Quit our jobs, sold our home and everything in it, gone riding...

[Lightcycle]

Peering into other people's homes, getting an idea of what's around the area...

I saw a T-shirt I want to get for Neda. On the front it reads, "I'm just here to pet all the dogs"

Heading back home after a fun day of playing at the Grand Canyon of Chiang Mai

 

[yodude]

wouldn't recommend jumping from 40 ft if not having done any height jumping before, best to do that first in steps at a pool that has the standard 5 -7.5 - 10 meter platforms,

even from these heights & when divers practice or train, they can have air bubbles blown\injected in the pool water to soften the impact

doesn't take much to get hurt & have a real bad day

Neda practices some yoga at the Grand Canyon of Chiang Mai

Doesn't look that far down, does it?

Actually, it's a 40-foot drop. I was totally planning on jumping, but chickened out. Next time!

 

[Lightcycle]

Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/281.html

Elephants have had a long history in Thailand, and not exactly a happy one. From very early on, they were captured and domesticated for military and logging use. But in 1989, due to rampant deforestation, the Thai government banned logging, which put many of the elephants out of a job. This coincided with the rise of tourism in the country, so these unemployed elephants were retasked and put to work in camps as entertainment.

Neda has done a lot of research into this because this is something we both wanted to see while we were here. We discovered that elephants in these camps are horribly tortured to break their spirit in order for them to be obedient enough to train. Baby elephants are taken from their mothers at birth and are confined to a tight space, like a cage or hole, so they cannot move. They are then beaten with clubs, sticks and bull-hooks, deprived of food and sleep until they become broken. Then they are trained to allow people to ride them and perform acts which are unnatural to them ie. circus tricks like painting.

Everyone wants to ride elephants, thinking that they are large creatures and they should be able to bear the weight. After all we break horses and ride them, right? This is only partially true, though. Mahouts (elephant trainers) ride their elephants on their neck where there is less strain. But the elephant in the tourist work camps are forced to carry tourists in a saddle right on their back, which was never meant to bear that much weight. This puts considerable strain on their spine and causes irreversible damage over time.

"How do I make myself irresistible to elephants?"

We've decided to visit a rescue centre called Elephant Jungle Sanctuary. Their mission is to purchase elephants from the surrounding tourist work camps and provide a safe place to live out their days. Their number one rule is "no riding elephants". We like this a lot better, despite knowing that these are "broken-in" elephants that have been mistreated in a past life, that we are not causing further harm to them.

The most popular elephant at the Sanctuary is baby Ni-Na. She's only three years old. Neda fell in love with her

Ni-Na's mother died so she was being looked after by her aunt. She worked at two tourist camps before being rescued by the Sanctuary. There were five elephants at the location we were at. Elephant Jungle Sanctuary owns three locations with about 17 elephants in total.

 

[Lightcycle]

Two very happy buddies

I read up that elephants flap their ears to express excitement or joy. I think Ni-Na is very happy to see more bananas in Neda's hand!

These Thai elephants are Asian elephants, which are smaller than African elephants

Why are elephants cute? I think it's all in the eyelashes...

I've never spent any time with an elephant this up close before. Just by description alone, elephants should not be cute animals. Tough, grey wrinkly skin. Sparse, prickly hair. Lumbering around ponderously. They're like fat, old men. But it's all the tiny details, the comically floppy ears, the incredible dexterous trunk that is as agile as any human hand, the little fly swatter on their tail and the adorable eyelashes... it's totally the eyelashes that make you fall in love with them.

 

[Lightcycle]

I loved being around the elephants. However, I think they tolerated having people crowd around them and touch them

I'm not naive, I know the main reason why these elephants tolerated our presence was because the work camps had previously broken them. If these were wild elephants, they would want nothing to do with human beings. Also, I don't know how the sanctuary treats these elephants after the tourists leave. Are they still disciplined? Although there are fences around the very large space they can roam around in, are they still chained up at night?

The location we were at is called Tranquil Valley. The elephants have free roam of the compound which is 50 acres.

Despite my cynicism, while we were there, the elephants were very well treated. They basically ate non-stop, requiring about 150kgs (330lbs) of food every day. They were not beaten or ridden or forced to paint or perform for us. Their primary motivation to do anything was food, which is a good positive reinforcement over the threat of a bull-hook to the face (or other sensitive parts of their skin). I felt good about being there and feeding them.

