Monday, April 03, 2006
Chiang Mai Escapade! - 27 Mar 3rd Day
Supermodel Linda Evangelista was once quoted that she "would not get out of bed for less than 10,000 pounds". Well, mine's a lot cheaper. I would get out of bed to the tune of 1,600 Baht (S$70). Ha ha ha.. dang... I'm so cheap! But today (to me) was the best day of the whole trip. And If I had to do it again, I definitely would.
Considering that we had to be up at 7am for breakfast, it definitely was a mean feat for DC to drag me out of bed. I was literally kicking and screaming and the poor guy bore the brunt of it.. a true soldier... ha ha ha. Once I was somewhat awake, we went down for breakfast.
Pick up was at 8 am and they were slightly late. It arrived at about 8.30am in the form of a beat up minivan with the words "Chiang Mai Adventures" on the sides. We were greeted by Win, our guide for the day and the driver (I didn't get his name). Already in the van were 2 passengers: Derek and Era. Derek is a Singaporean Eurasian and Era, his Indonesian girlfriend. Originally from Surabaya, she met him when she was in Bali. They have been together since and she follows him wherever he goes. Derek is outstationed most of the time as his company does time sharing. More recently, he is stationed in Goa and previously in Bali. These 2 were certainly an animated pair! We were chatting for most of the way and we all agreed that it was a good idea to have switched the tour date to Mon. Both of us had initially wanted to go for the Sunday tour, but backed out when we heard that there were 35 people already signed up!!! We further heaved a sigh of relief when Win told us that it was a group of Singaporean students... Talk about a good call....
After travelling for 30 mins, we reached the elephant camp. If I remember correctly, it's called Mataman elephant camp (DC had a field day calling it metalman). We were there for our 1hr elephant ride! I'm not sure if our elephant is a male or female (may be female as it had no tusks). Height wise, it was about 4m tall? The mahout (the caretaker) sat on the elephant's head, while we got on the saddle. And mind you, the saddle was just this wooden seat with foam cushioning (thank god!), that was held together by ropes going under the elephant and around it's tail. The underside of the saddle was stuffed with gunny sacks to further hold it in place. The berthing areas were about 1 story above ground and you boarded the elephant by stepping on it's neck (I wonder if the elephants feel pain when Japanese tourists in stilettos step on them?). Once you are in your seat, they close the bar of the saddle (think roller coaster rides with only a bar in front) with a flimsy lock and you are ready for your ride!! Woo Hoo!
It took some time getting used to the elephant. Sitting on it makes you feel like you were on a ship. As the elephant lumbered across the hilly terrian, you would sway from side to side. How bad was it? Let's say that DC couldn't even get a decent picture while on the elephant. He commented that no amount of steady shot can save the pictures. When the elephant went down slopey terrian, you better hang on tight. The feeling one gets is like you are going to slip out of the seat (remember, the safety belt is only a bar. Reed thin people, beware)!
And there were certain times that the elephant misbehaved. At times, it got distracted with leftover sugarcanes in the undergrowth; refused to move the right direction; moved too slowly etc. That's when the mahout starts beating the elephant with his tool: a wooden stick with a sickle like attachment at the end. He would hit the elephant on the head and from where I was, I could see lacerations and punctures both old and new on the elephants skin. This must be a really naughty fella! There was a point of time where the mahout hit the elephant and it started trumpeting!! Oh my god! I really panicked! I wasn't worried about being flung off the elephant. I was more worried about being flung off the elephant, elephant loses it's footing and it's entire 1 tonne weight comes crashing down on me from the slope... shudder. Thankfully my fears were unfounded. The elephant, though being big, was extremely surefooted. At any one point, there was always 3 feet on the ground. After all, Hannibal did use elephants to cross the Alps, which were sheeted in ice!
