This is a long one – you might want to get comfy and get a drink! I’m writing this on our flight back from Thailand – just coming off our first family vacation ever (let alone first in Asia) – YES, we have gone to the beach with the cousins, but we’ve never actually gotten on an airplane with all the kids in tow just to vacation and not visit family. Previous to this experience, our idea of a vacation would be sitting on a beach drinking cocktails at 10am…then we had kids! We decided for this first foray into Asia, we wanted the kids to have a cultural experience…So no beach…not this time--We had an adventure vacation! Originally we were only going to go to Bangkok but after some friends returned from Chiang Mai and raved about it, we added that on. In doing so, we had a bit of trains, planes and automobiles but all in all, we had an amazing experience! You'll notice I included a lot more pictures than I normally do so you get the full effect!
Day 1 – Leave Hong Kong on a 10pm flight…hindsight…not a good time to fly with 3 kids under 9. No one got to bed until 2am in Bangkok. At this point I am really glad we brought Zenny with us!
Chiang Mai – Northern Thailand
Day 2 – Leave for Chiang Mai on a 12pm flight that was delayed by an hour (remember this was an add-on so flights were a bit off). Arrive in Chiang Mai, get to hotel at 3pm. We stayed at a place called Rimping Village – super nice staff, very quaint hotel that had bikes for the kids, a pool and that very rustic feeling. Nothing that I expected! Having never traveled through Asia, I didn’t know what to expect but coming from the US, I guess I expected paved roads, clean surroundings and the like. But this was northern Thailand…dirt roads, lots of run-down buildings, and a Thai massage place on every corner. We let the kids swim to get out some of their energy – they had been traveling since the night before…the pool immediately got louder by about 10 octaves!
An hour later we were all getting a Thai massage – kids too! Out of the 3 kids, I thought Thomas would like it the most – think it was a bit too much for him but the other 2 LOVED it…especially Jack! Contrary to popular belief, massages are not always relaxing. Thai massage basically tries to bend you like a rubber band – it feels great after, but during is a different story. Was a great experience for all and it only costs 1200BAHT (bot) which is about 40 USD…that’s a bargain if I’ve ever seen one! Jack is now a big fan of massage...wonder who he takes after!
For dinner we tried a local Thai place – note to self…if no one is in the restaurant at dinnertime, do not enter! But again, everything is an experience. As the kids were exhausted, we took a Tuk Tuk home. A Tuk Tuk is a 3-wheel bike with a seat in back – this would NEVER pass any sort of safety regulations in the US! They are super cheap to take– about 2 USD –the kids loved it and it was a great way to really get a feel for the area. We were all in bed early as we prepared for the next day at Patara Elephant Farm.
Day 3 – The Elephant Farm -
7:45 am – We are all picked up by the elephant farm van. If you would have told me a year ago I would be cleaning, bathing, checking an elephant’s dong (yes, that is poop!), and riding one, I would never have believed it! But here we were, all of us, elephant owners for a day. After a windy 40 minute ride, we arrived at Patara Elephant Farm. A few of our friends had done this and absolutely loved it so we decided to try it. In my mind I pictured, I don’t know what I pictured and really should stop doing that because nothing is as imagine!
The farm was ecstatic because a baby elephant had been born the day before – we got the blow by blow account of his birth and even watched him breast feed (amazingly, elephants are very much like humans right down to the placenta passing after the birth!) while we were standing there. After a longish presentation on our job for the day – we were now elephant owners. The staff was there to assist, but it was our job to make sure our elephant was healthy and taken care of. We doned a Thai outfit to protect our skin while we rode and then met our elephants!
Benjamin and I shared Mae Won Di because he decided he had a fear of elephants upon arrival! I think the shear size of them totally freaked him out – seeing elephants in a zoo is DRASTICALLY different than having one right next to you!
Feeding:
First, we had to make friends with her which meant that we had to say some Thai phrase that I can’t remember right now and that told her to open her mouth so we could feed directly into her mouth. Of course in doing so, we actually touched her very LARGE, wet tongue!
Checking the Dong:
We had to count the number of poops that Mae Wan Di had and then we had to pick it up and break it apart, squeeze it to make sure some liquid came out and then smell it to ensure she was healthy. Surprisingly – elephant poop doesn’t smell! If it does smell, then something is wrong. I was a bit grossed out at first, but Benjamin did this part for us.
Cleaning:
Then we took this tool made up of brushed and brushed the entire elephant – the entire time we did this, our guide was telling us “harder, harder”…we had to command them to sit down (NA Long) and praised them for doing well (Didi).
