Today we had just 5 short hours in Phuket, Thailand
(Poo-ket, get your mind out of the gutter) but I think I really made the most
of it! After finding out I wouldn’t be
able to escort a guest tour, I decided to create my own adventure. I’d been wanting to go Elephant Trekking so
badly, and heard of a few other crew members who were going out to do so on
their own, so joined up with them. We
hopped into the taxi and drove through the city to the opposite side of the
island towards Kata. After about half an
hour we arrived at Kok Chang Safari:
My elephant’s name was Panta, a 32-year old female:
The bench atop the elephants back was “secured” by 3 ropes:
1 that sat loosely under the elephant’s tail and two that were individually harnessed
around her front legs. Our seatbelt was
an additional rope to tie across our laps.
After we were all settled, our Mahout (the men who live with, train, and
care for the elephants) gave the order and we started uphill through the
jungle. The scenery was beautiful, and
from the top of the hill you could see the beautiful coastline of the
island. We stopped for pictures, and our
Mahouts (who sit on the elephants head while giving trekking commands) hopped
off and told us it was our turn. The ONLY
thing less secure than my high-tech rope seatbelt was no seatbelt at all. I held on for dear life:
And THAT was while weren’t moving. Once we took off again, I started with the
nervous giggles:
…which turned into screaming as we started to go back
downhill:
After an hour we made it back to base camp, and I had the
opportunity to feed and bond with Panta:
After leaving Kok Chang, we made a quick stop at Kata Beach
for a short swim in the warm, crystal clear ocean. Then it was back to the port for some flea
market style souvenir shopping (and fruit tasting, Mangosteen is as delicious
as it is healthy) before heading back onboard!
I’m loving being this adventurous, and I’m so blessed to
have these experiences!!!
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