A Southern Girl's Adventure with
Elephants, Poop and Changing the World
If you aren’t aware, for the last two years I have had a dream. I have dreamt of going to Thailand and volunteering at an elephant sanctuary. Well, it finally came true and the following is my story.....It is my hope that you end up loving these beautiful creatures as much as I do.
Sat., April 27 | Sun., April 28 | Mon., April 29 | Tues., April 30 | Wed., May 1 | Thurs., May 2 | Fri., May 3 | Sat., May 4 | Sun., May 5
Saturday, April 27
If you have followed one of my past trips, you know that my favorite part of the beginning of any adventure is that moment in a flight when the announcements switch languages. You know how it is…. for the first part of the flight, they give updates in English, and then repeat themselves in the language of wherever you are flying. Then, halfway through the flight, they switch it around and start putting the other language first.
Well, that is when I know I am almost there!
I am almost to another country, another culture, another language and another adventure!
Well yesterday, it happened twice!! When I flew from Seoul, Korea to Chiang Mai, Thailand, it was Korean first, and then English second. But on the second half of the flight, it became Korean, English, and then Thai!! Three languages in one flight and I just knew that after months of planning and dreaming, I was finally on my way to Thailand!!!
It was 22 hours of travel…..three flights, two VERY fast layovers, and an eleven hour time difference. Yep….that would be 11 hours!!!! Just when I honestly thought we would NEVER get there, we finally landed, I stretched out my cramped muscles and walked off the plane and into an hour-long customs line. As tired as I was, I found the whole thing fascinating! 90% of the writing I see….posters, customs signs, directions on laws to be aware of…..is illegible. But beautiful! Thai’s language is completely unrecognizable with curly swirls and exotic looking characters. Maybe I am surrounded by signs that say something as mundane as “Do not leave your luggage unattended” or “No cell phones allowed in the customs area”, but when it looks like “อย่าทิ้งกระเป๋าไว้โดยไม่ตั้งใจ” หรือ“ ไม่อนุญาตให้มีโทรศัพท์มือถือในพื้นที่ศุลกากร” , I can’t help but be intrigued!
I finally got my first Thai stamp in my passport, grabbed my luggage and made my way to the taxi stand. This is the first thing I was a little uneasy about. I wasn’t even sure that taxis WOULD be available this late at night and if they were, how was I to tell if they were legit or not? I am pretty travel savvy but the last thing I wanted to do is prove that in the middle of the night in a new country!! Luckily, there was an official taxi stand, so I headed for that. I handed them the address of my hotel, and the woman quoted me 300 baht. Thailand is famous for taxis, tuk-tuks, and basically any kind of driver you might need trying to over-charge you and I immediately knew that I was being overcharged! I stood there trying to decide if it was really worth the effort to fight this now. Especially at the official airport taxi stand. I started to give it a shot and explained that my hotel said the taxi ride should cost 200 baht. She just shrugged and said, “It is after midnight”
Well, honestly, who could argue with that!!! It boiled down to a difference of $3. And I was on that jittery high, that only comes with staying up for 24 hours straight and spending most of that time above 30,000 feet. So I handed her the extra 100 baht and climbed in.
I mean, who cares!??! I am in Thailand!!!!
The driver was on the right side of the car, and the traffic all traveled on the left-hand side of the road. They had the a/c blasting, but it could not stop the warm, steamy air from creeping in. My shirt was stuck to my back, and the driver was speeding like crazy…weaving in and out of the midnight traffic that consisted of cars, trucks and a zillion scooters with one, two, and even three passengers at a time. I fumbled for my seatbelt, reminding myself that it was an adventure and that the faster he drove, the sooner I would be in my hotel bed! Everywhere I looked there was activity…. traffic, lights from restaurants, people walking. In my exhausted state, it was all a bit surreal, but I tried to take it all in as we raced through the town.
After a 15-minute, madcap, (only-mildly-terrifying) ride, we pulled up in front of my hotel. I looked out onto a narrow, dark street surrounded by massage parlors and coffee houses, all of which were closed for the night. Hoping I had not made a questionable choice in hotels, I hopped out, and the driver grabbed my suitcases and led me thru a door cut into a high exterior wall, and into a courtyard. I could not believe my eyes!! I had actually stepped into paradise!!
The hotel is called the Bodhi Serene House and the name is perfect. The lobby is open to the sky, with trees and vines growing up through it, and the whole thing looks like something out of an upscale yoga retreat with beautiful flowers draping over the balconies and walkways that connect the rooms. After checking in, we walked by a salt-water, infinity pool and I had a crazy moment where I thought, “Elephants?? What elephants?” I could just spend a week here and luxuriate by the pool, only getting out long enough to have a massage and jump back in!” Of course, my sanity came back quickly but I was determined to enjoy my beautiful little haven as much as possibly before I left for Elephant Nature Park on Monday morning.
My room is beautiful and comfortable, and I can walk straight out the door into a smaller infinity pool that is right at my feet. I know that it is late, but right outside my door there is an empty lounge chair just waiting to be lounged in. I looked down to find a cold Singh beer in the mini-bar, and stepped outdoors into a warm Thai breeze, full of the fragrance of flowers. Yes I am exhausted and yes, it is past midnight. But you have to agree, it just wouldn’t be right to let the moment pass. So here I sit, under the stars, and all I can do is take a deep breath…….. I am finally in Thailand.
