Part 6: Elephants!

While in Chiang Mai, we spent one of our final afternoons doing what the tourists do:
                                   we played with elephants!

 Maesa Elephant camp is one of the largest elephant sanctuaries in Northern Thailand.

Their goal is to help repopulate the Asian Elephants in Thailand. They also give people a personal encounter with these beautiful creatures.

Throughout the centuries, Asian elephants have played an important role in the history and development of Thailand.
I honestly didn't know how I felt about these beautiful animals being taken from their natural home in the Thailand jungle to be bred and trained in captivity.

I admired their strength and beauty. I am more captivated and in awe of elephants than I ever was before after spending this afternoon with them.

This sanctuary claims to  protect the elephants from ivory poachers, people who kill elephants for their valuable tusk material. It also says it helps populate and maintain the elephant species.

I have to say, the elephants seem to be truly valued, loved and cared for at Maesa.
Each elephant is paired up with a caretaker from their birth. This person cares and trains the elephant for their entire life.
They are called mahouts.
 They know their elephant and their elephant knows them.  Their relationship seems to be really special.

The elephants know their mahout and share a special  bond. 

One of the highlights was watching the mahouts lead their elephant to the nearby river for  a refreshing bath.

Emily and I shared the back of one elephant for a ride through the jungle and nearby village.

If the elephant wanted to stop to eat, they were allowed.

A quick stop for a snack

Our view as we descended into the village on the back of our elephant

Jungle walk. Can anything be more exotic?!!

This path made us a bit nervous....

The gathering of elephants for a ride of a lifetime!

We also saw an elephant show. The elephants played soccer, danced and even painted a picture! The pictures were beautiful and sold for hundreds of dollars.

The paintings they were able to create were absolutely amazing!

Like I said earlier, I have mixed feelings about these elephants in captivity being trained to preform tricks and dances. However, it is what it is right now, and I truly appreciated the experience.
My hope is that some good is able to come from it.

Here I am getting a sloppy kiss from Mr. Elephant.

Such a fun day!

Part 5: Bangkok

Some friends are lifetime friends. 

My friend Abbey is one of those friends. 

Years and distance can go by, yet somehow we know we will pick up right where we left off. 

I've known my friend Abbey for over two decades. We went to high school together and since graduating have lived on opposite ends of the country and the world; she moved to Florida while I moved to Oregon. Then, I stayed in Oregon while she lived all over the world!

 She was my Maid of Honor in my wedding. 

14 years ago Abbey stood by my side as John and I married

 She ended up marrying another good friend of mine, Jeff.
Jeff was in the military and then began work in embassies. His work takes him all over the world, living in different places for several years.
I've remained in Oregon for the last 14 years. Abbey and Jeff have been in D.C, Turkey and then Bangkok. We only get to see each other if we coincidental end up in our hometown of Wheaton at the same time; the last time that happened was 7 years ago!
10 years ago Abbey came to visit me in Portland. That was the last time we really had a chance to spend time together and have fun.

I showed her all over Portland!

When I found out I was going to Thailand, I thought of Abbey and Jeff. I would be in northern Thailand in Chiang Mai. They live in southern Thailand in Bangkok. Could this work? Could I find a way to see them? They also have a two year old son, whom I'd never met!

Abbey told me it was an easy hour flight.  Our group leader said it would be fine if Emily and I went by ourselves to Bangkok during the day we had "off" at the home. So,  I booked two tickets to Bangkok! We were beyond excited to venture out on our own and have an adventure in the big city!

Chiang Mai is in upper north; Bangkok is South by Gulf of Thailand

The area we were staying at in Chiang Mai was very rural. It would be exciting to mix it up with a visit to a city!

When we were dropped off at the airport and the taxi pulled away, Emily grabbed my arm and looked at me seriously, "Ok, we are on our own now. We CAN NOT  get separated."
It was a different feeling being in Thailand by ourselves, away from our group leader and Judy our host. We had to navigate this foreign country by ourselves now. We were thrilled and a little anxious until we found Abbey on the other side of our flight.

The flight was easy, and Abbey was waiting for us. Seeing her brought tears to my eyes because it has been so long, yet at the same time, everything felt the same as if we just saw each other last week.
We took a taxi to her apartment in central Bangkok, a very nice gated residence.
Jeff, Abbey, Emily and I chatted for a few hours on their couch, catching up on life, their adventures and our families.  It was surreal to sit across from my long lost friends all the way around the world.

The front of the Grand Palace

The next morning I met their son Jude, a handsome little guy of energy and smiles!

