From VERY BIG to very small.............. Week 17

Week 17 Thailand (Chang Mai 2, Khao Sok, Koh Lanta)

17^th to 23^rd of November

On a sunny morning the 6 Theron birds had to leave their Bamboo Nest in Northern Thailand for the hustle and bustle of the big city of Chang Mai again. We had to change accommodation form Julie’s Guesthouse to Rose (on the corner of a busy street) Guesthouse. The return journey by pick up truck to Chang Rai, revealed that we had not even scratched the surface of the beautiful north. We had to wait a few hours on the busy bus station, but that gave Arno chance to do a bit of sandal shopping with Alana. Her travel sandals were not up to the trek anymore. A 3-hour ride in a Sunday afternoon bus and then some tough negotiating with eager red taxi drivers, brought us eventually at Rose’s, by 6pm. We were hungry and tired, the cheap guesthouse was……cheap, but served us in a marvelous way and the food was good. We did a short hike up the street for the promised ice-creams and continued onto the famous Sunday market in the old town. Rose Guesthouse is inside the city walls, so for the sake of the market, some of the streets were traffic free. That provided a bit of a challenge for us with our luggage on arrival, but the kids were great and praise God, the walk was not THAT long!!

The main reason for our return to Chang Mai, was to have an elephant encounter and to pic up our train journey south (this time pre-booked sleeping bunks…yay!!!!!) Our preferred elephant camp was the highly acclaimed Nature Elephant Park. Only 25 visitor’s per day are allowed in here. We left it too late and missed a visiting spot there, but not to worry…in Chang Mai you will never be short on elephant encounters. We managed to secure a booking with Happy Elephant Home (which ended up begin just across the river from our first choice…still more than and hour’s drive outside Chang Mai) We could leave our luggage at Rose’s, while we were out for our morning excursion. A early morning pick up turned into a nail biting affair….other pick ups, traffic and a long distance away resulted in us just getting to the Happy Elephant Camp by 10:30am. Well, you might wonder why we were so anxious? We booked half a day Ellie encounter, with the view that we had a sleeper train to catch from the station in Chang Mai at 4pm…a train that we were NOT intending on missing!!!! The encounter was not cheap and we were planning on having some good time with the elephants. Well, a little bit of brain adjustment had to be made, not to distract our attention off the main event of playing with these AMAZINGLY large animals. (Who knows, maybe never to be repeated….)? We were with the elephants, even though it was now way later than we anticipated…and we were going to enjoy it!!!

So after introductions made by our chief mahout, Omo, we got changed into our mahout outfits (these are to keep the elephants familiar with the look of their ever-changing carers.) We were introduced also to Bambam, Café, Muklock and Tawhee and they loved us because we had hands filled with bananas to feed them.

Fact stop: Only male Asian Elephants have tusks, and most of the time also just one…. The females do not have tusks.

The little mahouts impressed Arno and I so much. They were feeding the giants, walking beside them, leading them by a rope halter, talking to them and feeding them some more bananas. All but the littlest mahout. She just wanted to ‘lead’ her mama, talk to her mama and keep a very safe distance between herself and the gentle giants.

So after the initial banana indulgence of our big pets for the morning, we led them down to the river with the help of the ‘real’ mahouts. It was a gentle walk with some steep sections, but the elephants were like ballerinas and we were the specie slipping and sliding on the loose gravel. We brought them to a lovely riverbed. They did not need any encouragement…straight in. We gave them a little ellie-play-time, before we stripped down to our swimmies and joined them in the water. We could wash them, splash them and then it was their turn to spray us with gallons of water!! We had the best time. Nina opt for playing with the stones on the riverside, and Philippa, although in the river with us, preferred one of us holding her high out of the water!! The mahouts had a bit of a hard time to get the ellies out of the river, but nothing that a banana cannot fix!!

Our little Philippa, impressed us by requesting to lead Bam-bam home. It was the sweetest memory of the day: seeing her walking fearlessly beside this huge animal (and it was a baby elephant!!)

