Early wake-up to visit the Elephant Conservation Center
Around 7 o’clock in the morning, I wake up. That is because today I want to go to watch elephants. I need to calculate how much time I need to travel, so I won’t miss the show at the Elephant Conservation Center. Yesterday when I was heading to Lampang from Chiang Mai, our bus passed the center, which is about 40 minutes from Lampang city. There are elephant shows at 10 and at 11 o’clock.
Easy to reach by local bus from Lampang
Around the corner of the guesthouse, I catch a songthaew to the bus station. As we are crisscrossing the city, I cannot figure out where we are, but I am correctly dropped off at the bus station. I take a regular bus – no air conditioning, and the ride costs me 20 baht.
Yesterday I noticed that the entrance of the Elephant Conservation Center is indicated clearly, so I manage to get off the bus on the spot. My travel guidebook mentioned some shuttle services from the entrance to the center itself, but there are none. So I start on foot on the 2-kilometer long trip. Luckily almost immediately a motorcycle driver stops signing that I can go along at the back.
The Center is divided into several units
The Elephant Conservation Center itself is divided into several units; in one place there is a dung factory (where they make paper from the excrement of the elephants), there is the space where you go watch elephants performing their daily show, an exhibition hall, and some souvenir and food stalls. Furthermore, there are also 2 hospitals where they take care of injured elephants. These parts constitute the publicly accessible places. There are also project sites for veterinary medicine and the like.
Watch elephants performing their tricks
I buy a ticket for the 11 o’clock show; to watch elephants performing their tricks is somewhat touristy, but also educational. The animals greet the audience, lift their teachers, move beams, and even make music on a kind of bamboo organ. After the show, we can feed bananas and sugar cane. The trunk of such a beast feels rough, but the elephants are immensely cute. The center focuses primarily on elephant population preservation. Throughout Asia, injured or neglected animals can be treated by an intervention team and/or transferred to the center. They also try to use the elephants – including their excreta – in an ecologically responsible manner.
It is also possible to follow mahout training courses instead of just watch elephants
The shows and the souvenir shops are a kind of investment for these purposes. In the afternoon the animals hike into the jungle with their companions. There are also mahout training courses for those interested in becoming an elephant caretaker. Out of sympathy for the project, I buy a polo shirt. Unfortunately, I do not find books about elephants. In the exhibition space, I inquire again, but that too is in vain.
Taking care of wounded elephants
In the elephant hospital, heart-wrenching scenarios unfold. There is an adult animal with a broken leg. It stepped on a landmine, which happens quite frequently. Watching elephants can also be heartwarming. I saw a mother with her 2-year-old at the hospital and it was endearing.
Back to Lampang by songthaew
Even though it is not that late, I have seen the most important parts of the center, the heat is scorching, so I walk back to the exit. Before I get there, a songthaew stops next to me. The driver asks if I am going to Lampang, for 25 baht he will drive me there, a godsend. One of the project employees had hired the driver to do shopping in the city. After delivery, he returns to the center of Lampang, and that is my luck.
Deciding between the train or the bus to my next stop
Back in the guesthouse, I prepare my trip for tomorrow. The train would have the advantage that I arrive near the city center, but then I have to leave at 9 am at Lampang railway station. By taking a bus, there is more choice regarding departure times.
Mekong whiskey as a digestive
After some rest and a shower, I am hungry. Starving as I am, I make a mistake. I order three dishes: fried rice and green curry, noodle soup, and fried vegetables. Way too much of course, even though I eat everything, my stomach feels like exploding afterward. I try to remedy this by ordering a glass of Mekong whiskey as a digestive. It is much sweeter than our whiskey, but it is still good to drink.
Country music and mellow ballads for dessert
Like every evening, a band starts playing at around 8 o’clock. The pattern is always the same, Thai musicians playing Western covers. Today there are two bands, one that tends more towards country and folk music. I find it amusing to see a Thai person wearing a checkered shirt, a cowboy hat, and a ponytail. However, I’m not a fan of their music. The second band is the same as yesterday; they bring more mellow, poppy ballads – Eagles, Beatles, and the like. As I saw them perform already yesterday, I return to the guesthouse. I want to take the train to Bangkok at around 9 o’clock. I will get off in Phitsanulok, my stop for tomorrow.
