Category
I had a hard time deciding whether or not I wanted to return to Elephant’s World. Volunteering there a year ago was an unforgettable experience, but it was not all sunshine and rainbows. Ultimately, I decided to put aside the few personal issues I have with the place, and go….
The last few days have been a whirlwind of busses, temples and Chang. We’ve been waking up at 7am and staying out until midnight. There’s so much to do and so many massages to be had! After our brief 15 minutes of fame, we decided to bounce out of Bangkok….
32 days ago I was standing in the international terminal of LAX.. crying. I was terrified. Angry for putting myself in this situation, boarding a plane heading 8,000 miles away to live in yet another jungle.. this time by myself. The only thing that really got me here was a…
Today I earned my Thai food chef wings!! I found the cutest little vegetarian restaurant across the street from my guesthouse and the owner offers private cooking lessons for only 600 baht ($18.50)! For the class you are allowed to pick any three items from the menu, plus a delicious…
Yesterday I said goodbye to my 11 new elephant friends and set off on the tail end of my journey. Anyone that has spoken to me over the last month knows that I haven’t exactly loved ElephantsWorld as much as I had anticipated. I complained a lot, cried a little,…
This afternoon while walking up to eat dinner, several of us noticed Kamkaew in the bushes paired with lot of commotion. None of us could figure out what was going on until we walked a little further.. A big truck was idling at the top of the hill and all…
Collecting banana trees is my least favorite task at ElephantsWorld. Every day, we must drive to one of the local farms to load 1000’s of pounds of banana trees into the truck for the elephants to eat. Banana trees yield fruit only once in their lifetime and then become useless…
Today is Thanksgiving, and I’m in Thailand. There has been no mention of turkey or pilgrims, no festive plates, and the smell of holiday candles with dumb names like “Season of a Peace” or “Winter Fig” are missing from the air. As if a candle can really smell like peace, or figs can…
This afternoon the new elephant was brought to ElephantsWorld!! Her name is Dao Lyng and she’s 40 years old. The trekking camp drove her over in a big truck and I was fortunate enough to be a part of welcoming her to her new home! We backed her up to the…
This morning I was asked to go with several mahouts to a nearby trekking camp in order to look at a new elephant that might be donated to ElephantsWorld. I was thrilled at the chance to be able document the process of acquiring a new elephant but the reality of the…