Search results for: elephant nature park

Feeding elephants

Within an hour of arriving to the park, I have met my first elephants. Our van is the first to arrive at Elephant Nature Park, so we drop our bags, and sit down. But, it is hard for any of us to sit still. There are elephants. Everywhere. Not just the actual animals, either. ThereContinue reading “Feeding elephants”

Speaking for the Elephants … in memory of Mae Sai Roong

Yesterday morning, when I turned on my computer after a night of restlessness, my heart sank. There, on the screen, were two Facebook status updates. One from the Elephant Nature Park & Foundation page stating Mae Sai Roong, an elephant our volunteer group had taken care of when she fell ill on Sept. 10, hadContinue reading “Speaking for the Elephants … in memory of Mae Sai Roong”

Escape of the Week: A cool elephant

I met quite a large number of elephants during my week at the Elephant Nature Park, an amazing sanctuary where captive working elephants go to live out the rest of their lives free from abuse. While I was there, I learned each of them has unique personalities. However, despite their uniqueness, they have one thingContinue reading “Escape of the Week: A cool elephant”

Escape of the Week: Jokia the Elephant

Today is Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2011. I have been just outside of Chiang Mai for nearly three days … living in the midst of elephants. Only, these aren’t the normal Thai elephants people see when they come to Thailand. These are the lucky ones. Most of these are elephants who have been saved from theContinue reading “Escape of the Week: Jokia the Elephant”

Two Years of Home

December 15, 2015. I remind myself regularly of this date. When I’m up at night, my brain whirrs as I count the days, weeks, months and now years since I turned my back on expat life. It seems like no time has passed at all, and yet all the time in the world has passed. DecemberContinue reading “Two Years of Home”

Midnight in the Garden of Good

There’s a cacophony of crickets, frogs and dogs barking that wake me before my friend, Jodi, does. Laying on the bamboo floor in her hut constructed of the same at Elephant Nature Park, I am still. Present in the total darkness as the world softly whispers outside the slats in her walls. Her soft footfallsContinue reading “Midnight in the Garden of Good”

Thailand: That Old, Familiar Smell

“There’s a smell,” the man seated next to me explains as we circle the airspace above Bangkok. “I can’t describe it … but … it’s this smell. It’s distinct. It’s Thailand.” I smile at him, weary from traveling for 24 hours and not looking forward to an overnight at the airport. “Ah,” I remark half-heartedly.Continue reading “Thailand: That Old, Familiar Smell”

5 Things to Do in Chiang Mai: a Mini Guide to Chiang Mai

Sweet, gorgeous Chiang Mai. Located in northern Thailand, this city is everything Bangkok is not: it is peaceful, relaxing and blessedly less crowded. It’s easy to just get sucked into the city when traveling and decide to stick around longer. With so many affordable hotels and guest houses in Chiang Mai (we’re talking under $10Continue reading “5 Things to Do in Chiang Mai: a Mini Guide to Chiang Mai”

The Story of My Thai Street Cats

If you would have seen me the day I dropped of my two cats, Keeley and Jezebel, at their new home, you would have thought someone I loved had passed away. Seriously. I hadn’t cried like that in a long time. There’s something exciting about starting a new life as an expat. A thrill. ThatContinue reading “The Story of My Thai Street Cats”