#PuzzlesforPromise
On September 11th, 2015, in line with further support of Baan Dek Dee orphanage and in collaboration with Chiang Mai Night Safari and Aware Corporation – SiamMandalay took the kids from Baan Dek Dee on an orphanage outing - A Day of Fun.
Thanks to the support of Chiang Mai Night Safari, who were kind enough of to waive the entry fee, it was possible for the children to visit one of the most popular tourist spots in Chiang Mai. Complete with laser show, fireworks and of course, a host of exotic animals.
The idea for the safari visit was from Manop who had suggested the outing. The children had previously been taken to the zoo and enjoyed it thoroughly. There was a substantial team, all 28 children joined in on the event with six support staff and the complete SiamMandalay marketing team in tow.
The Night Safari is offers up an interactive and valuable learning experience. The children get to view and interact with animals in a more natural habitat as opposed to held captive in pens & cages. The night safari provides a more participatory experience, many of the animals especially the large cats are nocturnal and more active at night.
Chiang Mai Night Safari is considered one of the best night safaris in the region and is twice the size of its Singaporean counterpart, at 328 acres. For those who have never experienced a night safari, it works similarly to a zoo except open in the evening and mapped out like a theme park.
The excursion was split into three sections – the first attraction “night predators” allowed the children to view how animals capture and eat their prey, this made a nice change from the tacky circus style shows. It includes a host of glamorous animals – jaguars, leopards and lions all of which are catching prey, climbing trees, swimming and leaping.
They also have a handful of less glamorous animals - porcupines, ant eaters and hyenas, some of which, get up close and personal, walking along a trapeze suspended above the audience.
The bulk of the night safari is made up of in a Jurassic Park style drive through experience – where you are encouraged to feed some of the animals – fortunately the scarier animals are moated into enclosures, however deer, goats, sheep, rabbits and other herbivores roam around freely.
The Savanna zone houses over 300 animals – predominantly from Africa: Hyenas, Lions, Cheetahs, Giraffes, Zebra and Ostriches. The predator prowl zone consists of more than 200 animals: Lions Hunting Dogs, Vultures, Crocodiles and Canadian Wolves.
The evening was finished by a water laser show, fireworks and a traditional Thai dancing show.
It had been a hectic but enjoyable Friday for the SiamMandalay team who had been packing containers that week. The evening took its toll on everyone involved, including the children who had been at school all day, fortunately Manop still had energy to get the kids home.
SiamMandalay is continuing to support the children of Baan Dek Dee by offering a portion of all online sales during the Christmas period.
