You know that feeling when you’re traveling, and the thrill of being in a new place totally overrides your common sense? That was us earlier this year in Chiang Mai—Jamie and Diego, wide-eyed tourists at a Chinese night market, with street food calling our names. “Cheap sushi in Thailand? What could possibly go wrong?” I’ll let you guess how that turned out.
It was February, and the warm air was full of sizzling sounds, smoky smells, and chatter from vendors. The market was buzzing, and we couldn’t resist diving headfirst into what can only be described as a street food frenzy. Durian, sour mango, dumplings—you name it, we tried it. Then came the sushi. We spotted a stall with trays of perfectly rolled sushi, and with prices that made our wallets do a little happy dance, we thought, why not?
Spoiler Alert: We Should Have Said No to the Sushi
Fast forward a few hours, back at the hotel, and Jamie was not looking so hot. And by not so hot, we mean she was doubled over in bed clutching her stomach like someone had hit her with a frying pan. The bathroom quickly became her new best friend. Diego was still feeling fine (lucky him—for now), but watching her go through it had him low-key nervous. The worst part? We had an early morning pickup for an excursion we’d been dying to do—the Chailai Orchid Elephant Sanctuary.
Now, canceling wasn’t really an option because we’d booked it weeks ago, and let’s be real: elephants. We couldn’t pass up an opportunity to hang out with some gentle giants, even if Jamie had spent her night battling the toilet. So, like the troopers (or fools?) we are, we decided to suck it up and go.
The Longest Pickup Truck Ride Ever
Picture this: a half-asleep Jamie trying her best to survive the bumpy ride on the back of a pickup truck, motion sickness swirling in her already queasy stomach. It felt like the journey was never going to end. Diego kept one eye on her and one on the road ahead, praying she’d make it without needing an emergency stop.
After what felt like forever, we finally arrived at the sanctuary. And oh boy, was it worth it. Elephants—big, small, and absolutely majestic—just roaming around like it was no big deal. Jamie perked up a little at the sight of the baby elephants, their trunks swinging around like toddlers learning to walk. We got to feed them, and watching them splash around in the lake was pure magic.
For a while, everything felt perfect. Sure, Jamie was still fragile, but the fresh air and elephants seemed to do wonders for her spirits. Cue Diego’s stomach starting to gurgle ominously.
When Nature Calls… Literally
Here’s where things get real interesting. Part of the day’s itinerary included a peaceful bamboo raft ride down the river, surrounded by lush greenery and the sound of water gently lapping against the raft. Serene, right? Well, not when Diego’s stomach decided it wanted in on the action.
We were floating along when suddenly, he grabbed Jamie’s arm with a look of pure panic. The kind of look that says, “I need a bathroom… NOW.” Only, we were in the middle of a river with no toilets in sight. Diego, bless him, tried to hold on, but it was a losing battle. With no other options, we had to ask the boy navigating our raft to pull over. We’ll never forget the look on his face—pure confusion, but a little bemused at the same time.
“Could you, uh… park the raft?” Jamie asked, using our dear friend Google Translator, trying not to laugh as poor Diego dashed for the nearest trees to handle business the old-fashioned way. Yep, nature called, and we had no choice but to answer. Let’s just say that bamboo rafting took on a whole new meaning that day.
Laughing (and Cringing) About It Later
Eventually, we made it back to the sanctuary, with Diego looking a little worse for wear but still managing to chuckle at the absurdity of the situation. Jamie, feeling slightly better, was just glad she wasn’t the one running for the trees. By the time we got back to the hotel that evening, we were exhausted and had learned a valuable lesson: maybe avoid sushi that had been outside in the burning heat all day…
And there you have it, the time we turned a dream trip to the Chailai Orchid Elephant Sanctuary into a day of survival. Would we do it again? Absolutely. Would we skip the sushi next time? You bet.
Have you ever had a travel experience go hilariously (or painfully) wrong? Drop your stories in the comments—We need to know we’re not the only ones! And don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter for more tales of travel triumphs, mishaps, and everything in between!
