OMG, what a way to rain! It is coming down as a curtain, so our plan to continue unto Mae Hong Son (180 km away) seemed rather daunting. We talked our way around and around it, but at the end it seemed that it would be more prudent to go back to Chiang Mai, which is only 65 km away. It is a bit disappointing because we had mapped a glorious itinerary of mountain riding all over northern Thailand, which now we will have to break into short "jabs" from the central hub of Chiang Mai.
Before our departure there was some unhappiness amongst the elephants on the other side of the river. Now and then we had heard the gentle trumpeting that a Mom makes to call her calf, but this time we heard a veritable cacophony of deep growls and roars. What is going on? My guess is that the handler was telling the elephants to cross to the other margin of the river, which by now was pretty swollen, and the animals were complaining about getting wet. At the end they crossed, and the growling stopped, but for a short time there I thought we were going to witness a real rebellion.
It was quite a wild ride back to town, and we got a thorough soaking, but by noon we had reached our hotel, and two hours later were able to check in and start the process of drying things out.
We rewarded ourselves with a fabulous meal that included, rice and curry, papaya salad, steamed squid in a spicy sauce, stir fry vegetables, the signature noodle dish of the region, and a delicious pile of glass noodles and mushrooms. It is hard not to go for the old favorites when there are so many new dishes that you know are going to be absolutely delicious.
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