Journey to Ancient Asian Cultures
By Matt Stanley
Today has been an experience I will never forget it as there is no way anything else could ever compare to how we were able to interact with the elephants. After a relatively early morning following a long day of travel, we were all able to get fed and moving on the road for the ride out into Thailand’s backcountry. When we finally got to our destination, it was not after we got out of the van that we saw the elephants taking refuge in the shade of the trees. As we approached the site where we would spend most of our day, the pack emerged from their hiding spot in the jungle as they knew food would be on its way shortly. We were quickly debriefed on how to feed to animals before being handed baskets of sugarcane and bananas along with the addition to watch out for “the naughty girl”. As we entered the pen that was meant to prevent any of the 1-ton giants charging us for food, we found out where the young three-month-old elephant got her nickname as “the naughty girl” from when she decided she was going to split the group and come inside the pen with us. After she managed to find her way out of our enclosure, the four elephants managed to stuff themselves with all ten baskets of snacks in what felt like no time at all. We then took them for a walk up into the woods which was soon accompanied by them giving out hugs and some kisses on the neck for the camera. After the short hike, we devoured our lunch as the elephants got a second meal of some branches and coconuts. Then, after changing into swimsuits, we proceeded to follow the elephants into a pit of mud and give them a mud bath. This did not last long before evolving into a scene of mud and water being thrown about resulting in everyone leaving with a layer of mud covering their body. The elephants knew what was next though as they soon proceed to make their way down a muddy trail to a river tucked away in the trees. More splashing followed as we washed both the elephants and ourselves of the mud coating our skin. That wrapped up our day at the park as we cleaned ourselves up and packed into the van. After the two-hour car ride back, everybody was ready to crash as it was a relaxing evening at the hotel. *Note from Miss Prince: Check out the 'Photos' for some shots from today! Pictures will be added daily.
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AuthorEntries in this blog are written by trip leaders and student participants of the 2019 Thailand and Cambodia Winterim Archives
March 2019
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