Elephants World Day Two

Today was much better then yesterday, and yesterday was fun. I started the second half of my trip at Elephants World by waking up at 6:00 to take a 6:30 hike with a mahout(pronounced mah-hoot). A mahout is a person who takes care of an animal, in this cause an elephant. The hike started out fairly easy, but soon got progressively more difficult. The hike became more of a climb. We only went up about a third of the way up the mountain, but the view was amazing.

Yet another stray dog. We left camp with 7, ended with 4. 

A panorama. I hope it will load for your enjoyment.

The mahout was not very talkative, even when he knew I spoke Thai. But the view made it worth it. After the hike I had about half an hour to wait before breakfast, in which I showered and packed up my things. At breakfast I talked to some of the other foreigner volunteers. There were two older women, in there 60s and 70s. One was from the UK, and the other from the USA, but both from New Jersey. They were both very kind to talk to me about their experiences with Elephant World. They came to Thailand specifically to volunteer for this program. They are assigned to a mahout and help him with various activities like walking the elephants and keeping watch over them.

After breakfast the two ladies went to join their mahouts, and I was joined by a worker who was to be my guide for that day. His name is Chang,  but I call him P'Chang. Saying the letter 'P' before a name indicates respect, and that the person is also older then you. In Thai culture, age is highly valued. Before going to take photos with the elephants, another volunteer who has been at Elephant World for 3 months now wanted to go with. It was her last day here before going to visit her family for Christmas. Emily is from New York state. She is quite friendly, and her level of Thai is about the same as mine. We both have different levels of vocablulary. Her Thai is less polite and she knows more insults then I do, but she also learned her Thai from a close groups of friends, all under the age of 25. For her setting, her Thai is very appropriate.

We walked out in the field to see some of the elephants and to take photos with them. 

In the background is the main facilities of elephants
world. I am stainding close to the edge of the property

Elephants eat everything! This one is digging into
a banana tree stalk.

Two mahouts and a chang(Thai word for elephant)

They really are gentle animals

I begin to grow more comfortable with the elephants and with the people running the programs. I started to become less polite with my Thai, because I think the mahouts and the guides felt like they had to be overly polite with me. After taking more photos, we went to feed and wash with the elephant. The elephants name is Sam-retd, the Thai word meaning successful. She is 69 years old, and ate very slowly. That was ok though because that gave us more time for photos! 

What a nice trunk!

I loved the texture on her chest. 

Even women can grow beards! 

She wants more to eat.

Sam-retd and her 17 year old mahout

We all bathed her and had fun throwing water at each other. It was nice to relax and not be in a group of tourist, although I am a tourist as much as I like to think I am not. Playing in the water with my three new friends reminded me of my time as an exchange student, making today vary nostalgic. After finishing up with Sam-retd's bath, we headed buck up to the dining area for lunch. They staff let me sit with them at the staff table, and I felt very welcome there. I met the Vet in residence, a woman from Northern Europe, maybe the Netherlands, named Tina. After lunch, there was a ceremony for one of the new elephants. This elephant was purchased by a company and donated to the sanctuary. She is very gentle and was patent throughout the whole process. 

A typical Thai set up for ceremonies 

Waiting patiently

We left half way through to go river floating. The three of us hopped the back of a pickup and drove to the main office to get lifejackets. Another mahout came with us, named P' Johnny. We then drove about 15 minutes up river. We put life jackets on, legs through were the arm holes are, and sat in them like giant diapers. Not necessarily the safest, but definitely the most fun. The current was strong, and it was nice to let the river guide us. Along the way some children yelled hello and we yelled hello back. I don't have any photos of the experience because I didn't want my camera to get wet. My trip to Elephants World ended soon after, and I found myself not wanting to leave. Everyone was so welcoming there, even if they swore a lot. I might go again, but maybe not. I had a good time and all the elephants and the people, they will have a special place in my heart. 

Saying good bye to the elephants

After taking the taxi back to Kanchanaburi, I checked back into VN Guesthouse. I walked through the streets and found a little shop that sold only vegetarian and vegan foods. I decided to give it a try, as it was recommended to me by other foreigners. I chose the Tom Yum, a spicy sour soup typically made with shrimp or prawns, but today it was made with tofu. I asked for it to be a little spicy, because normally it is too spicy for me to even eat. The food was a good balance between citric flavor and chill, as well as lemon grass, ginger root, and other classic Thai flavors. The staff were very sweet to me. 

Sunset view from my room

A man whizzes by on his motorized boat

My very flavorful dinner.

One of there servers pointed me in the direction of the night market, and so I set on my short walk to it. I tried to speak Thai to as many people as I could, making little conversations here and there. Everyone here is so kind and welcoming, especially if you know some of their language. After crossing a few streets and meeting a few stray dogs, I found the big bustling market. I'll just show you the photos.

A stand with various sea food. 

Grilled squid, something I'm not too fond of..........

A glance down one of the less busy ally ways of the market

Close to some of the food stands. 

A shop keeper busy making Thai desert. 

They are sort of like, this fortunate cookies, with warm marshmallow
cream as the white stuff, and various toppings. 

More traditional Thai dessert, this has more of a floral taste to it.
I remember making this in my school when I was on exchange. 

The owner stands proudly over her work. 

The market was busy and full of different smells. It was split into a food section and an everything else section, where they sold cloths to stickers to toys to dads to wallets and speakers. There were even some puppies and birds for sale. These local night markets are truly the place to be. 

All in all, today was a great day. Making friends at Elephants World reminded me why traveling and meeting locals is so important, and helped build some confidence on traveling on my own. Tomorrow I am heading back to my home town, where I will be meeting up with some of my friends who I met through my exchange program. I will stay in Nakhon Pathom till Friday. 

Wishing for the best on your adventures, 

Cienna