On one of my few nights in Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, I walked the small city’s streets at a rather brisk pace focused on making quick work of the twenty minute walk to my intended dinner destination for the evening. Making my best effort to avoid the touts along the way, I perfected weaving in and out of people lining the streets and sidewalks in my pursuit of a little sustenance.
About halfway into my speedy stroll, I came upon a group of three men heading my direction who spanned the width of the sidewalk. They seemed preoccupied with talking to each other and didn't seem likely to move so as to make a little room for me to pass by. Just as I neared them, I noticed a lamp post about halfway between us and decided to use it to veer around them as we all passed by it. As expected, once we all reached the lamppost, they veered to their right and I stepped in the opposite direction allowing me to successfully clear them and continue on my path. But, as I curled around the lamp post and prepared to step back into the middle of the sidewalk, I reared back in shock when I nearly ran into an elephant! In the dimly lit street, and my narrowly focused attention, I’d somehow managed to fail to see the substantial pachyderm trailing directly behind the three men.
More than a little taken off guard, I jumped back about two feet and right back into the same lamp post. Despite a now aching back, all I could manage to do was stand and stare in bewilderment at the baby elephant now passing me by. Transfixed, I simply watched in awe at the hulking pachyderm meandering down the narrow strip of bars and restaurants accompanied by the three men who were oblivious to the fact that I’d nearly stumbled into their seemingly prized possession. Although I'm not sure how much they might have noticed had that happened. While I was a foot taller than the baby elephant, it outweighed me by a good half ton. It goes without saying that I would’ve lost that battle and I don't know how much the men or the elephant would've noticed as my body crumpled under it's feet. Perhaps the child-like shrieking would've given me away.
I nearly forgot my hunger pains as I kept watching the elephant amble out of sight down the other end of the road. As I started again towards my dinner destination - but at a slightly slower pace, with my eyes scanning every inch of the sidewalk - I tried to fathom why the men might be taking their elephant out for a night on the town. I'm sure there were a myriad of reason from tourist bait to local culture and customs. In the end, I just decided to be thankful for a well placed, and well timed, lamp post that proved to be the difference that kept me one step shy of being trampled by a half ton pachyderm.
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