 Abbey led us all over the city. We toured the Grand Palace, the area of the government and residence of the Thai king.

Built within the grounds of the Grand Palace, Wat Phra Kaew or 'The Temple of the Emerald Buddha' is the most important and most visited temple in Bangkok. One of the most significant features of Wat Phra Kaew is the Emerald Buddha, carved into a 2 foot tall block of Jade.

 

Abbey and me in front of the temple Wat Phra Kaew.

One of the beautiful spires in the Grand Palace  area

Built in 1782 - and for 150 years the home of the Thai King, the Royal court and the administrative seat of government - the Grand Palace of Bangkok

Next we visited Wat Pho, the temple of the "reclining Buddha."

This is the oldest and largest temple in Bangkok. The statue of this Buddha is 49 feet high and 141 feet long. He is very relaxed, casually resting on his side.  

Wat Arun temple

Finally, we took a quick ferry across the water to Wat Arun temple. The spire (prang) on the bank of Chao Phraya River is one of Bangkok's world-famous landmarks. It has an imposing spire over 229 feet high, beautifully decorated with tiny pieces of coloured glass and Chinese porcelain placed delicately into intricate patterns.

 Wat Arun is easily one of the most stunning temples in Bangkok, not only because of its riverside location, but also because the design is very different to the other temples you can visit in Bangkok. Wat Arun (or temple of the dawn) is partly made up of colourfully decorated spires and stands majestically over the water. 

Monks serve at the temple, sitting in silence and preforming a blessing ritual to anyone who seeks one. 

Bangkok is full of rivers and canals. It is called the "Venice of the East."

Taking a break from our morning of exploring in the hot sun, we indulged in a special afternoon of High Tea at the Mandarin Oriental hotel, Bangkok's 5 star luxury hotel that has been around for 140 years! Reservations have to be made way in advance to 

secure a table for high tea in the Author's Lounge. The minute Abbey heard we were coming, she called to get us in!

It’s hard not to give in to the lounge’s undeniable charm; brightly lit, it’s in a style from another era, with gorgeous white wicker armchairs, a grand staircase, and small adjacent rooms offering a view of the garden. You’re literally transported to a different time, when numerous writers would frequent the hotel!

 After a busy day, Abbey led us through narrow streets and ally ways to a tall brick building lit with candles and smelling of incense. Here we experienced a real Thai massage, which had more to do with twisting your spine, cracking your back and pulling on your limbs than rubbing sore muscles. For $9.00 though, it was worth it!

  We rode around in a Tuk Tuk and observed the craziness of Bangkok nightlife. There was traffic and people walking, eating and laughing, just like any other city. There were people sitting on the side of the road selling their goods while their toddlers slept next to them.
A fat rat scurried into a sewer.

The moon was bright and life was good.

Before we took our flight home on Saturday morning, we strolled around in Lumpini park, the central park of Bangkok. It was so busy with people exercising, doing Ti Chi, kids playing...however at 8:00  am sharp everyday, Thailand's national anthem plays over the loud speaker and everyone stops what they are doing and stands upright in silence to show honor and respect to their country and king. It was amazing to me. Not one person moved or spoke during this 60 second interlude. It was if someone hit a "pause button" on life!

Reunited! Jeff, Abbey, Jude and me in the central park in Bangkok

Bangkok was a nice break and definitely a highlight of my trip. Seeing Abbey and Jeff and Jude in their life abroad was so special. They were such wonderful hosts; we felt right at home. It was so nice to shower in warm water without geckos spying at me!

 I will always cherish this time in my heart.

Part 4: Hillside Tribes

It was hard for me not to judge the families who were willing to sell their children; I couldn't comprehend the desperation and the poverty that would have them believe this would be a viable option.

Judy was our team host for the organization we worked with ( Remember Nhu  https://remembernhu.org). She greeted us at the airport and helped us navigate our time in Thailand. Judy is an American who has dedicated the latter half of her life  serving in the home here is Thailand. Her job is to provide  hospitality to foreign (mostly American) teams. She wanted to bring us to the Hillside tribe community so we could see the situations of the kids before they come to the safe home; her hope was that we could understand their depth of poverty a little bit better.

Remember Nhu has a good relationship and reputation within this community. The government is aware of them and sends an advocate from the home to the tribes when there is rumor of a child being sold in the community.

Remember Nhu.
There is a beautiful story that goes along with this name.

Simple mission and motto

Whenever Judy visits the tribe with teams, she bring gifts to the Chief.  They tolerate our visits because typically the teams buy a lot of the handmade baskets the women make. The baskets are about $9.00. They are beautiful and sturdy.
Judy said that  one sale was equivalent to about a month wage for them!
 Our team bought A LOT of baskets.

