OMB!

OMB Oh my Buddha! Today marks the official start to Songkran (Thai New Year) when friends and families gather to celebrate, bathe Buddhas, build sand stupas, give alms to monks and show respect for elders and others. Of course, the part that is the most fun for us tourists is the water dousing that happens on the streets to unsuspecting or suspecting people passing by. Not to worry, we are prepared and have purchased our own water guns to join in the festivities. It would seem that our water prayers for the day have been answered as the skies have dumped an ungodly amount of rain onto the streets of Chiang Mai today. One way or another, stepping outside is the equivalent of getting doused in water. Bathing suits encouraged.

Backing up a few days... we must update you all on the fun we have had (and the body aches we've incurred.)The first being downhill Mountain Biking in the Doi Suthep National Park with views of the Mae Ping Valley. This was an adventure for sure as we made our way through the coffee/rice fields, plantations and jungle. We ... or rather I (Amy) might have made contact with the ground in acrobatic preformances over the handlebars one too many times. We really did have a good time though... bruises excluded. We are trying desperately to NOT visit the local hospital as patients.

Probably them most popular activity to do in this area of Thailand is visiting the Elephants.... this comes with much reservation because some elephant camps to a less than stellar job in keeping and maintaining their namesakes. So after much research and discussion with other fellow travelers we found a camp where we could bathe, care for, and learn basic Muhout commands. Our elephant was nicknames Lady Boy- because while male, he had female-like tusks. He was the tallest of the elephants and was particularly difficult to climb up. Did you know that elephants have the most course skin and wiry hair. I have blisters to prove it.

Most of the elephants from our camp were from Laos, India or Burma. We learned that they're two kinds of elephants in the world: Asian Elephants, and African elephants. Asian elephants have what they call "2 brains" as their skull has an indentation in the center. They are shorter and more "manageable" so-to-speak.

Up close and personal, elephants are amazing. Such majestic beasts; so massive they dwarf all of us. After feeding, washing, and bathing them I was lulled into a false sense of safety. They seemed so docile and accommodating. How strange.

Here's a snapshot of my (Katie) thoughts after riding our new friend Lady Boy:

"And elephants skin is remarkably course and thick. A dry grey spattered with wiry hair that grows about an inch or so long all across their back and flank. Their spine protrudes steeply above their shoulder blades like an unside down ark. Their gate is graceful but dizzying- like riding a horse if the horse were 6 times it's size.

Their eye-lashes are out of this world: long, thick, and almost colorless. They jut out at an diagnoal and give their face a kind of delicate beauty.

Their trunk a soft and flexible arm. Their way of touching and exploring their world. The distal end- near their nares- is wet and pink an soft. They grab fruit and inspect me cautiously. I delight in it."

The thunder booms again outside and send a more steady stream of water from the clouds above. Perhaps we will hide out inside a bit longer yet or we will venture out getting ready to be soaked by nature or the locals.