FIFTY YEAR ANNIVERSARY TRIP TO THAILAND: A CAN-DO VACATION
Six and a half weeks after a total hip surgery, I rode an elephant. I didn’t plan the surgery, but I did plan to ride an elephant.
John and I had planned a 50th Wedding Anniversary, three- week trip to Thailand with our five family members. A month and a half before we were to leave, I found I needed a total hip replacement. I negotiated with Dr. Elstad of Naples Joint Replacement Institute to help me get there.
Five weeks after surgery, John and I ate our first meal in Bangkok at Burger King, reluctant to jump into an all-Thai diet before our children arrived. We took the plunge into the Thai culture riding a long boat, navigating the narrow canals of the River Market lined by cultural markets of souvenirs, clothes, and foods. Other boats sold tropical fruits and delicacies. Next stop, the Train Market where a narrow-gauge railroad divided another crowded market with friendly shopkeepers. Later, the train would stop and within seconds the whole market would board the train and close for the evening. Next morning we were off to the Emperor’s lavish palace to see the jade Buddha high in the temple dressed in all gold for the season. Another elegant temple on the grounds was built during our Revolutionary War. The elegance of the Temple was a stark contrast to our war.
Our next stop commenced my “can do” vacation. In Krabi, the tropical equivalent to a beach resort town, we boarded a long boat with a tiny motor at the end of a long rod in back. It motored through the choppy waves for splashes and laughs until we arrived at the isolated islands. The first held a nature trail which ended at 4,000 steep steps to a lookout tower to view the many islands in the Indian Ocean. The faint of heart, went to the beach. This was my first steps to prove I wouldn’t be beaten by a mechanical hip. My daughter, Macy, her friend, and I made it to the top in record time. The view was breathtaking.
The ocean became too choppy to disembark at the third island. We went snorkeling instead. Reluctantly, I sat out this adventure. However, when they returned with stories of red coral the size of a bushel basket and clams the size of dinner plates, a little ladder on the side of the boat wouldn’t stop me. Our boatman caught squid while we snorkeled. They would be his dinner. They would be our fun.
Off to Chang Mai for more cultural shopping at the Night Market, Thai cuisine, and a stop at an Orchid Farm. The best event was a cooking class with a three-course meal and “playing with fire”, a lesson in flambe. Our last stop was Chang Rai, in the mountains of northern Thailand on the Laos border. The White and blue temples were magnificent. The Monks in their orange robes were out on the streets for New Years collecting alms from lines of people with bowls and baskets.
Our lodging, The Wooden House, was hidden in the mountains with a native Thai cook and groundskeeper. They took us to our trek up a steep, stoney, uneven path to watch the sunrise over the Mekong River, a New Years tradition. It was challenging and inspiring with young children along the path in their native costumes singing traditional songs. The mist over the Mekong River evoked memories of the Vietnam War in which many of our friends participated. I was torn between my thoughts of a war and a vacation. On our elevated spot at our Wooden House, we watched the fireworks on the surrounding mountains. We even saw traditional lanterns float into the air.
Our last stop was a family-owned elephant sanctuary. Their elephants had been in the family for generations. We fed, interacted with and bathed three elephants in a nearby stream. We learned the culture, the commands, and relationships between the people and their elephant family.
It was time to ride. I wasn’t going to miss this. When I said “shoo shoo” Dee lifted her foot for me to step up, then with “thong thong”, she lifted her leg for me to run up while I held onto her ear. I needed a “tush push” to settle on her neck behind her ears. She flapped her ears back as if to hold me on. Getting down was a different story. I put my legs over her ears and between her eyes and slid down her face, not her trunk. Three people were determined not to let me hit the ground with the leg with the new hip. Success.
To share this celebration of 50 years of marriage with the love of my life, John, and Macy, Aaron, Angel and Em, made a memory so special it can’t easily be topped. But, I think I’ll keep trying.
