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What an amazing day!!! I love elephants!!!
I think it's safe to say we were all a little excited today knowing that we would be visiting the elephant conservation centre just outside Lampang.
A 45minute drive in our private bus and we were there! The first part was a ride on the elephant!! I was so excited, myself and Jackie shared and we soon found ourselves seated on the back of a male elephant. We trekked through water and jungle on this magnificent creature. It's skin was rough and hairy to touch and he def had a mind of his own; constantly stopping and going "off road" to munch on some plants. Elephants eat over 250kg of food a day!! The ride was fantastic and it was strange how such a huge creature could seem so elegant.
After the ride we went to see the elephants being washed and were given an opportunity to feed and stroke them, I received one very snotty elephant kiss on the arm and a second on the shoulder where it decided to try and suck my shoulder up through the trunk!! Was hilarious. They were such friendly and tactile animals.
Watching them being washed was brilliant, they rolled around in the water getting their guides soaked and sprayed water at those of us taking pictures.
It was then time for the show. Basically a demonstration of just how clever they are- log rolling; picking up a hat and placing it on someone's head; laying down pretending to sleep; throwing balls into a basket and lastly...painting using their trunks!!
After the show,we visited the baby elephants in the nursery- one 6month girl started playing football with the keeper- so cute! It was then time for a quick stop at the elephant hospital. Many elephants who have been injured or worked too hard are taken to the centre to be cared for and treated.
As the heavens opened, it was our cue to head off on a 3hour journey to Chiang Rai, Bond's home town.
Once we had arrived Bond took a few of us on a short tour around the town, we walked to the local food market where we saw a mixture of fruits, veg and meats; most of it looked pretty appetising, however some not so.
Just as I got back to the hotel to get ready for dinner the heavens yet again opened and torrential rain fell and fell and fell! At 6 it was still hammering it down so we all put on our rain jackets/ponchos and walked to the restaurant - it was hilarious. I was concentrating so hard on walking as I really didn't want to fall over again. The restaurant was open air and In the middles of a small market, luckily it had a roof but the rain had still blown in at the sides causes huge puddles on the floor.
During dinner the thunder and lightening began, I was hopeful for a huge storm but it was pretty rubbish despite the rain. It was Patricia's (from Switzerland) 21st birthday so Bond had kindly arranged a cake! We then found out the side street we had walked down was now flooded with water up to the knee!!
After eating and watching some thai traditional dancing I decided to head back to the hotel, avoiding the flooded streets and more rain.
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