Rafting in elephant country

Unrested, Chiangmai Adventures picks me up early in the morning in a minibus. There are only five people in the group. I’m happy about that. It’s a two-hour journey north to a remote mountain valley near Mae Taeng. The track is insane. I’m not at all surprised when a bulldozer makes a makeshift levelling of the road in front of us.

After 10 kilometres of washboard, we head out onto the river. Small inflatable rafts for two people, each with their own private guide. The water level is low, difficulty level 3, there are lots of rocks and little water, so it’s not without danger. After half an hour of leisurely paddling through the jungle, the first nasty rapids appear.

There is a lot of splashing and a small roller eats the first boat. A little later, the second boat capsizes on a rock. Nice steps of up to 1.5 metres make everyone swallow water. We touch down a few times, but my guide is good. I’m the only one who doesn’t end up in the water until lunch.

There are bamboo forests on the shore. Blue birds and butterflies fly by. On quiet stretches, there are always some fierce water battles. Suddenly there is an elephant taking a shower on the bank. We knew they weren’t far away, but right here? The elephants are not chained up, they roam wild through the forest and come to the stable in Mae Taeng by themselves in the evening.

The last steps are quite toxic, some boats capsize. Children play with car tyres in the water, bamboo houses line the shore. After a good two hours of rafting in elephant country, we have lunch.

A short mountain bike tour follows in the afternoon. Only 10 kilometres with 200 metres of elevation gain are quite tough in this climate, and after a short time we are all soaking wet. On the other side, we head downhill towards the Mae Taeng elephant centre. I see elephants up close for the first time.

I’ve always liked elephants, but now I like them even more. At the elephant station, we go up onto a 4-metre-high platform. Then we take an elephant ride across country through the forest. The elephant hair feels like a toothbrush. Elephants rock worse than desert ships, especially downhill.

Sometimes the trunk comes up to sit. Means something like: “Sugar cane now!”. He gets it. The horn always sounds a thank you. It goes through a river in the tropical rain. I have to grin the whole time. It’s beautiful! Then I see baby elephants and I’m blissfully happy.

Back at the camp, I’m stroked and given bananas. The elephants’ eyes analyse everything very carefully. It goes very deep. The show that follows amazes me. I don’t know what Mahmut is saying to the elephants. In any case, the brush is only wielded by the elephant. The result is a well-proportioned elephant painted on elephant dung paper. On the wall hangs a fan with another picture: elephants birding. Elephants are artists.

We return to Chiang Mai in the late afternoon. Pick up things at the hotel, refuel, check emails. The transfer bus arrives 45 minutes early while I’m still in the shower. Get everything together. At the last minute, I put the Chiang Mai Adventures picture CD through the bus window. On the night bus to Bangkok, I dream several times that the driver has almost had an accident. About the seventh time I realise that I haven’t even fallen asleep yet. I need a holiday.

Bangkok is nasty – hot and humid. Take the longboat to Chinatown, pick up the kiteboard at the old hostel. Shower, breakfast, work and off to the airport. I fall asleep on the plane to Phuket before the lift-off. Sorry Be, elephant pictures really didn’t work earlier :-)