We had been looking for a place to visit elephants but we didn’t want to go to those that offer elephant riding. Just when I thought we would leave Chiang Mai without visiting any, the CNN Travel Facebook page featured an elephant sanctuary and rescue place called Elephant Nature Park.
The 70+ elephants here have different stories. Some worked in circuses, some worked in the now-outlawed Thai logging industry, some walked the streets with their owners begging for money, some were still pulling timber in Myanmar (where logging is legal) when they got injured, some got injured by landmines in Myanmar, some were cursed with evil abusive owners, one was injured by an angry male who crushed her leg because he became moody during a forced mating session, and some were born here.
The sanctuary is about 60 km (37 miles) north of Chiang Mai. Our tour guide was really great. There were nine in our group. We were picked up at 8:00 am and dropped off at 4:30 pm. Elephants are such majestic, beautiful, cute and awe-inspiring animals.
If Punjena Pljeskavica is on the Menu, Get It! "He's your real brother?" Khalil said, "I'm from Pakistan, he's from Afghanistan, but we are brothers in the heart. No need to talk about what…
Thai Massage, In Thailand Yes, I planned all along to ditch Kenric, his sister and his cousin so that I could go see Parry for a massage. I called…
Visiting a Khmu Village in Laos Directly across the river from our hotel balcony in Pak Beng is Mekong Elephant Park. When we left this morning, we saw two of their…
You Too Can Help The Homeless Cats of Kotor We’ve been quite busy in Kotor, Montenegro. Rain or shine, we tried to grab or trap the homeless cats for spaying and neutering. Surprising ourselves,…
Making Landfall at Lake Bled We walked for over an hour (including photo-taking time). I kept thinking I would fall because the trail was only dimly lit, and many parts…
