Tigers and snakes and elephants, oh my!

Liz Here: Mike eating at Mike's. Some times we just want a burger.



Hand Carved Soap

Night Market Ad for Flower Soap.

Funky runs our street, Moon Muong, Soi 6.

Saturday Night  Market, time to get some dinner and look over the handmade offerings once more. I know we can't bring home anything like the souvenirs we should and have the dilemma of what to bring, so we just keep looking. It was my opinion that we bring mostly just our memories and keep the bags light. Liz seems to be wavering on that count. I have no idea where this will end up. Anyway, on the way to market, behind the Tapae gate, we happened on half a dozen vintage British and American motorcycles. Seems this was the night of the vintage bike show, complete with a rock band. It was just setting up, so we had plenty of time to wander the market, eat and then enjoy the show. We figured it was time to challenge ourselves in a culinary sense so sampled the deep fried bugs. Big deal, by the time you add the oil and salt, they might as well have been potato chips. On the other hand, the more conventional shish kebabs were excellent and nicely spiced. By the time we got back it was dark and the show was in full swing with a couple of hundred bikes of 30's to 70's vintage, not counting the droves of 125cc Honda scramblers, '60's and'70's vintage. Who'da thought a  place like this would have so many old bike enthusiasts?

A chopped 650cc Yamaha, a personal favorite of mine.

Deep fried grasshoppers.
Actually, the mealworms were better.

Bugs, Deep fried Bugs; Yum!

Finally, we thought we'd rested up enough and began feeling guilty about our endless leisure. Time to really play tourist. Monday we finished breakfast and walked to the Old Town border, a busy one-way street with a canal and then another one-way in the opposite direction. Within 30 seconds we spotted an empty passenger truck with a Tiger Kingdom sign and started bargaining. For 400 baht ($12) he would happily take us to the Tiger Kingdom and several other attractions in the same area and return us when we finished. This was a less than trivial journey, taking us 45 minutes or so north of Chiang Mai and into the countryside. First stop and most expensive: have your picture taken with a real live tiger, only 450 baht ($13.50) each. We could have spent about twice as much and cuddled some of the cubs. My apologies to Dick and Ruth but we passed on that. Later on, several people expressed the opinion that the tigers were drugged to keep them docile. Nevertheless, several of them (40 or so in all, mostly cubs and adolescents) were wandering around and didn't look the least dazed. 300 or so pounds of predator nearly in your lap is daunting even if the beast is fast asleep.

How to Approach a Tiger

Okay, how about a less expensive place? No problem. How about monkey training? This was a bit disappointing. The monkeys were obviously bored with their lot in life and went through their bits (quite skillfully, actually) without a great deal of interest. They did have a number of people come out of the audience to help with the acts with a constant severe injuction of "Don't touch the monkeys. They may, however, touch you." Less than inspiring, but what can one expect for a couple of bucks each?

The trainer had tied my hands together.
The monkey untied me.

The chain is around his neck. Poor monkey is a prisoner.

How about something a little more exciting? Ah, the painting elephants! Yes that'll do. It's only 11:00 and the show doesn't start 'til 1:30. Then, how about lunch and something else, then come back? Can do. On one side of the road is a place offering ham sandwiches among other western fare. On the other side is a definitely more rustic place with just one sleepy lady and a man in back watching a National Geographic crocodile documentary, dubbed in Thai. Yep, rustic place. Pretty good barbecue chicken and fried rice. Okay, how about a snake show? Sure. Well worth the 5 minute trip and 300 baht (9 buck) entry each. We got up close and personal (okay, not that close) with a couple of cobras, handled some ratsnakes, got hugged by a python, watched some very wary Israelis almost successfully overcome  some old fears, then came the show. I sincerely respect anyone who can handle two cobras in a small ring at the same time. Apparently the trick is sure, smooth movements. Nothing too fast, just keep moving. Just to show off your bravado, milk a little venom at the end of the act. The things some people do for a living! After the cobras, a little fun with a couple of non-poisonous types with a little audience participation, some of it willing. Finish off with a swimming pool wrestling match with about 8 feet of python. Money well spent.

Leave the snake show, climb in our truck and get to the painting elephant show just in time. This was a HELL of a show! These animals are intelligent, personable, skilled, and love their bananas and sugar cane. Their trainers live with them just about full time and display the devotion of any Buddhist monk. Before the performance, we were able to see the beasts being bathed. Apparently the daily routine is bathe, perform, bathe, perform, etc., with a lot of eating going on also, about 200 kilos of greenery a day per animal. The elephants went through their routines with obvious skill and interest. So help me, they were having fun. Not only with their acts, but also with each other and the audience. High point, of course, was the painting. I have no idea if they truly understand what they're doing but I just can't fault their visual accuracy or trunk-to-eye coordination. After the show, the elephants come back for their bows and a shot at the bananas and sugar cane they'd been locating in the stands. Two and a half tons of animal doesn't have to get all that insistent before you come across with they're asking for.

Welcome to the Maesa Elephant Camp! 

Elephant show audience.
Are gold caftans what all the young French women wear to see the elephant show?

The day was not cheap. By the time we got back the hotel we'd managed to burn through about 75 bucks. Contrast this with the next item on the agenda, a 3 day, 2 night tour of the tribal country northwest of the city for 90 dollars total, excluding only drinks but including all meals and lodging. Of course, there are significant economies a tour company can take. I'll sign off here and let you stew on what's to come.