 

[Lightcycle]

After lunch, we were taught how to make "elephant medicine". First ingredients: smushed bananas and tamarind

Then the paste is mixed with grains, rice and salt.

The whole thing is rolled up into bite-sized balls

These tasty treats help the elephants with their digestion. They are also sometimes used to hide real medication in case any of them get sick. Elephants have a very good sense of taste and smell and will refuse to eat any medicine unless it's well disguised.

Neda is about to become *very* popular...

These tasty banana/rice balls are like crack to elephants. When we brought the trays out,
the whole horde of them came bounding towards us to devour them (and any hands/limbs they were attached to)

 

[Lightcycle]

I think rescuing elephants from the riding camps is a noble endeavour. It's uplifting to see how this new wave of ethical tourism rising is gaining popularity, allowing these companies to provide a service that doesn't cause any additional harm to nature. We saw the same thing in Iceland where old whaling boats have now been converted to accommodate whale-watching tours.

Obviously humans have displaced the elephant population from their natural habitat, but if we can at least alleviate the suffering that the tourist work camps have inflicted on some of these domesticated elephants, at least that's a start. And also spread the word about the damage that riding elephants can cause.

After the banana-rice ball treats, it was time for a roll in the mud

Elephant skin is sensitive to the hot sun, to keep cool and to prevent sunburns, they cover themselves with mud. Sometimes with a little help...

This little girl needed some cooling down as well

After a mud bath, they tromped down to the river to play in the water

 

[Lightcycle]

Ni-Na looks like she is really enjoying herself under this waterfall

She wasn't the only one enjoying herself

We spent the entire day in the company of these graceful giants. But now it's time to say goodbye.

Bye-bye Ni-Na. You'll always occupy a warm place in Neda's heart!

PSA: If you're going to see elephants in Thailand, please consider patronizing a No-Ride camp or rescue sanctuary! The more companies find out that it's more profitable to pamper elephants and let them behave in a natural manner than it is to harm them or force them to do tricks, the happier the elephants will be!

 

[viper84737]

Normally I'm all about the motorcycling posts of your adventures, Gene, but I really liked this post despite it having no motorcycling in it.
I'm saddened by the mistreatment that you describe taking place elsewhere and am glad sanctuaries like this exist.

 

[Face]

That sanctuary is an uplifting story about an otherwise sad situation. I've been to a game camp in Zambia that is part of a program to employ ex-poachers as guides and camp staff. A definitely better use their knowledge of elephants. But it was interesting how they feared getting too close believing that the elephants truly did not forget that they had been poachers.

Now back to motorcycling, have you ridden the "Road of 1000 Corners" that is right outside your back door?

http://www.motogeo.com/road-of-1000-corners/

I'd love to compare this to your experience of it.

 

[Lightcycle]

Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/282.html

We are seeing some administrative progress for our bikes. We've finally received our Green Book (ownership papers)! We just need license plates issued to us and then we're legal to leave the country. How exciting!

We're also taking the bikes out for longer runs. Our first mini-trip was to Doi Suthep temple, which is up the mountain on the west side of the city. It was a pretty shaky ride, we were both a bit nervous about the knobby tires and how far we could lean over on them. The tire manufacturer is called IRC. Yep, I've never heard of them either... I think the tires are made in SE Asia, which is in line with Honda trying to keep costs low for the domestically-produced CRF250L...

[video=youtube;YMdIJlUIYM4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMdIJlUIYM4[/video]
Video sped up just a little bit so viewers don't fall asleep... 555

Our reward for reaching the top: Doi Suthep temple

This isn't our first time to Doi Suthep. We paid a visit when Iva was here a couple of months ago and we all piled into the back of a Song Thaew, which took us up this very twisty mountain road. Because you're sitting sideways on the bench seats in the back and can't see out the front window, many people experience severe motion sickness. At certain stops along the curvy roads there are these funny cartoon signs of a person with their head hanging over a toilet - designated vomit stops. I think it's actually a game the Song Thaew drivers play to see how many people they can get to puke after their mountain rides.

Anyway, the first time we visited Doi Suthep by Song Thaew I was too sick to go inside. So this time, I actually got to see it! Yay for having our own wheels!

Pretty, shiny golden temples of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

 

[Lightcycle]

Prayer flags! Last time we saw this was up in the Himalayan Mountains in India!

Shrine to Ganesh, who we also saw in India

Thai Star Destroyer from a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Yes, there is a statue of a chicken in this picture...

 

[Lightcycle]

Is it bad to say that I find the realistic statues kind of unnerving?

