Jungle Jen

---

Just got home from our 3 day trek through the jungle!! You'll just have to see the pictures to describe the trip, but it was none other than a difficult, hot, humid, wet.... exciting, fascinating, gorgeous, and an incredible time. It's this kind of travel.. visiting and seeing parts of the world that are nowhere near anything one would ever see near home... that are nearly unreal. Compared to some of the other trekking I've done, it was a fairly easy hike (of course, uphill is always difficult no matter how high or how long it is)... we stopped along the way to visit 4 different hill tribe villages where people live (literally) in the middle of no where! They fed us typical local food and we slept for two nights in the jungle (in a hut with mosquito netting around our bedding). On the third day we hopped on elephants in order to get back into civilization. The terrain was M-U-D-D-Y and difficult uphill/downhill. Now imagine doing that on the back of an elephant! It was really hard!! Ann (tour leader) and I were on the same elephant and laughing hysterically at how much we were flying around. We had to put our feet on it's back (sitting in a seat thing) and hold on for dear life to the handle bars of the seat. It's huge feet were sliding everywhere and I was quite certain that we were going down! And on top of that, we were about 12 feet off the ground! Anyway, it was awesome and I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing that experiencing elephant trekking. I was amazed at how well the handlers were able to communicate with the elephants. They are obviously smart animals. I enjoyed hearing all about them.. and feeding them!!!!

---

Photos

CIMG4084
Starting the trek through the jungle!

CIMG4087
Gorgeous scenery at every turn

CIMG4109
Hill Tribe Woman

CIMG4132
Passing the rice fields

CIMG4140
Serious trekker! It was sooo hot!

Photo 19
Crazy Richard!

Photo 21
Remote Hill Tribe village in the jungle.. this is where we stayed overnight

Photo 20
Passing through corn fields

Photo 1
Ann and I stop to have a local cold beverage

Photo 2
We slept on the floor of a hut with mosquito netting around each set of sleeping mats..

Photo 3
We had to help make food at night: Spring Rolls!

Photo 5
Spring rolls ready to eat!

CIMG4153
Getting ready to hop on

CIMG4169
Riding an elephant through the jungle was really hard!

CIMG4182
Huh.. I'm not so sure about this

CIMG4183
Maybe I'll try feeding this one

CIMG4184
Got it!

CIMG4185
Now I'll just feed all of them

CIMG4192
Elephants love Jen~!

Photo 15
Headed back to our hotel

Comments

[CJ]

Wow!
Makes my Mayan Riviera drink in Cozumel seem really tame by comparison! You go, Girl!

[adriane]

So glad to hear from you!!! Looks like you are having a great time, as usual. I always love seeing your pics. . . .keep em coming. When will you be back?

[Cathy]

OMG
Wow! Your trip is amazing! I am so jealous!

[Delia Baker]

You Rock!!
You are my hero! Stay safe!!!!

[gabriel]

wow
pretty speechless actually. Looks so beautiful there. Soooooo wish i had been able to tag along. I need a vacation of my own. :)

[Helen Hultquist]

Elephant Queen
Jen---What an experience. I know that feeding the elephants helped you to get the best ride---even slipping and sliding. The spring rolls and cold beverage looked soooo good. Enjoy. HH

[Kathy Klaus]

elephants
So--did your elephant have a name? Also, did he ever roar or make any noise? You are definitely the Elephant Queen. I can tell you are having a blast! Love, MOM

[Ann]

This sounds like a trip of a lifetime! I think I am 30 years too old and 30 pounds too heavy for the hike and the elephant ride!

[Holly]

Which tour group
Your trek sounds exactly like what I am looking for, not too touristy... Who did you arrange it with?

[Jen Klaus]

Tour Group
I am traveling with a group called "GAP Adventures"...however, I am pretty sure it was the travel agency associated with the Golden Triangle Inn/Budget Rent-a-car. They are known to be one of the best!

[kristel]

fun!
this looks like such a neat trip! you are so adventurous, I am jealous! :-) So I wanted to tell you, we just got home from Michigan, where we spent a few days in Traverse City, MI (very northern part). It is a big wine region and also famous for their cherry tree farms. We visited around 10-15 wineries and almost every one of them had a cherry wine or cherry port! So I tasted quite a few of those and thought about you, HA!

[Debbie Rutherford]

riding the big boys!!
Whooo....looks hot and wonderful!! I rode a elephant on a mission trip I took 10 years ago. They are cool but scary because you are SO high up! Looks like you are having a trip of a lifetime. Enjoy every minute!!

[mc]

What fun!
were you expecting a car when you went through Budget Rent a Car and surprised when you got an elephant instead? Also, it looks like the local tribe lady in the photo with you was having a really good time. Maybe she or someone else put something special in her 'local' beverage. I hope you're planning on bringing a few of those fun hats back with you; they would certainly spice up our yoga/pilates classes, right? ...and Crazy Richard. He looks cute and fun. If you can't bring home the hats, bring him instead.