Walking around the village, the first thing I noticed was the lack of any kind of pavement. The walkways were dirt. Pigs and chickens shared the area freely.

Seeing these little piglets made me miss my kids! :) 

Thatched roof houses stood on bamboo stilts.

In a few weeks, the monsoon season would start, resulting in hours of rain everyday. Hours of rain would turn the dirt paths into mud paths. Everyone would be walking around in sludge. I imagined that small canals of water would form, cascading through developments and threatening to wash away whatever was in its path.

There was one house in the village that was set apart. It was a little more elegant and made of painted  mortar instead of wood. Our guide explained that this was the house everyone envied in town. Apparently, the family who built this updated home did so by selling one of their children to Bangkok.






The village was pretty quiet when we were there. Our guide told us that the men were all out working in the field; most of the children went to school.
There were a few women with babies in the quiet village that day.

One women was bathing her beautiful baby on the wooden porch in a small cement basin.

The baby smiled at us. The mother waved.
 It made me think about all the registering we do as Moms before our precious little ones are born.
Oh the stuff we think we need!
It seemed so silly and excessive after observing the simple lives of these people here.

We walked farther into the village and were brought to an area that looked like an arena. This was where all the celebrations were in the town. Weddings, birthdays and anything deemed worthy of needing a place to party, this flat dirt area was where it happened.

I thought of the decadence of weddings, proms and even preschool gradations at home.
Our guide told us that people will gather here for celebrations late into the night, laughing, dancing and enjoying each other. This dirt arena is a treasured space for the gathering of the community.

One of the villagers invited us into his home. The home was one small room.  There was a cooking fire and pot in the middle. A mat for sleeping lay next to it.
That was it.
This is where they lived.
I was so hot in there I could hardly breath. I couldn't imagine cooking over a fire.

There were no backyards.
 No grass.
There was no carpet or indoor plumbing or AC.
There were no window coverings or fans or hot waters or showers.
 It was the most primitive existence, yet the people seemed eager to want to show us their homes.

I was truly humbled walking down the uneven boards that were their stairway up to this house.

I walked away in silence. I thought about all the conversations my girlfriends and I have at home, dreaming about doing this to our house, complaining about that, fixing, doing more....If I'm honest, I am always scheming and dreaming about more, more, more.

Some dusty boys ran up to us as we were heading down the path. They had on tattered clothes, no shoes and gave us the biggest smiles.

They chased each other like normal boys, laughing and teasing. What would become of these boys?

These were the children who were at risk. The poverty is so great here that one less mouth to feed and one less body to worry about would be a relief.

'One child sold for the benefit of everyone else' would start to seem like a reasonable answer
when the air is hot 
and the earth is dry 
and you wonder about water and your next meal.

Whenever Judy brings teams to this tribe, she makes sure everyone on the team has candy to give out to the kids (and adults)  we greet in the road. Sugar brings smiles no matter where you are in the world!

Visiting the Hillside community that afternoon stirred up a whole lot of thoughts and emotions. 

Being a mom, the thought of not being able to feed or take care of my children is beyond my comprehension. 

What would I do instead of watching one of my children starve to death? 

It made me more grateful for organizations like Remember Nhu. What a relief for so many families it must be to release their precious children to the care of these people instead of to the unknown. 

What a relief to know they will still be able to see their child grow and flourish!

I also felt gratitude that I didn't have to make these decisions for my children and family. I am humbled almost to the point of tears for the abundance in my life and the ability to provide and care for my family above and beyond. 

Throughout my life Luke 12:48 has echoed in my heart:  When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.

Visiting this village once again created an urgency of what I can be doing in my life to share the extravagant life God has given me. 

It is a lifetime quest, but it renewed a passion in me. I believe one of the things that I can bring home to my family is  more of an attitude of gratefulness. 

What if my children grew up with a feeling of enough rather than a yearning for more?! 

This would certainly be counter cultural in the United States, but what a gift I could give them! 

What a gift it is to have a heart that is content! 

What a blessing to simply be able to live and enjoy this life instead of constantly craving and searching for more! 

A content heart is an open heart. 

An open heart searches for opportunities to be generous, to share and give and feel concern. 

This is the vision I have for myself. 

This is the vision I have for my family. 

I have seen. 

I have experienced. 

I am not ignorant anymore. 

Not only have I been given much in material possessions, but I have been given much in perspective.  

I am ready for greater generosity, for greater gratefulness, for a deeper impact. 

