i love elephants. but not stomach viruses.

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Last Sunday I hopped a plane from Kolkata to Chiang Mai, Thailand to spend a week volunteering at the Elephant Nature Park. Due to a nasty stomach virus I caught on the way to Thailand, I spent just as much of the week sulking in my bed as I did frolicking with elephants. And then, thinking it was food poisoning and that it couldn’t be spread, I proceeding to share said stomach virus with half of the other volunteers. And now I probably now have people cursing my name across the globe. Good work, me. Sorry, fellow volunteers. I’m still on a self-imposed guilt trip.

But the sick isn’t the interesting part. Once I recovered and could finally keep some food in me, I had an amazing time. In Thailand, elephants are used for all sorts of work- shows, trekking, and even accompanying their owners in begging on the street. This park is committed to allowing elephants to just be elephants, which I think is much more entertaining than watching them do anything else. As volunteers, we helped feed them, bathe them, make food for them, and clean up after them. You can use your imagination as to what needed cleaning up…it required large shovels. But even the messiest of jobs was really great fun.

The absolute best time was bath time. We would all go down the the river (elephants included). We would throw buckets of water on the elephants and then when they sat down in the water, we would give them a good scrub. They loved it. Afterwards, a couple of them would give us elephant kisses and spray water on us on the beach.

We went on a hike into the more remote area nearby with the elephants and spent the night camping. They love it up there, as they can really roam free. And the Thai countryside is absolutely breathtaking. Dad, seriously. You’ve got to come here. I thought of you and how much you would love it so many times.

There were a few elephants in particular that worked their way into my heart: Jokia, who had been blinded in both eyes by her previous owners, and her elephant friend Mae Perm who never leaves her side. The “teenage” and “toddler” elephants all had naughty streaks in them and they were hilarious to watch. And the babies…they were the cutest.

So it’s official. I love elephants. They are amazingly smart and can be so gentle and sweet. I think maybe I’ll get one instead of a dog. Tim and Al, you’re cool with that, right? Chomperzz will love it.

I’ve spent the past few days back in the city of Chiang Mai, pampering myself with massages and eating good food and visiting some really striking temples. It’s been wonderful.

Mom, I thought of you.

Thailand has been very restful after India. It’s more western, which makes it easier for me to navigate, and the people are wonderfully friendly and welcoming. It’s been a good couple of weeks! I leave tomorrow to head to Kunming, China. I can’t believe I only have three weeks left…

I’ve expressed this to quite a few of you already, but it’s been sad to be here and to get a different perspective on the violence and unrest going on in India and Bangkok. Neither situation has affected me directly, but I’m leaving people and places behind with a heavy heart, as their futures are pretty uncertain. Keep both India and Thailand in your thoughts and prayers. A lot of people will be struggling long after the headlines move on to the next story.

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