultimately to the bottle (or at least that's my theory, anyway) are often advised simply to write. Something. Anything. Every day. Just keep writing, and eventually inspiration will strike. This blog is the product of my decision to follow that advice and now, nearly nine months in, I'd say it remains a work-in-progress. I'd like to say that taking a break from it while I was back in the homeland helped to give me a new perspective, or some fresh insight into exactly what I want this blog to become, but the truth is I'm still down that same rabbit hole of ambiguity I've been in from the start. Now, however, I find myself in Bangkok, on the cusp of another adventure set to take me across four countries in three months, and so the blogs will continue.  Will there be esoteric diary entries? Probably. Will there be useful, practical information in the mix? Hopefully. Will there be entertaining and ridiculous "lighting in a bottle" moments? Definitely. Will my photography skills improve? Maybe.  Will I finally find that bit of inspiration I need to figure out where exactly I fit in this crazy world of adventure travel writing? Only time will tell. For now I promise only to write, for better or worse... but hopefully more better than worse.