Day 238 - The Elephant Jungle Sanctuary

I was so happy when Nat announced that she wanted to see the elephants. Tom & I are always down for ethical animal encounters & we have a special love for elephants.
I got straight into researching different sanctuaries in the area, reading the information on their websites, reading the good & bad reviews on many platforms & then comparing them against ethical zoological organisations that operate within Thailand.
I can't emphasize how important it is to do your research about animal encounters & animal experiences in countries such as Thailand. A huge percentage of animal tourism is basically just animal abuse & consumers have an obligation to make sure we're not supporting these practices.

I finally got it down to 2 different organisations who offer different experiences.
One experience is more about observing elephants within a sanctuary & about education. They don't offer many activities that allow tourists to interact with the elephants. The belief's of this sanctuary is that elephants shouldn't be interacting with people.

The other sanctuary offered a lot of opportunity with it's full day experience to interact with the elephants by feeding, cuddling, bathing in mud & swimming.
Some of the negative comments based towards this company where from people who believe that elephants in sanctuaries shouldn't be interacting with tourists this much.
The same people also criticised the company's daily routine with the elephants, claiming this was unnatural & the other big issue that attracted negative comments towards this company was that during a conflict with the sanctuaries neighbours over land, the elephants were tied up at night.

I've done a lot of research about elephants daily habits, both in the wild & in captivity.
None of these complaints raised alarm bells with me personally & I was comfortable enough to choose the more interactive experience, with the elephant jungle sanctuary.

Our day started at 8am when we were picked up from our hotel. We were all rotten drunk/hungover from the night before.  Tom & Dom were especially seedy, While Nat & I couldn't have been more excited!
We sat in the back of a Ute tray that had bench seats & a roof canopy for the 1 hour drive out to the sanctuary. We joined a couple from Ireland & 2 girls from the states.
For obvious reasons the elephant sanctuaries are all a fair distance from Chiang Mai city. The drive was definitely the worst part of the day. The road was very bendy & I wasn't the only one feeling nauseous. It was with great relief & excitement when we eventually arrived!

We parked up the top of a hill & looking down into the valley we could see a few different camps of elephants! It was still fairly early in the morning & the elephants were standing together & eating sugar cane.
The first camp we saw was camp 2, but we walked past this camp, crossed over a river & headed towards camp 7. This would be where we spent the day & there was 6 elephants in this camp, including 2 babies!

There was a group of approximately 25 tourist's that were at camp 7 & doing the full day experience.
We started off by getting a basic introduction to the guide's/mahouts & then a briefing about what to do & what not to do around the elephants. We were then given a traditionsl woven shirt with a large pocket to wear. We were told it's what the Karen tribe people wear when working with elephants. The Karen people are groups of Sino-Tibetan speaking ethnic groups that primarily reside along the Myanmar - Thailand border. We were told that the elephants were owned by a local Karen tribe.
Our pocket was then loaded up with bananas & sugar cane & we walked down to the elephants.
Everyone stood in a straight line with an arm extended holding a piece of food. As the elephants approached we yelled "bon bon" which caused the babies to start to run with excitement towards us.

The 6 elephants were fed all of the available sugar cane & banana's first, then we were given time to pet them & take photos. I spent most of my time with a female elephant called Neong Peng, who was about 25 years old, had worked in a riding camp before coming to the sanctuary & was the mother of one of the babies. There was the biggest female who was the oldest & also the boss of the group. One of her ears was terribly slashed, which was likely a result of her being punished with a bull hook in her previous working life.

There was another 2 adult female elephants, who were slightly smaller than Neong Peng & then there was the 2 babies who were given western celebrity names. Their names are Lady Gaga & Rihanna, which is a bit gross. I personally think they deserve nicer names.

After the initial feeding & interactions, we walked back towards the shelter & collected more sugar cane, which we carried back down towards the elephants.
We had more time for photos & interacting after this.

The 2 babies were very playful, boisterous & totally oblivious to their size. Several times I watched people getting hurriedly pushed aside as a baby elephant would change direction or start reversing into the crowd of people. We were warned about their playful behaviour, which is something the sanctuary wants to encourage.

The adult elephants are very aware of their size & never push you out of their way or step on you.
Thankfully it was now time for lunch & a nap. The food was very delicious & the nap was appreciated. I read a few bad reviews about the food, but we had no complaints at all. I think some people just need to complain to be happy.