But our elephant wasn't as naughty as Derek's and Era's. At a rest point, our mahout had alighted to get a drink of water. Our elephant was happily munching on the bananas and sugarcanes we had bought for it. Derek's elephant came over and started snatching our elephant's bananas! A mini scuffle ensued until both mahouts came. Needless to say that Derek's elephant got a sound beating... we on the other hand were frozen with panic (remember the mahout wasn't there...)
But if there is one thing I did regret not doing, was to climb onto the elephant and sit at the nook of it's neck. The mahout had offered us to join him. DC refused flatly. I was unsure, especially since I wasn't sure what the terrain further up would be like. But it proved to be the something I would later regret as we soon reached back the elephant camp. Sigh. Should've just seized the moment. Overall, the ride was fun but it was a pity that the weather was hot an hazy so one couldn't fully appreciate the countryside. We bought a souvenir photograph made from recycled elephant dung for 200 Baht! Derek joked that we were really buying crap! Ha ha. but hey.. proceeds fo towards elephant conservation so it's dung for a good cause!
Our next stop was at the start of the hill at a small village. That was the point where we start cycling 10km up to the next village to white water raft down. Win and the driver unloaded the bicycles from the top of the minivan, gave us cute little yellow helmets and a rough crash course on how to change the gears etc. Well, we were all enthusiastic and started pedalling off. In my mind, I was thinking: 10 km shouldn't be a major problem.. after all, just a few weeks before, we were cycling at Pulau Ubin... boy was i wrong. The terrain here was 10 times more hilly than Ubin. And with little cloud cover and tree shade, we were all soon heaving and panting. And when vans or scooters zoomed by, they left a lot of dust in their wake. And that was what did DC in. He was the first to give up. So he got bundled off into the van in airconditioned comfort while the rest of us continued on.
The next to give up was Derek. After conquering a hill, he declared that he couldn't take it. And since he was stopping, Era decided to stop as well. I was like... what the hell?? You call urselves men (I'm referring to DC and Derek)??? Although i had wanted to see how far I could go, it wouldn't be fair for 3 people to be waiting for me. So I stopped as well. Darn. Later learned from Win that most asians stopped at the 2km mark (about where we stopped) while the Europeans continued the whole 10km! Aiyoh.. so pai seh...
We reached the next village and we were served lunch! Lunch was quite sumptous: Salad (with dressing no less); fried chicken; fried spring rolls; fruits; coffee and tea! wow! But we all didn't eat much knowing that we will be exerting a lot of energy later on. After lunch came the cute part. We were required to practice certain basic moves for white water rafting:
1) Normal position: when no command is given, one hand holds on to the cord on the side of the raft while the other one holds on to the oar. The oar must also be tucked under the arm that is holding onto the cord.
2) Forward: your body moves forward and you dig into the water and pull back
3) Backward: Do the opposite of forward, move backward, dig into the water and push forward
4) Over left/right: If you are on the right of the raft, you have to go to the left and vice versa. This is used when the raft gets stuck.
5) Hang on: you hold on and lean your body forward to provide lower CG
6) Get down: you jump into the raft and bend down (still holding onto the cord), taking care not to put ur knee on the bottom of the raft. DC did that and a rock banged his knee.
We did the practice moves on a dummy raft. Win also explained how to float yourself should you drop into the river; how to pick a fallen rafter with the oar etc. He also told us that he will be our rescue team, waiting on the left bank, throwing a line in should we not be able to get back on the raft. With that said, we strapped on the life vests and yellow helmuts and went down the river bank. Our river captain was waiting. His name was Tip and he looked pretty stern. We got into the raft and did the practice moves before setting off!
The whole rafting would take about 2 hours. The initial part was pretty peaceful. Tip was steering the raft most of the time. We listened to his commands. Went forward when necessary or returned to normal position. Very soon, we came to an obstacle: a fallen tree. The tree wasn't huge, but it was long, stretching from one side of the bank to the other. It was mostly submerged and we thought that we could go over it. Bad judgement. The raft got stuck and couldn't move. Tip then shouted: Get out. All 4 of us were momentarily stunned. We looked at each other and gave the look that read: which command was that??? We didn't learn that!! We looked at Tip for affirmation to what he said and he nodded.
