The last week has been truly amazing. I have been waking up at 6 a.m. every morning, shovelling buffalo shit, hauling elephant grass up and down hills, turning soil, planting trees, cutting bamboo, fixing wooden platforms, and most importantly - interacting with 31 elephants. I think I've lost about ten pounds and I now am certain I can do anything. It has been a week of manual labor with the greatest payoff being these magnificent creatures. I could sit and watch them for days. The park - Elephant Nature Park was started by a Thai woman named Lek (which means small in Thai) who may just be the most compassionate person I have met in a very long time. It is a sanctuary for elephants who have been mistreated, abused, and used for tourism, farming, and
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