The jet lag didn't seem to be overwhelmingly terrible for me until last night, our fourth night at home. After hours of valiant attempt, I finally popped a Bendryl and slept for as long as I could. Phil and The Kid both had a banner night of sleep. Really excellent rest. Kudos to them.
When we last spoke, I told you briefly about our vacation last December. Here's more brevity on that subject. There are a few national parks near Sam Roi Yot district. This one, Kui Buri, is where you go if you want to see elephants in the wild.
People with a sense of adventure can hike and camp in the park. People with a toddler can pay to ride in the back of a truck through part of the park. It was an exciting drive, with stops at several elephant viewing areas.
There are elephants in that clearing. Can you see them? |
There they are! |
Closer, elephants! Closer! |
To be perfectly candid, I'd hoped the elephants would be walking alongside the trucks, and forming deep and meaningful bonds with me. In hindsight, that sounds a little bit unreasonable. I guess it's a possibility (the proximity part, not the friendship), but maybe not a likely one.
It was still worth it. We saw a few elephants much closer than these, and we also saw a gaur, which is like a big, wild cow. Gaur are listed as a vulnerable species. They're native to this area, and are the tallest of the wild cattle species. Kui Buri is one of the best places to see them.
I didn't get a photo of the gaur. Here's one of the truck in front of us, instead. |
I'm glad we got to see some animals, but I would have been happy with the trip, regardless. It was nice to be in big, beautiful, open space. Thailand has 127 national parks. I hope we get to see a lot of them.