Thailand (Tuesday)

Oh I was so excited for this day. We got up early, had breakfast, and headed out to the bus. The bus drove us into town and the tour guide told us lots of interesting facts about Thailand. After about 20 minutes we got to a base camp and we were transferred into Range Rovers that took us up the mountain to the elephant camp in the jungle at the top. The roads were seriously more steep than any street that I have ever been on. Once we got to the base camp we had a tour of the rubber plantation. They showed us how rubber is harvested and turned into sheets that are sent to companies to make shoes, floor mats for cars, and toys. Here is the lady harvesting the rubber:

Here is the rubber flowing out of the tree:

After the rubber tour we got to see a baby elephant show. There were two of them that were about 5 years old. This one likes to paint so he painted us a picture:

Then they did a dance around the arena. Look how cute, the one behind holds the tail of the lead elephant:

After the show we had our pictures taken with the baby elephants:

Next we got on our elephant for a ride:

The scenery was beautiful. We were on top of the mountain and could see all the way down to the town and out into the ocean:

Inside this tree was a family of lizards. If you look closely you can see the little heads:

Here we are with the view behind us. I had a blast riding the elephant and was pleasantly surprised that they did not stink!

After the ride we got back into the Rovers and headed down the mountain. They took us to a very nice restaurant where we were giving lunch out on the patio. I was able to eat a little rice and some fruit. Again, it was a buffet and the meat was spicy and the noodles and veggies were full of onions. As we ate we overlooked the dock with all of the fishing boats. It was amazing to see these old boats and people out making their living catching fish:

Here is a lobster in the tank at the restaurant:

On the way back to the resort I wanted to take some pictures of the local homes and transportation. Most of the homes looked like this, and most of the people travel on mopeds:

These are Chinese temples that Buddhist families set outside their homes for protection:

We had a great day. I have always wanted to ride an elephant through the jungle. I know it is silly but I was finally able to do it. I totally recommend it if you ever get a chance :)

Up next: Dinner on the sea and gifts from Infor