Thailand – Chiang Mai and Pai

When I planned this adventure I discovered that no foreign cyclist is permitted to traverse the road to the Northern border of Myanmar and Thailand so I determined then that I’d fly to Chiang Mai from Mandalay rather than cycle all the way back to Myawaddy and Mae Sot (remember the two dreaded mountain passes!) As an aside for other cyclists, if you fly directly from Mandalay to Chiang Mai it will cost you $8.00 per kilogram for your bicycle.  Bangkok airlines generously allow you to take your bicycle for free on their Airbus A320 planes so you can fly to Bangkok and then onward to Chiang Mai without additional cost for the bike.  They will also book your luggage through to Chiang Mai you just have to collect it at the International luggage section in Chiang Mai – no problem.

Chiang Mai is the Northern capital city and is a slower paced, more laid back city compared to Bangkok.  Many travelers I met say they prefer Chiang Mai as a destination although everyone still loves Bangkok.  There is plenty to do in Chiang Mai but as I was not staying long I had to choose, so I decided to go to Pai for a night and to go on an ethical Elephant Sanctuary Tour – ethical meaning that they do not ride or otherwise mishandle the elephants.  I did wander around the old city within the walls and I enjoyed the Saturday night market which was in the same street as my hostel so not too difficult!

Pai is a Karin village about 150km Northwest of Chiang Mai.  It used to be a quiet country village with not much going for it except the beauty of the surrounding countryside and the opportunity to meet Karin villagers.  In the past few years it has seen an upsurge in tourism and is now the hippiest village in Thailand and is on everyone’s to-do list.  I took a 24 hour trip and quite enjoyed it despite ithe overwhelming tourist development.  The road to Pai is 145km and has 723 turns.  It’s not a cycling road unless you’re a road-racing fanatic.  It takes 3 hours to get there and the mini-bus driver knows only one speed so the twists and turns are interesting!

I rented a scooter for a day and went exploring the countryside. There is an interesting Yunan Chinese village called Santichon close by.  I was intrigued as to why a Chinese village should exist so far from China.  The answer is that it was founded by refugees who were part of the “Lost Army, 93rd division of  the Kuomintang” who retreated after defeat in the Chinese civil war in 1949.  The villagers earn their income displaying and sharing the Chinese way of life.  The restaurants serve Chinese food and green tea, there is a replica of a section of the great wall of China which is fun  and you can try your hand at archery or ride a horse or have a go on the man-powered ferris wheel.

I went on a half-day trip to interact with the elephants at the Paradise Park Elephant Sanctuary.  This particular one was recommended because they have rescued elephants from a logging operation and there are two babies.  One is 8 months old and the other just 4 months.  There are seven elephants in all, we did not see tha male because they were keeping it separate as it is in musth. The male, we were told, has no tusks so his name is the Thai word for “lady-boy”.  However this particular lady-boy is doing pretty well considering he has fathered two babies.  At this sanctuary they do not ride the elephants and although the elephants are on show and they have to interact with tourists, they are treated kindly and with love by the Karin people. You can see it in the way the elephants respond to the handlers.  The little ones, of course, are the cutest.  We drove some 2 hours deep into the mountains South of Chiang Mai.  We fed the elephants and generally spent time getting to know them.  Then we walked with a mother and the smallest elephant to the mud pool and gave them a nice mud bath – and ourselves! I loved the little one, it sat in the mud and blew bubbles with its trunk and then looked around for approval.  Just like a child!  Then along to the waterfall for a rinse off.  They served us a delicious lunch and then we were taken back to our hostels.  I’ll let the pics speak for themselves but if you want to see more then click on Paradise Visit 04 July