I want this experience to make a lasting impression on my heart and family.

I don't want this to fade. This is one reason why I am writing this all down. 

I want to always be able to look back, and hear the laughter of those children again and see the smile of that baby in the cement wash basin....  And to share in their joy.

Part 3: Critters

One of the things I noticed right away in Thailand was that everything seemed to be crawling and moving ALL THE TIME!

......The ground beneath us, the walls beside us, the ceiling above us was constantly full of action.


The first morning at breakfast as Emily and I sat outside, ants crawled along our table, the wall and even around the food.

No one seemed to notice or care, except us Americans.

In our bathroom that first night, ants and small winged critters walked about the walls and floors. Every night I checked my bed before settling in and threw the ants out from beneath my covers.
As we lay in bed that first night, we marveled in disgust at the clumps of ants on the ceiling. The same colony of ants seemed to stay with us the entire time, but they moved their civilization to different points on the ceiling each day. We wondered what made them move. Was there a food source on the walls above us? I really don't care to investigate this any further; the thought was disturbing to me and if I wanted to get any good sleep, I had to pretend they weren't there once I turned off the light.


The second night there, Emily and I felt like we were being watched in the bathroom. Sure enough, on the wall was a small gecko, casually staring at us like he owned the place and we were intruding on his territory.
He crawled around the toilet, over the shower and paused, glaring at me. Unsure of what to do, I turned off the lights and closed the bathroom door for the night.

The next morning I went into the bathroom to wash my face and there he was, in the same spot, still glaring at me.
Emily and I decided that he was kind of cute, definitely wasn't dangerous and seemed to be doing no harm, so we thought we could live at peace with him.

But that all changed once he escaped the bathroom and came into our bedroom..... At 2:00 am we both woke up to a noise that sounded like a cartoon character laughing. "WHAT is that?" Emily asked in the dark. There it was again.
"I think it's the gecko," I whispered.
 It was the most obnoxious sound. I didn't even know geckos made a sound.
"I think he slid under the crack in the door from the bathroom."

We turned on the lights and there he was halfway down the wall. "We have to get him." We both agreed, and  we were determined to trap him.

To make us more determined to bid him farewell, there, in the middle of the floor was also a small lump of white gecko poop.
Yes, he now needed to go, as he was creating a problem. 

I grabbed a water glass. "Let's trap him."
Emily looked at me wide eyed and laughed. "With that?! You think you are going to trap him with that small water glass?!"

I looked at it. Yeah, I guess it wasn't the best. Instead Emily grabbed the trash can. "This will work. You scare him towards me, and I'll put this over him."

With a few shrieks and laughs, we managed to trap the little guy and successfully escort him outside of our bedroom. From that night on, we never left or slept without a towel shoved in the bottom of the door crack.
Every morning when we opened our door, it looked like an insect massacre occurred during the night. Thousands of small winged bugs lay at our door, dead. I'm still not sure what killed them all every night outside our door, but their graveyard was a reminder to me to secure any small entry ways.

One day, in the quiet of the afternoon, two girls on our team were screaming at the top of their lungs from the room next to ours. The racket went on for a good hour. By this point, it didn't even faze Emily or me because we knew exactly what was taking place in their room.
Apparently there was a spider as big as their fist scurrying around the ceiling in their room. They ended up vacating the room, refusing to live there until that spider was gone and the crack in the ceiling where he emerged was covered up.

During our nightly debriefing sessions, our team would sit outside; throughout our conversation,  people would constantly be shrieking and swatting at things. We were continually  interrupted by gecko laughter and the symphony of buzzing and croaking around us.

Despite the shrieking and screaming, it's amazing how tolerant we all became of bugs and critters by the end of our 12 days there.
I thought of home and just about every house in my neighborhood has a pest control service who comes quarterly to do a spray or inspection for ants, spiders, rodents.....etc.....

However, we don't have these guys creeping around..... I took this video as I was walking to breakfast one morning....

In Thailand, critters and humans live in harmony; people are truly unfazed by their cohabitation and I've seen some of the Thai people silently giggle at us Americans when we screamed and dodged something flying toward us.


I don't think I will ever get over the view that bugs are intruders in my living space. I don't think I will tolerate them crawling on me or near me. However, after being in Thailand, they don't bother me as much as they used to,...... but I'm still grateful for my pest control service!!! 

Our standards for living are so so different. Our convinces and comforts are something we take pride in and refuse to live without. 

And that was more apparent to me than ever before when I visited the Hill Tribes in the mountains. 

I will talk about my experience there in my next post.