So often travel photographs and the stories that go along with them only highlight the wonderful, the amazing and the life-changing aspects to the trip. When I show my pictures to family, friends and travel enthusiasts, they see that spectacular view or the amazing animals and listen to the funny or insightful stories that go […]
Read More…
Maybe it has something to do with getting older, but for the past few years, I have had less of a desire for birthday things and rather look forward to having fantastic birthday experiences. Last weekend, I turned 33 and I wanted nothing more than to hang out with my two favorite ladies: Ligeia, of […]
Read More…
Nestled in a valley between two mountain ranges rich with lush shades of green, the northern city of Chiang Mai feels more like a small town with access to nature only steps from your guesthouse. Completely surrounded by an old wall and a moat dating back to the 13th century, it’s easy to compare the unofficial […]
Read More…
We spent a week within the Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary, midway between the Thai border to the north and Siem Reap to the south. We helped out by planting trees in one of the most deforested countries in the world, weeding, creating gardens, and cleaning out the duck pond (not as much fun as the other tasks). […]
Read More…
It was late January when rumors started swirling that Save Elephant Foundation was getting ready to rescue another elephant. A few months earlier, during my trip to Surin province to witness Dao Tong’s rescue, my fear of throwing up on the truck due to my crippling motion sickness kept me from fully experiencing this momentous […]
Read More…
As you may know, since we volunteered at Elephant Nature Park in May 2012, the foundation that runs it (Save Elephant Foundation), its people and especially the animals it cares for have become very dear to our hearts. In late 2010, two Australians similarly volunteered and their lives immediately changed as well. During their week […]
Read More…
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the Surin Elephant Roundup, a government-sanctioned festival celebrating Thailand’s revered Asian elephant. The multi-day event draws large crowds all eager to witness elephants showcasing their amazing abilities. Elephants dancing to Gangnam Style, throwing darts to pop balloons, playing an organized game of soccer and even walking upright to […]
Read More…
One night at the Elephant Nature Park (saveelephant.org) there was quite the commotion with trumpeting and trunk slapping. It wasn’t until the morning though that they realized why: a little baby boy had been born during the night. He was given the name Navann, after a minister in the Cambodian government, who happened to be […]
Read More…
We arrived at Elephant Nature Park on Sunday morning and were shocked to hear the news the little baby elephant, Raja Gaja, had passed away the night before. Despite round-the-clock care, attention and love, he didn’t make it. The last several days included some major discomfort so this was seen as the end of his suffering. […]
Read More…
We went to Elephant Nature Park again for the day as we do every second Saturday. This time was an extra special visit though as we learned on the ride up about a baby elephant that had just arrived the day before. He was only 2 days old. Immediately upon arriving at the park we rushed to the enclosure that […]
Read More…
Since Ligeia was only 2 kilometers away from the Elephant Nature Park where she and Mindy did the week of volunteer service, Ligeia decided to spend Friday afternoon and evening visiting the elephants. Oh how great it was to be back! Her visit began with lunch which was yummy and full of vegetarian choices! And […]
Read More…We have befriended several of our fellow volunteers at the Elephant Nature Park and have been fortunate enough to spend more time with them while they are still in Chiang Mai. The group started out with quite a large number but day by day, friends leave Chiang Mai and continue on their way and to […]
Read More…
At the Elephant Nature Park, about one hour north of Chiang Mai, longer-term volunteers begin each Monday. We were picked up at 8:15am by a van from our condo and after a brief stop at the office to pay our balance and pick up our volunteer T-shirts and water bottles, we were on our way […]
Read More…
Tuesday, our first full day at the park began at around 4am with a chorus of barking dogs. We tried our best to get back to sleep, but inevitably, something would rile the dogs each hour. We were both awake long before our alarm was scheduled to go off. We enjoyed a small buffet breakfast […]
Read More…
Wednesday morning began in the usual way – dogs barking, breakfast with elephants walking mere meters from where we were sitting and getting our chore assignments for the day. Today was corn harvesting day which meant that we wore long-sleeved clothing (to avoid itching) and long pants or boots for the same reason. Mindy also […]
Read More…
We began our day knowing it would end at Elephant Haven, a place where elephants can roam free, even during the night. Team Poop went to work as several elephants enjoyed the corn we had just cut the day before: After showering (something we got into a routine of doing approximately 3 times a day), […]
Read More…
Friday morning began early with breakfast at Elephant Haven before heading down the mountain again. One of the projects Lek has spearheaded is tying blessed monk cloth around trees to help prevent deforestation. In Thai culture if someone cuts down a tree that has an orange cloth tied around it, they will receive bad luck […]
Read More…
Despite the lack of photographical evidence (due to a corrupt memory card) our Saturday morning was spent washing and sorting elephant food including squash and watermelons. Having finished early we reunited Team Poop to get the shit done! (tee hee hee) Before lunch Mindy witnessed what we now refer to as The Elephant Kerfuffle: Relaxing […]
Read More…