So off the raft we went. The water was shallow, but the rocks were slippery. Derek and Era were not wearing sandles and ended up getting grazed on their feet. We had to climb over the tree and carry the raft over it. While in the water, we could feel the current. Though not overbearingly strong, it still had the potential to carry a fatigued person away. We climbed back in the raft (not easy!) and continued on.
Overall, the ride was a pretty fun one. When the rapids came, we were listening to commands and paddling like crazy. Hanging on also proved to be a challenge, especially when your raft was bumping into rocks in all directions!The helmets came in handy when we were REALLY close to the rocks (yes, your head will hit the rocks)! The plunges were ok but I believe it would be even more fun during the medium season in Oct. It also helped that every one in the raft was cooperative and working together. It made for a safer ride. And at the more dangerous rapids, our rescue team was on standby at the left bank.
Of course throughout the 2 hour trip, not everything was adrenaline pumping. During the lull periods, it was a good time to relax and take in the peacefulness of the Mae Phing river. You can hear the cicadas making a symphony; further down the river you can see elephants playing by the river (I have no idea how they got there. Looking at the terrain it was extremely steep!); Pass by the villages where children swim and play by the river, giving extremely friendly and genuine smiles when you waved to them. Or you can see the villagers catching fish. There was also supposed to be a baby crocodile hiding amongst the crevice of a rock, but didn't manage to get a good glimpse of it. The raft couldn't go near enough and I was without my glasses. But that certainly made me think twice about jumping into the water for a swim.. when there's baby croc, mama croc must be lurking somewhere... *cue lake placid soundtrack*
Majority of the fun parts came from our river captain Tip. The guy of few words proved to be equally playful. Halfway through, he made us do our moves again. At the point where he shouted "Over left", DC and I scrambled over to Derek & Era's side. But, even Tip went over to the left side. With the imbalance, it caused the boat to capsize! Ahhhh!!!! Should've saw that coming!!! Along the way, Tip would also use the oar to splash water at us. And halfway through he made us play the game "Helicopter": he connected the front of the raft with a string, and went to the end of the raft. When everyone was seated at the end of the raft, Era and I started paddling in different directions, causing the raft to spin. As we paddled faster and faster, he tightened his grip on the rope, causing the front of the raft to lift off. Needless to say, the whole raft capsized when Era & I lost our mometum. Entertainment also came in the form of another rafting group, consisting of a caucasian couple and their two Thai captains. We started racing with each other and had water splashing fights. We also laughed at them when they got stuck at the rocks (of course.. they did the same when we got stuck).
Soon, the journey came to an end. We went up the bank where there was changing rooms (made of rattan.. not much privacy though), had some refreshments and then packed up into the mini van to go home. Of course... everyone was tired out and just slept in the van... zzz
DC and I ended the day going for a Thai herbal massage. This time the massage was totally opposite from the one yesterday. It was pretty obvious that the lady doing it was just going through the motions. But her grip was painful and I can feel that she was just using excessive force. A lot of pummelling, pinching, grasping. It kinda reminded me of the Chinese massage that Kokodile brought me to. I was nearly murdered there!!! (no kidding, people who love SM, let me know and i will bring u there). This was no different. While I was lamenting on what happened to all the stretching associated with Thai massage, she started sponging me with this hot ball of cloth. Apparently the ball contains the herbs and they steam the ball. But it was really hot and i really felt like I was some meat being marinated. Urgh.. doesn't help that the ball left a trial of yellow substance on me...
