Maetaman Elephant Camp, Chiang Mai

Elephants having their early morning shower by the river
:))))))))))))))))
this was the highlight of my Chiang Mai trip

first of all Monkey had never ever been to Chiang Mai
second of all, I've never ever had the original "Khao Soi" and seriously....it was so so so good. Read about it *here*


Gentle Might Beings as JS calls them

so JS the organiser wrapped up the whole jing gang early in the morning for a 45-minutes journey to this elephant camp.....instructions were given much earlier to wear comfortable SHOES, t-shirts and pants!!!!!

I guess the whole jing gang was so excited about it bcoz everyone gathered down at the lobby on TIME...and our driver was looking so pleased. :))))))))) coz he didn't have to wait this time around!!! hahahahaha. Maybe he should tipped us on that day for being early hahahah instead of us tipping him :P just kidding.

I am so so GLAD we arrived early bcoz we get to watch them bathing!!!!!!
Monkey was squealing like a lil gal pointing at each and every elephants with JS -_- giving me this expression...

sorry la....I very "kampung" errrrr I mean I'm a city slicker :P
the only elephant I saw before we all chained in their dent at the Zoo. Sad story about our Zoo Negara in Ampang. I sincerely hope they don't do that anymore

This one was a baby elephant
its enjoying a scrub!!!!


The other UP side about being early was.....u get to be up close with the elephants!!!!
I was like...OMG they are HUGE!!!!! actually these were only babies bcoz the MOTHER of all elephants were so huge in comparison I almost pissed in my pants when it came near me.


See what I mean??? they were just BABIES!!!
cute tiny babies and I was so afraid of them....

There were stalls selling sugar canes where u can purchase some to feed these animals. It was also photo opportunities with these gentle giants.

I was so afraid of them and our dearie JS purposely pushed me into the "spotlight"
-_-"
yeah...he WAS SOOO nice to me -_-"
Ok u wait!!! I will have my revenge next time


I had a SURPRISE after being pushed towards the elephant
GASPED!!!! OHHHHH!!!!!!
the elephant automatically extended its trunk for me to touch

it felt like......a really thick and hard BRUSH
-_-
yes that would be the exact description....like those kitchen brush u used to wash the tough stubborn stains off underneath your pots and pans?

the elephant then continued to move its trunk up and down....the trainer told me not to be afraid and that the elephant is attempting to lift me up with its trunk
I was like OMG NO NO...tell the elephant NO!!!!!


You can see how delighted I was hahahahahha and SCARED!!!
this elephant then did a call at me with his trunk.....the noise made with its trunk is called a trumpet!!!

it's like telling me....it's OK!!!! don't be afraid of me...I just wanna make friends. Monkeys and elephants are good friends u know??


Mark was telling me not to be afraid too...see they are really really gentle and harmless!!!!


Andrew the younger is now 6 foot tall as well
oh damn when I knew these nephews of JS, they were just tiny tots!!!
what did your father fed u boys huh? Beans stalk???


After the half an hour petting and snapping pics, we were ushered to the seating area for an elephant show!!!! Again we were so lucky to grab one of the best seats :))))))

Seen here, the elephants were carrying a sign board to welcome all the guests..
more elephants were trumpeting and a baby elephant raised up the flag on the flag pole at the cue of a bicycle horn being pressed by another elephant.

SO CUTE!!!!!


After one circle they came back and took their majestic bows
AAAAA!!!! so cute!!!!! Monkey was jumping up and down her seat, clapping and cheering like a lil gal.....

OMG I sensed that JS was -_- at me being such a hooligans :P
heheheheheheheh
nvm I was having such a great time....by the way those ppl next to me don't know me anyway...so doesn't matter if I'm being a hooligans :P



Luckily I didn't let the elephant lift me up earlier....
it's gonna be like this and I definitely didn't wanna make a full of myself screaming like a hysteria woman :P


They can play football!!!!
see how they aim with their trunk.....put back the ball on the ground.....reverse...came running and kick it!!!!!


Then the Baby came out to paint!!!!!
OMG!!! is that a poppy flower????


