Life's a Trip: Chapter Six - Island Tour
December 26, 2006
I wake up at 6:00 am on boxing day and make my way to Starbucks. Starbucks doesn't open until 8:00 am but I want to wish my family a Merry Christmas via iChat and I can get a wireless signal from the Starbucks patio.
It's fantastic and simultaneously surreal to see everyone. On my screen there are images of Christmas evening at home. Beyond the screen there is a fresh morning and warm beach waiting for me. You've got to love technology at times like these.
The view from Starbucks
Before the morning rush
After chatting, I resolve to see a little more of Phuket so I hop on my motorbike and start following the road that leads to the Phrang Thang Cape, the southern tip of the island. The scenery is absolutely beautiful and it's a perfect day for a relaxing ride around the island.
Patong from the other side of the bay
I had to take a wrong turn to get this shot...
A little further south at Kata beach
A view of Kata, Karon and Patong from Phrang Thang Cape lookout
On my way back to Patong beach, I see a sign advertising elephant rides and I decide to check it out. Originally my plan was to go elephant trekking in Ayutthaya, a city which acted as the Thai capital from 1350 – 1767. The descriptions of this tour sounded interesting and exotic, but when I made my way to Ayutthaya I discovered that the tour was simply an elephant ride down the main street to a few of the important historical sites. I was really glad that I took the opportunity to go trekking while I was in Phuket! The elephant trekking compound in Phuket certainly met the exotic stereotype that I had envisioned.
Upon arriving at the trek center I am greeted by a man wearing a crocodile skin cowboy hat. Beside him sits an eagle which stares at me menacingly. With my every move it repositions itself, presumably to ensure that it is in a prime position when it decides to peck my eyes out. The man in the cowboy hat offers to show me a live snake show and snake museum but I explain to him that I've already seen many snake shows courtesy of my younger brother and that I'd just like to try elephant trekking today. This piques his interest and leads to a brief discussion about Stephen's snakes. He seems quite satisfied to have met a foreigner with an interest in snakes, or rather a foreigner who has a brother who is interested in snakes and gives me 200 baht off of my elephant ride.
I pay for the ride and moments later I am climbing into a basket on the back of an elephant. As the elephant, trainer and I saunter our way through a variety of steep inclines and declines in the jungle, the trainer sings softly in Thai. This is definitely a well spent 600 baht.
After a short while, the trainer turns to me and realizes that I have been videotaping the ride. He smiles and without warning slides off the side of the elephant's head. On the ground he stretches out his hands and points at my video camera. In response, I point at the video camera and look at him inquisitively. He nods his head and motions for me to pass him the camera. I hesitatingly lean over the edge of the basket and hand him the camera, not entirely sure what to expect. He then walks towards the elephant's head and points at me and then at the elephant's head in succession. I repeat the gesture and he nods to confirm that I have understood him, he wants me to sit on the elephant's head.
Reaction # 1: “Sweet, this is gonna be so cool. AND I'm gonna get it on tape!”
Reaction # 2: “Hmmmm how am I going to get from the back to the head without falling off and paralyzing myself??”
Ever so slowly I stand up, climb out of the basket and make my way to the elephant's head. I sit where the trainer had previously been sitting and try to secure myself in place by putting my legs behind the elephant's ears. The trainer starts the camera and gives a command which sets the elephant in motion. With the first step I almost fall off. I didn't realize that I was sitting directly on the elephant's massive shoulders and that each step meant being heaved from side to side. As I scramble to maintain my balance I notice that there is absolutely nothing to hold on to when you're sitting on an elephant's head. There are no reigns, no steering wheel, no “oh shit” handle...nothing. In contrast, the trainer had made the elephant's head look quite comfortable. He sat there slightly reclined with one knee against his chest while the other leg dangled haphazardly beside the elephant's ear. In retrospect I have to laugh at how spastic I must have looked.
For the next half hour the elephant trainer winds his way through the jungle, sometimes disappearing for minutes at a time before making his location known by hollering out a command to the elephant from somewhere off in the distance. Although I have absolutely no control over the massive beast whose head I'm sitting on, I'm remarkably relaxed. There's nothing to do but enjoy the ride and the experience in general.
I spend the rest of the day on my motorbike and then grab a quick lunch with Katie and Dave before they make their way to the airport to continue on the next leg of their journey.
During the evening I wander up and down the beach. It's occupied by locals and tourists who light paper lanterns to commemorate the two year anniversary of the December 26, 2004 tsunami which hit many parts of Thailand and particularly devastated Phuket.
The night wears on and eventually I make my way back to my hotel, satisfied with another eventful day of vacation.
