Call Of Chiangmai

I try to go to Thailand once a year so when my mentor Guru G suggested we go to Chiangmai with him over a long weekend in October, my friend N and I said yes readily. What's more, he would bring us to visit the Elephant Nature Park and Red Karen hilltribe village projects which he has been involved for years. It would be a real privilege for us.

On day one, we made fast friends with Chom, his girlfriend Gig and other equally kind-hearted souls in his close-knitted family in Chiangmai - especially when fuelled by many rounds of Singha beer and Absolut vodka at dinner. Lol. On the second day, we visited the Elephant Nature Park www.elephantnaturepark.org about an hour away by car. Located in a lush valley surrounded by mountains. this reserve was started by a brave young woman Lek who was in Bangkok rescuing the dogs, cats and monkeys from the floods at the time of our visit. What's amazing about this park is that it doesn't make the elephants give rides, paint, kick football or do tricks.

They are just there as majestic elephants in all their glory - to be fed lots of their favourite food and be bathed by the visitors in the river. They also got a volunteers programme for those on a longer stay who can help chop up the fruits and manintain the grounds. Ok I admit I'm guilty of riding an elephant before at Phuket - thinking I could support their cause this way - but boy I was wrong after watching a documentary on how the young elephants are separated from their mothers since young and then chained inside small cages for days or weeks to starve them, break their spirit and make them obey their masters or mahouts ;( So I've learnt to avoid these tourist traps such as elephant rides and please also avoid paying for pictures taken with baby elephants and monkeys on the streets as many of these animals were separated from their mothers to become street beggers.

After a fulfilling buffet lunch, G gave us an insider tour of the camp, his gardens, his little hut by the river and also told us stories of each elephant, including the one who broke his arm. We then fed the elephants copious amount of fruits and witnessed an alpha male on heat who was trumpeting so loudly and tried to 'rape' a female who ran away keke. Oooh I think I can camp here, work on the gardens and breathe the fresh mountain air for a few months :) it's like WWOOFing!

The next day, G's friend Malibu picked us up from the T-Room guestroom (cheap/ $20, clean and very central www.t-roomguesthouse.com ) where we stayed and drove his jeepster truck for a good 4 hours+ to Chiangdao nature reserve to visit the Red Karen hilltribe village. The scenery was breathtaking and it got cooler as we whizzed by green bamboo groves and climbed the hills. Chom got out, showed us his martial arts skill, and chopped down a few bamboo tubes to cook rice tonight.

Upon arrival at the village, Chom's family was so warm and welcoming. They treated us like VIPs and let me and N sleep on the mattresses in their almost completed house that was built recently. We looked on curiously as they went about preparing a hearty feast of roast chicken (ingeniously cooked within a cooking oil tin can inside a hole in the ground!), plus stir-fried local vegs, grilled green eggplant, veg curry and a plateful of fried bamboo worms that's their protein source and delicacy. Yup it was gross to look at and something I'm not dying to eat. Aside from the salt and pepper seasoning, it just tasted rubbery and popped / pooed in the mouth. Eeuuk.

We brought out the few huge china bags of secondhand clothings and stationery for the villagers, and it was such a humble experience to see them come try on the clothes and walk away happily with the stuff. The kids were the cutest and were treated to marshmallows melted over a fire and sky lanterns which we released along with our hopes and blessings.

After dinner, we showered as quickly as we could, scooping cold water in the candlelight. It was quite chilly and we couldn't sleep well although we probably had the best room in town. At 4am+, the cock started to crow and prep us for dawn. Admittedly we couldn't imagine living there without our usual comforts or volunteering for 1 week under such conditions (he said in December, it gets colder so this was nothing). Respect to G and his volunteers who raise money to build water treatment tanks for the villagers otherwise they'd have to walk 2 hours to get fresh water. He also taught them to grow fruit trees and vegs to feed the family. It was great to see the direct lasting impact one can have on the lives of others. N and I are so inspired that we want to start a "Book A Tree" project on our return trip.

After a hearty breakfast of porridge, fried catfish, French toast and jungle tea, we walked around the village to see the other houses, gardens, schools and then packed our bags for the long ride back to Chiangmai. Boy, were we so glad and grateful to be back at the T-Room, which suddenly became 'luxurious' compared to the village!

On the last day, we were all the more elated to check into The Chedi boutique hotel which sponsored a night's stay for a review and travel story I'd be writing for Appetite magazine. Grazie dio! Lunch was lovely indeed at the restaurant that's located in the colonial wing, although their khao soi curry noodle cost 350 baht when the street version was only 30 baht and tasted more authentic. Probably best if we tabao back and eat haha. We could have slept for a week in our deluxe room and just survived on Singha beer while relaxing at our chillout balcony that overlooked the serene courtyard.

Coincidentally the last night was Halloween so after a great bbq dinner with the gang at The Thai Restaurant near T-Room, we went to the Lost Hut pub next door for drinks. Before that, we had a leisure tour of the Sunday Walking Market - a definite highlight of Chiangmai. There's so much to buy and most stuff is so cheap that you don't need to bargain. It rained a fair bit but luckily we had just enough time to shop for what we want. Alas it was time to leave but it has been a rewarding and fun trip. I couldn't wait to return.