On Sunday we left Chiang Mai to head to the elephant sanctuary in the mountains. Along the way, we stopped at some beautiful waterfalls and ate lunch.

After the falls we finally arrived at BEES elephant sanctuary, a beautiful rustic farm tucked away in the highland jungle.  Here we prepared meals for the sanctuary’s two resident elephants before feeding and bathing them in the creek.

The next day we practiced some early morning yoga before heading off on a stunning hike through the forest, winding our way along small creeks, large rivers, and through rice paddies.  At one point we were joined by a unexpected guest as one of the elephants and her mahout out on their morning stroll through forest came across our path.  After the hike and making our way back to Chiang Mai went to watch a Muay Thai boxing match then retired for the evening.

The next day we went to our school exchange.  Here our students were grouped together with Thai students in the English program.  They dressed us up in traditional Thai clothing and taught us the ancient Thai style of dancing before our students split them into groups to practice English.

From the school we headed to the gym to practice a little Muay Thai boxing of our own.  Instructors taught our students the basics of the sport before giving us a fast paced, high energy workout!

The next day our host in Chiang Mai, P’Phan, invited the local monks to come receive their alms.  Here our students learned the Thai way of donating food to the temples for the monks to eat, and in this way they gain good karma for themselves.

Next adventure: On to Laos!

-Ryan & Alyssa