Currently I am sitting in the airport in Taiwan ready to take off for home after a 6 hour layover. I left from Chiang Mai this morning after spending another unforgettable week at the elephant nature park and then finished by relaxing for 2 1/2 days in old town Chiang Mai.
I started my last week in Asia on monday at the park and felt right at home as soon as I arrived. All the staff were truly happy to see me return. They were very welcoming and eager to help me get more hands on experience treating the elephants. Although the Indian Veterinarian did not make it out to the park, I was lucky to work with the regular veterinarian on a new elephant that had arrived at the park just the week before. Ratree is her name and she was found in South Thailand in bad condition with hook puncture holes on her head and gashes on her body. My first day out I went straight to work. With the vet I cleaned all Ratree's wounds with an iodine solution, then saline and followed up with an antibiotic ointment. It was quite exciting as we fed her many bananas and other fruits and vegetables in order to control her. We had to move fast and it was almost as if we were dancing around her. I am sure it was entertaining to watch. I also treated an elephant, Jarunee, who had developed a large abscess on her ear. We flushed the abscess and drained the pus and followed up with regular wound care and antibiotic ointment.
Later in the week there were two great additions to the park...a new more experienced veterinarian specializing in elephant medicine (the other vet's focus is livestock) and also another elephant, returned from Lampang-the city where the large animal hospital is located. Unfortunately the elephant, Ka Meun, had been at the hospital for months now but due to politics and other issues between the park and those in charge at the hospital Ka meun had not been treated for several weeks. When he arrived at the park he had severe stomach problems-making it difficult to work with him as we had to dodge the diarrhea……and I can say from personal experience being hit with elephant diarrhea is not something you would ever want to have happen. He also had wounds and deep punctures and abscesses all over his body. The first day he arrived it took four of us almost 3 hours to clean his wounds, flush the pus from the abscesses and trim the necrotic skin around his sores and his foot where the toenail was absent. We also flushed the tusk cavity, infected and filled with pus from an old injury where the tusk was removed too high up. The new doctor was great to work with and his English was excellent. He explained all the treatment we did and showed me some useful tricks to treat the wounds. One wound was particularly nasty, a deep puncture filled with pus and maggots. We cleaned it and picked out the maggots with tweezers and then created a plug using gauze, antibiotic ointment and a powder that killed off the maggots. Really a great idea and something I am sure I will remember for treating deep maggot infested wounds in the future.

My days at the park this time consisted of twice a day treatments on sick elephants as well as regular volunteer activities like shoveling sand for the elephant shelters, preparing the food for mealtimes, cutting grass, breaking down bamboo and building a fence with the pieces. I even managed to go up to the new property again where a group of 5 of us made concrete, hand mixing sand and cement for a wash basin that we then built. All interesting and hard work I never imagined I would be doing. All various jobs I did at the park gave me a new perspective on the hard work and energy that goes into performing manual labor. It definitely made me appreciate the fact that I don't have to do it for a living. The people at the park and many in Thailand work these jobs 7 days a week, are paid little money and have almost no breaks. It is inspiring to see their dedication.
The group of volunteers my last week in the park were terrific, all interesting people, eager to volunteer and not afraid to get dirty. Once again I enjoyed Thai massages at night and entertaining games of cards. I even joined a group of guys playing Texas hold'em and after a slow start-where the guys thought I had no idea what I was doing-I finished off the big winner. Almost all the chips were in my pile. I was rather proud of myself on that one. I also become much closer with a number of the Thai staff. After my week at the park I spent that last few days in Chiang Mai with my friend Burm-viewing the city from the back of his motorbike. He showed me some wonderful spots in the city and delicious traditional Thai meals. My last night I met up with several of the Thai guys from the elephant nature park office and went out to a Thai buffet with a hot pot at the center of the table-cooking all sorts of meats and innards in front of us. I tried liver, some sort of other organ I was unsure of, tons of pork and pork fat and a couple of other things I didn't recognize. So much fun (although not completely appetizing) and a wonderful last night to end the trip.
When I made the plans for this trip 2 months seemed like such a long time to be away from home and living out of a backpack. I never could understand how people traveled for 5 or 6 months or more. Now that it is all over, I can't believe how fast a two month trip flew by. I feel like I should just be getting started on my travels. I am so sad to be leaving and not ready for it all to end. If I could, I think I would stay just in Chiang Mai for another full month (or longer) it is that great of a place. I am so thankful and grateful for this trip and all the opportunities it provided me. The experiences I acquired have truly made a positive impact on my life. I learned a great deal about a completely different and exciting field of veterinary care and this experience heightened my interest in veterinary medicine even more.
I am however looking forward to being with the family for Christmas and cross your fingers for me for veterinary school interviews, starting in January. Look forward to seeing everyone when I get back. Happy holidays!