By Jean-François Démoré
Sawadeen krab fellow citizens of Sudbury. From the busy streets
of Bangkok I continued my journey by venturing north towards
one of the largest national parks in Thailand.
I am no longer travelling alone! Lured by the tales of my
travels, a childhood friend of mine, André Lavallée of Dowling,
has made the journey to Thailand and will be travelling with me
over the next few weeks. After rushing to Toronto to get his
passport, three flights and 30 hours of travel, André arrived
in Chiang Mai Oct. 3. An adventurous move considering this was
his first trip overseas and he was landing in a foreign country
hoping his friend would meet him at the airport.
Not wanting to exhaust him on his first day, we took it nice
and easy and visited some of the hundreds of Buddhist Wats in
Chiang Mai. It was a pleasure to witness his wonder and
excitement as he experienced a different culture for the first
time. Of all the things that impressed him the most, I think
the Tuk-Tuk's, a type of motorized rickshaw, took the cake. For
less than a dollar, these little buggies will taxi you across
the city at heart-thumping speeds with no regard for safety.
Nonetheless, they are a fun way to get around.
Once the jet-lag had settled for André, I decided to kick up
the sightseeing a notch and booked us for a full-day of
activities around Chiang Mai. This action-packed day started
with a visit to some Thai hill tribe villages, including a
visit to the homes of the Padaung, or long-necked women. From
the age of seven, these beautiful women add golden rings around
their necks for spiritual and cultural reasons, leading to the
appearance of a very long and thin body and neck. It is an
intriguing and peculiar custom.
After a short trek by 4x4 Jeep, we arrived at our second stop.
An ox-cart ride took us into a small village where we shared a
traditional Thai lunch. Our next hour was spent atop an
elephant that trekked us around the rainforest up and down some
impressive paths. For the size of the elephant, it is quite an
agile animal and handled both our weights through thick
wilderness without problem.
From the backs of an elephant to riding some rapids in a
inflatable raft, André and I were led through an exciting
white-water rafting trek. Although already amazed by the
coordination of all these activities wrapped into one day, we
weren't done yet.
As Andre and I had never fired hand-pistols, we decided to give
it a try at the local firing range. Equipped with a Glock and a
Smith and Wesson, we fired a few rounds at a target and
compared our accuracy. Although Andre took the headshot
competition, I am happy to say I matched his efforts by taking
the accuracy crown.
With a half-hour left on our day-long journey, we stopped into
a tiger nursery that allows visitors the chance to spend some
time in the enclosure with the tigers at their various stages
of development. I decided that the large cats, those aged
between 10 and 15 months, would be the most exciting to come
into contact with. And so, with the help of three trainers, I
was allowed to pet one of these massive cats.
I'd like to stress that when travelling around the world, it is
important to book tours with eco-friendly and community
oriented tour operators to ensure that profits are
re-distributed to local tribes, the protection of wildlife and
other worthy causes, where they belong. As travellers to less
developed areas of the world, we must set the example for
future generations by supporting these worthwhile causes.
On a cultural note, I am happy to say that with a short visit
out of Bangkok, my trust in the goodness of the Thais has been
completely restored. I have found the northerners to be very
sympathetic, honest and easy-going, a stark juxtaposition from
the citizens of their capital.
Unfortunately, with my days abroad numbering, we have decided
to leave Thailand prematurely and will be heading into Laos
tomorrow.
Greater Sudbury's Jean-François Démoré enjoys travelling the world accompanied only by his backpack. This is his first visit to Asia.
