Ladies and Gentleman. Boys and Girls.

While in Chiang Mai we went to the circus on a jungle safari. I was so excited to ride the elephants and really experience the jungle, but once we got to our destination I was disappointed to realize that it was all a bit too touristy/contrived for my taste.

The first part of our “jungle trek” was an elephant show. I love the elephants. They are amazing. While watching them paint, dance, and do crazy things was entertaining, I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe it wasn’t ethical to force these beautiful animals to act like idiots all just to make us laugh.

But we were there so we played along and enjoyed it anyway.

Next on the agenda was an oxcart ride to a “real” mountain village.

Apparently this is how many villagers got around back in the day. It was a bumpy ride, but not as bumpy as what would come later.

When we got to the village I was not surprised to see 12 or 15 little stands selling the same touristy items we’d seen all over Thailand so far–even though the village was touted as being an authentic village where Tibetan families lived and sold their handcrafted wares.  I was tempted to buy a hat but then I noticed the label said “Route 66″ and I decided if I was going to buy an authentic Route 66 hat I might as well do it at K-Mart back home. Instead, we bought some water and waited for our ride back.

The ride on the elephant was much bumpier than I expected. We really had to hang on  tight. As much as I had looked forward to the elephant ride, I was glad to get off. My tush hurt a little.

The last part of the “trek” was a ride on a bamboo raft. This was my favorite part of the day. It was very peaceful. The scenery was beautiful. And we had good company. Ironically enough there was a couple on our tour from Ft. Collins, Colorado. What are the chances?

Here we all are. Say hi to John and Michelle. (John’s hiding behind my lovely hat).

Of all the exotic and wonderful things we saw that day, only one was not orchestrated…

This giant spider (the size of my hand, at least) hung out over our heads during our lunch. He went completely unnoticed until we were finished and ready to leave. He put the fright in us.

Now, that’s what hanging out in a Thai jungle is all about.