greetings from Hua Hin,
this is the beach community where the king and queen reside permanently, it's 3 hours south of Bangkok by car or 7 hours by rail... the reason i chose to come to Hua Hin was to visit this elephant rescue and sanctuary:
http://www.hutsadin.com
i wanted to be able to actually spend time with the elephants without having to see any "shows" and to have the opportunity to touch one without having to ride it around....
this sanctuary was everything and more than i could've asked for! yesterday was the 1st time in the history of this type of tour, (the mahout experience - mahout is the name for the elephant handlers) that only had 1 person (ME!!!) booked. i was able to spend time with all of the elephants, except for the 2 males that are in musk, which makes them aggressive. i took one old lady for a long walk, luring her with a bucket of fruit... then i was able to feed and wash several more. it was unbelievable to get close to and hug these magnificent creatures and begin to see their personalities in just a few short hours!!!
i will certainly send anyone who comes to visit Thailand straight to this sanctuary because they are doing it right....
i'm heading back to Bangkok in the morning to transfer to another van to head to the island of Koh Samet for a couple of relaxing beach days with Julie and Shawn....
i hope this finds you all well and enjoying your day,
take care,
karen grace
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| butterfly garden in Bangkok |
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| butterflies everywhere |
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| inside |
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| outside... amazing camouflage! |
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| this monitor lizard was heading to the watering hole in the botanical gardens |
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| happy tree |
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| these were huge shrubs |
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there were many lotus pools....
the lotus grows wild here |
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| Bangkok train station |
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| view from the train |
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| this is a library in Hua Hin which is housed in an old rail car |
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| Hua Hin train station |
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| the scratching tree |
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| every elephant's favorite place, it was difficult to lure her away! |
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| out for a walk |
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it had just rained, there was lots of mud
slinging going on... |
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| cruising |
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| behind the ears |
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| scrub a dub |
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| these giant creatures are silent... i love their feet |
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as elephants age they develop these deep creases in their heads,
kind of like wrinkles for us |
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| yummm melon |
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| down the hatch |
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| thirsty |
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i gave her 3 tomatoes and she was juggling and smelling each one
to decide which she wanted to eat 1st... she's in her 90's and has no teeth! |
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| wise eye |
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| beach and beer |
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so much seafood....
i think i've eaten my weight in squid! |
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| seafood paradise |
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| hawkers everywhere |
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| tranquility |
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