 After our lunch & nap, we were told more about the elephants daily routines & requirements, with particular detail regarding their diet.
Elephants in the wild will spend 16 -18 hours a day (80%) of their time eating & have a variety of food they like to eat. Anything from grass, fruit, leaves, roots,  flowers, small plants & bark, will be on the menu. Over the course of 24 hours, an elephant can eat anywhere from 150 - 250 kg's of vegetation.  Tree roots & bark from off tree's, provide a lot of calcium & roughage, which is an essential part of their diet.
An elephants digestive system is pretty basic for such a large mammal & not very effective at digestion, if we're being honest. 40% of what they eat is not retained or absorbed.
Their mouth is considered quite small, for the size of the animal & they can't open their mouth very wide either. They do have very effective salivary glands in their mouth & mucous glands in their short oesophagus, which lubricate's the rough foliage that they eat.
Their stomach acts more like a storage pit, rather than a place of digestion. The intestines of an elephant are very long, which we could of guessed, however, comprehending that an African bull elephants intestines can reach a whooping 19 metres long is no easy thing to imagine. 19 metres long!!!
Elephants are herbivores, therefore the process of digestion for them is a fermentation process, caused by bacteria in the junction (caecum) of the small & large intestine. With digestion being handled by the caecum, the intestines are free to shape the faecal matter & absorb water. The exact size of the faecal droppings reflects the exact size of the elephant's rectum & therefore is a scientific method used to determine how big an elephant is.

Elephant's can be very destructive in their quest to find food, by ripping bark of trees & fully uprooting them, however, their droppings do provide a nutrient rich boost to the soil with the undigested material.
In the wild they will supplement their diets by eating dirt to obtain valuable minerals & particularly salt. There is a famous volcanic sight in Uganda, where African elephants, over the course of many years have created hollow caves from their digging quests to obtain minerals in the soil.
They also will drink anywhere between 165 & 200 litres of fresh water daily.

Domestically, elephants eat a lot less & are fed a more calorie dense, nutrient concentrated diet of fruit, rice, bread or wheat. Many places, including the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary, will also add herbs to the their diet to aid with digestion.
We made little balls of mushed up banana, wheat, rice & herbs to feed the elephants.

The elephants knew exactly what we had in our hands as we walked towards them & their excitement was obvious! We were instructed to make sure the ball's of food go straight into the elephants mouth & not to let them squish the balls or drop any.
After they had eaten their 'medicine balls' the adult elephants ran straight into the mud puddle, while the babies, who didn't feel like a mud bath, waited by the edge.
We tentatively followed them in & then started to scoop up mud & rub it onto the elephants who seemed to enjoy the experience. They were flapping their eyes & making silly noises.
Noeng Peng then started to fill her trunk up with muddy water & spray us. I noticed some of the other elephants doing this & got sprayed straight in the face.
The mahouts/guides were having a great time applying mud onto the tourists that weren't sprayed by elephants & drawing pictures on our backs that looked like elephants.

This was one of the interactions that some people didn't feel was appropriate & by the way they worded the complaint's, it was as if the tourists were throwing mud, painfully at cornered & scared elephants.
From what we experienced, this couldn't be further from the truth. The elephants were the only ones throwing mud, they seemed to really enjoy it & they got in the mud & then got out on their time.
They were never forced to do it.
After the elephants left the mud, they all set off at a brisk pace towards the waterfall & watering hole at the bottom.
The tourists struggled to keep up & arrived after the elephants. It's no secret that elephants love water & all 6 of them, including the babies ran into the water & submerged themselves in the deepest parts of the water.

They really enjoyed the waterfall & could be seen rolling around under it & putting their heads & trunks into it. The tourists all kept a safe distance back & watched them frolicking around. It was really nice to see. The babies in particular were having an amazing time.
We were handed small buckets to wash ourselves off with & to splash water at the elephants once they started to do it to us. Again, this is one of the interactions criticised by some people because it's unnatural & scary. To a certain degree, I could see how some rescued elephants & definitely humans wouldn't like to be splashed like this.
However these elephants did not seem to notice or care about us splashing each other & them.
Realistically, why would an elephant, with skin that's tough & 2.5 cm thick, notice a human splashing water at it from 5+ metres away, when it's got it's head under a roaring waterfall ?

The whole day was a really lovely experience & all interactions were positive for both elephants & human's. The elephants run the show & I didn't see them forced to do anything they didn't want to do.
I'm really glad we supported this company & had an amazing day that we will all remember.
I left a truthful, educational review online, that I'm hoping will be beneficial for other people trying to decide what they want to do & the sanctuary.

