Chiang Mai, ThailandThai Farm Cooking School...
We saw this cute site on the way to the farm. It was not uncommon to see dogs on motor bikes, but this was the biggest pup we had witnessed on wheels!
We stopped at the main market in Chiang Mai before heading to the
organic farm
Fried bugs anyone?
The Organic Farm
Aprons? Check! Goofy hats? Check! We're ready to cook=)
My yellow curry
We were very proud of our spring rolls!
Elephant Nature Park, Northern ThailandWe spent three days at the Elephant Nature Park, an incredible reserve, just north of Chiang Mai. Founded by a Thai woman named Lek, the park is a haven to some 30 elephants. These incredible creatures have been rescued from lives of strenuous work, harsh conditions, and cruel torture. They now experience love, care, and peace at this stunning sanctuary. We strongly encourage you to check out the park's website to learn more about the treatment of elephants in Thailand, and what we all can do to help these beautiful animals.
There are some 60+ rescued dogs on the premises... not all of whom enjoy playing with the elephants=)
If there was any sliver of doubt that the elephants are not happy here, this little girl will change your mind!
Bath time!
Smooch!!!
After several amusing attempts, Aurora was able to pick up the hat and place it directly on Isaac's head.
Though the elephants are not required to work at the park, their mahouts (trainers) still work with them on a daily basis. This serves to strengthen their animal-human relationship, and to prove that elephants can perform tasks without being threatened or abused. The mahouts at the park can not touch the elephants with anything but their hands, and use positive reinforcement (such as treats) during their training sessions.
We were thrilled when asked if we wanted to join several volunteers on an overnight journey to "Elephant Heaven." Each week a different elephant "family" leaves the park and treks into government land. There, the elephants are released for the night, so they may graze and wander at their leisure. That night, the mahouts made dinner and entertained us with music from homemade instruments. The next morning, we set off into the forest to round up the elephants and bring them back to the park. It was a priceless experience!
Unfortunately the monsoons came and poured down on us during our hike to Elephant Heaven... luckily, it cleared up in the afternoon and was beautiful!
Buddhist monks work with the Elephant Nature Park to promote conservation. They bless robes and give them to the park. During each trip to Elephant Heaven, the volunteers and mahouts bring strips of the blessed garments to wrap around trees. This protects the wrapped trees from logging.
Collecting the elephants in the morning... lucky for us, they hadn't wandered far
Meal time!
These intelligent creatures are quite itchy by nature, and make use of any device they can find to give themselves a good scratch!
The cavities above the elephants' eye socket are age indicators. The deeper they are, the older the elephant
Soil= elephant sunblock and bug repellent
Sweet baby... this little guy is 6 1/2 weeks old
I was blessed with some incredible play time with this 4 1/2 week old baby. He was a feisty little guy, though his courage came in spurts. He ran to hide next to his mom frequently, poking his head out from behind her and taunting us with little trumpets. So cute!!!
Our adorable little house at the park
Lek loves beautiful things, and plants flowers all over the park
Chiang Mai Night Market
We were completely tickled to see an artist at the night market creating a portrait of Sheik Mohammad, from Dubai! He had been commissioned to sketch all of Dubai's sheiks... small world!
We love tuk tuks!!!
