Next up is the elephant conservation center. We learned about many diseases and conditions elephants can get and how these conditions are treated at their facility. We were then taken up a hill to meet a few of their geriatric elephants and go on a walk with them. The ages of these elephants ranged from 72-75 years old!
After, we watched an elephant show that was run by the organization. I would recommend this show because the elephants were not exploited or treated badly, they were all calm and had relaxed expressions throughout the entire show (from an elephant researcher’s point of view). This show also helps raise money for the conservation center. It was amazing to watch. None of the elephants were forced to do tricks, so if the elephant didn’t want to do a trick, they were allowed to walk away without being punished.
After the show, I was able to get authentic Thai iced tea (or just milk tea, when you’re in Thailand).
and we got lunch
Next, we went to the FAE Elephant Hospital, which is an elephant prosthetic hospital (though, they take care of other cases, as well). We learned about these different cases and even met the famous elephant, Mosha, who was saved after stepping on a live landmine. I bought a hat from their gift shop, which went towards the elephant care.
Our hotel for the next couple of nights was Kokotel, a modern-Japanese styled hotel/cafe. We check into the hotel just to leave again, because that night we experienced some night life.
We found the night market, which has rows rows of food vendors. This was dinner
Then we walked toward the red light district, which seemed popular and was reminiscent of New York City bar life. They also played a lot of American music. We walked the rest of the way to the Night Bazaar, a large shopping area that is similar to Canal street (but much bigger). We did a lot of shopping for souvenirs and headed home.
Fun Story: We used a service called Grab, which is a version of Uber. We got a tuktuk:
and was on our way to the hotel when our driver turned on the music. My friend and I sang along, mentioning how funny karaoke would be. The driver turned around and told us that he has a karaoke mic, which was attached to the Bluetooth system the music was playing on. He even pulled over to help get us situated.
Yup. Just rode through Thailand belching Adele lyrics.
ChyteaTalks 