An Elephant Will Never Forget Me

This was much more physically challenging than it looks, especially when the elephant is walking down a steep hill. Check out the little baby in the 2nd photo. She was only 2 months old. Did you know that the elephant gestation period is more than 2 years? Yipes.

The elephant riding was fun, but the highlight of this "trek" was the bamboo rafting. (No pictures from my non-waterproof camera.) The bamboo raft is just that... about 8 long reeds of bamboo tied together. There were 4 of us on the raft, including the guide. We started out by standing on the raft. It was a little difficult balancing on the wet bamboo with nothing to hold on to, but I managed. Then we came across a big branch. As I tried to duck, I lost my balance and fell into a sitting position. The woman behind me was knocked clear off the raft. We pulled her back up, but there was no hope of anyone staying dry from that point forward.

This is the beginning of Songkran, the Thai new year festival. The river banks were lined with vacationing Thai families hanging out on bamboo platforms over the water or swimming, floating around. It was a very festive atmosphere. The hallmark of Songkran is WATER. Hoses, buckets, water balloons, super soakers, etc. I'm sure the water holds some cultural/religious significance, but the truth is that the new year falls smack dab in the middle of hot season and people are desperate to cool off. As we were floating down the river, people were splashing us and dousing us with buckets of water. It's not just a river activity. Starting tomorrow, it will be nearly impossible to stay dry in Chiang Mai. The 4 moats that form a neat square border around the old city will be drained for water fights and the city will erupt in a drunken free-for-all. I'm heading out of town, but I've been warned to expect to get wet wherever I go in Thailand over the next few days.