Soup?

After a few months of self-imposed rest and relaxation, we are finally going out and making friends in Chiang Mai. Because of the low cost of living here, Chiang Mai is the #1 hub for Digital Nomads - location-independent workers who contract out to western companies, earn western currency but live elsewhere in the world and pay cheaper living expenses. Although we're not Digital Nomads ourselves, we've joined a few social media groups and started making some friends in the community.

Although, it is a bit embarrassing having to keep explaining to our new friends how we've been in Thailand for three months and haven't really seen or done anything...

Out for a day ride with our new riding buddy, Glen!

We made a motorcycle friend! Glen's a fellow Canadian ex-pat originally from Montreal, but he's lived in Chiang Mai for the last 7 years. He was nice enough to show us all the twisty roads outside of Chiang Mai! He rides a Ducati Scrambler, which regularly leaves us behind in the dust when we're climbing hills. Ducati, like Honda, is another manufacturer that has a factory in Thailand to cater to the domestic market. The Scrambler and Monster are made here and sells for the same price as everywhere else in the world. However, the Italian-made Panigale retails for over twice the rest-of-world price because it's imported. Imagine paying $50,000 for a base model 1299. Crazy.

 

[Lightcycle]

On one of our longer day-rides, we battled through the haze of The Burn

It's unfortunate that we are starting our motorcycle explorations this late in the season. Around this time of year, Northern Thailand is shrouded in smoke because of the burning season - the time of year when farmers burn their fields after their harvest to prepare for the next year's growing season. This city gets it especially bad because it's in the valley surrounded by mountains which trap the smoke.

The Chiang Mai social media forums are all abuzz with Air Quality Index reports, discussions about which face mask is the best to buy and opinions on where else in Thailand to go to escape the smoke. For us, our near-term plans are to head straight into the burning fields of Northern Thailand. The best time to travel would have been in November when we first arrived. *shrug* But what can we do? We have to heed how we're feeling at the time and not force ourselves to travel just because the weather is optimal.

That's why we rode through rainy season in Latin America for a year and a half!

On our way to Phayao for lunch

Glen took us to his favorite fish restaurant in Phayao, a few hours east of Chiang Mai. The ride took us over a couple of mountain ranges, so that meant many twisty roads. Very nice! As we were being seated at the restaurant, the waitress looked at me and asked me some questions in Thai. I responded with a blank look on my face. That's when Glen spoke up and started ordering in Thai to the waitress' astonishment (and mine too). Wow! His Thai was amazing! And boy did I feel embarrassed! Watching him converse with the waitress really motivated Neda and I to learn the language.

I was doing some on-line lessons and there are some Thai words that are almost the same as Cantonese, some of which I understand - like counting. Most of the numbers are derived from various dialects of Chinese, others from Sanskrit. Pretty cool. Neda thinks that I will pick up Thai quicker than her. I don't know, she's pretty good with languages...

Long ride back to Chiang Mai. 500 kms for the day - on a stock CRF250L seat. Torture! We must get better seats!

Our first long ride to Phayao and back revealed some things we need to address on the motorcycles. The seat is the biggest problem and will prevent us from doing long days in the saddle. Also, I'd like to mount a GPS on the bike so we don't get lost. Throttle rocker would also help us with cramping up from gripping the throttle all day. Unfortunately all this stuff is not easy to obtain in Thailand and to ship it in will cost a fortune and who knows when it will arrive?

 

[Lightcycle]

Neda organized a short bike trip just outside of town to Huay Tung Tao Lake, we invited Glen and his wife to come. Glen ordered food for us at the restaurant on the lake!

Love getting around on motorcycles

Glen took us for a short tour around Chiang Mai. "This is Sibsongpanna, they have a nice buffet and a cheesy Thai dance show, I'll take you sometime!"

And he did! A few days later, Glen and his wife Sue invited us out to the cheesy Thai show along with his niece Katie

 

[Lightcycle]

After dinner, there was a show featuring Traditional Thai dancing. I didn't find it cheesy at all!

This is fawn-lep, the traditional Thai fingernail dance. It actually originates from Chiang Mai. Cool!

Back at home, Neda's cross-stitch is coming along nicely. You can probably already guess what it is.

If you can't guess yet, here's a hint! See the bottom of the page.

 

[Lightcycle]

As per Glen's suggestion, we visited nearby Baan Kang Wat market on the weekend

One of Neda's favorite activities: window shopping. Second only to her favorite activity: *actual* shopping...

