Travel Tuesday: That time I rode an elephant

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Last year we went to Phuket, Thailand for a two week vacation. It was an utterly amazing time, an experience I would never forget and something I want to do all over again. 

Even though the climate was stuffy, as a result of the humidity, not to mention the scorching heat, I loved every moment of it. I loved walking around in between the stalls of cheap clothing, I loved smelling the local cuisine, I loved playing with the local stray dogs, swimming in the clear, calm blue sea, going to all the different islands surrounding Phuket for cheaper than a new pair of shoes. The islands were spectacular. Breathtaking!

I wish I could go back there. And maybe this time I will go when Phuket is not having it's rainy season. I did not mention the amount of rain we had. But we still went out, in the rain. Drove our scooters around town, walked between stalls, went for a swim in the sea, went for a swim in the hotel pool. The rain couldn't stop us from exploring this amazing, unknown world.

Something we did not anticipate on doing, but ended up doing it for the experience, was an elephant ride. Gentle Giants. It was sad however to see that these elephants were scared of their trainers, and that they would make crying sounds if it looked like their trainers were about to hit them. In retrospect, I am very sad that I partook in this, as I only realised later, past the excitement of riding an elephant, that these poor beautiful creatures were being mistreated. They had food, yes. They had shelter, yes. But they didn't have proper shelter and they were not treated with respect, as they should have been.

To me it was an honour to walk with these tender beasts. They really are something precious. I just wish people would treat these animals better. I am a bit sad that I indulged in this silly tourist attraction, just for the sake of saying I rode an elephant. But it's something I can tick of my bucket list.







9 comments:

Kit said...

How cool!!! I would love to ride an elephant!!!!

Sam said...

You are very brave! I couldn't get myself to do this.

Kristen said...

How fun! I love elephants! :-)

Mikelle Jade said...

ah what?! I have always wanted to do this :)

Breeanna @ a brilliant melody said...

That must have been such a fun trip! I've actually been to Thailand too! It was an amazing experience. We traveled to a village near Chang Mai and helped them build a water tank. I also got to ride an elephant. Fun isn't it? But I agree that I the elephants are not treated very well.

Che said...

elephant riding in Thailand is so much fun! (but i did feel uber sorry for those big guys!) where's the next big adventure?!

Megan said...

You guys should really try it, even if its an African elephant, which I think is way more scarier, because they are huge!

Che, my next big adventure will probably be Cape Town. We are planning on going there towards the end of the year. I have only been there once, when I was awkward and 13, so there were a lot of things I did not experience. I can't even remember half the things I saw. So that will definitely be an adventure of note!

Fiona said...

We leave for Thailand in 8 weeks. I'm so excited. Even more so after reading your post :)

Floral and Fauna said...

I'm so unbelievably jealous!!!!!!

Theme created by PIXELZINE