The Elephant is the National Symbol of the Kingdom of Thailand. These mammals are venerated by the Thais because of their symbolic importance to the monarchy, their religion and, of course, the nation.

Love it or hate it, it's hard to avoid. In Thailand, there are elephants all over... as statutes, in conservatories, in natural parks, as modes of transportation and in Safaris with mahouts. Heck, you'd even see them wandering the streets.

If you want to take part in one of the Thailand travel clichés, it's easy.

Head over to Mae Taeng Elephant Park and ride an elephant. Maetaeng Elephant Park is located at 99 Moo 2, T. Keudchang, A. Maetaeng.

You can also learn how to "drive" the elephant the way moahout's do. Take part in the Mahout Training Course at the Thai Elephant Conservation Center.

Of course, there's more to Chiang Mai than elephants. You can also...

Take advantage of the Thai farmer house program. Stay overnight and experience the local way of life.

Do visit a Thai Celadon factory where every piece of high quality celadon ceramics with wood-ash glaze are hand-made into perfection.

Of course, a trip to Chiang Mai is not complete without visiting the famous Buddhist temple, Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep.

Thailand's Rose of the North is located 700km from Bangkok and is easily accessible via Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX). A trip to Chiang Mai would be a refreshing change from the present grey weather we are having.