Rachael Age 13- Exploited for tourism, logging and show business, elephants from all over Thailand are not free like they were destined to be. The Elephant Nature Park gives these previously exploited creatures a fresh start and a great home. The 400 acre nature park is home to over 80 elephants, 600 rescued dogs, 500 cats, 300 water buffalo, and one very playful goat! The park is staffed by volunteers (many who come from western countries to work for 3-6 months), paid guides, and ‘mahouts’ (the elephant’s personal trainer).
We learned the tragic stories of some of the elephant’s former lives, (even met some who had parts of their feet blown off by landmines in Myanmar) and were able to interact with them. We were able to feed them, feel their tree-bark like skin, and even observe them playing in the river. The day was over too soon; there were around 20 dogs and 10 cats we wanted to adopt, but Mom and Dad were not as keen on the idea. The experience was so much fun and very educational.
Sarah Age 11- My favourite experience in Thailand was our trip to the Elephant Nature Park. Our trip began with us feeding the elephants bananas. You would hold a couple bananas in your hand and the elephant would wrap their trunk around the bananas then throw them into their mouths.
We got to pet the elephants, and their skin felt rough like sandpaper. I loved being up close to them and looking into their big eyes. We got to watch the elephants in their family units play in the water. They really came alive and would dive under and spray themselves playfully. After their bath time they would play in the mud and throw dirt on their backs with their trunks! This wasn’t to ruin a perfectly good bath, rather the dirt and mud acts like sunscreen for their skin- they can get sunburns too!
I like how educational the sanctuary was. We learned how so many elephants in Thailand are used in logging, street begging, and in the tourist trade giving rides. All of these actions are generally abusive to the animals. The sanctuary rescues, and buys elephants from these places where they are being mistreated and gives them a home where they are well cared for and have lots of room to roam free.
Lily Age 8- One of my favourite things we did in Thailand was visiting the famous Chatuchak Market. The market is huge and packed with people. There were 8,000 different stalls selling all kinds of stuff like jewelry, clothes, food, even baby squirrels! My mom’s watch told us we walked 14 kms, and we saw less than 20% of the market. I bought some stuff for my friends, and a few things for myself: a shirt, a scarf, and a pencil case with the money I saved for the trip.
I got to have a smoothie with the water melon being the cup! There were lots of gross food like snakes, scorpions, octopus and even fried pig’s heads! Yuck!
Barden Family Adventure 