Holy Week is around the corner and I crave for an outbound trip that would bring hope into my heart once again.
For a few months now, I have been experiencing frustration and hopelessness at mankind in general. Im surrounded by people who smiles at me on a daily basis and swears their support while meeting my nemesis by nightfall to plan how to destroy me. Im overwhelmed at the magnitude of their hatred. They do not understand that being fair does not mean giving everybody the same salary. Being fair means giving what one is due.
I simply need this vacation to restore my faith and to give my heart a rest. After much googling, I finally found the answer to my prayer. In Patara Farm, I would have a chance to experience being an elephant owner for a day. This isn't simply about riding the elephant. It is about taking care of a particular elephant for the whole day, ensuring your elephant's health, cleaning them up, feeding them and walking with them. It sounded simple and yet I sensed I would never be the same after this experience.
I flew to Chiangmai, Thailand and stayed at a boutique resort, Imagine Resort. I balked at the name, but I was in this mood for reckless behaviour. So even when there's a popular chain of hotels in this town (Shangrila), I chose to stay at a resort that would put me in a middle of a rice field , away from it all.
And indeed, I was really staying in a middle of a rice field, with the frogs and the birds and everything in between. This resort has only 5 villas. Amenities are few: a salt water swimming pool, a large garden with lake, WIFI in every corner and an adequate breakfast. The owner, AP, is an energetic friendly young man who got his degree in New York and worked in hotel chains for some time. Don't be surprise to witness how he single-handedly manage the whole resort by being the driver, concierge, cook, waiter and guest relations officer. The only thing he didn't do is clean our rooms. But I find myself talking to him at length in more than one occasion, as he proves to be an intelligent and perceptive young man who has strong points of view on politics and economics. Don't you worry about the room, as he designed the room in the modern style and with exquisite taste that would surely get the nod of his most discerning patrons.
On my first day , I simply gathered my supplies and spent time in their local coffee shop chatting with the girls. On the second day, I woke up early to be at Patara Farm at 7 in the morning. There is only a handful of elephants but it was enough to scare me. Their huge HUGE size is really intimidating. And maybe that is why the owners of Patara gave us a chance to simply play with the elephants for an hour or so, just for us to get use to their sizes.
The briefing gave us an overview of what to expect. They stressed that they are not a conservation camp for elephants. They do not solicit funds. They are simply stewards of these elephants. I believe that because the price tag for participating in this activity sure as hell beat any solicitation from any conservation groups. It is also at this time that they let us sign a waiver. In case of death or injury, they are not liable for us. Elephants are still wild animals. They can just drop you from their backs and step on you when they are not in the mood. With my eye shut, I signed those forms.
We were split into groups of 6. My group was asked to climb this hill to meet our elephants. The climb itself is challenging. No ropes, no nothing. You just hope and pray you do not fall and drop dead even before you meet your elephant. It was a steep climb and my calves were screaming , when I caught sight of my elephant.
I was introduced to Meijun immediately. My elephant was 37 years old. I was given this basket of bananas and sugarcane to feed him and to be friendly with him. I was supposed to put my hand inside his mouth but sensing my hesitation, he offered his trunk to me instead. Afterwards, I got a chunk of green blades to make a bouquet and started slapping his back to clean him before bathing him. When he was clean enough , it was time to ride him. But I have the fear of heights, so I chose to just walk beside him. I regretted that decision. I found myself trekking the mountains for miles on end. I slipped many times but nobody helped me. It's a good thing I have those bamboo trees to grab on to when I almost slipped down those steep slopes. There was this very steep drop and I froze. I kept strategizing on my head how to best tackle that drop when I found myself left behind. They all left me. I was on a brink of crying when I suddenly sensed somebody came back for me. It was the baby elephant. He was 4 weeks old and too young to be assigned to anyone. He was simply there to tail his mom and dad. He came back for me! With his strong back as support , I managed to walk down the steep drop. After around 2 hours of trekking, we stayed at this lake with a small waterfall. I got a brush and a basket and started brushing my elephant from head to toe, pouring water all over his body from time to time. After a while, he started splashing me water gathered from his trunk and soon I was wet all over. Yikes! those waters are filled with elephant dung. But what the heck, let's just splash water all around us. In that instant, I was reduced to an 8 year old girl playing with my biggest playmate ever.
I cleaned up by climbing (Again!) some slippery rocks to reach the waterfalls. I washed up there and the heat of the sun dried up my clothes instantly. I got some banana leaves and the locals started slicing some fruits. Lunch was served ala picnic style where 70% of it is fruits. I think I ate 3 dragon fruits. So sweet! I was grouped with the Brits who didn't pay attention to the dragon fruits. Lucky me!
I got some leftover bananas and decided to share it with Meijun. Some other elephants spotted me and started going all over me. They all wanted a piece of the banana. I gave some of them but made sure to leave some for my own elephant. Finally, I spotted him. I gave him my sweet banana to my sweet Meijun. I changed to my clean clothes and we rode back to the camp.
I paid for the day's activity. It was expensive at almost $300 per person. But the fee already includes a CD of photos with you and the elephant. That was enough for me as a souvenir. I left the place with a heavy heart. I sure would miss Meijun.
