Elephants, Waterfalls, and all things "Normal": Thailand

In the beginning of traveling long term, everything is exciting and you wake up each day needing to do something or anything. Let’s move, let’s go, let’s do. It’s the proverbial honeymoon period of traveling. Then somewhere along your route you hit a wall and realize that your body and finances can’t keep up with the constant hijinks and everyday doesn’t have to be filled. A lot of travel writers I’ve followed call this period “normalizing.”

 

I recognized that I was normalizing when one day I wanted to see Captain America at the movies more than I wanted to see the Grand Palace in Thailand. (Don't judge me! I’m an action movie buff!) I knew I was normalizing when I found an English bookstore in a Bangkok Mall and almost had a coronary buying book after book, forgetting that I had to carry all of them. (Do you know how heavy books are?!) And I really knew I was normalizing when I started decorating my little hostel room area. (What am I doing?! This is not my place!) I was starting to do the things that I typically do and it reminded me of that saying, “Wherever you go, there you are.”

So there I was in Thailand, waiting for my India visa and enjoying one of the best hostels I have ever stayed in. I know that for many people, the idea of staying in a hostel is unfathomable. However, I can honestly say that so far (KNOCK ON WOOD!) I‘ve had some really excellent accommodations; but the hostel in Thailand was just ridiculous. The hostel, Refill Now, should actually be called a mini resort; all glass building, with slideable walls, pool, garden, gourmet meals, spa services, outdoor and indoor bar, open deck for dining, concrete floors and black chandeliers amongst a pristine, modern, white background.

The entire place is owned and designed by an architect in Los Angeles and if the environment isn’t enough to make you want to move in, then the staff sure will. I was there for a little over two weeks and Mark and Rahul were amazing; they helped organize my day trips, kept me hip to the many, many, many scams ran on tourist throughout Bangkok, and even shipped my packages for me when I ran out time to get to the post office. Needless to say, I highly recommend this place if you are making plans to visit Bangkok. I would also recommend checking out the website Bangkok Scams and reading up, because even though I was forewarned, I was scammed, not once, but three separate times.

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The staff at Refill Now!

Whatever the case, I woke up one “morning” around 5pm, got dressed and went downstairs for my favorite meal, Salmon Panang. “Are you just waking up,” asked Rahul the evening employee at Refill Now. “Yep,” I replied changing the television station and settling in to watch my favorite show, Wipe Out. “Oh no, no, no.  Are you spending the week in bed? We have to find you something to do,” he continued.

Okay, maybe I had pushed normalizing into down right laziness, but I swear I needed it; besides I had already visited a third of the must see places, gotten scammed, gotten lost, and shopped more than I was supposed to. What else can you ask of me? He started going through a list. “Did you see this? Have you done that?” After a series of yes, no, maybe tomorrow answers he then asked, “What about the elephant trekking?”

Elephants!

Riding an elephant is on my bucket list and I had yet to accomplish it, so after thinking about it overnight, I signed up for the elephant trekking tour to Khao Yai National Park. The trip included a 2-hour drive to the great outdoors, a visit to a farmer’s market to see and taste authentic Thai ingredients, an ox cart ride through the countryside, a short walk through Khao Yai National Park to see waterfalls, lunch, and an elephant trek near the park. Cool!

Just a little background…

I am not a National Park type of chick! I can appreciate the outdoors for all of its beauty and can hang in there for a about a good hour, but when I think of recreation and fun, hiking through the woods doesn’t come to mind. That doesn’t mean that I don’t want to stretch my sensibilities though.  I still have never been camping in my life and it’s on my bucket list as well. So, we will see.

The next day, I woke up earlier than I had in weeks at 6 am, put on my outdoorsy, hiking apparel and met with the tour. We spent the first part of the day wandering through farmer’s markets in the countryside, where the guide, Music (yes, that’s his name), introduced us to new vegetables and fruit. Smell this, taste this, look at that! My husband is the cook in our family and I know for a fact that he would have loved being there; a foodie’s paradise. Then we headed even deeper into the country, where we sat in ox carts and made our way through what could be described as a farmer’s residential area. Beautiful! Next we headed into the National Park…

Since hiking isn’t my thing and the group I was with looked like the cast of Survivor, Music said it would be okay to go ahead of the group to get a head start. So while the group went to the restroom, bought water, and stretched, I headed out.  “What are they stretching for? Rahul said it was a short walk…” 1.5 km in and I was doing okay. I had some great photos, I wasn’t sweating like crazy and I was enjoying myself; I knew that the Colorado girl was in there somewhere! I came to the opening of the waterfall and was blown away by its beauty. I needed to see the entire fall, so I kept going. It is exactly 331 steps down stairs that look more like ladders, but it was worth it! The view was gorgeous and I was soaking wet from the waterfall spray. Thank God my hair wasn’t straight! 

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Almost at the top!

It is exactly 331 steps back up too! One look at the stairs going back and I was starting to think that Rahul had scammed me too! Short walk my butt! By the time I made it back to the top, the tour group had lapped and left me and I was pulling a Fred Sanford. “This is the big one. I’m coming home Elizabeth!”  Music was very encouraging and he waited with me. “I do this six times a week. You can do it,” he said thinking that he was helping, but actually making me feel like an even bigger loser. I sucked it up, started singing Kirk Franklin’s Conquerors in my head, and made it back having caught up with the group.



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Cute at the zoo. Scary on the street!

You know that scene in Tyler Perry’s “Why did I get married too", where Janet Jackson looks all disheveled and wet having just ripped up her house. “You gonna be crazy!? I’ll show you crazy!” Well, that was how I looked. I was done!

Music: “Now we will have lunch and then go ride the elephants!”

Me: “Really?!”

I don’t know what would possess someone to think that after all of that hiking, I would want to sit my stank, crazy looking self next to someone at a restaurant and have polite conversation. Then afterwards, wrap my mosquito bite ridden, itchy, sweaty butt around an elephant’s neck.

Me: (under my breath) “I need a hoe bath. I’m going to the restroom.”

Music: “A what?”

Me: “Nevermind… I’ll be back.”

Even though my elephant ran me through a swarm of bugs and in a wild ass attempt to swat them all, I accidentally ripped my hoop earring out of my ear sending it flying into a river of elephant crap, I can honestly say I had a really good time. In the end, riding an elephant has been accomplished and is now off of my bucket list. Even better, tomorrow is another day and the Planet of the Apes movie is coming out! I’m loving this normalizing phase…