Since I now am an expat in Thailand, spending my days helping Save Elephant Foundation (which includes a healthy mix of visiting it’s flagship project, Elephant Nature Park), I have oh-so many photos of life here. Namely, life with elephants. Let’s face it, I could take photos of tuk tuks, views from my apartment andContinue reading “Daily Wanderlust: Bath time at Elephant Nature Park”
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Daily Wanderlust: Morning glow at Elephant Nature Park
One of the best things about my expat life in Thailand is working for Save Elephant Foundation, which supports my most favorite place in the world, Elephant Nature Park. A perk of my gig is that I get to head the 60 km north once a week or so to take photos, meet reporters andContinue reading “Daily Wanderlust: Morning glow at Elephant Nature Park”
Escape of the Week: Elephant Nature Park
//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js // <![CDATA[ (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); // ]]> An hour outside of Chiang Mai is a sanctuary. A place where elephants from the elephant tourism and illegal logging industries go to live out their lives in peace. Here, there are no bullhooks. No one gets to ride on them. There are no tricksContinue reading “Escape of the Week: Elephant Nature Park”
Photo Essay: Life at Elephant Nature Park
For about one week, I was a volunteer at Elephant Nature Park. During that time, I did everything from shoveling poo to being blessed by a shaman to becoming part of the heard and spending time with elephants up-close, to singing “Que Sera, Sera” as they fell asleep. There were tears of joy and tearsContinue reading “Photo Essay: Life at Elephant Nature Park”
Tears of joy … and other last moments at Elephant Nature Park
To say there are a lot of tears on the last day as volunteers at Elephant Nature Park is an understatement. At least as it relates to me. If there’s one thing I have noticed during my week as a volunteer at Elephant Nature Park is that I cry. A lot. More than most people.Continue reading “Tears of joy … and other last moments at Elephant Nature Park”
Heartbreak and healing at Elephant Nature Park
//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js // <![CDATA[ (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); // ]]> Mae Sai Roong lays on the ground. She looks so little compared to the throngs of people around here — the Elephant Nature Park volunteers, the vets, the mahouts, Lek — all scrambling to make sure she doesn’t give up on life just yet. EveryContinue reading “Heartbreak and healing at Elephant Nature Park”
An inside look at Elephant Nature Park
Chai hands us each a huge bundle of bananas as we suit up in our rain gear. “For our walk,” he explains. I pull on my gum boots (with socks this time) and pull my poncho over my head, tucking my camera under it securely so it won’t get rained on. The clouds have beenContinue reading “An inside look at Elephant Nature Park”
Travel Bloggers Give Back: The Elephant Nature Park
I will never forget the first time I reached my hand out and touched the pink-speckled trunk of an Asian elephant. Towering over me, this beautiful girl stood, flapping her large ears in the late summer heat of Thailand. She stood in front our little group of volunteers, all of us nearly speechless at ourContinue reading “Travel Bloggers Give Back: The Elephant Nature Park”
Tuk tuks, red cabs … and elephants: arriving to Elephant Nature Park
The drive from Chiang Mai to the Elephant Nature Park is nothing short of surreal: from urban to highway to jungle in about an hour. And from cars and tuk tuks to elephants and ox on the side of the road. We start our first day as volunteers, 23 of us ranging in age fromContinue reading “Tuk tuks, red cabs … and elephants: arriving to Elephant Nature Park”
The Truth About Riding Elephants
I watch, happy tears swelling in my eyes, as the first of two rescued ex-trekking elephants walks off of the truck, backing out slowly and cautiously placing her hind legs, one-at-a-time, on the ground. It’s pitch black, save for a few flashlights and one camera light. Around us, cicadas, frogs and crickets all compete toContinue reading “The Truth About Riding Elephants”
D Travels 'Round 