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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1533625
P104 RIDE REVIEW I THAILAND MOTO TOURS These snakes only succeed in the rarest of circumstances, but it's not worth the risk of not having a guide by the elephant's side. Out of the many cool experiences of this trip, meeting four elephants— including a 17-day-old baby—was one of the absolute best. Day 05 Our final day included one last blast through the early morning jungle, this time just me, Jasper, Brandon and Brian, so the pace was fast and the riding exception - al. We climbed further and met back up with the group, where we cruised together to the glorious Buddhist Dragon Temple on the outskirts of Mae Win. Located in Don Pao Subdistrict, the 700-year-old temple features traditional Lanna-style wooden ar - chitecture, massive Buddha stat- ues, and a pagoda enshrining the hair relics of the Lord Buddha. Its remote location makes access to electricity difficult, with solar en- ergy serving as the primary power source. The challenging journey to reach the temple ensures it remains relatively untouched and hidden from the masses. Good thing we had dirt bikes. Within a couple of hours, after a nice lunch at a little corner store restaurant, we were back in the hustle and bustle of Chiang Mai. After a couple of minutes, I was already sick of the traffic and asked Brandon if we could go back into the serenity of the jungle, to which I was met with an, "I know, right?" Two more elephants came to join us, 12-year-old Kai Mook and five-year-old Lala; these two were slightly more adept at trunk work but still just as beautiful to be around. Kikki would go on to tell us a grown Asian elephant consumes an incredible 300 kilograms of food and 100 liters of water, and each elephant always—always—has a keeper with them to help protect them against any predators. What predators, you ask? Try gigantic pythons and cobras, for starters. I had never been up close to an elephant before, and the ex - perience was genuinely moving. These gentle giants, graceful in their movements but with pure love in their hearts, were abso- lutely incredible to be around. Hug Koon soon got used to us, bashing into our legs and run- ning around just like a human toddler would. He had no control over his trunk, which made him all the more adorable as he tried to pick things up and failed, re - quiring Kikki to hand-feed him. If you don't like getting wet, perhaps the off-road tour might not be your cup of tea.