Traveling can bring great joy with opportunities to witness the endless creations of Great Creator. there are endless things to encounter in this magnificent place called earth, things that can help us to remember who we truly are.
Animals are one of the greatest aspects of creation. In our family, animals of all kind are cherished and honored. For the girls, their transitional objects area a bear, a giraffe and an elephant. Those three are never far from the girls offering support and comfort. But how cool would it be to get up close and personal with one of those and connect heart to heart?
In previous travels to Asia both Don and I had the privilege of getting near to elephants both old and young. Sadly, many of these magnificent and intelligent have been mistreated for the sake of human entertainment and/or labor. This weighed heavily on my heart as I researched where to take the family for their elephant encounter. Having much time I decided on a sanctuary about an hour outside of Chang Mai. We were all excited but the girls did not quite grasp what it would mean to get up real close with their tiny selves to those gentle giants. At first they were naturally hesitant but once they meet their elephant for the day both girls were gentle, respectfully and giddy in their interactions.
We spent a glorious day brushing, washing and doing bareback riding (the only ethical way to ride an elephant). We learned things like the health of elephant poop, how they like to live within families and how astounding their memories are. We also learned how painful it is to ride bareback on an elephant for an hour.
When at the end of our three week journey I asked the girls their favorite experience, the elephant encounter was their first choice, without hesitation. I have to say, it made my top experiences as well.
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