Fair well SE Asia...

So, this is it!  Tomorrow I say goodbye, aurevoir, adios to South East Asia.   And what an 8 weeks it has been!  I have travelled far and wide, to 4 different and fascinating countries.

The last 2 weeks I have spent at Elephant Nature Park... this was set up by a woman called Lek. She believes (and anyone with any sense of morality will do too) that they way they train elephants for domestic and tourism use is wrong. She showed us a film of the training process.. even if you're not an animal lover, it will bring tears to your eyes...it was simply shocking. I cannot describe it, just its inhumane torture to animal that is supposed to be a worshipped figure in Thailand.    They train the elephants this way for all the tourism trekking, and so the park had no riding of elephants because obviously they come here for safety and no abuse etc. 
So the people that were volunteering for two weeks got the oppurtunity for the first week to go and spend time with 3 different hill tribe villages. That week was amazing, really really amazing. It was full of jungle treks with free roaming elephants and their babies (one of the 3 sets of twins in the world, so we were very lucky)... spending time with the villagers, helping around the village, playing footy (I represented England very well!) chopping banana tree downs for the elephants... and eaitng yummy food!  And also tackling the spiders...
We were on our first jungle trek, and there had been more than enoguh spiders running around for the last 3 hours. We got to one part where they were literally all around you, top, side to side, floor... everywhere. I turned around and said, no gotta find another way through. But obviously, there was no other way. At that point, I turned around to a french guy who i had known barely 24 hours, and said 'Either you give me a piggy-back through this section or i aint going anywhere.'... So bless him, he did... but not before I put on my sunglasses, and someone tied my Indiana Jones shirt around my head to act as a blindfold (they clicked that i actually was terrified!)   I hopped onto this poor frenchmans back, and as he tookthe first step through the spider-land, i instantly just broke down and was hysterically crying for the 15 seconds it took to pass this area. (iwas wearing shorts and flipflops i was not spider-proof!)   It was at this point where people were like 'oh, you actually have a phobia of spiders do you?'     No, i just scream and cry for attention... cor!

the next week was spent at the park doing chores such as mucking out, sorting feed etc for elephants! Was another, though slightly slower, week.   In it was my 19th birthday! I was sneaked out to Chiang Mai city and celebrated... iot was also Songkran, which is thai new year... just a massive 3 day water fight! So had to be careful! Got a cake from the park. was.. interesting...!

It was jut amazing at the park... you went to bed in these robinson crusoe style huts, and could hear the elephants right next to you (their shelter was next door!) ... they woke me up at5.30am everyday though..!
They are amazing animals, getting so close to them was an adrenaline rush everytime because they could so easily kill you, you have no chance whatsoever. the mahouts didnt even have any guns or controlling instruments!  felt very lucky to spend thoes two weeks in such a way.

So now just sheltering from a very sudden end-of-the-world thunderstorm... when it rains here, it RAINS! you cant do anything, you have to just wait till it passes. I am doing my last bit of cheapo buying things here before new zealand... cant find any jeans though! grrrr.

Really cannot wait for NZ... as much as I have loved my time here, and will miss the cultural differences.. I just need a change of scenery and doing some sport. I miss horse riding and running so much, you have no idea. And cannot wait to skydive... get me in the plane NOW!!
Thats the hard part done though. New Zealand should be a doddle.... they speak ENGLISH!! hurrah!

Just over 24 hours left here... the rain is ceasing slightly... gonna get myself a SUBWAY! hhaha!! 

Lots of McLovin'

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