This was the best part of the trip for me, and the best way to end a crappy year. My guide set it up for me when I got to the city, and a somewhat questionable van picked me up the day after the tattoo. I was carefully wrapped and protected from the sun and set off into the jungle to visit the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary. The sanctuary is different from most of the touristy places because the elephants have all been rescued from terrible situations, and rather than ride them, you give them a spa day. Founded in 2014, they pride themselves on how well they love and care for their elephants. The whole thing was amazing from start to finish and an elephant mud bath does wonders for the soul. I did not want to leave, and still dream about little Ellie, the baby of the group.
Elephants love bananas and hay and are so friendly. They are so much bigger in person and getting in the river with them was a bit scary at first. The best part of this process is that they do this every day, so when they are done with the mud bath, they just get up and move on to the creek to wash off. When they feel they are clean enough, they leave the creek and go back to their waiting area. They are not penned and roam through the camps as they want. The sanctuary also takes photos so that no one misses out on the spa photo ops.
When I returned to the city, I thought about just staying in my hotel room and watching a movie. The city is really safe, so I decided to take the walk to the centre of town and watch the New Years show and send 2022 out on a positive note.
I enjoyed some street food and a lot of different types of ice cream, including honey ice cream made from fresh honey. The show had different performers and a lantern festival where people release their problems into the sky so that they can start the new year fresh. The countdown to the new year was done by the mayor and some other important city figures.
Getting out of the city centre was tough with all the people trying to leave through one gate, and there were a couple of moments that freaked me out given that I don’t do well in large crowds. There was a very nice couple behind me that helped me get through without too much of a panic, and then I had just enough wifi at the hotel to call my parents and tell them that 2022 did in fact end, and I was in fact alive.
I thought 2023 was going to be a good year having survived the death of a second brother, but the universe had other ideas.
Chiang Mai is the largest city in Northern Thailand, and to be perfectly honest, until I got the full itinerary for the trip, it was not a place I wanted to visit. I quickly changed my mind when I got there though. Chiang Mai was founded in 1296, and is currently home to 127,000 people. The city is home to 17 important Buddhist temples (also called Wats), and they are all fairly close together and easy to walk to.
I knew I was coming up on the end of the trip, and me being me, I really wanted to get a tattoo. Thailand is a really safe place to get tattooed and the country is known for its artistry. I did some research when I got to Chiang Mai and found Celebrity Ink Chiang Mai. The reviews of the shop were great, and they took walk-ins, so I made my way through the city to see what I could do.
I’m very picky about where I get tattooed and have left shops because I did not like the way that artists spoke to me. When I found the shop, the owner happened to be outside having a break, and immediately asked me if he could help. He had someone that could do a walk-in, and loved the geometric elephant that I wanted. The shop was clean and everyone in there, even the other clients were so nice. Once I got my elephant, I walked through the main square and enjoyed all of the lights and music. They were in the process of getting ready for New Year’s Eve, and there were a lot of people out and about enjoying the warm weather.
I went back to the hotel early because I was going to be up bright an early the next day to do what every animal lover wants to do for the day: hang out with elephants.
The next stop on my grand adventure was Thailand. I spent 5 days there and divided my time between Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
The guide I had in Bangkok was seriously one of the best humans I have ever met. Chaiya Poboonma is in his early to mid-20s if I had to guess, and was just a big ball of sunshine. He got me to the hotel and ensured I was checked in and cared for. I had the rest of the evening to myself. I wandered a bit and found another 7/11 to pursue treats and interesting flavours of crisps. Asia really did not disappoint with the fun crisp flavours and interesting desserts. I was not brave enough for the late-night street food, but it did smell delicious.
I stayed at the True Siam Rangnam. Of all the hotels that I stayed at during this trip, this was my least favourite. The hotel was clean, but the room was very basic and not super comfy. I think it was a surprise after coming from the luxury spa in Cambodia. The gym I had been going to at the time had made some videos of home workouts for us to do over Christmas, and I tried to do one of the workouts in the hotel room and it was just not comfortable. I did get a good laugh over the hot trainer doing an ab workout and complaining through the whole video though.
Chaiya and the driver picked me up bright and early the next mourning to see the highlights of Bangkok. Chaiya was knowledgable, but also really fun about the way he told me about the different temples and palaces. He also had a thing about photos….he knew how to take amazing photos. I’ve never had so many photos of myself taken in one day.
and all of the photos are fantastic.
The first stop was the Wat Traimit in Chinatown. The temple was founded by three Chinese friends sometime in 1820’s-1850’s, and was originally called Wat Sam Chin Tai (the south temple of the three Chinese). The temple is best known for housing a 9ft tall, 5.5 ton golden Buddha statue.
The statue is a bit of a mystery. It was built in the 13th or 14th century, and at some point, it was covered in stucco and coloured glass to conceal just how important it was. In 1801 the statue was sent to Bangkok to be in one of the many temples built in the new capital city.
In 1955 the statue was being moved and the stucco cracked, revealing the golden statue underneath. The statue is actually made in nine parts that all fit seamlessly together and came with a key on how to take it apart for easier transport. It was truly magnificent.
Our next stop was to Wat Po, the home of a 45-meter reclining Buddha statue. This temple also served as the first school for Thai massage.
The last stop on the guided tour was the Royal Grand Palace, the most revered national royal monument in Bangkok. This place was crazy. It was so full of people and large tour groups. The palace is massive. It is 218,000 square meters and protected by a wall that is 19,000 metres. It has served as the home of the King of Siam since 1782.
While there are many impressive structures and things to see in the palace, one of the most important is the statue of the Emerald Buddha. According to Wikipedia:
For the three seasons, there are three sets of decorations for the Emerald Buddha:[3][19]
Hot/summer season from March to August – a stepped, pointed crown (makuṭa); a breast pendant; a sash; a necklace, a number of armlets, bracelets and other items of royal attire. All items are made of enameled gold and embedded with precious and semi-precious stones.
Rainy season from August to November – a pointed headpiece of enameled gold studded with sapphires; a gold-embossed monk’s robe draped over one shoulder (kasaya).
Cool/winter season from November to March – a gold headpiece studded with diamonds; a jewel-fringed gold-mesh shawl draped over the rainy season attire.
The sets of gold clothing not in use at any given time are kept on display in the nearby Pavilion of Regalia, Royal Decorations, and Thai Coins on the grounds of the Grand Palace, where the public may view them.
The photo is from Wikipedia because photos are not allowed inside the chapel, and it is considered a very spiritual place.
We wandered around the rest of the palace and had a mini photoshoot to prove that I had in fact, been there.
I had the rest of the day to do as I pleased, so I went to the Pratunam Market to look around. It was way too overwhelming, so I found a nicer mall with a food court and got myself some tasty chicken and then headed back to the hotel. I did stop in all of the 7/11s that I passed. The crisps continued to delight.
I ended the day sat by the pool in the hotel enjoying the warm weather and my book.
The next day I boarded a flight to Chiang Mai. I travelled on yet another budget airline for the 5th flight of the trip.
The Scamp Abroad 