Cherry the Elephant

Today was the day I've been waiting for ever since I first learned what the word Thailand was and that it was a country basically revolved around a giant but gentle animal.

Today was the day I got to ride an elephant! 

Tour tickets and packed breakfast (complimentary of our hotel) in hand, Haley and I headed to our pick-up point.

The two hour ride North our of Bangkok to Khao Yai National Park was yet another chance for me to take an unnecessary nap, but I blame the fact that I get motion sick in cars if I read or try to do anything productive to the obsessive amount of sleep.

Our day was packed full of events that would ultimately break up the long day of travel. First stop was a local fruit market. If you've ever been to Asia you know that most locals do the majority of their shopping in markets.

In fact, whenever I need something now I generally always rack my brain for the closest market I can visit. With that said the local fruit market wasn't much of an attraction for Haley and I. Most markets look the same with a few minor differences in goods being sold.

Thai Spices

 

Eager to get back to the air-conditioned van we all jumped back in and headed to a small farm which had ox-carts for us to ride in. 

Like I've said before, from what I've seen in Thailand the majority of the Thai economy is centered around tourism. One savvy farmer clearly had this figured out because when we arrived at the ox cart ride he ran up to us with authentic hats in hand, directed us towards our cart, offered to snap pictures, and quickly ushered us in to the cart so he would have a higher turnover. 

The ride was definitely a unique form of transport. One of my oxen didn't like me too much and kept lunging his horns into my back, but besides that the whole experience was great! 

Horns in my back

 

Hot and sweaty again we were on the move to the park. We arrived and paid the 400 baht foreigner fee to enter (its 40 for locals), and then hiked to a waterfall. Because it is just the start of the rainy season there hasn't yet been a lot of rainfall and therefore the water fall was lacking in the water department. It was still pretty and worth the horrendously steep set of stairs. 

Stairs, Stairs, Stairs 

Look out point over the park

 The tour truly did have a grand finale- elephants! I could not have been more excited. Our tour guide also picked Haley and I to ride on the necks of the elephants. 

We headed to the "station" (a very tall wooden platform) and hoped on. It's not exactly easy to straddle the neck of an elephant... 

A 45 minute trek through the jungle was not nearly enough on my beautiful elephant Cherry but it was still unforgettable. I got sprayed by her trunk, watched her eat, pet her, and got one of the best seats in the house. Cherry was the sweetest and most gentle creature I have ever met. She is also very determined too- she definitely kept up a fast pace to get to the front of the pack. 

After one of the best days of my trip it was back to Bangkok again.