The trip continues...

We are finally back to civilization and what a trip it was! First off, the boat ride took us through a beautiful remote area. The boat looked like it would sink at any moment, but we made it to the elephant village without any mishaps. The village was full of elephants and a giant boa constrictor, which you could wrap around your body for a photo moment. Not my cup of tea so, no thanks to that adventure.
We did buy some bananas to feed the elephants. Their enormous trunks would reach out and grab whatever you had in your hand. One took the entire bunch including the plastic bag, but I managed to get it back from him. Their eyes are beautiful with the long lashes and the intelligent look they give you as they look you up and down. I'm not sure I would want to take one home, but I felt honored to be in their presence.
You would love riding an elephant--much different than a horse--very rocky. In fact, I almost felt car sick--or elephant sick. It took a while to get used to the movement but then we really enjoyed it. The Mahout--elephant trainer man--traded seats with Rob so he could ride on the neck. It was one of those things that is truly thrilling for the first five minutes and then got a little old after a while. Elephants have prickly hairs and when it started jogging, Rob had had enough, however, the mahout continued to sit in the basket with me and laughed as Rob flopped all over the poor elephant's neck. It was truly a unique experience.
After an hour and half ride, we got off the elephant and hiked straight up into the hills to the tribal village. That is a story in itself. We stayed with the teacher's family and slept on mats on the floor of their home. We were told the women in the village would come and give us massages for three dollars a piece. What a deal we thought. Little did we know that the village kids were part of the massage all playing and crying around us while their mothers worked on our bodies. Can't say it was the most relaxing massage. Our dinner, Thai style (sitting on the floor), was delicious and after seeing the kitchen the cook worked in, we were amazed at what she accomplished in a limited area. Bedtime was around eight because we were told the roosters start crowing at four, however, we heard the dogs howling at three. Sleeping on a mat on the floor with a mosquito net over our heads added to our list of "experiences we never thought we would have".
Our guide cut bamboo hiking sticks for us when we hiked out of the jungle towards civilization. A quick stop at a waterfall for a swim and pictures and were were then on to the very far north region. We saw the Chinese influence in the area from the foods we ate to the people we met. Our stay in the resort was a welcome sight after our night in the village.

We are still having fun, but it will be nice to relax by the pool today. This traveling is exhausting!