Tigers and Orchids and Caves

These were the highlights of today’s motorbike ride through Mai Rim and other surrounding areas of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. Scott and I made a big 80-kilometer loop in a rented red and black Honda Wave scooter wearing matching helmets. For just around US$ 7, or 200 Thai Baht, we had freedom on the road.

We ate a quick breakfast of pork buns, bought a lunch to go, and headed away from the old town (which is where we spent much of yesterday walking around touring temples; Chiang Mai has around 200 wats). 

Mai Rim, the next town over, is full of fancy lodges and built up tourist attractions like elephant camps, bungy jumping, snake parks, crocodile shows, and the well advertised Tiger Kingdom. All over Chiang Mai, there are photos of people cuddling with tigers, hugging them, ever rubbing noses with them. Scott’s theory was that the tigers are drugged. Today’s first stop on the motorbike journey was to check out what was up with these human-friendly tigers.

We were still able to catch some of the tiger action without having to pay the US$30 entry fee. By talking to a staff member, we found out that the tigers are not drugged. Through a breeding program, they’ve been raised since two or three months old to be with humans. They are trained by humans to pose for pictures, they get fed by humans, they get their poop scooped by humans. Everything they’ve done since they were babies and continue to do as they grow is with and near humans. Scott and I watched as a few tigers played in a pool, chased after a toy, reluctantly posed for pictures with paying tourists. We watched them behave as any house cat would (maybe not the pool part) except they are much bigger with huge teeth. And, in my opinion, they are much more handsome than your average house cat. 

Next stop was a hanging orchid garden where I oohed and aahed at more than a hundred different kinds of orchids. Orchids are works of art, the ultimate flower. 

After that stop, we passed up other attractions – a group of waterfalls in a National Park and the Botanical Garden – due to the entry fees and for the sake of time. We continued on the loop until we hit a road leading to the Pak Ou caves and Buddha’s footprint. These attractions were off a dirt road, had no entrance fees, and were devoid of other tourists – perfect. As a really nice touch, at the trailhead of the caves, there was a basket of flashlights to use and return. 

Our fourth stop of the day was at a waterfall. Scott and I were dying to take a dip in some cool water. For the entire short 1-kilometer walk to the falls, we heard the sky grumbling. Above us was blue sky, a little beyond though were dark grey clouds. We took a very small dip before rushing back to the scooter. Drops had just started to fall as we pulled into our final stop of the day – a roadside shop for cheap Chang Beer. We watched the rain fall over the road and the lush green surroundings for about 15 minutes before the sun broke through and dried up the road, making our remaining 20 kilometers back to Chiang Mai safe and smooth.