- Alli

An honest review of the sanctuary & the 'grey area' that is elephant tourism.

I think people are too sensitive about this issue at the moment & over thinking every little thing in an attempt to be ethical. Things such as basic restraints at night, being bathed & having a scheduled, daily routine.
let's be very clear here - Sanctuaries are definitely not a perfect solution, but it's a very imperfect world. They should be free, wild & protected, but they can't be because humans have encroached on their natural habitat & hunted them for their tusks. If you want to see wild elephants, go to a national park. Go to Africa, Chobe NP in Botswana has 50,000 of them! This is a sanctuary for rescued elephants that can't ever be released in the wild & need human interaction to survive.

Recognition of the achievement that is elephant sanctuaries in Thailand is what's truly needed. When I was here 8 years ago, that was very unheard of. It was all elephant rides & circus tricks. Consumer choice has changed the future of elephants everywhere & that's a huge progressive step in any country. As society, we can always do better & in time, I'm sure we will.
I totally agree that using chains & ropes to stop the elephants wandering at night is very reasonable & not unlike what we do with dogs. No One is jumping up & down about dog collars, leads & electrical fences, which stop dogs wandering & being hit by cars. How is this so different or bad ?
Do these people have any idea how far an elephant can walk overnight? They only sleep 4 hours at night!
Or how much damage they can do ? Or how much food they can consume & how detrimental it would be to the sanctuary if even 1 camp of elephants invaded a local plantation or crop ?
The Locals would be furious!
This is already a problem with wild elephants & farmers. Not all Thai people respect & love the progression of elephant tourism & would prefer to continue using them for rides, circuses & logging.
It's also for their protection! Their tusks are ivory & that still makes them a target for poachers. Especially domestic elephants that are walking around free in kilometres of sanctuary. They are easy kills & a quick buck.
You guys complaining do realise that the ivory trade is still a huge problem for elephants with an estimated 100 African elephants killed each day for ivory. (Stats from Mar 2018) sadly I can't find statistics for how many Asian elephants are killed each day, but it's thought to be similar, if not worse, due to the smaller size & more docile demeanour of the Asian elephant. If this continues & if there are no sanctuaries, elephants world wide will be extinct in 30 years. In India, they are currently critically endangered & will likely be gone in 10 years time.
Finding food, let alone enough land for all these rescued elephants to live on is a very big achievement. I feel like every cent is wisely spent here & there was no reservation in the organisation answering my questions in more detail about the finances.

I have worked with animals in many conservation places world wide. Elephants in particular, from Thailand, Nepal & Africa. I saw nothing wrong with the interactions today. I am also a qualified Vet Nurse with nearly 10 years experience with a keen interest in animal behaviour & development. The elephants & tourists were not forced to do anything & in fact 2 of the juvenile elephants did not go into the mud. The ones who did, absolutely loved it!
They have a great routine, which is realistic for domestic elephants & provides security & comfort for them to have a daily routine.
They never looked overwhelmed or stressed. They appeared very content, Happy & even cheeky.
The mahouts supervised very closely & even told people to stop/not do certain things.
They were also very happy to answer all my questions about name, meaning of their names, age, sex, previous history, how long they had been at the sanctuary & health concerns.
The elephants I saw in camp 7 all looked very healthy.
I'm happy to recommend this place & I hope that the next time I visit Thailand, there will be many more with better resources & financing, which will hopefully guarantee the continued existence of these amazing creatures. I hope that humans can continue the constant fight for all animals world wide.

Elephant Intelligence

This is the eye of Nong Paeng, a female elephant living at the sanctuary with her calf. She was quiet, smaller than the other female elephants in this herd & really gentle when extracting the sugar cane & bananas out of my pocket when I was distracted. I love taking photos of animal's eyes & have a rather large collection, to put on canvas & have in our house. They say that eye's are the windows to the soul after all.

Did you know that it is thought that elephants could be one of the most intelligent large land mammals? The size of their brain is a good indicator of this, weighing in at an average of 5kg's. Which is more brain to body mass ratio than any other large land mammal. To give you an idea of what this means, some of the largest whales have bodies 20x the size of an elephant, however, their brain is only double the mass of a typical elephant's. As well as size, an elephants brain has over 300 billion neurons and although it doesn't have the same amount of connectivity as a human brain, it's cortex has the same amount of neurons as a humans. We know elephants have a huge range of complex emotions such as compassion & grief, just to name two. Apart from humans, elephant's display very strong emotion's & ritual behaviour when confronted with the graves or bones of dead elephant's & appear to mourn. They have been seen burying dead elephant's & in a few rare cases have even buried dead humans. It has been documented on many occasions that elephants will come back to a family members grave every year while migrating & pay respects.