I wake up at 6:00 am on boxing day and make my way to Starbucks. Starbucks doesn't open until 8:00 am but I want to wish my family a Merry Christmas via iChat and I can get a wireless signal from the Starbucks patio.
It's fantastic and simultaneously surreal to see everyone. On my screen there are images of Christmas evening at home. Beyond the screen there is a fresh morning and warm beach waiting for me. You've got to love technology at times like these.
The view from Starbucks
Before the morning rush
After chatting, I resolve to see a little more of Phuket so I hop on my motorbike and start following the road that leads to the Phrang Thang Cape, the southern tip of the island. The scenery is absolutely beautiful and it's a perfect day for a relaxing ride around the island.
Patong from the other side of the bay
I had to take a wrong turn to get this shot...
A little further south at Kata beach
A view of Kata, Karon and Patong from Phrang Thang Cape lookout
On my way back to Patong beach, I see a sign advertising elephant rides and I decide to check it out. Originally my plan was to go elephant trekking in Ayutthaya, a city which acted as the Thai capital from 1350 – 1767. The descriptions of this tour sounded interesting and exotic, but when I made my way to Ayutthaya I discovered that the tour was simply an elephant ride down the main street to a few of the important historical sites. I was really glad that I took the opportunity to go trekking while I was in Phuket! The elephant trekking compound in Phuket certainly met the exotic stereotype that I had envisioned.
Upon arriving at the trek center I am greeted by a man wearing a crocodile skin cowboy hat. Beside him sits an eagle which stares at me menacingly. With my every move it repositions itself, presumably to ensure that it is in a prime position when it decides to peck my eyes out. The man in the cowboy hat offers to show me a live snake show and snake museum but I explain to him that I've already seen many snake shows courtesy of my younger brother and that I'd just like to try elephant trekking today. This piques his interest and leads to a brief discussion about Stephen's snakes. He seems quite satisfied to have met a foreigner with an interest in snakes, or rather a foreigner who has a brother who is interested in snakes and gives me 200 baht off of my elephant ride.
I pay for the ride and moments later I am climbing into a basket on the back of an elephant. As the elephant, trainer and I saunter our way through a variety of steep inclines and declines in the jungle, the trainer sings softly in Thai. This is definitely a well spent 600 baht.
After a short while, the trainer turns to me and realizes that I have been videotaping the ride. He smiles and without warning slides off the side of the elephant's head. On the ground he stretches out his hands and points at my video camera. In response, I point at the video camera and look at him inquisitively. He nods his head and motions for me to pass him the camera. I hesitatingly lean over the edge of the basket and hand him the camera, not entirely sure what to expect. He then walks towards the elephant's head and points at me and then at the elephant's head in succession. I repeat the gesture and he nods to confirm that I have understood him, he wants me to sit on the elephant's head.
Reaction # 1: “Sweet, this is gonna be so cool. AND I'm gonna get it on tape!”
Reaction # 2: “Hmmmm how am I going to get from the back to the head without falling off and paralyzing myself??”
Ever so slowly I stand up, climb out of the basket and make my way to the elephant's head. I sit where the trainer had previously been sitting and try to secure myself in place by putting my legs behind the elephant's ears. The trainer starts the camera and gives a command which sets the elephant in motion. With the first step I almost fall off. I didn't realize that I was sitting directly on the elephant's massive shoulders and that each step meant being heaved from side to side. As I scramble to maintain my balance I notice that there is absolutely nothing to hold on to when you're sitting on an elephant's head. There are no reigns, no steering wheel, no “oh shit” handle...nothing. In contrast, the trainer had made the elephant's head look quite comfortable. He sat there slightly reclined with one knee against his chest while the other leg dangled haphazardly beside the elephant's ear. In retrospect I have to laugh at how spastic I must have looked.
For the next half hour the elephant trainer winds his way through the jungle, sometimes disappearing for minutes at a time before making his location known by hollering out a command to the elephant from somewhere off in the distance. Although I have absolutely no control over the massive beast whose head I'm sitting on, I'm remarkably relaxed. There's nothing to do but enjoy the ride and the experience in general.
I spend the rest of the day on my motorbike and then grab a quick lunch with Katie and Dave before they make their way to the airport to continue on the next leg of their journey.
During the evening I wander up and down the beach. It's occupied by locals and tourists who light paper lanterns to commemorate the two year anniversary of the December 26, 2004 tsunami which hit many parts of Thailand and particularly devastated Phuket.
The night wears on and eventually I make my way back to my hotel, satisfied with another eventful day of vacation.
posted by Christopher Janca at 2:09 a.m.
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