Approximately an hour’s drive from Chiang Mai, the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre provides treatments for sick and maimed elephants. Under the Royal Patronage, the 500-hectare sanctuary is the only elephant hospital in the world. Captured wild and discarded out-of-work domesticated elephants are looked after here.

The center, whose main objective is to conserve Thai elephants, works on a variety of academic and veterinary projects such as Biogas Producing System from Elephant Dung, an Education Center for Veterinary Students, Elephant Sperm Bank Project, Elephant adoption, Elephant Nursery Center and Elephant Mobile Clinic.

Visitors can watch elephant shows, have a ride on elephant’s back, join an elephant trek or even live and learn about elephants. The latter is a program called the “mahout training program”. This 10-day homestay program offers elephant lovers to experience the life of a mahout and his elephant. Participants will stay at the same house as the mahout and join in various communal activities from bathing an elephant to learning how to instruct the elephant to haul logs. The program also includes cooking and dining in northern Khan Tok style.

http://www.thailandelephant.org/eng/veterinary3.php3
http://www.tatnews.org/others/1785.asp#6

Dining in Thailand is usually a positive experience, but misunderstandings can arise. In large hotels and international restaurants the service is predictably good, but elsewhere it might not be. When ordering your food, ask the waiter to write down and repeat the order. Couples/groups ordering individual dishes should request that everyone’s food arrive at the same time. Orders sometimes disappear between the table and the kitchen, so if you feel something is amiss, tell the staff sooner rather than later.

If the bill is in Thai, ask the waiter to explain any discrepancies. These are usually accidental, but an unscrupulous restaurateur might sneak extra drinks onto a group bill. Useful expressions:

Mai sai prik. = No chili.
Mai aow ped. = I don’t want it spicy.
Nee mai chai kong pom. = This isn’t mine.
(Dish) mai dai. = I haven’t received (dish).
Kep tang/Check bin, khrap/kha. = The bill, please.

Common words in Thai menu
Pad (eg. Pad Thai) = stir fried
Ping, Yang (eg. Moo Ping or Moo yang) = grilled
Tom Yam = spicy sour soup
Kaeng (eg. Kaeng Khiew Waan) = spicy soup with coconut milk
Kao = rice
Kuay-Teow = noodles
Moo = pork
Gai = chicken
Nuea = beef
Pla = fish
Kung = shrimp
Luk-chin = meatballs

Useful expressions in the restaurant:
Mai Sai Prik = no chili
Mai Aow Ped = I don’t want it spicy
Nee Mai Chai Khong Phom/ Di-chan (for men/women) = This isn’t mine
Yang mai dai..(dish) = I haven’t received..
Kep tang/Check bin, krap/kha (for men/women) = The bill, please.
Khem/ Waan/ Ped/ Pruew mak pai = too salty/ sweet/ spicy/ sour.