They have also shown the ability to mimic each other in comedic style & there has been a few documented cases of elephant's being able to mimic noises made from birds, machinery & even human words. They co-operate in large herds & communicate very well, some studies suggest they can communicate non verbally to each other & to us by pointing. Harry Preachey, an elephant trainer of 27 years said that elephant's understand the semantics and syntax of human words.

We also know that they have VERY BIG memories & will remember a person or place of trauma decades later. They use tools (something we thought only primates, dolphins & humans did) and really impressively they are self aware & pass the MSR test (Mirror Self Recognition).

Although they were never meant to hold a paint brush & paint for human amusement, a few discoveries have happened, when elephants weren't under pressure. They have the ability to paint object's & each other, as they see them, with their own unguided brush strokes.

We know they remember music, have favourite melodies & will even play these of their own accord. They also have a very well known ability to problem solve & there are many documented cases of elephant's distracting keepers or making sure the coast is clear, before undoing their shackles or locked gates to escape.

A study done in Tokyo proved that elephant's can solve arithmatic problems & keep count of numbers, the result's showed that on average they were 74% correct.

The more I learn about these gentle giants, the more there is to love & respect about them. I predict in our life time that humans will continue to learn a lot about animals & their intelligence, which will only make us humans look more stupid.

Cheers to the future, respecting all creatures, great & small & science!

- Alli 

Day 237 - Night Bazaar & Muay Thai

This morning Allisha and I had planned a late start as Nat and Dom had booked to go on an  ATV/quad bike tour. To make good use of our time we decided to start planing our trip through Laos and book flights to Vietnam. We discovered there was a river cruise that could take us from Huay Xai (the first town across the border from Thailand), to Luang Prabang.
However that would mean missing the over land journey and some potentially nice small towns along the way. With that in mind we decided that we would make a series of small trips and stop at intervals along the way. Beginning East to Nong Khiaw, and then South to the capital, Vientiane. We decided our main stops would be  Luang Namtha, Kong Khiaw, Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng and Vientiane. With room for us to make detours if we wanted to.
We then set an exit flight, by finding the cheapest flights to Hanoi, resulting in us having 2.5 weeks in Laos. As always it never feels like enough time! Luckily it is easy to get around on mini bus, and everything is about 3-5 hours apart. So we will just have to make a jump every 2 days or so. Many of the towns we are to visit look like they can be explored in a day no problems. We dont necessarily have any ambition to do long jungle hikes, opting rather to take it easy, eat healthy, catch up on sleep and exercise, as well as avoiding alcohol. In essence just cruise along and conserve some cash. As it turned out, Laos was the perfect place to do just that.

Back to the present! Allisha and I decided to check out the night bazaar for the first time. Walking a short distance down the main street we came across the daily markets. We moved slowly through the crowd, looking at stalls. Eventually we ended up in a food arcade. After doing a lap and looking at all the inviting dishes we settled on a place that did a nice range of clearly labled vegetarian dishes. I can never seem to get over how fresh and delicious the Asian cuisine is. I can't recommend highly enough for everyone to come here for the food! After we had finished our meal and shared a beer we grabbed some ice cream for desert, and headed back to the guesthouse/hotel.

Once Nat and Dom had arrived back from their adventure activities, and we had exchanged stories of the days activities, we decided that we had better go and see a Muay Thai Fight! The booking desk at our accomodation informed us that there was a fight held every night in the near by bar precinct. Allisha and I went for GA tickets which were around 900 baht and Nat and Dom opted for ring side seats for 1100 baht.
Ticket prices included a local taxi to the arena, however it was only about 2 blocks away, so the taxi was a little redundant for us! Never the less, a good price for an evenings activities. Once we arrived, and our tickets had been inspected, we were shown to our seats. A large elevated boxing ring was positioned in an open central space within an arcade of bars and fast food restaurants. We were sat in long rows of benches with a matching table in front of each bench.
To pass the time we purchased slightly expensive Chang beer and made conversation with the other foreigners seated around us. To our left we had a young Canadian couple (Jacob and Candice) who were doing their first big over seas travel together, and on our right we had a Frenchman (Red) who is in hotel management/investment. Before the fight started there was an informational video that played on a projector screen. The video covered the different aspects of Muay Thai fighting, from the historical and spiritual, to the practical movements of the fighting style. This was pretty interesting as it gave you a good insight to the culture you were about to experience. After the video had finished they started with the heaviest weight class. It was pretty hard to understand what was happening. But the format was pretty much the same as a conventional boxing match. For the average size of Thai men, these guys were pretty huge. 

