I'm BACKKKK!!

to having internet that is!  Time to update all of you on all that's been going on --- there's been a lot.

I'm going to try to give you the abbreviated version and then get some pics up from the students since I didn't bring my camera.

The flights basically went the way they were supposed to.  We were a little rushed in Minneapolis and Tokyo to get to our next plane but got where we needed to go each time without any big problems. The twelve hour flight was LONG.  I thought I was doing really well early on until I found out that only 2 hours had gone by. I definitely thought it had been at least 5 (note: I didn't have my watch on me at the time).  With a lot of sleeping, and movie watching, and sleeping, and eating, and sleeping, and whining - we made it to Bangkok.  At that point we had about a 6 hour layover but by the time we got our luggage, went through immigration and customs, and let the students get some food and get on the computer, it was about 2 in the morning in Bangkok which meant --- time to sleep behind the departure/arrivals sign at the airport and wait for our flight to Chiang Mai.  We were all able to get a couple hours of sleep before getting on our last plane for awhile.  The flight into Chiang Mai was an easy 90 minutes and it was nice to be at our final destination.  We made our way to the hotel we stayed at for the night, checked in, and then went exploring for lunch.  We ate a small little place and had our first real Thai food.  Then it was back to the hotel for a little swimming.  At that point I had convinced myself that I wasn't tired but was just going to lay down for a little bit (at about 3 pm) and take a short nap.  16 hours later I woke up and had missed dinner and the night market. Thankfully Addam took all the students out and Jane and I were able to sleep.  Surprisingly, staying up for about 3 days straight and then sleeping FOREVER seemed to do the trick and I didn't really have bad jet lag.  Score one for me!

We left the next morning (Monday) for the Elephant Nature Park.  We spent the entire week there.  Each day we got up at about 7 and ate breakfast.  The morning was spent doing a chore around the park and feeding the elephants and then there was the biggest lunch buffet of amazing Thai food.  In the afternoon there was elephant bathing and another chore.  This was followed often by some resting time and then dinner.  At night there was sometimes an activity (Thai lesson, presentation, movie) or there was free time.  Some of the chores that we did included cutting grass (very hard...I couldn't get using the machete down!), scooping elephant poo, preparing elephant food, cutting boxes, planting banana trees, making banana balls, and saving the trees by tying blessed cloths around them.  Each task helped the park run day to day and it was really great to feel like we were helping in some small way.  Our first night, a shaman came and did a welcome ceremony.  We were each blessed and got a rope tied around our wrist as a reminder.  It was a cool way to start the week.  One day we got to go on an elephant walk.  Our group leader Aek took us out and we just walked the park and learned about the different elephants in the park.  They all have sad stories about their lives before the Elephant Nature Park but it was great to see how well they were doing at the park. Everywhere you walked was another elephant and you always had to be on the look out for another to walk up behind you.  While walking we made our way over to the Medical hut.  There was an elephant that had a bad foot infection causing it to have to spend the last three months there.  Standing next to her was another female elephant.  When we asked Aek about her and why she was in medical, he said, "she's not injured.  She just stays here with her friend." She has stayed in the Medical building area for all three months to be with her friend.  When they come to work on her foot, the friend stays close and is tuned in to what's going on all the time.  After that, how could people say that elephant's don't have emotions.  One of the afternoons, Lek, who started the park, came and spoke to us.  She has so many stories and expressed how hard it was to get the park started.  She's this petite, humble woman and you can tell that she just lives for that park and the elephants.  She's not interested in credit or notoriety; just saving elephants.  It was inspiring to just be in her presence.   

On Sunday we left ENP and made our way back to Spicy Thai Backpackers, our home for the next three weeks.  We all got settled and took in some of the area.  Today (Monday) we had another Thai lesson.  I think I'm starting to pick up at least some words and phrases.  I'm trying really hard to practice them while we are out.  Tonight we went to the big mall by the airport.  It looked just like a mall in America.  I used that time to go off and journal a little and enjoy some quiet time. 

It's about time to go to bed because we have to be up early for Jungle Flight in the morning.  Hope everyone is doing well.  I'm having a great time and wish I could bring you all here to experience it with me.

While you are waiting to check out some of my pictures, you can take a loop at the blog they are all contributing to as we go.  They have posted some cool pictures and one student made a neat video of our time at the Elephant Nature Park -- http://loopabroad2011.tumblr.com/