It's unbelievable...he painted everything from scratch!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elephants have got very very good remarkable memory
just like the idiom - memory of an elephant
:))))))))))))

the papers used on the canvas were recycled from their dung...
yes elephant dung bcoz an adult elephant consumed about 100kg to 200kg of vegetation daily!!!!
so can u imagine the amount of dung? hahahahaha


demonstrating their mightiness
 

and the other part of them - gentleness
the elephants walked over to the audience and "kissed" us with their trunks
hahahahahaha

Bernard the Joker, Eve and the boys

After the one hour show, next on our itinerary... Ox Cart Ride!!!
wuahahahahahha


and soon we were riding like the farmers
such a surreal ride I was luffing my head off coz this....I don't get to do everyday
it was bumpy bcoz the wheels were made from wood...

I was pretty worried that it will wear off, not able to support the weight of 4 adults...break apart and eventually all of us will fall unto the ground...alongside the bull dungs on the road...hahahahaha

We enjoyed feeding these Oxes with sweet thai bananas sold along the dirt road. It's like rejected bananas sold for animals...we bought quite a lot...enuff to feed all the bulls on the road...hahahaha coz it's so CHEAP.

Our dearie friend Prince C was so hungry, he was chomping on them
-_-
"Hey friend, it's for the Oxes not for you"
Prince C: "U know...it's really really sweet...wanna try?"
wow if these good quality sweet bananas are considered rejects by the Thai, their standard must be really really high.

Very soon the 30 minutes Ox cart ride came to an end at an old village. As bumpy as it gets, I wished it was slightly longer hahahahaha..

The boys then bought more sugar canes fr this lil village...I guess we seriously bought way too much of food for the animals...

This lil village has got very nice view :))))
During the year end till January, weather in Chiang Mai is pretty cooling. Located on the high north of Thailand the temperature hovered around 15*C to 20*C

Monkey and JS waiting for our ELEPHANTS ride!!!!!!!
woohooooo can't wait!!!

Before Monkey can squeal another WOOHOOOO I was at the back of the elephant
hehehehehehehe and I shuddered at the height!!!!!

OMG!!!! It's really really high!!!
how high were we?????
Can u see the ground?????


Monkey is very very afraid of height......she was clutching onto the seat throughout the one hour ride. Yes ONE HOUR!!!!!

Soon we were transported back to the elephant camp from that lil village
:)))))))) now the ride seemed too short but that's not all!!!

We headed down to the river
Monkey was alarmed!!! WHAT????? we are goin down???
JS: "Yes....wait for it....this is the best part of the ride."

Monkey screamed and closed her eyes as our elephant dipped into the cold river
bcoz the slope on the edge of the river was really steep....so we were almost leaning 45 degrees downward into the river...

but our elephant knew I was scared...*bcoz I was screaming 9 streets long, think the whole river knew I was scared*
he took it one step at a time, slowly easing himself into the river...

once we were in...our notti elephant splashed chill and cold water into our face with its trunk....to tell us...hey folks, stop the screaming....we are safely here.


Berr riding elephants....
hehehehehehehe :)))))))))))))

I am sure he enjoyed it thoroughly as much as we did
:)))))))))))))))
if u were wondering, nope I didn't bring the rest of the hobbits...:P
they were sleeping in the hotel

Try and spot Berr :))))))))
the elephant has been trained to lift its trunk and pose sideways for camera
oh gawd....whos' the cam-whore now?
hahahahahahaha

Thank you to JS for this trip :))))))))
one of the best adventure vacation ever :))))
*apart from our hiking in Barcelona, read about it here*

I look forward to more adventures with you :))))
Now that u've brought me for Ox and elephant rides hahahaha, I need to think of a better and more interesting ride for you :)))

but this wasn't the end of our trip to the elephant camp.....there was another ride JS brought me...also my first :))) will blog about it another day. promise :))

Maetaman Elephant Camp,
Kuet Chang, Mae Tang,
Chiang Mai 50150,

Thailand.

Tel: +66 53 297 060
http://www.maetamanelephantcamp.com/index.php