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Breakfast was at 9:30 so we got to sleep in a bit. There was a huge thunder storm in the middle of the night. We asked what the elephants think of storms and they said that they enjoy it because of the rain. They know thunder won't hurt them. The morning was spent learning about elephant dung and how to tell if an elephant is sick or not. We actually had to pick it up with our hands and break it apart. Its really just grass, bamboo and sugarcane. It doesn't even stink. I still felt a little weird about picking up poop though. Then we cleaned up some of the leaves and crap that the elephants throw on the ground. After we picked the elephant we wanted for the day and took them to the pool for a bath. I sat out this time and let Tris do the washing. We had a little break then went on the hike for lunch. It was a pretty big walk for the elephants but they seem to enjoy every step of the way. At the top we had a lovely lunch consiting of Thai fried rice wrapped in banana leaves, and of
course fresh pineapple. There is no comparison to the fresh pinapple, it tastes like sunshine! After we hiked back down and washed the elephants again. Then it was time for us to shower and pack up our things.
The experience was incredible and we both encourage anyone who comes to Chiang Mai to spend the money and see it for themselves. This was the real thing. Baanchang Elephant Park is dedicated to providing elephants with the highest quality of life possible. The location of the park provides a natural habitat for the elephants. They are against the practise of elephant painting, and training elephants to dance, sit or stand on two legs. They consider these practises unnatural and abusive. Their goal is to teach visitors about the importance of elephant preservation and proper eating, sleeping, bathing, and exercising methods. One method they use to provide exercise to the visitors is to allow visitors to ride the elephants bareback to a limited extent. Caring for exploited and abused elephants is a continuous, difficult and costly process
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