Blog

As an animal lover,this blog may be slightly biased, but it's not hard to fall in love with the elephants here at the Elephant Nature Park. While us westerners are fascinated by these gentle giants (you can find elephant designs on almost anything in America), it has become clear that we actually know very little about elephants, especially the Asian ones. A few days of hard work show how beautiful and gentle these creatures are, yet their population is rapidly declinin… Read more

Sawadee ka from Chaing Mai! The sunshine is finally out and it looks like it is here to stay. The last few days we traded in our guesthouse for tents, sleeping bags, bucket showers and sweat soaked clothes at the CMRCA adventure and climbing center. We reached new highs and lows figuratively and literally as we rock climbed and rappelled the Crazy Horse Buttress. Going into the program the climbing and rappelling excursion was the activity I was the most anxious about, … Read more

Over the course of the last 2 months I've had some unforgettable bike rides around Southeast Asia. Working as a cycling guide for most of the year in Europe not only makes biking my livelihood, it also happens to be my favorite way to explore a new country. It started in Bangkok on car free day.  I stepped out of the guesthouse to see thousands of Thais riding bikes. Dressed in Lycra from head to toe and most wearing face masks to prevent breathing in carbon dioxide, it… Read more

Spirits were running high in the group as we prepared to board our junk boat on the scenic waters of Halong Bay. Not only were we relieved from arguably the bumpiest bus ride I have ever experienced, but the group was also once again whole after we reunited with Molly and Kate by the docks. To top it all off, we had received word from our guide that we had been upgraded to a nicer boat. After 2 days of "treacherous trekking," we were all ready to relax on our 3 day boat … Read more

Xin chao from Vietnam! We spent the first few days in our third country trekking through villages in the mountains.  Our tour guide, Dzung, showed us some really cool spots and knew a ton about Vietnamese history and local culture.  After our four day trek in Laos I think everyone can safely say that this trek seemed like a piece of cake!  The homes we stayed in were amazing.  Personally, I think the endless food the families served us was some of the best I've had all t… Read more

We started off the morning eating omelettes and interactingwith our local guide named Bullet who was quite kind. We then packed our bags,grabbed the bamboo-wrapped fried rice and headed out of the village not knowingwhat was next. First we started hiking through the jungle on some pretty flatground, then we made our way into the rainforest with Bullet up ahead, barefootand cutting away at the overgrown jungle on our path.  Trekking deeper and deeper into the forest wewer… Read more

With our trekking packs stuffed and water bottles filled to the rim, we gathered in the lobby of Xieng Mouane Guesthouse in Luang Prabang. The 8 A.M. sun was already beaming brightly, and I could tell that our day would be, not unexpectedly, hot and humid. From the guesthouse, we dropped off the rest of our travel packs at the Tiger Trails office that was just around the corner. Then, filing into three vans, we set out for the three-hour ride to our first stop: Nong Khia… Read more

Our journey down the Mekong river is marked by the peculiar feel of motion without movement. It was still the morning when we boarded the Lao slow boat that would take us to Luang Prabang. It was a sleek, narrow vessel, only ten feet across but easily 180 feet long. It has several beds at the bow. These were monopolized quickly. Toward the stern, was a small bar area and a bathroom. As we settled in, the boat came alive with the chatter of conversation. However, it qui… Read more

Muay Thai day! An hour of this Thai form of boxing left the group sucking down water and panting like dogs stranded in the desert. While it was quite the mental and physical challenge, it was so enjoyable many of us were seeking another session. After a morning of Muay Thai, the group had a well deserved swim at a local pool. We were treated to a great lunch in the shade, tons of time to attempt playing elementary pool games and best of all... a clean and not green pool!… Read more

When we first arrived at Elephant Nature Park, I wasn't sure what to expect but I was in awe. I fed and touched elephants for the first time and it felt like a dream. We learned of their awesome power and how to show them the respect they deserve. I was completely unaware of the horrible backgrounds suffered by these multi-ton mammals. I was even intrigued to ride them myself before I learned what they have to go through to make rides possible. A volunteer named Jody exp… Read more