So we are back in Chiang Mai. We left the elephants two day ago and we are excited to go forward to Pai and then make our way to Laos but leaving that place was really sad for me. Easily the most beautiful place I have ever seen, I already know the images that are going to stay with me long after this trip ends. An amazing veg buffet three times a day. Laying on the decks reading, watching elephants graze. Waking up before sunrise to the chorus of barking dogs. Bathing elephants in the river— filling up buckets of water and splashing them onto their indifferent heads. Listening to Lek, the founder, speak about her story, the struggles she overcame to make Elephant Nature Park possible. In addition to elephants, there are also rescued cows. A newer addition: dogs rescued from the floods around Bangkok. Her reasoning? They were there, and I couldn’t turn my back on them. She is such an inspiration, living proof that a better world is possible. Do yourself a story and read her story here. It was such an astonishingly beautiful place that your brain doesn’t even allow you to process everything you are seeing. I think, one day this Spring, I will be walking around New York and it will hit me: there are no elephants here, and maybe then I will be able to truly appreciate that extraordinary week. 

The first day we arrive we are given a tour of the sanctuary and get to meet/bathe/feed/take pictures with some of the elephants. As our tour guide is talking, I look beyond her to the elephants and amazing open space and loping mountains in the distance. I felt the same way I did the first time I saw Farm Sanctuary. The knowledge that for so many, this is heaven on earth. 

We quickly fell into a routine that involved us going to bed at around 8 and waking up at sunrise. While I covet this routine, I have never been more sure of anything than the fact that this very healthy, functional sleeping pattern will end the second I return to… America? The US? The States? Am I the only one who thinks that any American who calls the US “the States” sounds like a douche? Whatever. Every morning we would wake up at around 6 and go to the main… building? It was kind of more like a magical treehouse, with a wrap around deck where we would feed the elephants. We would usually get there a little early to play with the dogs. 

There are dogs EVERYWHERE!!!! No matter where you are sitting you are surrounded by dogs. After breakfast, there were morning chores: either washing the fruit for ele breakfast, shovelling poop, or cleaning out the mud pit. I must say my muscles are looking much more defined than they were a week ago. Honestly, we preferred the shovelling. There was a teamwork feeling to it all. Plus you could tan simultaneously!!!! #whitegirlsolutions

Elephants eat a lot!!! Solidarity with my fat vegan fellow mammals. 

Then there was lunch. I want to talk about the food but I am afraid I will drool on the keyboard and then cry because I miss it so much. Most amazing food I’ve ever eaten in MY LIFE!!!! An entire buffet of the most amazing food I’ve ever eaten in my life. If we had gotten there and someone said “actually, there’s no elephants here, but try these curried potatoes!” I would probably have stayed the week and been happy anyway. To demonstrate, I will steal this photo from Casey:

OH MY GOD. Anyway.

The afternoon tasks varied. One day we were mixing cement for a new walkway. One day we were collecting rocks (Madison and I were really good at that one, and by that I mean we found a really interesting plant and played with it for an hour). One day we shoveled MORE poop into bags to fertilize the vegetable garden (is that the secret to amazing Cauliflower?). One afternoon we visited a local school, where I located my inner camp counsellor and decided Thai babies are superior to all other babies. 

The peace sign was unprompted. She just knew! I also realized that I am still bomb diggity and hula hoping and not too shabby at jumping rope, either. Boom. 

Other things.

I fell in love with about 5 dogs there. But there was one beautiful girl who slept outside of our room each night. We named her guard dog. So beautiful!!!

Other things I loved:

Hearing Casey and Madison scream:

The fact that this is normal:

And, of course, all of the chillin with elephants!

Just amazing. This is a place that I am sure I will visit again. The dark side to Elephant Nature Park is the same one that exists with every kind of sanctuary for rescued animals: the fact that they need rescuing. In Thailand, domesticated elephants are considered livestock, and as such there are no laws protecting them. A brutal ritual is the norm to break their spirit, and abuse and exploitation runs rampant as they are used as tourist attractions in major cities. I beg anyone who travels to not incorporate animal abuse into your itinerary. We have seen countless advertisements for elephant rides, night safaris, a horrible place called Tiger Kingdom where you can take pictures with tigers because they are too drugged up to move. There are so many alternatives where you can experience these animals in a way that helps them and doesn’t perpetuate their suffering. For any animal lover visiting Thailand, a week volunteering at Elephant Nature Park is a MUST! Loved it!