Bathing:
After brushing, it was time to wash them – we walked them down to this creek and proceeded to throw water on them and brush them from trunk to tail – again, our guide was telling us, “harder, harder.” How the hell much harder could I do it?!?
Getting Up:
We were finally ready to ride! Apparently some elephants only like to be mounted one way – this was Mae Wan Di…the only choice I had was to have her bend her head down so I could jump over her trunk to her neck…have I mentioned how BIG these animals are! I took one look and thought, holy shit, this is NOT going to be pretty! I propped my hands on his trunk and took a jump…I made it but barely I think! There’s a video of this event that will NEVER see the light of day but I did include a picture below (ain’t too proud!). Then it was Benjamin’s turn-- the plan was for him to sit in front of me and I would hold onto him with one hand and the rope behind me with the other. Seemingly easy, right? He got up, took one look down and decided this was not the way he wanted to spend the day! He opted for a ride on his own elephant…Toyota with the lead guide. He loved it! Thomas and Jack on the other hand, each rode their own elephant and loved it! I thought we were in for a short ride – low and behold, we were on these for the better part of the day!
Riding:
Just so we are clear, when you ride an elephant, you sit on their necks. No big deal…except that you are in a V position from the hips for the entire time! Try doing that for 6 hours – see if you can walk the next day! Thank goodness I remembered to bring Advil along for the trip! Once I got on, I thought I was done with that part…not the case – I got up and down off that elephant about 5 more times. I did get better though!
2pm – we finally stop for our Thai lunch at a waterfall where after we ate, the elephants went for a swim. The boys decided to go swimming as well – to see them slide down this rock slide into the pool of water with the elephants was the highlight of my trip. Their absolute joy climbing on and playing with these gentle giants was worth every single sore muscle I had the next morning.
At last, we were on our descent back to the farm. We proceeded to go up this mountain (up is inherently easier because you essentially lay down forward on the elephant) and Thomas decided he had enough of the elephant and got off (with about 7 more coming behind him!) …not to worry though, one of the guides gave him a piggyback ride until he wanted to get on again. I was having a bit of a panic attack when I saw him off the elephant – I was on mine and was not at a point that I could get off to help – I’m assuming they have this type of thing happen, because none of the guides even batted an eye…they just picked him up and kept right on going.
What goes up….
Coming down the mountain is a whole different ballgame – you are supposed to lean back (remember, your legs are still in chicken wing position!) while this giant animal is your escort down a 90 degree “path” (picture this incredibly narrow dirt path filled with rocks, trees, etc). I was not afraid all day until this moment…all I pictured was 12 elephants toppling on top of each other with each of us in the middle of them. It was so incredibly steep and they were all close to each other in this tiny space and all the while Mae Wan Di was jockeying for a position in front of another elephant – the whole thing was giving me agita (ogeda)! I was really thanking God at this point that Benjamin opted for the Toyota - there was no way I would've been able to hold the two of us on that elephant!
Alas, we all survived and slowly made our way back to the farm where we said goodbye to our newfound friends. Brian decided the elephant is his new favorite animal – I have to agree – they are truly amazing animals! The kids had the time of their lives! I was impressed that although they can’t seem to clean anything in the house, each one really took time to make sure their elephant job was done right. They didn’t complain the entire day! It was a Christmas miracle☺
Needless to say, we were all in bed early! Brian and I went out for a bit to explore the Sunday market (think of a big flea market but with nicer stuff!) where we picked up some souvenirs and got a foot massage for 2 USD!☺
Day 4 – Flight of the Gibbons
9:45am – We are picked up by the Flight of the Gibbons van to begin our adventure zip lining through the Thailand jungle!
For those of you who know me well, you know that I don’t love heights…I’m okay for a bit if I am in enclosed glass – it took me about 8 weeks of living in a highrise before I could look down without first having a cocktail! Now, here I was preparing to fly on a wire from tree to tree about 200ft or so off the ground. I don’t think I really thought through what it would be like to actually do this but there was no turning back when we were outfitted with the gear – yes, those pictures are pretty indeed! – and arrived at our first station. Sky and Ging were our guides for the day…we partnered with an Australian couple on their honeymoon and a German girl who was touring around Asia by herself for a couple of months (I gave her a lot of credit – doing this by herself was truly adventurous!). At our first stop, the boys were all dying to go first – no sign of any fear! I thought they would have Thomas go with a guide but nope, wrong again, they strapped him up and sent him on his way!
