WT039 - ELEPHANT SANCTUARY

Chiang Mai is probably one of the most touristic spots in Thailand and there are good reasons for it. With an ancient history, hundreds of elaborate Buddhist temples and pagodas, this old capital still keeps vestiges of its walls and moats as a cultural and religious centre. It is also home to other kind of entertainment, like a good massage culture or Thai boxing matches (sometimes with well-known boxers) occurring every night in the city. The Old City is a landmark defined by a former protective wall in a square shape, with four main gates - the Pratu Chang Phueak Gate (north), the Tha Phae Gate (east), the Suan Dok Gate (west) and the Saen Pung Gate (south) - that give you access over the water canal.

The Wat Chedi Luang, a temple complex with a partially crumbled 15th-century Chedi and a pillar believed to protect the city, was our first stop. The complex assembles small sanctuaries, a variety of religious figures, a big temple in the middle and an old ruin behind it, which is actually the reason why people visit it. Inside the main temple, several gold statues of Buddha are used as decoration and as a way to teach visitors. For example, the Chedi, term mainly used in Thailand to describe a Buddhist stupa, can be represented in different forms in accordance to the year (animal Chinese year) it's was built.

Many monks live in the premises of the temple and will be polite and ask you to speak with them in english as part of their training.

The Wat Phan Tao, located just next to the Wat Chedi Luang, is an intricate wood Buddhist temple with gilded accents and colourful mosaics, founded in the 14th century.

By walking north in the same street - Prapokkloa Road - you will eventually find the Three Kings Monument, a sculpture of the founding fathers of Chiang Mai, Mengrai, Ramkamhaeng and Ngam Muang.

The third temple we visited actually gave the name to the city, Wat Chiang Man. It was built in the 13th-century and is known for its gold Chedi offering ancient Buddha and elephant statues on scenic grounds.

Jackfruit is a delicious and abundant fruit sold not only in Thailand but also in the surrounding countries.

Small shrines can be found in many corners of the city. If there's space, there's a Buddhist figure. The same applies to pagodas and temples. They grow like mushrooms.

Outside the city walls is where most markets and boxing matches are located. We heard about the food scene in the Kalare Night Bazaar and went to check it out. The cheap and tasty food, as well as the fresh smoothies just made my day. The covered market (perfect for the rain season) has 311 stalls in total, with a big selection on produce, clothes, souvenirs and many other items. Sometimes even free concerts are played there.

One of the most fascinating things I did in Thailand and overall in my life. Since the wild safari in Sri Lanka, I have wished to have a closer experience with elephants, but not the kind of experience where elephants have to entertain tourists. Well, no better place than Chiang Mai to try to achieve that goal. As an animal advocate, I chose really carefully between all the options available in the city. I decided to give a chance to one of the elephant sanctuaries run by local people. The Kerchor Elephant Eco Park offered me the guarantees that no animal was abused, or forced to do whatever visitors wished them to do. The fact is that they actually don't have elephants in the sanctuary, they run free in nature and are gathered around when tourists pay a visit. It sounds bad but the deal is quite simple. First, after arriving, you get to learn new things about elephants (such as: elephants eat for 21 hours, using the other 3 hours to sleep while standing), also some words in the local language (Karen) to help you "communicate" with them. Then, you'll be given a bag full with sugar cane and a basket with bananas to feed them. Remember, elephants need about 200kg of food per day and sometimes they cannot get it in the wild, so helping through the local villagers is not a bad thing. After the meal you get to walk with them and bath them in a small pond nearby. This is the fun part! Elephants are such friendly creatures. Afterwards, you can give them more food and also eat yourself a typical pre-cooked meal by the locals.
https://www.kerchorelephant.com