After lunch, a swim in the resident pool and a few farewell bananas, we were on our way back to Chang Mai. With an hour to spare, we were dropped off at ‘Rose’. We grabbed our bags and Arno was running down the street to look for a ride. We saw at least 4 red-‘wagons’ parked along the street, further down, but all driver-less. Praise God another one came crusing towards us. Arno flagged her down. Then ANOTHER stand off. She wanted to charge us double the amount we paid to get from the train station to our hotel in the first place. We were fed up and not having any of her nonsense!! We just told her to go away, we will find somebody else, then she changed her mind and winked us back over! Amen!!! We reached the train station 20 minutes before departure!! Yay!!! After dropping the bags in our carriage, Alana and I rushed to a nearby 7Eleven for supplies. At 4pm our sleeper train departed for Bangkok and we were on it and had food to tie us over till the morning!! Pfeew!!! All in one day!!!

This train was exceeding all expectation with a lovely clean bathroom (even including a shower!!), an carriage attendant coming round to make everybody’s beds up for the night and a lady coming to take our dinner orders. A bit of a different scenario form the 3^rd class travel we are used too!!! After a good night’s sleep (Arno and I even watched a movie after we’ve put the children to bed) we arrived in Bangkok station. We were now seasoned travelers, knew the best coffee shops, where the find the 7Eleven for another stock up on goodies and how much to pay at the toilets!!! We might not have explored the city of Bangkok, but we certainly know our way around the train station!! By 8am we were on our next train, heading to the south!

A full day was spend reading, sleeping, watching movies and admiring the changing landscape from our comfy seats. Bliss. Slowly rice fields were changing into pineapple, palm and rubber plantations. The hilly north also give way to the flats of the south with the occasional karst mountain. I was totally mesmerized with these awesome little limestone mini-mountains randomly scattered over the green ocean of tropical vegetation. Just lovely.

Mr Driver was waiting for us on the platform on arrival and before we knew it, we were on our way to the Green Mountain on the outskirts of the Khao Sok National Park. 28 hours after setting off in Chang Rai we arrived at Mr Tawee’s resort. Well, it was more a bush bungalow camp, amongst interesting bugs, beasties and rubber trees!! A very laidback travelers rest, where reggae is played until the wee morning hours and Mr Tawee and his friends are enjoying their wiskey!! The friendly lady at the helm of the kitchen was such a sweet woman. I never saw her without a smile. It’s a bit of a family business with Mr Tawee being the director!!

After a lazy first morning here, we were sorted out fast with a cousin-guide to take us down the lazy river on tubes. The kids absolutely loved the experience. Nina was on my tube and Philippa with Arno. Loadsa splashing was going on, balancing acts, swinging on ropes and negotiating small rapids. With a light afternoon drizzle, some of us were just starting to loose feeling in our fingers when we were navigated to the riverbank, with our pick-up truck waiting. Nice. Last but not least, we had to do a proper hair and body wash under a nice refreshing cold shower. Such brave children!! A hot Milo (kind of hot chocolate drink) put everybody in a better, warmer place!!

At first glance the accommodation was a little rustic and the service not always up to standard, but we met some great fellow travelers here. Stefan, a German cyclist, was living his dream riding his bike around the globe. His wife was happy to remain at home, while he was giving himself a 50^th birthday present. Every now and so often, she would fly out to meet him somewhere!! Very inspirational man!! And then there were the Dutch honeymooners, Katinka and Rob. They shared a taxi with us eventually and the kids so loved telling them stories and hanging out with them.

We planned to do a bit of a jungle trek with guides, but Arno had a little accident, cutting his foot on a plastic container in the children’s bedroom, so we decided to forfeit the moaning of little children that wants to be carried…. to just spend our second morning in a hammock (hee hee!!)

Another big highlight was to follow in the afternoon!!! Proper elephant riding!!!! After arriving at the elephant sanctuary, we were rushed over to an elevated platform (we had to climb up with steps to the top of this). The platform was built just at the right elephant-back-height. Alana, Nina and I got on first and our lovely Indian lady elephant was instructed by her mahout to move out, so the next beast can move into her place at the platform to pick up Arno, Thomas and Philippa. What followed was an unforgettable hour of gentle mahout encouragement and corresponding elephant grace, strength and compliance. Our lady, Thomas’ newest lady friend(!!) and the rest of the other 6 or so ellies who were following us, went up the steepest jungle treks (most of them extremely slippy and sloppy after the rain of the previous night), over tree stumps and roots, big boulders and through sloshy mud mazes. They knew the route and did not need to be lead or pushed at any time. It was more a case of: What, do you need me to walk through this mud puddle…again?? Really??

I was having pity on these gentle giant ballerinas, but also admire them even more now. With those amazingly big body shapes, these elephants can maneuver through the tiny-est little gaps. Respect! If I ever have admired elephants in the past, I now absolutely adore them!!!

