Happy Elephant Sanctuary (Thailand, Day 3)

Our third and final full day in Chiang Mai we spent at the Happy Elephant Sanctuary. This is a sort of rescue center for elephants that have been mistreated or misused in the past. Unlike the other elephant programs in the area that advertise riding the elephants, this one emphasized us taking care of the animals. We got bananas, banana trees and sugar cane and fed it to them, and generally took care of them rather than them being there for our entertainment.

The first thing the native volunteers did when we arrived was write our names on our hands in Thai so they could remember what to call us.

First, they gave us special clothes to wear. These clothes have scents that the elephants are very used to and recognize so they don't have to take time introducing us as strangers and making sure the elephants will be okay with us.

Next they gave us a bag full of bananas. We spent a good while meeting the elephants and feeding them the bananas to get to know them. They had 3 grown elephants and 2 babies. One of the grown elephants was pregnant. (The one on the left in the picture below)

This is one of the two baby elephants. They love to give kisses with their trunks.

Soon enough, the elephants were getting very greedy with the bananas, and they started trying to stick their trunks in our bags or grab bananas right out of our hands before we even offered it to them.

The scenery around the sanctuary was gorgeous. It was on the side of a mountain facing a valley with a river running through it. The elephants walked right up next to the buildings like it was the most casual thing in the world. We were told at the end of the day that one of them actually stepped on and broke the water line. (But they said it hilariously like it was the most normal occurrence)

Several of the elephants enjoyed scratching themselves on the trees next to the houses.

After we finished feeding them the bananas, we walked them out across the field to the mud pit. Here we helped cover the elephants in mud to protect their skin from bugs.

Some of the elephants were a little hesitant about whether or not they wanted to get muddy. The babies on the other hand walked right in and flopped over on their sides, inviting us to lather them with the cool, wet dirt.

After the mud bath, it was time for lunch. We carried over tons of young banana trees for the elephants to break apart and eat. As soon as they saw us coming, they knew what time it was and raced out of the mud to greet us and their meal.

After we gave all of the food to the elephants to work through, it was time for our lunch! The money we paid for the day mostly went towards running the sanctuary, but also included our transportation and a home cooked meal! We had breaded chicken, watermelon, cucumber, pumpkin, and soup, served with rice and some kind of spicy, orange-colored sauce. I have no idea what was in it, but it was absolutely delicious!

After lunch, it was time to get the elephants some dessert. We drove a few minutes up the road to a farm that grew sugar cane. Here we were taught how to cut down the sugar cane and then separate it into a more manageable and eatable size, using a machete.

The elephants loved the snack. They enjoyed the stalk that we cut up for them as well as the spiky leaves.

Using the sugar cane as a bit of a lure, we began our trek with the elephants to the river where we would all be able to swim together while bathing the elephants.

Some of the elephants were eager to slide down the slope. Others needed some convincing by the Thai workers.

It is incredible and intimidating to walk directly in front of a 4 ton animal.

The long caravan of elephants heading to the river for a drink and to take a bath.

Eventually, I left the big elephants at the back of the line to walk with the babies that were speeding ahead at the front. They are so playful and energetic, and of course they wanted the sugar cane from my bag as much as the others did.

Bathing in the river turned into more of a water play time. We were suppose to be soaking the elephants, but the weather was hot and we wanted to be splashed with the cool water just as much.

After a little too much rough-housing, I found myself sitting in the water right next to the 4+ ton elephant. It's incredible to think she could have just rolled on top of me if she had wanted to, but they're gentle enough to know not to.

After we finished bathing and scrubbing them, the elephants returned the favor by soaking us with water from their trunks.

The babies stayed in the water the longest, as they enjoyed it the most. So at the end, we were all gathered around the last one while he repeatedly gave us all kisses.

The trek back to the sanctuary in the sun dried us very quickly. At one point there was a car on the road that pulled off a bit and calmly waited for the small parade of elephants to pass.

After changing out of our soaking clothes, we bathed with dish soap at the out door hose, took a quick dip in their pool and then headed back in a van to Chiang Mai.

Once back at Chiang Mai, around 5:30pm, we checked out of our hostel, got a quick bite of Pad Thai for dinner and then got on a bus to Bangkok. The bus took about 11 hours and we arrived around 5:30am. Here, I separated from Shane and Andrew to return to Korea. (They got to stay another whole week in Thailand.) I took a 30min taxi to the airport, then the 6 hour flight to Incheon, a 1 hour subway to Seoul, a 2.5 hour train to Ulsan and a 1.5 hour bus back to my apartment. All in all, getting home about 27 hours after leaving Chiang Mai. It was worth it. I loved Thailand and I already want to return!