Day ended with dinner at a seafood restaurant at Anusarn restaurant. They speak Chinese!!!!! Wonderful! We ordered Or Luat, Fish Maw Soup, Butter Prawns, Fried rice, Crab Roll all for only 650 Baht. Expensive in Thailand, but cheap by Singapore standards! Then went back to the hotel to bathe.. and zone out... zzzz
Considering that we had to be up at 7am for breakfast, it definitely was a mean feat for DC to drag me out of bed. I was literally kicking and screaming and the poor guy bore the brunt of it.. a true soldier... ha ha ha. Once I was somewhat awake, we went down for breakfast.
Pick up was at 8 am and they were slightly late. It arrived at about 8.30am in the form of a beat up minivan with the words "Chiang Mai Adventures" on the sides. We were greeted by Win, our guide for the day and the driver (I didn't get his name). Already in the van were 2 passengers: Derek and Era. Derek is a Singaporean Eurasian and Era, his Indonesian girlfriend. Originally from Surabaya, she met him when she was in Bali. They have been together since and she follows him wherever he goes. Derek is outstationed most of the time as his company does time sharing. More recently, he is stationed in Goa and previously in Bali. These 2 were certainly an animated pair! We were chatting for most of the way and we all agreed that it was a good idea to have switched the tour date to Mon. Both of us had initially wanted to go for the Sunday tour, but backed out when we heard that there were 35 people already signed up!!! We further heaved a sigh of relief when Win told us that it was a group of Singaporean students... Talk about a good call....
After travelling for 30 mins, we reached the elephant camp. If I remember correctly, it's called Mataman elephant camp (DC had a field day calling it metalman). We were there for our 1hr elephant ride! I'm not sure if our elephant is a male or female (may be female as it had no tusks). Height wise, it was about 4m tall? The mahout (the caretaker) sat on the elephant's head, while we got on the saddle. And mind you, the saddle was just this wooden seat with foam cushioning (thank god!), that was held together by ropes going under the elephant and around it's tail. The underside of the saddle was stuffed with gunny sacks to further hold it in place. The berthing areas were about 1 story above ground and you boarded the elephant by stepping on it's neck (I wonder if the elephants feel pain when Japanese tourists in stilettos step on them?). Once you are in your seat, they close the bar of the saddle (think roller coaster rides with only a bar in front) with a flimsy lock and you are ready for your ride!! Woo Hoo!It took some time getting used to the elephant. Sitting on it makes you feel like you were on a ship. As the elephant lumbered across the hilly terrian, you would sway from side to side. How bad was it? Let's say that DC couldn't even get a decent picture while on the elephant. He commented that no amount of steady shot can save the pictures. When the elephant went down slopey terrian, you better hang on tight. The feeling one gets is like you are going to slip out of the seat (remember, the safety belt is only a bar. Reed thin people, beware)!
And there were certain times that the elephant misbehaved. At times, it got distracted with leftover sugarcanes in the undergrowth; refused to move the right direction; moved too slowly etc. That's when the mahout starts beating the elephant with his tool: a wooden stick with a sickle like attachment at the end. He would hit the elephant on the head and from where I was, I could see lacerations and punctures both old and new on the elephants skin. This must be a really naughty fella! There was a point of time where the mahout hit the elephant and it started trumpeting!! Oh my god! I really panicked! I wasn't worried about being flung off the elephant. I was more worried about being flung off the elephant, elephant loses it's footing and it's entire 1 tonne weight comes crashing down on me from the slope... shudder. Thankfully my fears were unfounded. The elephant, though being big, was extremely surefooted. At any one point, there was always 3 feet on the ground. After all, Hannibal did use elephants to cross the Alps, which were sheeted in ice!
But our elephant wasn't as naughty as Derek's and Era's. At a rest point, our mahout had alighted to get a drink of water. Our elephant was happily munching on the bananas and sugarcanes we had bought for it. Derek's elephant came over and started snatching our elephant's bananas! A mini scuffle ensued until both mahouts came. Needless to say that Derek's elephant got a sound beating... we on the other hand were frozen with panic (remember the mahout wasn't there...)
