The Elephant Ride I wish I could Forget

Elephants are known have having long memories. Based on stories I have heard about them from locals, I believe it. My memory is obviously not as good as an elephant's but unfortunately, it's good enough to remember this ride.

This the Elephant Sanctuary in Chiang Mai, Thailand. On my first trip to this country (my first trip to Asia) I ventured to this place to have a personal ride on one of these magnificent beasts. But I was quite ignorant to the whole thing at the time.

Now, the scenery is great and you will get an authentic ride on a pachyderm, but the overall experience leaves a hollow feeling inside. First of all, this is as tourist traps as you can get. This is nothing locals participate in and is catered to those from out of the country.

This may be a sanctuary, but I’m not sure the sanctuary is better than the jungle from which they belong.

The ride itself was cheap enough. For about $15USD you get a one plus hour ride on the back. They put you in a wooden saddle fabricated on the back of the elephant as the Thai driver is sat on the neck of the beast.

It’s a bit odd riding like royalty on top of the animal and one I was not comfortable with. I’m not sure how much weight these beasts can bear on their backs despite their huge size.

My driver was very accommodating to me. Stopping to take pictures of me from time to time. Of course, there is an expectation of a tip at the end so he is as cordial as possible.

But not so kind to the elephant. At times the animal just wanted to stop and pause a minute, but the driver would have nothing to do with it. He would strike him with his rod to get him going again. I really did not appreciate that and told him so. He did stop the practice at my insistence, but it did cause me to wonder just how much abuse these animals endure at the hands of these handlers.

I know I’m here smiling in these pictures, These were just simple cameras smiles that I felt obliged at the time to perform. I really wasn’t all that happy with the ride. But being a first time in this country, I wanted to at least appear that I was having a good time at this event.

I was glad when the whole experience was over. But I left with the sense of sadness, knowing I was leaving these elephants behind to who knows what type of abuse. I’ve seen other areas in Thailand, where they would keep elephants chained up with no room to move for what seems like the whole day just to be on display. It is sickening to watch.

At the end of this trip, after having experience several like things, I actually wrote a poem about it. Maybe I’ll share it with you at the end of these Thailand posts.

I really cannot recommend taking these elephant tours or rides. Although it seemed like a good idea at the time, it is one that will leave you (or at least me) with regret.

My Last Breath

I watched my brother, Frank, as he took his last breath. It was the only time I witnessed death. I was at his bedside when the event occurried. He was a fighter and lasted much longer than most thought he would. Even in his last moments, in a coma, he struggled to breathe despite encouragement from me and his wife to let go. Cancer is a terrible thing, and the death I fear most.

Fortunately., I don't dwell on the subject. But I probably should give it more thought than I do. What if it happens when I'm traveling alone in a foreign, remote land? My odds of an accidental death or death by violence is higher than average. What if my last breath occurs on a remote experience?

In retrospect, I thought of that when recalling, on my yet to post Amazon experience, staying with a tribe in the Amazon jungle. No one even knew I was there. That's not the only time either. What would happen logistically if I passed away on a remote adventure? I suppose the US Embassy would be involved.

I don't buy travel insurance. It may be stupid on my part but it's served me well so far. Travel insurance allows for the transportation of the remains back home in addition to medical help on a trip. Body transportation would not matter to me, as I see no significance in a dead body myself, but it might be important to others to get my body back home. Or at least my ashes.

But really the sad part for me about taking a last breath on a remote adventure is to die alone. That's one thing I would not care to do. Of course, if it were a quick end it wouldn't really matter, but to die among strangers would not be my preferred method. I think my brother was fortunate (maybe a poor choice of words), to take his last breath in his home around those who that loved him.

I know I have put myself at a higher risk traveling to unfamiliar places. It's usually in unfamiliar territory where injuries can occur. But, at the time of the event in all my travels, I never thought about the dangers (too much). I was too caught up in the moment to take proper concern.

I can only recall a single time being apprehensive. It was my first trip to remote India when I knew I was in a terrorist province. I didn't sleep well that first night. Each time I heard a vehicle approach and stop nearby, my mind went to a paranoid place. A place where I was convinced they heard of the strange American visitor who likely had some money on him. It took several nights to shake that feeling.

I count myself fortunate to have had no close brushes with death or serious injury. But, of course it remains a possibility on any adventure. Wherever it is I take my last breath I'll not regret the time I've invested in adventure travel.

Machu Pichu 2

On my last post I shared my photos and experiences at Machu Pichu in Peru:

https://www.kirkstravelstories.com/post/machu-pichu-part-1

I’ll conclude my photo and trip experience in this post.

Perhaps the most important question to answer is if this is a trip worth taking. Of course, I can only answer this from my perspective and can’t speak for all. If you are deeply into old (but not ancient) artifact sites or into mysterious cultures, you may have a differing opinion. But for me the answer is no.

Not because I feel the site not worthy visiting, but the overall experience was just negative for me. This is a journey to get to, but that’s not an issue for me. What is the issue is the over commercialization of this place. They simply allow too many to visit this place in a day.

Added to that is they are ill equipped to handle the swarms of people that arrive. It starts with the access to the mountain itself. You must take their bus to the site so you are subject to their schedule (something I detest). It’s worse than the lines that form at Disney. I was outside to board the bus at 4:30 am but just kept walking to find the end of the cue line. After some time I reached it only to wait about 2 hours before I could be accommodated on the bus. Not a lot of fun there!

The ride itself was not too long, maybe 15 or 20 minutes. But the long wait, just standing in line zapped my energy and made me less enthusiastic of the experience.

I didn’t expect privacy at the site itself but I didn’t expect so many people either. I remembered my experience at Angor Wat in Cambodia and expected the same. A good crowd but still ample space to move around I had hoped. Well, there was ample space for exploring but I think there were 10x as many people. Just too many to enjoy this site.

The pictures below do not indicate the crowds that were there as I intentionally took shots in areas absent of people. This is one place it was not the people I came to see.

That is the main reason for my negative opinion of this place. The site itself is quite awe inspiring, but when it gets over commercialized, it just feels like a cheap carnival side show. Again, just one man’s opinion. This is not a place I will return nor recommend to others.

Here is the rest of the photo gallery if you choose to enjoy: