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The Elephant Nature Park has been my favorite part of the trip so far! It is a beautiful sanctuary for elephants who have been abused by their mahout (trainer), put through the phajaan torture training (a torture phase to turn the elephant submissive so they know their owner is in control), used for illegal logging, trekking, breeding programs, and trained to perform demeaning circus tricks. A lot of the elephants suffered in their past but are now living the life they d… Read more

The start of our two day trekking trip began at 5:30 am in Chiang Mai. We drove for three hours on an extremely windy road but the scenery was beautiful. We arrived in Pai at our first destination where we unloaded our backpacks, ate some snacks and met our tour guide. After, we drove a little further until we reached the trailhead. The hike began with a very steep incline which got us all huffing and puffing. We finally reached the top of the first hill where we looked … Read more

We spent the last weekend rock climbing and caving in the mountains around Chiang Mai. As a group, we learned a lot about the physical demands of the sport but also though the challenges, we learned a lot about ourselves. Ignoring the brief abseil I did when I was ten years old, I'd never done this kind of thing before. We started with a "warm up" rappel to practice our skills. This turned out to be quite easy for most but our big first day challenge was to rappel down a… Read more

Although our last couple of weeks in Thailand did include fun and games, we were never brought down to our knees nor caught any diseases, thankfully! From Chaing Mai, we travelled down to Khao Sok International Park, where we stayed at Our Jungle House in quaint bungalows, with the Sok River and limestone mountains at our doorstep. Our days were spent outdoors, going on a lovely, yet leechy, hike through the jungle, tubing down the river, and swimming. Moving on … Read more

If this week has taught me anything, it is that everyone can be mindful, both of their surroundings and of themselves, if they just take the time to try. Personally, I cannot imagine a better way to learn about the culture of a foreign country than to attempt to immerse yourself in it, which is precisely what we did. Having had time to reflect on our experiences during the trip upon our arrival back in Chiang Mai, we had the opportunity to discover more about the r… Read more

This week our hosts were the rescued elephants, dogs, and cats of the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai. After the caving escapade, we thought we would have a relaxing break, enjoy the gorgeous mountains, and laze around with the elephants. Although we did have those moments, hard work was not sparse! To start the adventure we cut and hauled corn stalks for a solid four hours. The truck load of what we gathered would only serve as a snack for the thirty-five e… Read more

Bangkok is huge but after getting situated and used to the crazy streets it didn’t seem so scary. We visited two temples during our stay. The first temple Wat Po had the reclining Buddha- it was absolutely massive! Wat Doi Suket was a long hike up but the views were incredible. You could see all of Bangkok- the more rural areas and the skyscrapers in the background. We used all different ways to get around the city: train, tuk tuk, boat and foot. Leaving Bangkok … Read more

The bead of sweat forms behind my left ear. It travels slowly down my neck to my collar bone. From there it picks up speed racing down my tricep, past my elbow, my forearm and then pauses on my pinkie. It sits there and time slows as gravity slowly overwhelms its attraction to my skin. And then it falls, racing down the 30 metre (90 foot) cliff I have just climbed. My arms ache. My breathing is short, sharp and shallow. I am stuck on the most difficult section of t… Read more

Water has always been the most absolute source of life, especially for me. It nourishes the earth we walk on, the plants we admire, and the fellow animals we celebrate. Rock has always been my primal source of humbling. When water and rock meet to create the imperial flow of a waterfall – I find authentic salvation. Ithaca, NY (where I attend University) was where I first discovered my sincere affection and serenity in waterfalls. However, here, in Thailand it is somet… Read more

Our time at the Migrant Learning Center in Chiang Mai has come and gone in waves of success and struggle. We have battled language barriers, blank stares, and teacher-less classrooms, but somewhere between awkward moments and Aha! moments, I believe we made a difference, Once the students and staff got used to a bunch of curious Americans (and one Australian) popping in and out of classrooms, the students really opened up to us. I think the students were happy to break u… Read more