Picture this…Brian and I are on one side of the zip line and our 3 boys are on the other (with no adult other than the guide)! We were all so high up and there was not even a railing…just a platform on a tree! At this point I really trying to keep my "crazy in the box" and immediately screamed to Brian…”get the F*#&#& over there! I was scared shitless! I had never done this and didn’t know once you cross to the other side, you are clipped to a safety line so even if you fell, you would still be attached and you wouldn’t fall to your own demise while on vacation. I made Brian go before I did – I had to make sure I would be safe…if it could hold him, I was okay☺
Not just a zip line:
I don’t even know if I can begin to describe this experience….once I got used to the zip lining (I finally started opening my eyes around the 4th one), the experience got all more interesting as we traveled across a very long, very high, open-slotted wooden bridge - remember the one in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom?? – this was EXACTLY like it! Sky and Ging think they are hysterical as they stand on either end and jump on this damn thing…I was again scared shitless! That is until we had to repel down a tree! I mean really, did I sign up for this????? At the next somewhat scary bridge, Sky says, “Mom, stand in the middle.” I looked straight into his eyes and told him if he dared shake it, I would seriously hurt him – with a smile of course….he and the kids burst out laughing – clearly I was not taken seriously!
The 3 boys have such fearless spirits and their sheer joy, enthusiasm and willingness to try new things was really something to see. I thought Thomas would like it, knowing his sensory needs but Jack was the one who took off – no hands holding on, legs all over the place, laughing, just having the time of his life – again, this made it worth it. After 39 zip lines, 3 frightening bridges, 2 repels, 2 scary flights of steps down to a different part of the tree and 1 TERRIFYING bridge, we were done! Thomas and I did the final repel together and I quickly helped myself to a beer they had waiting. It never felt so good to be on the ground. Not sure if I’ll do that again in my lifetime, but at least it’s off my bucket list!
After that experience, we were done! Benjamin and Thomas were content to watch a movie in their room while Brian, Jack and I took a walk to the Night Market (many stalls, selling stuff) – Jack was adamant about getting a tiger tooth necklace as his souvenir and we were successful☺
Off to Bangkok - Day 5
We left for the airport at 8:30 and arrived in our hotel in Bangkok at around 1:30pm. After feeding the kids, again, Thomas and Benjamin needed a “chillax day.” So Brian and I took Jack to go see the Grand Palace – seems easy, right? The traffic in Bangkok is the worst I’ve ever seen…we took the Tuk Tuk and after 45 minutes, we still weren’t anywhere close to the Palace. Our driver suggested we take the river because a boat would be faster – we agreed and 15 minutes later we were traveling up the river to see the Palace. Again, not what I expected…we were tired and filled with exhaust fumes so we opted to see it from the river and call it done! We made our way to a hotel to find a taxi back – note to self…negotiate the price before you get in and start driving – many taxis in Bangkok are “private taxis” (i.e. no meter…try to gauge the tourists). We’ve all learned the art of negotiation! With Jack still with us, we took him all around the area that we were staying in – of course, come dusk, there’s another Night Market setting up around the corner from our hotel…more Chatski’s to negotiate for!
Day 6
Bangkok is basically a big, dirty city! Not the best place for kids but good for them to see, nonetheless. We took them to Siam Ocean World which boasts to be the largest aquarium in South East Asia…our kids love ocean animals so it was a good fit! They rode a glass bottom boat around the inside of the tank, looked at all kinds of animals..typical stuff. But, the highlight of the aquarium was the Turkish Garra Rufa fish massage we all had. After cleaning our feet, we sat around a hot tub looking pool that was filled with these small fish.
Then the fish eat the dead skin off your feet! It’s a bit weird at first, but it tickles more than anything. What was really weird was the fish were nibbling at my many scabbed mosquito bites (can’t believe I forgot that little tidbit of a story! So MANY damn mosquito’s…Off was my new deodorant!) and those healed much faster than the rest! Crazy but true!
Day 7
Back to Hong Kong on a very early flight that had us up at 6am! Finally arrived back home at about 4pm.
I’m sure I included much more detail than necessary but hopefully you can get a sense of what it’s like to take an “Adventure Vacation.”
Although it was nice to take our minds off of missing Christmas with our families, I for one, am a bit sad at this time of year. This is an absolutely fantastic experience and I know we are blessed to be able to do it but I do love Christmas in the States.
Merry Christmas Everyone! From the Green Family to yours, enjoy your time off and get out there and try something different!
Much love,
Sharon