Elephant fact: African elephants are much larger and more moody than the Asian elephants…and they have two tusks…both male and female (unless they have managed to survive a poachers attempt to steel their tusks…)

Our last evening in the Khoa Sok National park was spent watching a movie with the kids in our mosquito-net covered double bed and then having dinner with all our new friends in Mr Tawee’s tree-trunked tabled restaurant. Chatting and exchanging travel experiences have become our latest point of connection with man and mouse….no surprise there!!!!

While settling the kids in their bamboo and grass woven hut, I made a trip or two to our room, to fetch and drop off clothes and so on. After every quick visit to our room (did not switch the main lights on, since I knew what I was looking for…) I had an ant or two on my leg or shoe….(You might guess what I am going to tell you now…..!!) At first I did not think to much about this, until during my third trip to our room the ants were really starting to bite me once I stepped into our room. I switched the lights on and what I saw …well to put it lightly…sort of freaked me out… A LOT!!!!!!

Many ants were up my legs already and biting me like mad…reason…the floor of our room looked like a major ant Christmas-come-early party!! I did not even took time to take it all in, but just ran out of our room as quick as my flip-flops could go, to get re-enforcements in the form of Arno, a HUGE can of ant-spray and a broom. Just for your information, ants are very good at climbing…even up mosquito nets.

For the next hour or so Arno and I was turning ‘mission impossible’ into a bug-free zone. Well, he was doing most of the stripping of our bed and shaking of the mosquito net, while I was handling the bug-spray and mainly trying to stay clear from the crawling menaces.  Actually, I started using the bug-spray on the pavement almost 3 meters away from the bottom step leading up to our hut…because that’s where the troops were already starting to line up for their big carry out….. I even went to the kid’s hut and sprayed their doorstop…just to make sure the beasties did not change their route. Needless to say, we took back an empty bottle of bug-spray…..

A HUGE lesson to be learned…never ever ever EVERRRRRR allowed the children to eat cookies in your bed, while watching a movie…especially not when you are staying in a wooden/leave-woven hut and ESPECIALLY after the owner have warned you (du-hu) to be careful with keeping your food sealed, because of the ants…..

Many times during our cleaning up extravaganza did I promise that there will be NO chance that I will sleep in that bed again, but bless my wonderful man!! He did the most amazing job in de-ant-ing our bed and room. I did end up sleeping in the bed and no ants bothered us.

It was one of those really fun, turned very challenging, evenings…which by the grace of God, will never ever be repeated!! In times like this I am so grateful for my kind and hardworking husband…and also for investing time in the past to practice effective communication!!! Such a very un-expectant and bizarre situation can so often place a lot of strain on a relationship and without the tools in our ‘marriage kitbag’ this situation might have had a complete different outcome. Face it, we’ve been with one another now for over 4 months…24/7!! I do not say we know it all, but what I am trying to bring across is, that it is worth it to invest quality time into your marriage by:

·      spending a date night together at least once every two weeks (Nikki and Silly Lee, authors of the Marriage Course and the Marriage Book suggest once every week!!),

·      learn together about listening and communicating well (this will empower you to handle challenging situations better)

·      and finding out what your partner’s love language(s) is (Garry Chapman writes about it in The Five Love Languages).

There are other foundational principles worth investing into too, but ‘nough said!! (Let me know if you’ve got any questions about anything I’ve mentioned in the last paragraph. Will be happy to help, advice or recommend!!)

The Green Mountain Resort was an interesting experience, with big highs and a very big low. Lets say, for the moment I wont be rushing back there…..but who ever knows what the future may hold!!!

Somebody else might disagree with me....

A three hour mini-bus (this time we opt for a private transfer and our new friends, Katinka and Rob joined us) brought us into Krabi Town just before 11am. We boarded the water taxi to our Thai island of choice: Koh Lanta. On arrival we had to negotiate the steps of the jetty, carrying our heavy packs and dodging a good number of other tourists in a torrential thunder shower!!

But we were on Koh Lanta. Our home for the following 7 nights. We were soooooooooooooooooo looking forward to this island stop and man, did it come at the right time!!

In meeting all these fellow travelers over the last few weeks and making some great new friends, the saying of Herman Hesse stays with me:

“Where paths that have affinity for each other intersect, the whole world looks like home, for a time.”

Our home is here and now….and we love the company!!!! Each new relationship very significant!!!