For a few months now, I have been experiencing frustration and hopelessness at mankind in general. Im surrounded by people who smiles at me on a daily basis and swears their support while meeting my nemesis by nightfall to plan how to destroy me. Im overwhelmed at the magnitude of their hatred. They do not understand that being fair does not mean giving everybody the same salary. Being fair means giving what one is due.
I simply need this vacation to restore my faith and to give my heart a rest. After much googling, I finally found the answer to my prayer. In Patara Farm, I would have a chance to experience being an elephant owner for a day. This isn't simply about riding the elephant. It is about taking care of a particular elephant for the whole day, ensuring your elephant's health, cleaning them up, feeding them and walking with them. It sounded simple and yet I sensed I would never be the same after this experience.
I flew to Chiangmai, Thailand and stayed at a boutique resort, Imagine Resort. I balked at the name, but I was in this mood for reckless behaviour. So even when there's a popular chain of hotels in this town (Shangrila), I chose to stay at a resort that would put me in a middle of a rice field , away from it all.
And indeed, I was really staying in a middle of a rice field, with the frogs and the birds and everything in between. This resort has only 5 villas. Amenities are few: a salt water swimming pool, a large garden with lake, WIFI in every corner and an adequate breakfast. The owner, AP, is an energetic friendly young man who got his degree in New York and worked in hotel chains for some time. Don't be surprise to witness how he single-handedly manage the whole resort by being the driver, concierge, cook, waiter and guest relations officer. The only thing he didn't do is clean our rooms. But I find myself talking to him at length in more than one occasion, as he proves to be an intelligent and perceptive young man who has strong points of view on politics and economics. Don't you worry about the room, as he designed the room in the modern style and with exquisite taste that would surely get the nod of his most discerning patrons.
On my first day , I simply gathered my supplies and spent time in their local coffee shop chatting with the girls. On the second day, I woke up early to be at Patara Farm at 7 in the morning. There is only a handful of elephants but it was enough to scare me. Their huge HUGE size is really intimidating. And maybe that is why the owners of Patara gave us a chance to simply play with the elephants for an hour or so, just for us to get use to their sizes.
The briefing gave us an overview of what to expect. They stressed that they are not a conservation camp for elephants. They do not solicit funds. They are simply stewards of these elephants. I believe that because the price tag for participating in this activity sure as hell beat any solicitation from any conservation groups. It is also at this time that they let us sign a waiver. In case of death or injury, they are not liable for us. Elephants are still wild animals. They can just drop you from their backs and step on you when they are not in the mood. With my eye shut, I signed those forms.
We were split into groups of 6. My group was asked to climb this hill to meet our elephants. The climb itself is challenging. No ropes, no nothing. You just hope and pray you do not fall and drop dead even before you meet your elephant. It was a steep climb and my calves were screaming , when I caught sight of my elephant.
I was introduced to Meijun immediately. My elephant was 37 years old. I was given this basket of bananas and sugarcane to feed him and to be friendly with him. I was supposed to put my hand inside his mouth but sensing my hesitation, he offered his trunk to me instead. Afterwards, I got a chunk of green blades to make a bouquet and started slapping his back to clean him before bathing him. When he was clean enough , it was time to ride him. But I have the fear of heights, so I chose to just walk beside him. I regretted that decision. I found myself trekking the mountains for miles on end. I slipped many times but nobody helped me. It's a good thing I have those bamboo trees to grab on to when I almost slipped down those steep slopes. There was this very steep drop and I froze. I kept strategizing on my head how to best tackle that drop when I found myself left behind. They all left me. I was on a brink of crying when I suddenly sensed somebody came back for me. It was the baby elephant. He was 4 weeks old and too young to be assigned to anyone. He was simply there to tail his mom and dad. He came back for me! With his strong back as support , I managed to walk down the steep drop. After around 2 hours of trekking, we stayed at this lake with a small waterfall. I got a brush and a basket and started brushing my elephant from head to toe, pouring water all over his body from time to time. After a while, he started splashing me water gathered from his trunk and soon I was wet all over. Yikes! those waters are filled with elephant dung. But what the heck, let's just splash water all around us. In that instant, I was reduced to an 8 year old girl playing with my biggest playmate ever.
I cleaned up by climbing (Again!) some slippery rocks to reach the waterfalls. I washed up there and the heat of the sun dried up my clothes instantly. I got some banana leaves and the locals started slicing some fruits. Lunch was served ala picnic style where 70% of it is fruits. I think I ate 3 dragon fruits. So sweet! I was grouped with the Brits who didn't pay attention to the dragon fruits. Lucky me!
I got some leftover bananas and decided to share it with Meijun. Some other elephants spotted me and started going all over me. They all wanted a piece of the banana. I gave some of them but made sure to leave some for my own elephant. Finally, I spotted him. I gave him my sweet banana to my sweet Meijun. I changed to my clean clothes and we rode back to the camp.
I paid for the day's activity. It was expensive at almost $300 per person. But the fee already includes a CD of photos with you and the elephant. That was enough for me as a souvenir. I left the place with a heavy heart. I sure would miss Meijun.