But if there is one thing I did regret not doing, was to climb onto the elephant and sit at the nook of it's neck. The mahout had offered us to join him. DC refused flatly. I was unsure, especially since I wasn't sure what the terrain further up would be like. But it proved to be the something I would later regret as we soon reached back the elephant camp. Sigh. Should've just seized the moment. Overall, the ride was fun but it was a pity that the weather was hot an hazy so one couldn't fully appreciate the countryside. We bought a souvenir photograph made from recycled elephant dung for 200 Baht! Derek joked that we were really buying crap! Ha ha. but hey.. proceeds fo towards elephant conservation so it's dung for a good cause!Our next stop was at the start of the hill at a small village. That was the point where we start cycling 10km up to the next village to white water raft down. Win and the driver unloaded the bicycles from the top of the minivan, gave us cute little yellow helmets and a rough crash course on how to change the gears etc. Well, we were all enthusiastic and started pedalling off. In my mind, I was thinking: 10 km shouldn't be a major problem.. after all, just a few weeks before, we were cycling at Pulau Ubin... boy was i wrong. The terrain here was 10 times more hilly than Ubin. And with little cloud cover and tree shade, we were all soon heaving and panting. And when vans or scooters zoomed by, they left a lot of dust in their wake. And that was what did DC in. He was the first to give up. So he got bundled off into the van in airconditioned comfort while the rest of us continued on.
The next to give up was Derek. After conquering a hill, he declared that he couldn't take it. And since he was stopping, Era decided to stop as well. I was like... what the hell?? You call urselves men (I'm referring to DC and Derek)??? Although i had wanted to see how far I could go, it wouldn't be fair for 3 people to be waiting for me. So I stopped as well. Darn. Later learned from Win that most asians stopped at the 2km mark (about where we stopped) while the Europeans continued the whole 10km! Aiyoh.. so pai seh...
We reached the next village and we were served lunch! Lunch was quite sumptous: Salad (with dressing no less); fried chicken; fried spring rolls; fruits; coffee and tea! wow! But we all didn't eat much knowing that we will be exerting a lot of energy later on. After lunch came the cute part. We were required to practice certain basic moves for white water rafting:
1) Normal position: when no command is given, one hand holds on to the cord on the side of the raft while the other one holds on to the oar. The oar must also be tucked under the arm that is holding onto the cord.
2) Forward: your body moves forward and you dig into the water and pull back
3) Backward: Do the opposite of forward, move backward, dig into the water and push forward
4) Over left/right: If you are on the right of the raft, you have to go to the left and vice versa. This is used when the raft gets stuck.
5) Hang on: you hold on and lean your body forward to provide lower CG
6) Get down: you jump into the raft and bend down (still holding onto the cord), taking care not to put ur knee on the bottom of the raft. DC did that and a rock banged his knee.
We did the practice moves on a dummy raft. Win also explained how to float yourself should you drop into the river; how to pick a fallen rafter with the oar etc. He also told us that he will be our rescue team, waiting on the left bank, throwing a line in should we not be able to get back on the raft. With that said, we strapped on the life vests and yellow helmuts and went down the river bank. Our river captain was waiting. His name was Tip and he looked pretty stern. We got into the raft and did the practice moves before setting off!
The whole rafting would take about 2 hours. The initial part was pretty peaceful. Tip was steering the raft most of the time. We listened to his commands. Went forward when necessary or returned to normal position. Very soon, we came to an obstacle: a fallen tree. The tree wasn't huge, but it was long, stretching from one side of the bank to the other. It was mostly submerged and we thought that we could go over it. Bad judgement. The raft got stuck and couldn't move. Tip then shouted: Get out. All 4 of us were momentarily stunned. We looked at each other and gave the look that read: which command was that??? We didn't learn that!! We looked at Tip for affirmation to what he said and he nodded.