After a few rounds of trading punches, but mostly dancing around conserving energy, they let loose in the last 2 rounds. The slightly larger of the two eventually taking victory. This was followed by the next weight class, alternating male and female matches, and descending in weight class. Of the 7 fights there were 4 male and 3 female rounds. At the half way point there was a display of weapon fighting, this was more a stylised exhibition of the martial art, rather than an actual competition. It was great to watch, but difficult to photograph! 

Following the half way point we were into the lightweight classes. I couldn't believe the ferocity of these tiny 18 year olds, especially the female fights! It was great to see them getting an equal respect in the sport. Too many contact sports these days seem to still have stigma around including women. It was also great to see the respect that was shown at the end of each fight, regardless of gender. You could see there was no resent to the opponent or the decisions of the referee.

Before we knew it the final fight was done! Well plied with beer and cocktails we decided to continue on with our new Canadian and French friends to some of the near by bars. We wandered down the street and had a few drinks here and there until finally it was time for us to call it a night. We walked home having made some great new friends, and sharing a memorable experience. Stopping only to indulge in some take away toasted cheese sandwiches from 7/11. 

-Tom

Day 236 - Exploring Chiang Mai

It's our first day in Chiang Mai (the rose of the north). We wake up early enough to take advantage of the free breakfast, which is just toast & coffee/tea. It's basic but its fuel & we definitely needed it for this day. Another big day of local small temples, museum's & the night markets.

Before we start to plan what we want to do in the next few days. Nat has bounced down the stairs & declared that she now wants to see elephants! I couldn't be happier & make this a priority to research the local sanctuaries & book us in for a whole day experience on Tuesday. 

We set off to pound the pavement & explore Chiang Mai. It's a city that has a lot of history.
Perhaps not as widely known as Bangkok & Phuket, but Chiang Mai is a gem for its own reasons & a very special place in Thailand. It was first founded in 1296 by King Mengrai & was the capital of the Lanna kingdom until 1558. It was a 1.5km square, walled city with a moat.

 The Lanna Kingdom (The Kingdom of a million of rice fields) was the Kingdom that occupied Northern Thailand, parts of Myanmar, China, Burma & Laos.

Because of its prime position, it was the main trading point for Southern China & Burma. This is one of the reason's that it was constantly invaded & attacked. 

In 1557 it was successfully conquered by Burma & became one of their states. The next 200 years following this Burma & Siam would were constantly fighting over Chiang Mai & it was frequently being conquered & Taken, only to be taken back again. 

Finally, in 1774, the King of the Lanna Kingdom combined forces with Siam to drive Burma out of the Kingdom once & for all. Then in 1892 the Lanna Kingdom became part fo Siam & was slowly concentrated to a 20,000km radius around Chiang Mai. In 1932 Chiang Mai officially became a province of Siam & in 1949 Siam became Thailand. 

The modern day Chiang Mai, is a perfect harmony of sleepy Thailand & travellers convenience with history & provincial charm. The old city still remains, with the 4 corners of the wall intact, as well as some other sections, including a gate. Theres nothing Tom & I love more than an old walled city! Our accommodation is just outside the old city & near the night bazaar. 

We're in a great ;location to start exploring Chiang Mai. 

We see Buddhist temples on nearly every street, especially in the Old City & can see a big gold one glinting on the mountains just outside the city, which we make plans to go see. 

Nat stops at The Coffee Shop to refuel with a coffee & we read that the beans used in this coffee shop come from Gray St, Brisbane, Australia. It's a taste of home!

