The Fam Part VI: New Years and More in Koh Chang

For New Years, the Aiyapura had an elaborate buffet dinner and various activities planned, flew in a band from the Philippines, and was going to set off fireworks at midnight. We arrived, dressed to the nines. We were greeted with a variety of tacky metal pins and guided towards the cocktail table. Unfortunately, there were only two choices: fruit punch and neon green punch with alcohol. We found our table and ordered some drinks; again, we were disappointed with the complimentary offerings – soft drinks, juice, wine, and beer. The selection of food, and the intricate manner in which various fruits and vegetables were carved was impressive. It tasted almost as good as it looked. The delicious food was offset by the entertainment, which, putting it mildly, left something to be desired. The “band” was little more than a synthesizer and two singers, a man and a woman, who sounded worse than the performers at the karaoke bar next to our house in Phnom Penh. Worse still were the activities planned by the resort. For some reason, they were geared toward the handful of children under ten as opposed to the overwhelming majority of adults. By 9:30, we had had enough. We retired to our villa, napped and woke up to see the somewhat impressive display of fireworks at midnight. Probably the last time I spend New Years at any sort of resort.

Our final full day in Koh Chang started unexpectedly early. We had been trying to sign up for an elephant trek, but were told that all were booked solid until after we left. If we left that instant – at 8:30am – we could make it.

We grabbed a few snacks from the buffet breakfast and hopped into the back of a pickup. From the coast, we drove inland toward the mountains. After a twenty minute ride we arrived at a clearing in the middle of forest and rubber plantations with a handful of stilted thatch huts.

Shortly after arriving we were assigned to an elephant in pairs, with Melisa deciding she wanted to fly solo and getting an adorable, younger elephant. We climbed up the stairs of one of the stilted huts and, from there, kicked off our flip-flops and hopped from the hut to the basket on the back of the elephant behind a Thai guide, who was perched on the elephant’s head. Shanti and my feet were on the elephant’s neck, which was surprisingly soft, a little bit squishy, and covered in small, somewhat bristly hairs.

We sauntered off, a line of three elephants, into the forest on a narrow, and at times steep, dirt and rock path. With each step the elephant took, we swayed to one side. I’m not sure that I would describe it as a comfortable form of travel, but it certainly was entertaining and I think our appreciation for the character of elephants grew tremendously. My mom looked a bit horrified (or was it sick?) at first, but she quickly enjoyed to grow the experience as much as the rest of us.

My sister’s elephant was not only the cutest, but the most mischievous. Every few minutes he stopped for a bit to eat, to play with some branches, or to get a drink of water, coming close to spraying my sister and her guide. About halfway into the trek, my sister was able to take over at the helm. She hopped from the basket to the elephant’s head, while the guide went ahead on the path and issued commands to the elephant. I soon got my turn and it was quite fun. It was a bit unnerving to jump from the basket to the elephant’s squishy head, but once there it was wonderful. We learned the commands for “go” – really the only you needed – which was more or less just a loud grunt.

After switching with Shanti and completing our trekking circuit, we descended from our elephants and fed them whole bananas, which they ripped out of our hands with the forceful power of their trunks. Next, it was time to swim with the elephants. The elephants that my parents and Shanti and I were on lumbered into the creek and kneeled down so that only their heads and a bit of their backs were showing. My sister and Shanti jumped in first and from the looks on their faces, the water was quite cold. They swam over to the elephants and climbed on to their backs. When the guides shouted “typhoon,” they sucked water into their trunks and sprayed directly behind them onto Shanti and my sister. This happened a half dozen times, soaking them both. Much to my pleasure, I followed suit and was quickly cold, soaked, and happy.

We returned to Aiyapura, reveling in the unique experience we just had, and sat by the pool, relaxed, and read for the afternoon. At 5:00 we took a van toward White Sand Beach to catch the sunset. We went to an off-the-beaten-path guesthouse for a drink as the sun dipped lower and lower, before it began sinking into the Gulf of Thailand. From the guesthouse, we set off for town to have dinner on the beach. As one might expect, it was wonderful. Our feet dug in the sand as we dined on a mix of Western and Thai dishes and sipped on cocktails – my sister’s “sex on the beach” was particularly entertaining.