CRF gets naked so a GPS can be hooked up to the battery. Now we can be a little bit less lost in Thailand!

We are prepping our motorcycles for our first road trip. A big thank you to Lawrence from ADVRider, and his wife Dasha, who flew in from Toronto for a riding vacation in Chiang Mai. Lawrence contacted me online and offered to be my parts-mule, bringing with them some much-needed moto equipment I ordered from Canada. We cooked them a traditional Thai meal to thank them.

Got the GPS mount installed, an AirHawk cushion lurks under the plastic bag (to protect it from birdpoop while it's parked)

The bungie cords over the Givi topcase are a necessity because it doesn't feel securely mounted to the rack. There's a lot of rattling behind me when riding, especially over bumpy roads. It sounds like the case is going to shake itself loose! I thought to myself, "That's not Givi quality?"... A quick check on the inside of the box revealed that it's manufactured in Malaysia, not Italy. The (lack of) quality is apparent, the plastic is very flimsy and the lid doesn't close properly if there's anything inside the box. It's so poorly made, it seems like you could break into the box quite easily with a wet noodle.

There's a lot of co-branding in Thailand because of the import duty imposed on foreign goods. At the supermarket, there's always the Thai version of western food - like Pringles. Pringles licensed their name, branding and packaging to a Thai company. Their version only costs 30 baht ($1), but they taste like crap. Then on the shelf right next to Thai Pringles is US Pringles. These ones cost 90 baht ($3), but they actually taste the way Pringles should taste! I think most people only buy Thai Pringles once. Then it's back to the real deal.

So I have a Thai Pringles version of a topcase that needs to be bungied down... Damn you, Thai Pringles!

Feels great to be exploring on two wheels again. Up next: our first Thai road trip!

 

[Lightcycle]

Now back to motorcycling, have you ridden the "Road of 1000 Corners" that is right outside your back door?

Stay tuned!

 

[Brian P]

Now back to motorcycling, have you ridden the "Road of 1000 Corners" that is right outside your back door?

http://www.motogeo.com/road-of-1000-corners/

I'd love to compare this to your experience of it.

*That* looks like a wild ride.

Chiang Mai sounds like a mighty fine corner of the world to call home, if you so desire.

 

[Lightcycle]

Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/283.html

Well, our license plates still have not arrived. This is a bit disconcerting, as the timer is counting down on our Thai visa and we'd really like to do our next Visa Run by motorcycle. The Honda dealership did have some information though, namely our plate numbers: 9000-something and they also told us that the licensing office is currently processing numbers in the 6000s. Not sure what that means as to when we'll actually get our plates. How quickly does it take to process 3000 license plates? Hopefully quickly... tick tock....

In the meantime, we are off on our first road trip. We're going to do the famous Mae Hong Son loop! This ride will take us on the very twisty roads that wind through the jungles and mountains of North-West Thailand, skirting south along the border of Myanmar and then inland back up to Chiang Mai. I've read online that the entire 600km loop should take us 4 days to complete comfortably. When I read this out aloud to Neda, we both looked at each other and nodded in agreement: "So it should take over a week for us, then!"

We travel slowly.

Here's a familiar routine from our distant past: packing our entire lives onto the back of motorcycles

We are sadly saying goodbye to our amazing apartment in Nimman that's been home to us for the last three months. Everything we own in Thailand will be stuffed into drybags and loaded up onto the Hondas. Space is at a premium because we don't have the roomy box panniers that are on our BMWs, so the important stuff (documents, electronics) will go in my lockable and waterproof topcase and everything else will be strapped down to the seat behind us by all manner of bungie cords and nets.

We have to get used to an entirely new system of packing, figuring out where to pack stuff that we need during the ride (rainsuits, food & water) vs stuff we won't use till we unpack for the evening. I expect we'll go through quite a few iterations of this before we get it optimized. Also we'll have to get used to a brand new game of Tetris as we jam our belongings in new configurations and try to memorize how and where everything fits every morning!

So exciting! It's been months since we've traveled by motorcycle and we're eager to hit the road again. Hopefully our license plates will be waiting for us in Chiang Mai by the time we've finished the loop, because we want to continue exploring SE Asia after this short trip. Fingers crossed!

So true to form, we're already deviating from the Mae Hong Son loop on our first day. We're going to spend a day at the Mae Ngat Somboon Lake, which is actually a reservoir created by a dam at one end of the river. It's only 70 kms away.

We travel slowly.