Day 7: 🐘🐘🐘

Hanging out with my plant-based pals

7:35am

I wake up enthusiastically for our first full day in Chiang Mai. This city strikes me as an urban oasis — a place where you can wake up to the sounds of passing scooters and a rooster, where temples seem to dot every block and hip businesses open their doors for early risers. In a matter of minutes, I find ourselves zipping past some of Chiang Mai’s popular sights before breakfast at Goodsouls Kitchen. As a pedestrian, it is amazing how much is within reach.

Decked out in stylish retro ’50s design, Goodsouls screams out American. The space is beautiful and relaxing, if not a bit chilly (Northern Thailand is prone to cooler temperatures) and a bit loud (large windows open up to a busy intersection). At this point, I’ve been eating nothing but Thai cuisine and so I go for the bagel sandwich. This is the most satiating bagel I’ve ever had, filled with tomato, avocado, lettuce, onion, sprouts and slices of soy-based cheese, and cashew cream cheese. A potato salad and iced latte rounds out my meal perfectly. ฿180

12:30pm

It is an exciting day because we (“The Kids”) are going to the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary. We are literally riding along the back of a souped-up pickup truck, which also contributes to this excitement. Halfway, we stop by a rest stop which includes a 7-Eleven (what a major chain in Asia!) and grab some snacks, spicy flavored nuts and chips, for the road. They’re actually pretty delicious, and I found the one claiming to be “Mexican flavored” to be quite a misnomer. ฿40

3:41pm

After a fun-filled day with elephants, everyone is starving. As soon as we got to the sanctuary, we were briefed on the rules and special instructions for feeding and horsing around with Charlie (the 1.5-year-old elephant who has a playful streak). The schedule revolves around the elephants, as they do what they please whenever they please. First up was feeding them bananas — they’d use their trunks to pry the bananas, even multiple at a time, from you. Then, they would eat sugar cane (quite independently) followed by a mud bath (also independently, but this gave us an opportunity to rub mud on their bodies) and then a water bath down by the stream. At this point, we joined them, splashing water to help clean them. If we sensed they were done with their activity, all of us would immediately clear out of the way.

It was truly a special experience — letting go, laughing maniacally with my brother and brother-in-law who joined me in bathing the elephants, and just getting really dirty with the mud.

As you can imagine, by the time our early dinner is prepared, we are ready to buckle down and eat. The food is prepared by members of the local Karen community, and the vegan option includes white rice, steamed vegetables, and watermelon. It’s not the best meal I’ve had, but also not the worst. At this point, I’m okay with anything.

7:38pm

We return back to the hotel, tired but also content. The Kids had spent the ride back, poking fun at each other, laughing at silly photos, and planning for the future. The late afternoon sun filtering through the trees, the mountain views — all of it made for a spectacular sun down. After we’ve all had the chance to shower, we head to the Ploen Ruedee Night Market where a live band is belting out popular oldies and the atmosphere is super upbeat.

We make a beeline to V Secret, the only vegan vendor here, where you can order 2 dishes for 100 baht or 3 dishes for 140 baht. Without question, we go for the latter each. What we end up with is an incredible display of food:

• Vegan Chiang Mai sausages
• Tempeh red curry with brown rice
• Tofu banana flower fritters
• Potato croquettes
• Crispy mushroom salad
• Mushroom and cauliflower cream soup

While all of the food is delicious, the fritters and mushroom salad are stand-out items, and I was in disbelief by how cheap all of it was. The fried fritters were savory, dripping in a thick sweet and sour sauce, and the mushroom salad had fried bits of mushroom in a salad with a kick to it. Compared to some of the trendier brands, the V Secret food stall looks understated, but don’t underestimate the punch it delivers. ฿280 (for two)

฿500