Nat & I somehow loose the boys while weaving in & out of various shops that are selling all kinds of things. It's mostly fashion, hand made trinkets & art.
We catch up with the boys outside the museum & make our way inside.
The tickets cover the entry for 3 very different sections of the museum's & we have a few days to see all 3 buildings.
We start with The Lanna Folklife Museum  which is all about the history of Chiang Mai, the Lanna Kingdom & the integration with Thailand. The museum was very modern, had relevant, to the point information that was combined with interesting displays. It was in an old, charming 2 storey house that also had a coffee shop, souvenir shop & a friendly ginger cat at the end.
We spend a couple of hours here in this exhibit, before we all start to get hungry. We decide to come back & do the other 2 sections of the museum on another day. 

It was about 15 frustrating minutes walking the streets trying to find food. It's frustrating, because earlier this morning, the streets were dominated by food & now, we seem to be in a section of Chiang Mai that has no food & is mostly residential. 

It's great when the boys finally find somewhere & we all pile on to a table. 

After lunch, we start to walk back through old town towards the wall. Luckily, on our way we walk past a fish massage spa place. This is high on the list of things that we want to do today. 

In we all go & dangle our feet into the warm tanks of water full of fish.  I'm sharing a tank with Tom & nearly immediately the fish swarm Tom's legs & feet.
Nat & Dom have separate tanks, but the fish in their tanks aren't really interested. Dom in particular moves tanks a few times to try & find hungry fish.

I'm not sure the reason why they are interested in some people & not others. Nat & Dom did have a 15 minute fish spa done the previous night, perhaps they don't have enough dead skin to interest the fish. After about 10 minutes a few fish start to show interest in my feet & leave Tom.
15 minutes in to the experience & I have a swarm of fish per foot & that's when I had a horrible realisation that we had all applied some sort of Deet based insect repellent this morning. I think this is probably a reason for them not liking certain people. I'm more worried that we've inadvertently poisoned them. I hope I'm wrong & just being paranoid. Surely if the Deet was bothering them, they wouldn't be swarming around my feet like this....
After 30 minutes it's time to dry off our feet, leave the fish spa & continue our way home.

At the time of writing this post, I did a google search to find out more about the fish. They are called Garra Rufa, a non migratory, fresh water, Carp species that are native to the Middle East, where they have been used for medical purposes in strict conditions & with great success for treating Psoriasis. In the wild these fish will eat plankton, however when kept in tanks at Fish spa/pedicures/massages, they eat the dead skin on your feet. 

After reading the information on the CDC's website (Centres for disease control & prevention) I won't be getting another one. A report was published in the dermatology section of the JAMA (Journal Of American Medical Association) in September 2018 about a lady who had a fish spa in South East Asia. Six months later she suffered such a severe, acute case of Onychomadesis that she required specialist dermatology treatment. There has been many cases of  fungal infections & bacterial infection's both superficial & septicaemic, from the infection entering the blood stream, when the fish bite you & draw blood. 

The fish have proven to be 'skin doctors' of a micro size when it comes to treating some skin problem's in strictly controlled conditions. The fish spa's of South East Asia however sound like the exact opposite, the tank's are very unhygienic & are spreading fungal & bacteria infections. You just dont know who had their feet in the water before you or what they may have had... 

After reading all this, I dont think I'll be doing that again, I'm not a sook, but I really like my nails!

It's late in the afternoon when we get home. My feet are sore from walking & in areas they are sensitive from the fish.

We all decide to have a few hours to chill out before we go to the Sunday night hand made craft market.

It's after 7pm when we all assemble & make our way towards the night market in the old city. Initially there's some confusion about where to go, but then Nat takes the lead & before too long, we have arrived!  It's another HUGE market!
The major streets within the old city have been shut down to traffic & hundreds of stalls are on the streets. As well as stalls, there is stages with performers, food, beverages & amusements.

We loose each other many times in the chaos, but we all agree on a direction to walk in & always find each other.

Tom is busy with the DSLR photographing the action of the market. Nat & I are stopping at most fashion & craft stores, with earrings being a favourite for the night. Dom is on a foodie's mission & I'm sure has aspirations to try every kind of skewer, ever known to man.

We don't realise the time & it's 10pm, all of a sudden. We've only seen about 4 streets worth of stalls & were hungry. We find a section of stalls down a side street that do amusement things & food.
Tom & I get a container of sushi to share & we are shocked to work out we paid $3 AUD for 10 pieces!  The boys try their aim at one of the amusement stalls with BB guns & paper targets. Nat & I join them for a game & we all deliver a few kill shots.

After this we all make our way towards the old city wall & the gate. Tom & I are tired & head back to the hotel, while Nat & Dom stay out a little later exploring Chiang Mai night life.

- Alli