So off the raft we went. The water was shallow, but the rocks were slippery. Derek and Era were not wearing sandles and ended up getting grazed on their feet. We had to climb over the tree and carry the raft over it. While in the water, we could feel the current. Though not overbearingly strong, it still had the potential to carry a fatigued person away. We climbed back in the raft (not easy!) and continued on.
Overall, the ride was a pretty fun one. When the rapids came, we were listening to commands and paddling like crazy. Hanging on also proved to be a challenge, especially when your raft was bumping into rocks in all directions!The helmets came in handy when we were REALLY close to the rocks (yes, your head will hit the rocks)! The plunges were ok but I believe it would be even more fun during the medium season in Oct. It also helped that every one in the raft was cooperative and working together. It made for a safer ride. And at the more dangerous rapids, our rescue team was on standby at the left bank.
Of course throughout the 2 hour trip, not everything was adrenaline pumping. During the lull periods, it was a good time to relax and take in the peacefulness of the Mae Phing river. You can hear the cicadas making a symphony; further down the river you can see elephants playing by the river (I have no idea how they got there. Looking at the terrain it was extremely steep!); Pass by the villages where children swim and play by the river, giving extremely friendly and genuine smiles when you waved to them. Or you can see the villagers catching fish. There was also supposed to be a baby crocodile hiding amongst the crevice of a rock, but didn't manage to get a good glimpse of it. The raft couldn't go near enough and I was without my glasses. But that certainly made me think twice about jumping into the water for a swim.. when there's baby croc, mama croc must be lurking somewhere... *cue lake placid soundtrack*
Majority of the fun parts came from our river captain Tip. The guy of few words proved to be equally playful. Halfway through, he made us do our moves again. At the point where he shouted "Over left", DC and I scrambled over to Derek & Era's side. But, even Tip went over to the left side. With the imbalance, it caused the boat to capsize! Ahhhh!!!! Should've saw that coming!!! Along the way, Tip would also use the oar to splash water at us. And halfway through he made us play the game "Helicopter": he connected the front of the raft with a string, and went to the end of the raft. When everyone was seated at the end of the raft, Era and I started paddling in different directions, causing the raft to spin. As we paddled faster and faster, he tightened his grip on the rope, causing the front of the raft to lift off. Needless to say, the whole raft capsized when Era & I lost our mometum. Entertainment also came in the form of another rafting group, consisting of a caucasian couple and their two Thai captains. We started racing with each other and had water splashing fights. We also laughed at them when they got stuck at the rocks (of course.. they did the same when we got stuck).
Soon, the journey came to an end. We went up the bank where there was changing rooms (made of rattan.. not much privacy though), had some refreshments and then packed up into the mini van to go home. Of course... everyone was tired out and just slept in the van... zzz
DC and I ended the day going for a Thai herbal massage. This time the massage was totally opposite from the one yesterday. It was pretty obvious that the lady doing it was just going through the motions. But her grip was painful and I can feel that she was just using excessive force. A lot of pummelling, pinching, grasping. It kinda reminded me of the Chinese massage that Kokodile brought me to. I was nearly murdered there!!! (no kidding, people who love SM, let me know and i will bring u there). This was no different. While I was lamenting on what happened to all the stretching associated with Thai massage, she started sponging me with this hot ball of cloth. Apparently the ball contains the herbs and they steam the ball. But it was really hot and i really felt like I was some meat being marinated. Urgh.. doesn't help that the ball left a trial of yellow substance on me...
Day ended with dinner at a seafood restaurant at Anusarn restaurant. They speak Chinese!!!!! Wonderful! We ordered Or Luat, Fish Maw Soup, Butter Prawns, Fried rice, Crab Roll all for only 650 Baht. Expensive in Thailand, but cheap by Singapore standards! Then went back to the hotel to bathe.. and zone out... zzzz
# posted by Xallista @ 5:07 PM 
