Lampang
08 February 2011 | thailand
michael and jackie
We arrived by car in Lampang, a business-like Thai town. The centre of town lies along the river /wang. Narrow streets are lined with shops selling every kind of goods imaginable, from dentists chairs to great swathes of silk. The profusion of narrow streets and one way streets caused our Thai driver some difficulty in locating the Riverside Guest House. After three circles we eventually spotted the hotel. Riverside is a traditional teak building built on the side of the river. Small patio areas cascade down to the river with comfortable seating and an honour bar. Our room was a large suite, an outer room and bedroom constructed with dark teak, ventilated by highly efffective fans with shuttered doors. Thai beds tend to be hard and this was no exception but we slept well and were not bothered by mosquitos. Along the river bank numerous stalls were open selling Thai food and other delights. We pushed through the crowds of people, passed some young girls dancing to find the Riverside restaurant where to our delight cocktails were cheap and you could have pizzas as well as Thai food. Sated we returned to the guest house to prepare for elephant country.
North of Lampang the Thai government has established an elephant conservation centre. Elephants became unemployed following the ban on logging in Thailand and now Asian elephants are an endangered species. At the conservation centre elephants are trained in the traditional manner and you can see them bathing and their trainers known as mahouts show the different things the elephants can do. You can do a 3 day training course as a mahout. Although the real mahouts work father and son with an elephant for its life. Elephants retire in their 60s so the father and son provide continuity for the elephant.
We arrived in time to see the elephants heading down to a nearby lake for their daily bath. They carefully lie on their sides so that the Mahouts do not fall off and the mahouts assist in the scrubbing. As they re -emerge the more exuberant elephants squirted water sometimes catching the mahouts.
The elephants then moved off to a small arena, one of them banging a drum in time. In the arena the mahouts and elephants demonstrated their abilities. The elephants respond to small movements or quiet instructions. They are able to pick up their mahout's hat - stack piles of timber, and even draw pictures (with some direction)
The atmosphere was dignified and the elephants seemed happy and unexploited. The money collected from entrance fees is used for elephant conservation.